|   Power Cords | Beckman
Nov 6, 2003 9:45 AM | | I don't see how a power cord can do anything to help the sound of an amplifier or cd player. The only purpose a power cord serves is to provide a secure, low impedance, connection from the wall outlet to the component.
One question I do have is if power conditioners help the sound of an amplifier, cd player, record player.
I would think that about the only thing a power conditioner could do is filter out unwanted harmonics and provide a constant voltage. Since all stereo components send the input power trough a transformer, a rectifier, some capacitors and some type of voltage regulator do harmonics really effect the performance of any component?
Currently all my components use stock power cords and are plugged into a surge protector. |
| You are correct | skeptic
Nov 6, 2003 10:58 AM | | The rest of the gobbledegook and technobabble is to make money by playing on the fears of those who have more cash to part with than knowledge. And it often works.
If the electronic device's own power supply can't filter out the problem, a power cord certainly won't do it. By the way, to be an effective filter, it would have to have a high enough neutral and ground impedence to make it unacceptable to UL for safety reasons and would impedede the flow of current to the device to the degree that it would unsuitable for its primary function.
See my posting below called "here we go again" on another thread.
When it comes to power conditioners it's also buyer beware. Many of them are little more than fancy packaging with surge protectors (cheap) a capacitor or choke or two (also cheap) a lot of hype and high price tag. |
| re: Power Cords | mtrycrafts
Nov 6, 2003 10:19 PM | | b I don't see how a power cord can do anything to help the sound of an amplifier or cd player.
Try to do without it :)
b One question I do have is if power conditioners help the sound of an amplifier, cd player, record player.
No reason to. Well designe components will do what filtering is necessary. For surge suppression, lightning supprssion you don't need a power conditioner:)
b I would think that about the only thing a power conditioner could do is filter out unwanted harmonics and provide a constant voltage.
Components are designed to operate with sagging line voltage an dhas internal filters.
b Currently all my components use stock power cords and are plugged into a surge protector.
You are home free:) |
| re: Power Cords | happy ears
Nov 9, 2003 5:57 PM | | Skeptic is correct that many power conditioners will not do much for any electronic equipment. Even fairly pricey ones do not seam to do much for power where I have used them, but this is not on a standard grid. You can try a surge suppressor for lightening strikes but this has not worked for me in the past. Pretty impressive when they catch fire, but equipment still has been damaged. Using a true on line UPS plugged into a surge suppressor has not stopped lightening strikes, even surprised me that the UPS survived. But down line equipment was damaged. These UPS's could stop a 270,000 volt spike in 4 nanoseconds time frame, problem was that lightening strikes surpassed the UPS voltage capabilities.
I have found that a shielded power cord can be a benefit on my integrated amplifier. These can be purchased fairly cheaply, I am using a 14/3 SJT shielded power cord. You can spend 10 times as much on a fancy power cord and gain a bit more, but what a price hit for a small gain. |
| re: Power Cords | skeptic
Nov 10, 2003 6:24 AM | | I have spent a fortune of other people's money on power conditioners and UPSs for all manner of equipment but most especially data centers. The standard power conditioner in the 1980s for the company I worked for and for many other companies was the Liebert 125 KVA PMC (power management center.) It was a huge blue (later gray) box about 8 feet long, 2 1/2 feet wide and about 6 or 7 feet high plus a one foot steel stand. It weighed about 6000 pounds containing dozens of transformers, chokes, and capacitor banks. It's purpose was to protect expensive data equipment from sags, surges, spikes, brownouts but it could not deal with a blackout. Interestingly, of two data centers equipped with the same power distribution and conditioning equipment sitting almost side by side in the same facility, during one "hit" the one with the Controlled Data Vax 11/780s, 11/785s and 8650s crashed completely while the one with the Sperry 1190 and 1160 series computers rode through unscathed. This was IMO testimony to the superior power supplies of the Sperry computers (the 1190 series were powered from 400 hz motor generator sets so there was additional mechanically stored energy in the machines but the 1160s were all 60 hz computers and rode through as well.)
Protection from a direct lightening striking on a utility power distribution systems is probably well beyond a homeowner's ability. In a power distribution network, substations are protected by lightening arrestors which consist of steel balls, one on each phase of an incoming line and one connected to ground. An air space between them breaks down when the voltage gets high enough and causes an arc to ground shunting the majority of energy from the lightening bolt....hopefully. The network takes a jolt but it's better than getting hit by lightening. Some buildings have lightening arrestors which are spiked metal conductors on the roof wired together and to ground to try to discharge nearby ionized clouds before bolt of lightening strikes or to take the hit if there is going to be one. Sometimes it even works.
I use surge protectors myself but don't count on them to be 100 foolproof. My advice, don't build your house on the top of a hill. And if you do, don't install a flagpole. My neighbor did and their house was hit. I never believed in "ball lightening" until I heard two first hand accounts from reliable sources. These blue colored clouds of ionized air seem to be able to exist for a while floating around and passing through walls and windows like they weren't even there until they are discharged by some grounded object they encounter. If you ever see one, don't touch it. It is probably very dangerous. |
| re: Power Cords | happy ears
Nov 11, 2003 3:40 PM | | As always more great advise from skeptic. Definitely cannot afford a 6000 pound box, no space with all the junk I already have.
You should see the fireball that comes from a direct lightening strike to a electrical transformer sub station. That fire ball most have shot straight up for a mile burning all the way. Very neat blue and red colors, so much for our power for the next 20 hours, good thing it was summer. A fiend father that worked for the city electrical system, said one large transformer was never found, he would not believe us when we said it took off like a rocket. The hit tore out one quarter of the sub station. Pray to god that I never get hit.
Guess where most number of males hit by lightening between 25 and 40 years of age occur. On the golf course! |
| re: Power Cords | skeptic
Nov 11, 2003 4:34 PM | | And most of them probably took shelter from the rain under a tree. Best advice to avoid getting hit by lightning during an electrical storm if you can't get to real shelter such as inside a building or a car, lie flat on the ground, with arms and legs outstretched. Not the highest point if possible and of course in open ground, not under or near a tree, flagpole or anything else protruding into the air. That's where it's most likely to strike. And yes it does strike twice in the same place. The Empire State Building has been hit many many times. As for a transformer being hit, very possible and it can go flying, catch fire, or disintegrate...or explode, especially if it is liquid filled. |
| re: Power Cords | jneutron
Nov 14, 2003 11:55 AM | | I just read some advice for avoiding getting hit, and it said to crouch down, and kiss your knees..apparently, it is to minimise the cross section of your body..
http://www.tbrpc.org/storm/LightningSafe1.html
I am not sure, however, as to the preferred position..just that my preffered one would be miles away..
Cheers, John |
| re: Power Cords | skeptic
Nov 15, 2003 5:09 AM | | "If you feel your skin tingle or your hair stand on end, squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them."
Bend over as far as you can. That's so you can kiss your ass good-bye. |
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