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AC Line Problems

I have big problems regarding AC line noise. I get alot of loud "pops" through my phon stage from appliances in house while listening to phono stage. I had dedicated line installed from the existing panel but to no avail. The house is only wired for 110 amps. Would upgrading to 220 amps help? Any suggestions? How can I determine noise which is coming in from the AC line versus noise which is airborne?
gerardff
bkdou812's avatar
bkdou812
13 posts
 
Hi, I`m experiencing tube failure on my ARC Reference CD-7 ,18 months ago I sent it back to ARC for power supply upgrade,and new tubes, the CD-7 has just returned from ARC yet again ,where it had a burned out tube that had about taken out another tube [ according to techs at ARC] ! 21 capacitors replaced !  only use this 3-4 hours a day [ piano solos at low volumes] all my gear is hooked up trough a MIT Z Series Line conditioner [ which I sent in to be serviced as well in search of the problem ! ] The tehnician  there said we have 300 to 350  power downs and spikes daily here - My question is how to protect my tube gear, as I just purchased a new ARC LS-17 SE.
  I had no issues ever with my solid state ARC LS-9 or any other solid state gear !
  any assistance will be greatly appreciated !
jafant's avatar
jafant
20,535 posts
 
OP & bkdou812-

where are you guys located?
xti16
1,525 posts
 
bkdou812 Have you considered an on-line uninterruptible power supply? On-line means you run off of the batteries all the time. Line interactive means you go to battery only when it senses a power failure.

When I had my Octave V110 tube integrated I noticed after losing a couple of tubes my power was fluctuating between 95 and 135V. I ended up getting a PurePower 1050 ups. I had no problems after that.That PP 1050 I had was extremely reliable for me. I say that because there are some reports of bad service. I sold mine after 5 problem free years with the original batteries. BTW I would get typically 45 min of playing time with no power. And it kept the output voltage at a steady 121V
minorl
1,021 posts
 

If you are having voltage sag problems on you line, you should notify your electric utility at once in writing.  mention the problem and state clearly that you believe that this is a safety issue.  That buzz word "safety" triggers the utility to come out and do something. They will test the voltage levels and noise on your line for period of days to see if there is a problem, and if they find a problem, they will fix it. 

You have to submit something in writing and mention safety.

If the noise is coming from equipment in your home, you should try to identify the culprit and fix that problem.

Do not that any recommendation that starts with "float the ground" on equipment.  The ground lead is there for a very good reason.  Your safety.  If you have a ground loop or buzzing, we have discussed this many times on Audiogon and there are ways to isolate the equipment that is causing that problem.

Do not float grounds. You are asking for trouble if you do so. Find and fix the problem.  Bad interconnection cables that tie signal return to the shield, bad grounding schemes in a piece of equipment, equipment that share the neutral and/or grounds before they go back to the panel, and many more reasons.

I have noticed that some electricians do not bring the hot, neutral and ground all the way back to the panel when running dedicated lines.  They may share the neutral and/or ground with other feeds. 

Trust me, there is a reason why one has ground loops/buzzing or pops, noise.  Sometimes it is difficult to find the culprit.  But systematic searching will isolate the problem. 

Be safe, don't take the advice of people that tell you to float the ground.  You can do that for a quick minute, just to find which piece of equipment may be causing the problem, but do not leave it that way.

enjoy

minorl
1,021 posts
 

you know, one test of getting old is typing a response post, actually reading it before posting, then posting it, only to discover spelling errors that you completely missed. 

Sigh! 

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