Science behind iFi AC iPurifier - what do you think?

[Ron Kuper]

Active Noise Cancelation -
The AC iPurifier is the latest product to have onboard ANC. As its name suggests, it ACTIVELY cancels the noise which makes it one of the power accessories, if not the only one, that actively cancels noise.

https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-ac-ipurifier/

 

[Thomas savage]

There’s Never a popcorn emoji when you need one...

 

[DonH56]

Their Tech Note is long on marketing and short on actual technical (scientific) details. How large of spikes can it suppress, what is their 0 dB reference, how do they define active vs. passive noise suppression, etc.? With nothing to do but guess it would appear to be an active sink of some sort but I wonder how much power it can handle? Filtering low-level signals from the line is one thing but what if it is a multi-volt (or tens of volts) spike from a load blasting through the main power?

And of course it assumes, as do all such devices, that there is negligible filtering and decoupling within components.

At least the Tice Clock told the time.

 

[Speedskater]

If the product actually did what they claim, they wouldn't have time to think about the audiophile market. The scientific, industrial and medical demands would overwhelm the manufacture.

 

[Ron Kuper]

If the product actually did what they claim, they wouldn't have time to think about the audiophile market. The scientific, industrial and medical demands would overwhelm the manufacture.

Interesting logical point!

sink of some sort

From what I've gathered - not a sink, but a generator of noise in opposite phase to original noise in order to cancel it out. All strictly non-engineering marketing speak and I have no idea how inaccurate it is.

If it is working then indeed it is missing specs as to the level of "noise" it can handle or at least an indicator specifying that detected noise it beyond its capabilities. They do state that one can use more than one on the same power stripe for increased protection (and increased profits of course! )

what "active" noise cancellation has to do with fighter jets

If one reads closely the marketing fluff one might get the impression that the fighter radar avoiding tech (producing electromagnetic pulses of opposite phase than the detected waves) was an inspiration of a sort

I wonder how it provides any surge protection.

An elusive matter indeed, somewhere in the interwebs I've read that it simply triggers the house circuit breakers connected to the outlet it is used in. Or not. Who knows?!

I'm sure we would all be grateful if you bought it and sent it to Amir for testing.

I just might! For science

 

[DonH56]

From what I've gathered - not a sink, but a generator of noise in opposite phase to original noise in order to cancel it out. All strictly non-engineering marketing speak and I have no idea how inaccurate it is.

The word "active" in my post, and their literature, is important. An active sink often does exactly what you say; generates a signal to cancel the noise. Doing it over such a broad bandwidth is pretty good, especially if they can actually cancel multiple signals and reasonably high voltages (volts, not uV or mV).

I just might! For science

Ah, the demands of science...