amplifier power consumption

Hi again, Al

No, no new cables... cables are routed cleanly... standard cable with rca ends... no dimmers...

yes, i was under the impression that both these people were talking about a power regenerator built into a ups (or that all ups' were power generators, more specifically).

I also make a point to turn off everything - even shut off my fridge at the fuse box - just to to get the best sound...which ends up still being mediocre at best anyway.

Are you sure the buzzing is not due to a ground loop issue? The way to check it is with a ground isolator plug adapter (isolates the third prong). Your condo electrical system may not be wired or grounded properly.

Tonywise -

funny you should mention that. I was sitting around, trying to 'enjoy' some tunes the other night..fiddled around w/ the wiring a bit...Turned the amp off for a few moments and when it was turned back on, the left channel began crackling. Upon touching the volume knob to turn it down, there was a static discharge that made the left channel cut back in.

I talked about this with both an audiophile friend and an electrician; the audiophile mentioned the possibility of ground look, so i'm going to go grab a cheater plug and check things out. Beyond that, the electrician suggested lack of grounding in the condo and offered to check it out for me.

Something is definitely amiss and, after all your comments and my further observations, it seems as though i was originally barking up the wrong tree.

This is definitely an exercise of my patience. At least I have something to work with at this point.

Is there a way to calculate or estimate an amplifiers consumption with the specs posted by the manufacturer about it? I'm looking for a number either @ idle or ballpark consumption when it has a load. The reason I ask is that I'm looking at a Vincent Audio SP-993 amplifier but I can't power consumption specs about it. I went onto Vincent's site and couldn't find anything either. Normally I just use my Kill-A-Watt but where the amp is I can't easily go there and measure it myself.

Thanks in advance.

Haven't read all the responses but a UPS shouldn't be run at over 60% capacity. Even that is generalized for SMPS, not linear power supplies.