A post on AC Voltage Regulators - Why you might want one

I've kept voltage meter on home ac for years. This after I was having issues with transformers in several audio components humming and buzzing. Discovered I had consistent 125v on ac lines, had to build bucking transformer to shelve down AC to 120V. At some point power company fixed the issue, now have consistent 120V. Microwave oven and space heater I use are biggest suckers of power, microwave can drop down to 117, run microwave and heater together, can go down to 113-115. My audio system doesn't create any voltage drop. I could see how high power amps could cause power sag. Good post!

Why not?  First, I'll ask what the output impedance is? Is it going to limit an amplier's response to quick current changes when the music changs?  Second, I'd be worried about the total current available to my amp for quick changes.  Third, I'd wonder if the transformer hums.  I just tested 4 transformers on my amplifier and 2 of them hummed noticeably.  Hopefully Furman has that under control.  Finally how does the transformer in this regulator affect power consumption (which is also heat generation).  I found that the best transformer I tested caused the power consumption of my amplifier to go from 400W to 800W.  

Jerry

I thought it was an interesting read.

Do any of theses look appealing?

Hi @immatthewj 

It can be pretty overwhelming when looking at a brand like Furman to pick the right products.

For an audiophile the basic requirements are LiFT and SMP.  After that, voltage regulation.  Personally I use a Furamn Elite 15 PFi on my video stack, and a separate, simpler unit  + voltage regulator on my audio stack.

Why not? First, I’ll ask what the output impedance is? Is it going to limit an amplier’s response to quick current changes when the music changs?

Nothing will limit you more than having low voltage. Unfortunately many listeners think of the power from the wall as DC and not the 60 Hz AC that it is.

Lets say you have a big 20 Hz audio signal. Do you think the peak of the 20 Hz is going to somehow coincide with the peak of a 60 Hz signal coming out of the wall? Almost never.

The idea of instantaneous current limiting is really not a very useful way of looking at the performance of a power conditioner, or voltage regulator. A better question is: Will it keep the voltage stable even under demanding conditions inside my house? Yes, yes a voltage regulator will.

In this case, the voltage regulator will make your AC wiring appear as if it has less impedance than it had otherwise, to a point, of course.  The Furman I used as an example only works within the sample carts up to 12 Amps.  For my 110 WPC A/AB linear amp + DAC + Streamer that's about 5x more than I ever use.