Does anybody know if UPS connected to the same mains circuit as audio system can affect audio quality?
I have desktop computer which is always on because of my work. I decided to buy UPS to protect data in case of electric failure. For example “APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1200, 230V”. I do not have dedicated mains circuit for audio system, so computer is sharing the same circuit.
Is it possible that UPS can ruin audio quality in my audio system? Or maybe the opposite, it will isolate noise from computers getting back to mains circuit?
Somebody said that surge protectors can ruin audio quality (connected anywhere in home). So maybe UPSs are also not good to sound quality. Advice would be helpful.
My UPS does not affect audio SQ.
It’s SMPS power comes via its own internal isolation transformer, plus my own installed ferrite chokes further suppress noise. This would be a normal install for most people, I have something different/extra in addition, but going back to the question, I don’t see how it could.
Whoops, sorry I’ve mist reply again…I’ve also read interesting things about Ferite chokes. Do they help in your system? Or do you use them "just in case”? You use them on UPS power cord, right?
Yes I use ferrite, in my old pre-retirement work various compliance standards required that we used a lot of ferrite to suppress/contain emissions & I do understand why & how.
The stuff we used was nothing like the little wire clamps that us audio & radio HAM folks have on cables. Plus we used various mixes of ferrite alloys that are designed for specific purposes & frequency bands.
You will not hear anything that is obvious, but I have seen the effect on an oscilloscope. On my UPS I use them to suppress noise from the SMPS’s that are powered by the UPS, plus any other noise that the 230v power may contain. Because SMPS’s operate at low frequency, typically 50KHz to 3MHz, there are only two ferrite mixes that are effective & I use Fair-rite ‘75’ for this, plus the commonly available H30 for other general non-specific noise.
Hi - interested in your Airlink setup - asside from suppressing your hum - did the transformer improve sound quality … ??
What model/Kw did you purchase… also do you use a NAP500???
Hi Richieroo,
There is a thread on the old Naim forum called “Suffering from those transformer hum blues?”. It dates from May 2015. All the information about the installation is in that thread, together with listening impressions.
Once the Engineering Director of Airlink Transformers knew the details of the system, he recommended either a 3kVA or 5 kVA transformer. In the end, we selected a BPS5120MP, a 5kVA model with multiple output voltages. The multiple output taps proved helpful in stepping down the output voltage from 242Volts to 230Volts.
If you need more information after reading the thread, just let me know.
