I have taken the easier but more expensive route by using plug-and-play transformers that are made to sit with your gear, not in the basement under your breaker box. The two best known audiophile brands are Richard Gray and Torus/Bryston. These products have their own AC power cables that simply plug into a wall outlet. I happen to use the Richard Gray Rack Mount Pro. The model below that is their Substation. Their largest is the Powerhouse. The Torus products come in various power outputs, as well. In any case, I would only use a 240V/120V version. All you need is a 240V outlet next to your gear--simple, clean, direct with no worries about phase. The 240V versions deliver more wattage, and this is what you want--a dedicated 120V, 20 amp line will deliver 2400 watts, so you want to equal or exceed that. If you are running two 20 amps lines for two big mono blocks and subwoofers, then you may need an isolation transformer for each side of your system. I also use the RGPC 1200C for my front end. These are all expensive, though, and heavy, as they should be. They do not limit peak demands, they supply them, and, as said, they isolate your system away from ground and grid. Results in my old house have been a broader, more relaxed and articulate low end and sound stage. The new AC OCC cables have taken everything to a new plateau of clarity and presence. |
Lak--yes, the isolation transformer does provide a clean, stable current. My amps read 121 volts input with these large AWG cords, but what I am doing here is plugging my transformer into a 240V wall outlet I installed using 10-2 Romex. The transformer sits under my equipment--it is right there, next to my amps. From the transformer's outlets, I am running these new OCC AC cables directly into my amps' IEC receptacles. What I am seeing here is that there is no grid upstream--just six feet of ultra pure copper as the "last" and only six feet of AC cable--a private power grid. Correct me if I am wrong, but this appears to be a breakthrough realization in providing ultra smooth, quiet power, even though there is a core in the transformer that appears in diagrams to be a material link between the two windings. Even so, this arrangement is giving me something that asks for further consideration. I would like some more input from those with some expertise, Lak included. |
Mike, the Equ=tech 10wq system looks like a superb product--I am sure it is giving you a very quiet power supply that allows all the inner details to come through. Jea, the unit I am using must be a grounded power system, as it has six grounded receptacles on the back. Looking at these transformers form RGPC and Torus/Bryston, they are very domesticated, made for the living room. There isn't anything easier--just plug it into the wall and plug your gear into it. What I am getting at is that, if this is a truly isolating transformer, then there is nothing upstream of it--forget about the house and all the big appliances, all the switching noise, the voltage sags, the buzzing dimmer switches, waiting until midnight for the best sound, etc. All the power is right there with your gear. Beyond that, there are only your own power cords--your own AC lines. Now, use the best copper available, and you have this nailed. I cannot think of a more pure atomic structure than OCC copper. You are down to an element here. It is free of other metal impurities and oxygen. It has no grain boundaries that cause distortions; the electromotive force alternates back and forth along shared electrons quietly. Your gear operates in an ideal power environment. The music signal is modulated onto this pure power source, so this is what you want from your power. I don't have any EE knowledge beyond what I can read and understand, but sometimes this allows a basic idea to come through as perhaps a profound revelation. I am trying to tell you that two AC power cords are acting like a front-end upgrade here--if I only had words.......In the spirit of reporting great things in this community, I just want to tell all of you, and if just one person also tries this combination, then something has been accomplished. Best wishes for health and a Happy New Year to all. |
Jafant, yes, I have had the 240V/120V Substation and the upgraded to the RM Pro for even more power and outlets. Yes, I have a dedicated 240 volt line, made from 10 AWG Romex and a 30 amp breaker.
Svan, even though power is not made at the transformer, it makes a lot of power available. Mine receives 240V via 30 amp service = 7200 watts. It steps the voltage down to 120V and preserves 4000 watts available for devices, and, as claimed by the manufacturer, it is all isolated from the house. My amps tell me this--they read at 121 volts constant. The Substation before it that outputted 2400 watts gave them 118 volts constant. No need to lift the ground--the house ground is not involved, again, as claimed--no ground loop issues at all. And this is what I am experiencing during listening. The amps are perfectly quiet and there is no effect on the sound from my house, including an electric range, the furnace, AC, 1/2 horse garage door opener, etc. If you read the claims made by the makers of these transformers, and if you believe them, then all that is left is to try them. I have them, and they have given me stellar results, and I live in a first-ring suburb with above-ground wires on poles that are > 40 years old. The neighbors' appliances don't bother me, either. But what I originally posted was a question about my new AC power cables, and I am answering yes to my own question, and I stand by this. |
Jim, thanks for that clarification. I should have said that the ampacity I ran ends at my receptacle. Beyond that, the product supplies a 12 AWG cord and a 20 amp breaker. The cord is grounded to my receptacle and into the transformer. The company claims of protections from surges, elimination of ground loops--at least between gear in the system-- instantaneous power on demand have led me to believe this is an isolated power supply. At any rate, the results say just that--there is no noise, there is no loss of voltage, no clipping, a vastly improved soundscape--lots of "headroom". I have not altered the unit in any way--it is plug-and-play--just need the outlet. They are expensive-got mine for half cost here on 'Gon from an installer who had an extra--otherwise, would have tried Torus Power, also very costly, but well regarded.
I just wanted to report my findings using OCC copper in my DIY AC cables that are supplied by this clean power---outstanding! |
Jim, thanks for that in-depth manual from Exact Power. This should be enough info for anyone who wants to improve power to a system. I'm still not sure where this leaves us on the question of a separately derived power source or an isolated ground. I know the primary winding is grounded to my house via the supplied cord--not sure what the secondary winding can claim when there is an iron core to aid in the induction of the stepped down voltage made available at the six outlets on the back. I can only say that, having gone up the chain from several 400s, to the Substation to the RM PRO, improvements have been dramatic. The 400s are meant for front-end pieces only, not amps. The 1200 is the best item for an entire front end. There is a guy who occasionally runs an ad for a new 1200, sells them for around $950, sez he can't give the warranty, but guarantees it will work. He's the real deal--I have two from him--guy named William Loni. |
Thanks for posting page 10. It seems to lean toward "...a newly derived system ground." At any rate, I am very pleased with this product, and yes, the 1200C is plugged into the RM PRO. This is what Richard Gray calls their IsoGray configuration, which provides even more isolation to the front end. I have only my Wadia 861 CDP/pre-amp plugged into my 1200C. The Wadia is babied with an ideal power source in this way. The 1200C could easily support separate CDP/transport/turntable/pre-amp. I have another one in another room for my plasma TV and Blu-ray player and a pre-amp, and I plug that one directly into the wall, which also works for the 1200C. A small stereo amp is plugged into the wall. But yes, the best set up is the IsoGray. A lot of people don't like RGPC, citing bad results, e.g., stifled dynamics, but others have found them to be very good. Whether Torus Power or RGPC or another, best to have the 240V/120V models so you have a lot of clean power right up next to your gear. Then, it is only a short run with a great AC cord, and this is, in my recent experience, a breakthrough finding.
Best Regards, Joe |
