Tripp Lite IS250 Review (Isolation Transformer)

[amirm]

But EBtech is selling the product in the USA so i assume its legal...?

It has no UL certification so no proof that it is safe. Those diodes could open up during a short and lose the safety ground.

In US we don't have mandatory safety regulation in portable products like this. So you and the company are taking chances with it.

 

[PeteL]

The main and only use I have seen for it is for technician bench work after you hack it by removing the safety ground. Outside of that, I don't know what the intended use is.

Thanks, me, personally, I know of a device very effective at fixing some very audible problems in many situations. See picture. If I was in the market for an Isolation transformer, I would precisely be looking for an alternative to that that that don't compromise safety, because this do. That the most obvious and widespread use for audio of a isolation transformer. If I am reading review that's what I want to know. Looks like from comments it's not that tough, in fact, looks like it's not really aimed at audio at all. Now at least on some of those other myth busting articles disguised as reviews, some claim was being made, some targeting of the audio crowd where made, so even tough the reviews were obviously biased toward a certain narrative, at least some amount of disinformation was prevented and partially debunked. But this one... really it feels like shooting for the non guilty, into a company that have no cards in the game, targetted to a whole different crowd, and what comes out of it is "I don't know what the intended use is" I do believe that it's the very strict minimum to publish a product review, to at least know what the intended use...

 

[pma]

Double insulated doesn't work because your downstream device has also lost its safety ground. The only way you could get away with that would be to make this transformer double insulated and have 2-pin input and output which would severely limit its market.

Double insulated safety isolation transformers are a standard commodity on the market and I have shown it several times today in this thread.

https://belfuse.com/resources/whitepaper/signaltransformer/wp-ST-Class-vs-Class.pdf

Safety Transformers | Electronic components. Distributor, online shop – Transfer Multisort Elektronik

Safety Transformers - Transformers and Ferrite Cores - Wide offer of products at Transfer Multisort Elektronik.

www.tme.com

Class II transformers are designed and constructed to prevent electrical shock hazards by relying on double insulation or reinforced insulation, (terms common to many IEC and EN standards, including IEC 60664, IEC 61140 and IEC 61558-1)

Class II transformers have no provision for grounding, protective earthing, or reliance upon installation conditions.

You can use them to insulate and supply a standard class I component (like power amplifier) without any problem. The safety is assured by circuit separation and insulation.

 

[Tks]

I need to go to a library and take out a bunch of books on introduction to electronics theory or something.. So weird seeing so many opinions and not being equipped enough to make heads or tails of them.

Should count my blessings I don't have these weird problems people trying to rectify with devices like this for some reason. Keeping my fingers crossed I remain mains humming/ground loop free.

 

[mightycicadalord]

I got a tripplite isobar 6 outlet for music stuff on the go, mostly because it has some sort of fault detection inside so I wouldn't kill myself plugging into questionable outlets in various venues. Def never heard it affect noise in anyway, but it has saved me from plugging into dodgy setups. At least it's built pretty nice.

I DID have the expectation that this unit's filtering (which I think is only really on the first two pairs of outlets) would result in lower noise in my audio gear. Looking back, knowing what I do now this expectation seems silly but I'm betting a lot of people buy products like that for the very same reason.

I feel the same as user Tks. I really have little idea of what I'm reading in the thread lol.

 

[solderdude]

Looks like they have their own interpretation of what an isolation transformer is. The device effectively isolates you from the grid, but not from your home's grounding system.

Result:

When the outlet (and inlet) has safety ground they MUST be connected. For safety reasons.
The mains on the output can and will still be floating and I don't expect N-in to be connected to N-out so mains is fully isolated and can be floating.
The device does not have double insulated symbol so safety ground is still connected.
And there is no option for ground lift either unless you willingly use a 2 prong plug on the outlet.

 

[syzygetic]

I got a tripplite isobar 6 outlet for music stuff on the go, mostly because it has some sort of fault detection inside so I wouldn't kill myself plugging into questionable outlets in various venues. Def never heard it affect noise in anyway, but it has saved me from plugging into dodgy setups. At least it's built pretty nice.

I feel the same as user Tks. I really have little idea of what I'm reading in the thread lol.

