Sound Better w/Amp Directly Into Wall Then Thru Zero Surge
I’ve been breaking in a Pathos Classic Remix. It’s lovely at small things, but when things got complex, the soundstage flattenned, the sound compressed, and the top end got sort of hashy.
When my last amp and speakers got fried from a surge, even when plugged into a Shunyata Hydra, I decided I needed some more serious surge protection. I was directed to a Zero Surge brand protector. I have been plugging the Classic Remix into the Hydra and that into the Zero Surge.
My previous amp, a Unison Research Unico was quite improved going through the Hydra in terms of the sound, but, again, that was going into the wall.
With the Classic Remix plugged into the Hydra (and the Zero Surge), I decided to plug the Classic Remix directly into the wall. Immediately there was an improvement with the dynamic bloom and lessening of the harshness when the music got big.
I’m wondering how much the Zero Surge was reining in the dynamics? I need to try comparing the Hydra directly into the wall with the Pathos plugged in, as well as trying to plug the Zero Surge directly into the Zero Surge. But, boy, it seems as if something was limiting the current to the Pathos.
But I have heard that some manufacturers say to plug their apps directly into the wall. How do I protect my equipment (without going to crazy expense)?
One other thing - I called Zero Surge and Jim, the guy I spoke to, told me that there's nothing in the Zero Surge that would cause it. "It's just wire", he said.
Yes, a strip which is wired directly to receptacles and uses a circuit breaker should have no audible effect on sound. Search power strips in the Audiogon archives.
Edit: it's best to have a short power cord or a unit with an IEC to use your own PC. |
the Hydra contains metal oxide varistors, which were promoted by Russ Andrews in a couple of his products in the early 80‘s. At the time quite a few enthusiasts obtained these components individually and inserted them in mains plugs to ascertain whether they improved the sound as Russ claimed. While the sound did change in a manner that some may call an improvement, there was an almost universal view that their inclusion lead to a constriction of dynamics. My own experimentation lead me to concur with these conclusions. The effect is most marked in amplifiers with high current demands. It must also be borne in mind that varistors do wear out, and cease to be effective after providing a certain amount of overload protection. Their performance in failure mode can be unpredictable. They are very cheap to buy and you can easily observe their effect by inserting one across the live and neutral terminals inside a suitable mains plug. |
I think the answer to the question starts with how your power is, without conditioning. (Surge protection is a different question). I’m sure that some find power conditioners to improve the overall sound of the system, but wonder how many of those folks are living in apartments or are on grids that are nasty/out of date? I’ve tried various power conditioners over the years, and my system always sounded better without them. Insofar as "surge protection" is concerned, I do use a whole house plus a surge board on my big isolation transformer (10 kVa in a 400 lb case outside). I don’t use point of use on that system, but go straight into the receptacles (Porter Ports, no longer available).If a close lightening strike all bets are off. We do get the fringes of some seriously crazy storms in Austin, but not like Oklahoma or some other parts of Texas. (hee-ha). :) I have a whole bunch of things here. A ZeroSurge supplies power to my vintage Quad 57s in the second system, and there, it does not necessarily interfere with sonics. (I’m simply keeping the panels charged). But on the main system, I went to some lengths to sort fo the power from the service entrance, using commercial electricians for a more than standard residential system. Truth be told, the power where I am in Austin is better, overall, than what I had in the lower Hudson Valley of NY. (Old infrastructure). |
@johnto VERBATIM! This is exactly what both Shunyata and the folks at Simaudio said. I had reached out to Shunyata on a question regarding one of their power cords and when I mentioned I had my amp plugged into a Furman Elite 20PFi Richard at Shunyata immediately suggested I bypass with the amp and go direct to the outlet. Reaching out to Simaudio confirmed go direct because their amps "will regulate the voltage itself and do not need need a conditioner" exactly at johnto stated. I do have a whole house surge protector (Leviton) at the breaker box and a dedicated 20 amp line as well for my HT equipment. I will say as soon as I went direct to the outlet things seemed to really open up. It was a very audible improvement and I thought to myself 'why didn't I do this sooner, if only I had known'. Both Shunyata and Sim said I would notice improvements in sound but I couldn't have imagined how much.
Like they said though "try it both ways and see which you prefer"... |
