Has anyone an idea on whether SQ may be positively affected in a home equipped with three-phase current rather than one phase current? It may change nothing insofar as 3 phase current is generally brought for professional equipments/appliances and the domestic part of the electrical system is on “two legs” i.e. one phase current. However, people in Switzerland and Liechtenstein where 3-phase is common think differently.
3 phase would only improve SQ if the power supplies in Naim (or other) electronics were themselves 3 phase on the input side. You’d probably need less in terms of smoothing capacitors but you’d also have 3 transformers to deal with as well. Naim equipment have ultra well engineered power supplies, which gives an incredible transient response (the VA rating) available on the DC side from a single phase AC supply.
3 phase has an advantage for certain things like large electric motors (think lifts, escalators, large ventilation fans) and AC-DC converters because the power transfer averaged across the 3 phases is constant rather than a 50Hz sinewave.
(Electronic engineer here who designed some power supplies many years ago!)
1 Like
Fresh out of University and my Electronics Degree still wet, I started a design for an Amplifier with a power supply taking 3 phase power. It was to have 3 transformers & AC-DC conversion per phase to ensure suitable power reserves at all times using the different mains cycles etc.
A call into the electricity supply company, to inquiry about the installation costs, killed the entire project completely dead. It involved the supply of cabling all the way back to the local substation for the additional phases (which was quite some way, digging up the streets in suburb Manchester), the installation of 2 additional consumer units & meters, plus additional standing charges for the additional phases.
The design was replaced with a 1KA transformer and lots of smoothing capacitors. 
3 Likes
I believe UK electricity is supplied 3 phase to local substation, then distributed to residential properties, etc., as single phase. That can explain why if you have a power failure other properties on your street may not.
3 phase is three single phase supplies 120 degrees out of phase with each other.
In EU/UK Measuring voltage between any one single phase and earth/neutral will be 230VAC (nominal)
Measuring between each phase will be 380-VAC (nominal)
If you can have 3 phase supplied to your house you are best advised to employ an electical engineer to balance the load on each phase for maximise economy (you pay for the highest current phase on all phases)
It should be benificial for SQ to have one phase dedicated to audio, but keep in mind the need to balance all phase amp loads to get maximum economy.
3 Likes
I guess if I get 3 phase basically for an electrical charging station, it does not leave one clean phase specialized for hifi as all 3 phases are being used by a powerful charging station…?
Slightly more complicated than that. When you get 3 phase, each phase will be connected to an appliance or set of appliances. They will not draw power from any of the other 2 phases. The balance required will be achieved by the electrician making sure that each phase draws approximately equal power.
Talk to your installer electrician to see if he can keep the phase supplying your hifi only connected to other clean powered appliances. No fridges or other clicking on/off devices for example…
1 Like
There speaks a man living in France. Just at my gaff in Normandy and the kettle keeps tripping the power. Blooming damn 3 phase!
Hi Fi sounds good though.
1 Like
Is it possible that you are having a new separate 3 phase supply installed? If so this won’t affect your existing household supply.
What country are you in? The phase supplied and how they are used will vary.
But generally whatever phase you put the hifi on it is not really isolated. The rest of the street will be using that too and you have no control over it.
What you can do though is have dedicated TT earth suppllied and branch off one phase for the hifi so it’s safety ground and neutral are both supplied by a dedicated earth not shared with anything else in the house. That’s what I’ve done.
Yes, this would be possible but I would pay twice the fixed monthly fee for electricity. Moreover, the existing electricity system has to be renewed next year. Therefore, I am considering all options.
I am in France.
I am leaving in 2 different places.
The Naim system is in a house that is on 3 phase. I am not able to investigate whether the 3 phase has been smartly implemented but I will get a friend to do it. SQ seems to be constant and always ravishing. I always wondered whether current played a role. Yes this is still a bit better at night.
The other place, I must get electricity renewed because the hifi system is currently on a non grounded plug. I need lots of additional plugs etc. I anticipate that we may need a charging power station some day. I am interested in squeezing a better juice out of 3 phase if possible.
I see. Well France does allow TT earth so that’s going to be your best upgrade. The phases coming in will be divided up among various circuits. So you can ask the electrician if two phases are sufficient for the property and then dedicate the third for the hifi… But like I said, they are all shared with the neighbours anyway. Branching one phase off and creating a separate circuit with a dedicated earth is probably the most cost effective mains related upgrade.
One outlet is never going to be using more than one phase unless it’s a high voltage 460v socket for machinery. But you can design circuits with noisy things on one phase (cooker, washing machine, aircon), lighting and general mains sockets on another, and most sensitive and least noisy appliances (hifi etc) on another. But how you divide up earth is equally if not more important.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.