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Low Voltage on Circuit

Just tested the Voltage coming out of my wall and it was 112.7 V. This is obviously too low to feed my 120V tube monoblocs and my tubed pre amp. For about a week when I turned on my equipment it would shut off after about 30 seconds of play. I stumbled for a few days trying to isolate the problem but kept running in circles. I then took a trip to get a multimeter and tested the juice from the wall. Please let me know how to fix this, preferably with an inexpensive step up transformer or other solution that can be done DIY for under $100. My associated equipment all on the same circuit is:

Rogue Audio Magnum M120 Monoblocs (120Watts)
DIY pre amp using 2 6SN7 tubes
EAD Ultradisk 2000 CDP

buckingham
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
5 amp, 600 watt is not enough. 15 amps might be minimum, 20+ is better, for wattage look on the rear panels or in the manuals of all your gear and add up the draw. 600 may be enough for the sources, but not for the power amps too.
sean
6,231 posts
 
I looked at the power consumption of the components in my tube based system.

The transport's rated consumption: 24 watts
The two tube dac's rated consumption: 24 watts
The all tube preamp's rated consumption: 26 watts
The 30 wpc tube power amp's rated consumption: 236 watts

Total power consumed at "full throttle": 310 watts

While your monoblocks are far more powerful than my little "antique", you MIGHT be able to get away with a 500 watt supply IF you turned things on gradually and never played the system very loud. Since this is strictly a temporary thing, it might be worth a shot.

The info that i sent you on that one piece states that it is actually good for 6-700 watts before the protection circuitry begins to clamp down, so that might offer a slight margin for error should you "goose the throttle" by mistake : )

The other alternative is to pick up an inexpensive but useable HT receiver from Best Buy / Circuit City. This would probably work under those conditions, give you something to tinker with for movies as a cheap secondary system while also giving you something to fall back on if your preamp or a power amp takes a dive. To me, this is a better solution than spending the money on the voltage regulator which might not work. Even if it does, when would you ever REALLY have the need for it once you move ??? Keep in mind that the more power that you pull from a regulator, the more the distortion goes up. Sean
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buckingham OP
333 posts
 
Hey Sean

I just bought the Tripp Lite LC 1800. It's a 15 amp voltage regulator/surge protector/noise remover. It should be here sometime next week. Hopefully it fixes my problems.
sean
6,231 posts
 
good luck and keep us posted. I'm sure that there are others in your situation. Some of them might not even know it : ) Sean
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zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Hey Sean, what's the power consumption in your BIG rig?!! :-)
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