Low Voltage on Circuit

Hey Sean, what's the power consumption in your BIG rig?!! :-)

HA HA HA... I'll have to break out the calculator for that one : ) While i can come up with a figure based on the factory ratings, who knows how accurate that is after some of the gear has been modified ? It's probably close enough to get in the ballpark though. I'll check and report back. Just don't call "Greenpeace" on me when i report the findings : ) Sean
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While looking at all of the components in that system, i found out that some of the custom pieces are not labeled for power draw. On some of the other stuff, such as the power supplies to run the various panels, i can't recall what was used. As such, i can't really come up with a grand total.

Since the amps are what draw the most juice, i figured that is what was most important. Some of these figures are based on calculations using the line voltage and fuse ratings on the individual amp. I had to do this since there was no total consumption figure listed on the chassis.

The two tweeter amps total 1600 watts of draw, the two mid amps total 2400 watts and the two woofer amps total 4800 watts. Add in the "whopping" FIVE watts ( !!! ) that my preamp draws and we come up with 8845 on just the backbone components. I'm sure that i would be well over 10,000 watts if everything would be factored in.

If you're wondering what "line level" components would add another 1200 watts of draw, i've got the electronic crossover, tuner, cassette, TT & vacuum pump, transport & dac and the four power supplies to run the mid and tweeter panels. As i've mentioned before, there is NO way to make this wiring nightmare look "pretty". The electrician that i had come in just kept shaking his head : ) Sean
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...and then, of course, you'd have to add in your other systems (how many of those did you say you have?)...I think I should start-up a small Enron-style company to corner the electricity market on your block... :-)

Hey guys,
Voltage went back up to 118V today and it turns out that that wasn't the problem. It seems to be the power amps themselves that are acting up. When I turn them on there is a rushing and popping noise that grows with time. It is worse on the left monobloc. The right monobloc has similar simptoms but milder. I have changed out the small tubes for some NOS to rule them out but haven't tested the large KT88 Driver tubes (4 per monobloc). I sure hope it isn't a cap or something bigger. Any ideas on what to test would be great. Thanks again for your help guys.