Help with Bad Power


I just moved into a new apartment, and the electricity is just horrible. The lights dim when I turn on my equipment, and I can hear pops from my speakers if I switch anything (lights, ceiling fan, etc.) on. The worst thing is, I can hear a constant buzz coming out of my speakers. It's not super loud, but it is still audible from a distance of 2-3 feet. AND IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!

I had all my equipment shipped to my new apartment (I was moving from out of state), and there were never any problems like this before. I don't think anything was damaged during shipping. All my equip looks fine.

I've been surfing around on various posts, but what's the best solution here? A cheater plug? A power conditioner? Will a simple surge protector help?

I have pretty severe budgetary constraints here. My system is about at my budgetary limit, and I am not willing to drop $400 on a PS Audio power generator, or whatever the hell they are called.

Any help will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! Thanks!

My System:
Adcom GCD 750 CD Player
Adcom GFP 750 Pre (Passive Mode)
Rogue Audio 88 Magnum Amp
Proac Response 1sc Speakers
roguetubes731e

Showing 1 response by audionutge2e5a

Lifting the ground is a bad idea. What you need to do is isolate your system from the house. This can either be achieved by using a isolation transformer like a Plitrom Medical Grade Type 1 or by using a balanced transformer (60/60) (BPT, Equi-Tech, etc). In either case make sure you purchase a transformer that not only handles the max load of your system but also has a little extra because all transformers convert energy to heat. So to make sure dynamics are not restricted I would look at a transformer 25% to 50% larger than your system needs.

Regards,
Alan Maher