How do you power your gear?

[radix]

I'm wondering what people use for their mains power. Personally, I use a Furman PL-8C, because I wanted a single switch rack-mount PDU, and the built-in LED lights are useful on the rack. Also, where I live its usual to get some power issues in winter storms (well, I live in Santa Cruz, CA, so "storm" must be taken with a grain of salt).

 

[Willem]

I just use the mains, although some of the gear is on a master/slave power strip. Unlike in the US, we do not have overhead electricity cables, and thus far we have a very clean and stable supply. Solar panels etc are an increasing burden on the stability of the system, however. But for now there is no need for any gadgets.

 

[Godataloss]

I use a Furman too. No issues.

 

[tmtomh]

I use a very basic power strip/surge suppressor - but I'm fine using wall mains power and I use the power strip only for physical convenience: I have just enough wall outlets for the number of pieces of gear in my system, but their plugs won't all physically fit in the outlets at the same time. So the power strip solves that problem, and it also allows me to have all the plugs in a location that is a little easier to get to than my wall outlets.

In fact, now that I think of it, the power strip/surge suppressor I'm using is so old that its surge-suppression functionality probably doesn't even work anymore.

Over the past 30 years I've used wall outlets and probably a dozen different power strips, along with the occasional voltage regulator, and none of it has made a bit of difference to the sound quality or noise levels. The only power things that have ever impacted what comes out of my speakers have been a DC blocker (eliminated mechanical hum from the toroidal transformer in my old power amp) and a Hum-X ground loop eliminator (eliminated ground loop hum and 95% of hiss in my current setup where I have 2 grounded components and cannot have fully balanced interconnects because one component has RCA jacks only).

I believe that dirty AC is a real thing, but I am definitely not a believer in general "power conditioning" - it's either unnecessary or ineffective.

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

basic, inexpensive power strip...mostly just for the extra outlets.

 

[flyzipper]

Tripp Lite Isobars with 4 6 or 8 outlets and surge suppression and connected to grounded outlets.

(I never used to worry about this, but since I moved to an old church -- complete with lightning rods on the roof -- I've lost gear that was unknowingly on old ungrounded circuits -- costly lesson)

 

[restorer-john]

My HiFi gear runs through an industrial noise filter , AC block, surge and O/C circuit breaker. The 'lab' and all its test gear run off a 2400W inline 'squeeky clean' filter which contains similar but uprated filtering and line monitoring.

We get huge numbers of lightning strikes around us (high up on a ridge) and I'm not always at home to unplug certain things.

 

[HiFidFan]

 

[tmtomh]

My HiFi gear runs through an industrial noise filter , AC block, surge and O/C circuit breaker. The 'lab' and all its test gear run off a 2400W inline 'squeeky clean' filter which contains similar but uprated filtering and line monitoring.

We get huge numbers of lightning strikes around us (high up on a ridge) and I'm not always at home to unplug certain things.

I am glad to hear this, especially the bolded part - we would expect nothing less from you!



(I mean that truly in a good-natured way BTW!)

 

[restorer-john]

I have one of those SOLA power conditioners I picked up from a factory where it supplied power to the computer control of a CNC. But it's too noisy to use (buzzes too loud for a HiFi room). Ferroresonant transformer like this, except an older model:

Notice the noise spec, kinda useless for HiFi unless you put it downstairs and run a long cable, which again is not ideal. It was an experiment.

Mine is a 240V unit of course.

 

[Somafunk]

Normal uk ring mains to Tacima 6 way extension then to iMac/CXN v2/lyd 48/18s sub, although i have a Tesla power wall battery that stores cheap electricity at night and supplies all the house needs during waking hours so I guess I can say my house/system runs off a battery.

 

[warnerwh]

I use a surge protector but the power amp is plugged into the receptacle.

 

[escksu]

View attachment 172932

Those blue stuff looks like MOV to me. Lots of them!!

 

[Mart68]

power amp plugged directly into the wall socket, DAC. transport and pre-amp from 4 way power strip. It's well made and cost a bit but it doesn't have filters, surge suppressors or any of that malarkey.

The amp came with its own extra thick power cable, all other power cables just the standard ones you get bundled in. DAC is powered by a mobile phone charger that came with a Sony smartphone.

 

[Doodski]

I believe that dirty AC is a real thing

Upon me contacting the electrical power company and asking what the guarantees are, they advised that they only guarantee the frequency. The voltage levels are not guaranteed but are designed as well as possible to eliminate high current consumers from decreasing the mains line voltage.