I only use isobar strips, both professionally and personally. Again, not for audio reasons, for computers, but they’re the real deal quality wise, and yes, they have a good diagnostic check.

 

[solderdude]

Double insulated safety isolation transformers are a standard commodity on the market and I have shown it several times today in this thread.

Yes, of course they are. Is anyone denying this ?

You can use them to insulate and supply a standard class I component (like power amplifier) without any problem. The safety is assured by circuit separation and insulation.

Yes, even a device with safety ground and a (otherwise fatal) fault in it can still be used as there is no voltage opposite ground.
When the isolator has safety ground on the output side they must be connected.
When the output side does not have a socket with safety ground the output is 'fully' isolated and can break ground loops.

The problem is your average audiophool has no idea about this and how to properly use it and will buy something like the tested device, most likely not to solve an issue but because someone stated it improves audio quality.

 

[Geert]

I need to go to a library and take out a bunch of books on introduction to electronics theory or something.. So weird seeing so many opinions and not being equipped enough to make heads or tails of them.

Don't think there are that many different opinions on how an isolation transformer works and which problems it can solve. You might be better of with a book about human communication

 

[Dan Clark]

I use the Tripp Lites isolation transformers when I get ground loops in the lab, they've done a decent job. That of course improves sound quality because hum/buzz is pretty annoying but we don't get any magic SQ improvements.

 

[solderdude]

Mains (in almost all cases) has Neutral and Live and, when present, safety ground.
Safety ground and Neutral are connected somewhere close to where the mains comes into the building.
This means Live has a full voltage opposite ground you walk on, safety ground and Neutral.
Touch Live and you get a jolt.
Touch Neutral and you won't (there might be a very low voltage opposite ground).

When run through an isolation transformer you can touch the 'Live' out and not get a jolt. You can touch the 'Neutral' and not get a jolt. You can touch the safety ground and not get a jolt.
Both isolation transformers will do the same thing.

The point PMA is making that when you do have a ground loop the discussed Tripp Lite won't break that where a double insulated one will yet loads are safe to touch in both cases. In the Tripp lite version it is ensured by safety ground in the double insulated one because the output mains voltage 'floats' and is not referenced to ground so no jolt and no ground loop.

So there are no different opinions just different devices doing the same except for safety ground.

Sometimes, certainly when switchers are used, a ground loop is not because of different voltages between safety ground but is caused by 'leakage' though the mains power supply. This can occur with switchers that, in order to comply to FCC rules, use a Y cap between Neutral and the DC output when for some reason N and L are swapped for instance. That current is very low (you may feel a slight tingle) but can be high enough to create a voltage drop across the screen of an RCA cable.
An isolation transformer with safety ground can still solve the problem with such a loop (think computer power supplies).

 

[Xulonn]

The problem is your average audiophool has no idea about this and how to properly use it

I have a feeling that many resellers of devices such as this for "audio improvement" (especially on the internet) are similarly clueless about the true purpose of items like the Tripplite Isolation Transformers. But there is a lot of money to be made from reselling commercial "power conditioning" devices to audiophools.

Edit: @PeteL 's response led me to try to verify my "feeling (assumption?) about resellers, and it turns out that I was wrong. At least 15 vendors (Including the Tripp Lite Store) sell this product at Amazon, and I didn't find any hype for "audio improvement. At the web pages I checked out, there is an obvious emphasis on selling the elimination of mains hum and noise, and frequent references to surge protection .

In fact, the only hype I found for isolation transformers in a more general Google search was a link to PS Audio. I did find a few references recommending the Tripp Lite as a low cost alternative to the PS Audio unit. I think @amirm is right about the meaning of the word "isolation" being over-emphasized by some audiophiles.

Now that I have better supported information regarding the likely sources for buying these Trpp Lite units for audio use, it appears that the existing prices from Amazon sellers are low enough so that there is little room for audio gear grifters to step in and make a profit.

One of the problems with the "apples and oranges" nature of threads like this one is that many of the experienced technical experts at ASR seem to not be able to comprehend that the target audience is not them, but rather audio consumers with limited technical knowledge. Rather than help to clarify the usefulness and real purpose of such devices, they get into technical arguments with Amir and others, and as a result, confuse the non-technical audio audience even more.

 

[Nango]

What ...... only 140$ ??? I expect PS Audio by the end of next week to launch an "enhanced" version for 1,400$ !!!

