Power Help - What Conditioner - WHERE?

Trying to help, or internet banter? I hope the former. Nothing I do here will affect how any devices perform? I disagree, otherwise, I would not have this equipment and be trying to optimize. I have many decent power strips, but find the Balanced Power Technology products do lower my noise floor.  As I prepare to reconfigure my rack, I was seeking the opinion of other Audio folks. You have chimed in, and I will properly consider your input.

@steakster said:

Basic set-up 101:

- Plug the digital components into the BPT 3.5 balanced power conditioner.   Plug this conditioner into the 15amp circuit. The digital components don’t draw much load. 

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- Plug the analog components into the XE-12.  Plug it into the 20amp circuit. 

I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Feeding AC power from the BPT 3.5 to feed some equipment and feeding other equipment from the AC mains wall outlet. That is, where the equipment will be connected together with wire interconnects.

You will be mixing two ac power systems with different types of grounding, bonding the neutral to ground. They are actually connected together at the main electrical service panel.

Best practices, when using separate branch circuits to feed audio equipment, when wire interconnects are used to connect the signal from one to another, the Hot conductors of the branch circuits should be fed from the same Leg, Line, in the electrical panel.

Here are the results from a bench test I did recently. I wired a 2KVA isolation power transformer, primary 120V, secondary  60V 0V 60V. Center point of the two 60V windings (the not used neutral conductor) bonded to the case of the transformer and connected to the equipment grounding conductor in the power cord that plugs into the 120V mains wall outlet.

Measurements

Output of BPT.  From the receptacle identified Hot contact to the Hot of the wall outlet I measured 60V nominal.

Output of BPT. From the receptacle identified neutral contact to the Hot of the wall outlet I measured 180V. (If you draw the circuit/windings on a piece of paper a 60V winding is added to the utility power company 120V winding used to feed the wall outlet. 120V + 60V = 180V.

Even if the two BPTs are used to feed all the audio equipment, they should be checked to verify the two outputs of the transformers are in phase with one another.

I would think you'd have a good idea how to proceed based on your equipment. Compare them evaluate. 

@jea48 

I don’t know if that’s a good idea

The concern is valid.  But the results are fine.  My multi-meter agrees.

 My system is configured the exact same way as my suggestion.  Two balanced power conditioners, a non-current limiting conditioner - on 3 separate circuits.  It’s been like that for 7 years.  No problems.  No blown fuses.   Sounds pretty good.   

@steakster said:

 My system is configured the exact same way as my suggestion.  Two balanced power conditioners, a non-current limiting conditioner - on 3 separate circuits.  It’s been like that for 7 years.  No problems.  No blown fuses.   Sounds pretty good.   

No problems.  No blown fuses.   Sounds pretty good.   

Sounds good to you, is all that matters.

For blowing fuses, couldn't happen.

You could have a higher noise floor and not know it though.

I go back to best practices that all 120V dedicated branch circuits should be fed form breakers connected to the same leg, Line, in the electrical panel. All from Line 1 or all from Line 2. Not fed from Line 1 and Line 2.

If your 3 dedicated circuits are fed from one Line then if you use your multi-meter and measure from each outlet Hot contact to each of the other two branch circuit outlets hot contact you will measure zero volts, nominal. If one is fed from the other Line you will measure 240V from the other two to that branch circuit.

As for your two BPTs did you ever check to see if their outputs are in phase with one another? If you measure from the small slot contact on one BPT outlet to the small Hot contact on the other BPT outlet you will measure zero volts, nominal, if the two BPTs are in phase with one another. Same if you measure from the longer slot contact to the other longer slot contact you will measure zero volts nominal. If the two BPTs are out of phase you will measure 120Vac. 

(Note, I did say neutral contact on the BPTs outlet. As you know both contacts on the outlet are fed with Hot ungrounded legs, Lines.)

 08-16-2019 at 09:57am 

Why install all dedicated circuits on the same Line, Leg?

"Less than 300 microamps of ground loop current can cause hum as it flows in an unbalanced audio interconnect cable. However, harmonics of 60Hz that are generated from lighting dimmers or switch-mode power supplies sound like Buzzz mixed with a bit of Hummm and are more easily coupled by even smaller currents. Harmonics can add together when equipment is powered from different phases, so clearly there is an advantage to specifying same-phase electrical service to power the electronics systems in most cases....

Any leakage currents on the safety ground wires of split single phase load circuits fed by different phase legs will add together due to the 240V potential difference....

Power conditioners do not solve any of these common problems: Cross phase coupling (doubles hums & buzzes) .... What actually does solve them: Same phase power.

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