Hi, I should buy a power strip to connect an Uniti Atom and a N-sub to the electrical power. I’m not looking for an expensive powerline, just a protection from unexpected power surges. What about an Automatic Voltage Regulator like this one? Or what else?
Protection from power surges is not something to be concerned about.
Power is very stable & is controlled within very tight & strict limits - hence the recent power outages in some parts of UK (assuming you’re UK based), the voltage & frequency went lower than permitted limits.
The only surge you might get is a lightning strike, that will destroy most anything & nothing that I know of other than purpose designed whole building protection will work.
The APC devise you have linked to is not designed for something like an Atom, its for office equipment, computers, printers & similar. I doubt very much it will be happy to take the inrush current of the Atom’s transformer
Thanks Mike-B
So a simple power stripe can fit my environment ?
Try Olsen Electronics - really well made power distribution units for sensible money.
Yes. But no need to get too picky, there’s no harm in getting a power strip that might claim to have “surge” protection, they are normally just VDR’s & will not affect much if anything, & practically every TV, charger & SMPS in your house has them.
But if you have a choice, I would choose not to have it.
Thanks again. And what about RF noises? Do I need something to interdict them ?
@Simon-in-Suffolk sugested testing if one had RFI problems before seeking a solution with the radio test.
Tune an AM radio off station, and it should be a loud hissy sound. Move to a suspect powersupply, digital electronics, light or even house wiring (for Power Line Adapters) and you hear a loud rasping or motor boating sound… this will get louder and even possibly overload the radio as you get closer to the source. This is RFI and WILL compromise to varing degrees sensitive electronics such as quality audio equipment.
If you hear nothing but a constant hiss then don’t worry about it. If it is a problem then ferrite rings around cables can help or consider an Olsen Sounds Fantastic power distribution unit, There are other power blocks that others have found help. I’m saying Olsen because they work well for me.
However, if you can solve the problem at source or you don’t have the problem then simply plug in and enjoy the music,
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I wouldn’t get too concerned with RFI, the 230v power might carry noise of various frequencies but that’s entirely dependant on your locality, farms, factories, neighbours etc. Problem is determining just how your own power is affected, if at all.
The RFI/EMI filters included in power strips are normally C&D (Common & Differential) mode filters, but the general opinion on the forum is they suppress the dynamics of the sound & are not well regarded. I’ve tried them, including my own design & agree its better without them.
There are various passive plug-in devices that smooth out some levels of noise, these are basically capacitors in shunt, they are most effective when placed close to the noise source (fridge, microwave etc) rather than near the audio equipment
My last question should be: which is the added value introduced by a poweline ?
With an Atom (???) I would spend the money on more music
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Do you mean a Naim Powerline as an upgrade to the Powerline Lite that is supplied (in the UK) with the Atom? If so, it seems rather expensive at £600 for a £2k player, but you can always try it. I wouldn’t put one on your N-Sub, though.
It’s always good to have dedicated mains: there are lots of threads on this. Cheaper than a PowerLine and will stand you in good stead should you upgrade later. Either use the two sockets of a double, or wire both Atom and nSub into the same 13amp plug.
I’m not sure that is correct. There are a few vocal members opposed to them, and plenty who use them with success. There are products that will improve the system and reduce the noise floor without compromising the dynamics. I use an Isotek Polaris on my Nova.
If you can borrow a mains noise meter, you can measure your mains noise, and test some options if you need to. Then run A/B comparisons.
You are certainly trying to offset those members with your evangelical promotion of mains conditioners. Clearly you have mains issues but most people don’t and to them these products are wholly unnecessary and may in fact be deleterious. To promote them as a universal panacea is distinctly unhelpful.
Been reading the forum and found an Olsen 4 way on the bay. Arrived today, removed the red light nonsense and have just plugged it all in.
So far it’s a great improvement. Could be placebo or early days but absolutely sure it’s much better.
Wires inside very thick, the cable from the plug wires are thinner.
Anyone suggest a good thick lead cableI can get?
I use a SuperWiremold from AV Options. It’s just a straight power strip. No current limiting, no fuses, no surge protection. None of those will matter one iota in case of a lightning strike anyway. Otherwise, that’s what my insurance is for.
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Not really, just providing some balance and context. I’ve spoken with 500 series users with dedicated mains running conditioners with excellent results. There is no harm in testing for mains noise and trying products, just as you would test adding a power supply. Discouraging products proven to be successful isn’t really good advice.
Hi Mike, I did say its the ‘general’ opinion that they suppress the dynamics; & that I believe is the case, & its not restricted to just this forum either. Also as I said its the ‘opinion’ of the forum that also means (infers) that its not a universal opinion or that its a proven fact.
It might well be that you have a positive experience, good no disagreement with that. But keep in mind there are different filter designs on the market & in most all cases they cloak the actual filter details in marketing techno-babble making it hard to determine the filter type without some further investigation. Truth be told in most cases it’s one or other of a well known & long established design type.
My experience of filters (all my own design & made) is that the C&D mode type with series chokes & shunt capacitors did suppress the sound somewhat, a capacitor/resister type did not affect the sound and my DC blocking filter had (& still has) a positive effect.
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Yes, the marketing hype is a minefield. In the end, I found a 500 series user who was familiar with Iso-Tek and that is where I ended up. FWIIW the Iso-Tek powerboards are described as "Each of the six output sockets references back to the central filter network, thus Differential mode noise cross contamination is dramatically reduced. ": so not in series, and with DC filtering.
It seems to me that the conventional “forum wisdom” may be misplaced. It’s not that filters have a negative effect. It’s that some do, others have a positive effect. So the advice would be better expressed that “Filters can have a positive effect on SQ in a Naim system and this should be confirmed through a home trial in your own system as some products may compromise dynamics”, rather than “Naim don’t recommend filters as they compromise dynamics” - which simply isn’t true.