 

[PeteL]

I have a feeling that many resellers of devices such as this for "audio improvement" (especially on the internet) are similarly clueless about the true purpose of items like the Tripplite Isolation Transformers. But there is a lot of money to be made from reselling commercial "power conditioning" devices to audiophools.

One of the problems with the "apples and oranges" nature of threads like this one is that many of the experienced technical experts at ASR seem to not be able to comprehend that the target audience is not them, but rather audio consumers with limited technical knowledge. Rather than help to clarify the usefulness and real purpose of such devices, they get into technical arguments with Amir and others, and as a result, confuse the non-technical audio audience even more.

I think that to make a claim like that, you should show examples of "resellers" on the "Internet" that "target audio consumers" with "audio improvement" from "devices such as this".

Also, It's not the resellers that are being under review, it's the product. I do feel that although it's reviewer responsibility to expose flaws in a product when deserved, but criticizing a product for stuff it's not supposed to be doing, I don't know, don't seem very fair to me.

 

[joeren]

I was looking at the Trip Lite specifications and could not find the stated primary to secondary capacitance. This is certainly important for performing and isolating high dv/dt bench experiments, not so much for audio. As Amir stated, it will isolate common mode noise, is not necessarily true. Common mode will couple to the secondary through this capacitance. It depends on signal rise/fall times, amplitude and capacitance.

 

[Dan Clark]

FWIW we have successfully used these to reduce ground loops and hum in several areas that were problematic, and they've worked admirably for this. I don't think I ever saw anyone promoting this as producing generalized audio benefits...

 

[amirm]

You can use them to insulate and supply a standard class I component (like power amplifier) without any problem. The safety is assured by circuit separation and insulation.

No you can't. You can't power a 3-pin device with a 2-pin source (isolation transformer). You would be defeating the downstream safety mechanism. A 2-pin output isolation transformer will have extremely limited use as an audio tweak since vast majority of audio devices are 3-pin.

As I explained in the review and video, you can hack stuff like this for testing but they are not to be used in production use. You can also do it for 2-pin double insulated device but again, per above, this is hugely limited use case.

Net, net, your protests are without merit and little to do with the topic of this review.

 

[amirm]

Also, It's not the resellers that are being under review, it's the product. I do feel that although it's reviewer responsibility to expose flaws in a product when deserved, but criticizing a product for stuff it's not supposed to be doing, I don't know, don't seem very fair to me.

Product deserves criticism since it heavily advertises isolation when in reality it doesn't provide anything like that with respect to safety ground. This misstatement causes so many people to go and buy them for audio use. Search for isolation transformer and the very Amazon listing that I used to buy it shows up half way down the page:

You see "100% isolation from AC power line." Combined with 130 reviews of 4.4 rating, folks buy them.

This is why I addressed this problem first and foremost in my review.

I actually gave them 100% benefit of doubt that it does what it is designed to do (not advertised to do). So not sure how I could be any more fair than I was.

 

[michaelahess]

Bottom line is the TrippLite is not being marketed as such. What deluded people do with products is hardly the responsibility of an individual to 'expose' or protect them from, is it? It is not up to Amir to 'save' a bunch of misguided audiophools from their own ignorance or misguided stupidity, is it? What ever happened to critical thinking?

Company reputations are being damaged (and may incure financial losses) by incorrect testing methodology, incorrect assumptions and/or blatant ignorance as to the functionality of the devices being tested.

Everyone that needs one of these devices, knows what it does. They aren't going to NOT buy it because an audio forum tells them it's rubish for audio products. No sh*t it is, because they already know what it's supposed to be used for.

There is no damage done here, there is only testing of audiophool myths.

If I sell a product, and hundreds of people are mis-using it due to a bs myth some idiot came up with, I would be HAPPY to see a review of my product JUST LIKE THIS.

I agree, we shouldn't have to protect fools from bad purchases, but sometimes those fools become the majority and it hurts the rest of us.


SOOO trying not to get political with that comment!

 

[elvisizer]

I only use isobar strips, both professionally and personally. Again, not for audio reasons, for computers, but they’re the real deal quality wise, and yes, they have a good diagnostic check.

isobars are great- I always use either those or panamax.