Best tools for evaluating my electricity Signal

[rimmi2002]

Hi I have been noticing that many times my system sounds really good in the afternoon and in the evening / night time not so great (Treble is harsh / bass lacking) on some days night not all. After searching online one potential reason could be "brown outs" of my electricity during peak times at night.

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on tools I can use to evaluate if my electric circuit is in any way contributing to the deterioration of my sound.

These are the ones I found :

LHY Powerline Noise Analyzer
DROK Electric Voltage Testers

Would be great if there are recommendations of other power noise analyzers that are more economical with similar performance.

Thanks in advance.

 

[LTig]

I would rather start with measuring the frequency response at the speaker output of your system. An attenuator and a simple USB audio interface together with free software REW suffice. It would show both lacking bass and increased distortion in mids and highs.

 

[Speedskater]

The first meter just measures noise way up in the radio range. That noise is of little concern.
The second one is just a volt meter. I would rather a "Kill-a-Watt" meter for that purpose.

 

[RandomEar]

This is not... a real thing. You do not listen to the mains supply. Your devices all have power supplies in them, which "flatten" the AC to DC and work based on that. Unless you have a clearly audible ground loop or hum, the mains power and all power supplies are the last spots I would look at in case of problems with a HiFi system.

This is with near certainty either a psychological effect: You being more relaxed, less environmental noise disturbing you, stuff like that. Or your system is not well tuned and there is too much treble or something similar.

Brown outs would cause the occasional light to flicker or a device to power down and up again. Your microwave might loose the time and similar symptoms. Brown outs are not continuous and not subtle. The "Powerline noise analyzer" you linked looks like a snake oil device. There is no clear explanation what it actually measures or displays.

 

[kyuu]

As noted, it's much simpler to measure if the frequency response of your system is changing. You can do that with a relatively cheap USB mic (UMIK-1) and free software (REW). Deciding if any "noise" on your electrical line is causing issues is a fool's errand, since none of your gear is powered directly from the incoming AC -- they all have power supplies that filter and convert it to DC, which generally isolates it from any issues as long as it's not way out of bounds. Even if there was something going on like extreme voltage droop or the like, that wouldn't likely cause subtle tonality shifts. Power problems like that generally results in gear seriously misbehaving or simply shutting off.

 

[rimmi2002]

Thanks will do. I am already familiar with REW and have a UMIK

 

[kemmler3D]

As others have said, a lot of things would have to go wrong for noise or slightly low mains voltage to affect your speaker output noticeably.

Our hearing is not really the same day to day. If you have had a long day, or you've been exposed to more noise during the day, your hearing might be a little different. Or you might just be experiencing the music differently due to mood / focus.

I agree that the best next step is to take measurements of the in-room sound on days when you feel the sound is good vs. not-so-good. This will help narrow down the cause more directly than testing mains voltage.

 

[LTig]

Thanks will do. I am already familiar with REW and have a UMIK

A UMIK is OK to measure frequency response, just make sure that background noise is not too high. Better though (and required for distortion measurement) is to measure the electrical voltage at the power amp output. You can leave the speakers connected.

 

[antcollinet]

Hi I have been noticing that many times my system sounds really good in the afternoon and in the evening / night time not so great (Treble is harsh / bass lacking) on some days night not all. After searching online one potential reason could be "brown outs" of my electricity during peak times at night.

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on tools I can use to evaluate if my electric circuit is in any way contributing to the deterioration of my sound.

These are the ones I found :

LHY Powerline Noise Analyzer
DROK Electric Voltage Testers

Would be great if there are recommendations of other power noise analyzers that are more economical with similar performance.

Thanks in advance.

,
And not ignoring all the advice you have - don't rule out the quite likely difference can be your frame of mind - if you are tired, or had a drink, how comfortable you are, any stress going on - etc etc. - all these things can significantly alter your perception of the sound.

I hear differences in my system all the time. It is not the sound that is changing.


EDIT : Ninjad by @kemmler3D

 

[pablolie]

,
And not ignoring all the advice you have - don't rule out the quite likely difference can be your frame of mind - if you are tired, or had a drink, how comfortable you are, any stress going on - etc etc. - all these things can significantly alter your perception of the sound.

I hear differences in my system all the time. It is not the sound that is changing.


EDIT : Ninjad by @kemmler3D

Totally and completely agreed.

It is also known (and I experience it often) that we may have some accumulated auditory fatigue at the end of the day. I always find it fascinating that last night's music volume sounds much louder in the morning, and we know that makes a huge difference when it comes to perceived SQ.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Hi I have been noticing that many times my system sounds really good in the afternoon and in the evening / night time not so great (Treble is harsh / bass lacking) on some days night not all. After searching online one potential reason could be "brown outs" of my electricity during peak times at night.

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on tools I can use to evaluate if my electric circuit is in any way contributing to the deterioration of my sound.

These are the ones I found :

LHY Powerline Noise Analyzer
DROK Electric Voltage Testers

Would be great if there are recommendations of other power noise analyzers that are more economical with similar performance.

Thanks in advance.

You may just be tired!