Electricity Tuning

One important caveat here:  What is permitted in one country may well not be in another, and may even be dangerous.  Thanks to having 3A, 5A, and 13A plug fuses, the  UK allows relatively high amperage circuits, whereas these would be not only illegal but potentially dangerous elsewhere in Europe.

So, before jumping in with recommendations for Bert, ask yourself whether you are fully conversant with the applicable electrical code for where he lives. If you aren't, then best leave comment to somebody who is.

Richard Dane posted:

One important caveat here:  What is permitted in one country may well not be in another, and may even be dangerous.  Thanks to having 3A, 5A, and 13A plug fuses, the  UK allows relatively high amperage circuits, whereas these would be not only illegal but potentially dangerous elsewhere in Europe.

So, before jumping in with recommendations for Bert, ask yourself whether you are fully conversant with the applicable electrical code for where he lives. If you aren't, then best leave comment to somebody who is.

Thanks Richard for the call out. I am looking at general useable recommendations ....., and I especially interested how people experience the impact of the tuning on what they hear....

Electricity Tuning? Would something like a giant sized Lingo do it? Without the mains filter, of course .

Well why not go for something standard that all countries permit; 1:1 ratio isolating transformers?

These are standard in hospitals and even mandatory for use on some circuits that power devices like NMRI and CAT scanners or anything that needs a very high degree of stable decoupled current. Most 1:1 isolating transformers are sold according to amperage so the way to go would be to get one and have your sparky fit it somewhere where the hum will not be noticeable (garage maybe). What may vary from country to country is where you can legally put it in terms of before the consumer unit or after the unit on a specific mains ring. Some even stipulate that such devices must be mounted at the top of a 30 foot utility pole - but that is unusual.

Naim themselves are no stranger to borrowing from the overengineered requirements of the medical industry. It is where the Burndy connection gets the most use and what the Burndy was originally designed for according to the Burndy website.

Cost-wise they range from the equivelent to a PowerLine up to a couple grand. I think that and having your earth potential measured and imporved if necessary would be an extremely low cost upgrade compaired to some of the gear we buy. When building a house, such things are of course an absolute doddle. You might even just float the idea by Naim support (I would not be surprised at all if they use them in Salisbury) and ask where would the best location in the circuit be to place one.

If you want to know what's going on you really need this

jon honeyball posted:

If you want to know what's going on you really need this

 

Wow that looks impressive......., but doesn't look like a solution, but more as a tool for identification of problems..

No thanks. Don't care to know what's going on with my AC power.

Plug and play hi-fi boxes that simply perform without eccentricities? Now you've got my attention.

New toy Jon?

Whimperingly expensive iso17025 calibrated reference power measurement and analysis system. Can generate mains with arbitrary waveforms

joerand posted:

No thanks. Don't care to know what's going on with my AC power.

Plug and play hi-fi boxes that simply perform without eccentricities? Now you've got my attention.

Hi Randy!  I think that here in the States we are blessed with far fewer issues regarding AC power in the home.  For one thing, our wiring standards (we don't do that "ring thing" here) seemingly eliminate much of what the Brits seek to remedy with home wiring customization for hi fi. 

jon honeyball posted:

Whimperingly expensive iso17025 calibrated reference power measurement and analysis system. Can generate mains with arbitrary waveforms

Local farmers do that for free with their welding kit and milking machines.��

Willy.

Bart posted:

joerand posted:

No thanks. Don't care to know what's going on with my AC power.

Plug and play hi-fi boxes that simply perform without eccentricities? Now you've got my attention.

Hi Randy!  I think that here in the States we are blessed with far fewer issues regarding AC power in the home.  For one thing, our wiring standards (we don't do that "ring thing" here) seemingly eliminate much of what the Brits seek to remedy with home wiring customization for hi fi. 

Well then, you might think the Brits would build their hi-fi accordingly 

joerand posted:

Bart posted:

joerand posted:

No thanks. Don't care to know what's going on with my AC power.

Plug and play hi-fi boxes that simply perform without eccentricities? Now you've got my attention.

Hi Randy!  I think that here in the States we are blessed with far fewer issues regarding AC power in the home.  For one thing, our wiring standards (we don't do that "ring thing" here) seemingly eliminate much of what the Brits seek to remedy with home wiring customization for hi fi. 

Well then, you might think the Brits would build their hi-fi accordingly 

Hmph. Our hifi is painstakingly crafted on a steady diet of cheese and Branston Pickle sandwiches with tea by guys tinkering around in their garden sheds.

I am curious if anyone has listened to any Naim gear in England,then moved to the states,or Canada,bought the same equipment with the lower voltage,and noticed a difference?Essentially,will a 250 dr in England sound the same as a 250 dr in Canada with 240 volts versus 120 volts?

I worked for a dealer for years selling Naim gear in the UK. Although I emigrated to Japan (100v) I auditioned gear at my UK dealer and then had 115v units ordered. I have not heard any difference that I could attribute to the underlying mains voltage and amperage.

It is a nearly impossible question to answer. There will be environmental factors such as size, shape, and materials in the room which will all have a much larger impact on the sound. I find it impossible to see how a valid test could be set up unless you could guarantee the same room, same materials, same positioning in 2 locations.

OTOH, Naim have dual rail mains rigged to test gear. Maybe they can answer - they are probably the only ones that actually could.

No idea, but I've read that the increased cycles (60 Hz) in the North American power supply is preferable to Europe's 50 Hz for hi-fi transformer performance.

I am no electrician for sure,but you would think that since Naim is a British company,they are designed using their power grid,so maybe I am getting less out of my gear than the equivalent gear in England.I do notice that my system always seems to sound better at 2-4 am than during the daytime.you would think more power coming in to the unit,would produce better results,like a 555dr versus a xpsdr.

I am still looking for people who can share there experiences and the impact on the sound of improving things in electricity. Fuses, cables, unit for eliminating disturbances......

No discussion of equipment fuses please. The ones supplied are not only the best naim have tried but also an essential part of making the units safe. 

Hi Bert - simple is best when it comes to mains. Dedicated feed from your consumer unit (fuse panel) and with Naim kit, a 'Hydra' type arrangement. Have you tried a Powerigel with your kit (or even the plus version which uses Naim Powerlines)

I lived in the U.S for 4 years and naim converted my cds/82/hicaps/250s/ over to U.S voltage and back to U.K. When I returned. I noticed no major differences, the rooms were totally different with suspended floors vs concrete etc

The main thing was it sounded great anywhere in the world, and my US friends were amazed at the sound.

The suggestion that USA wiring may be less chalkenging for hifi than UK prompted me to have a quick peek. Very interesting - whilst USA appears to have less emphasis on safety in that plug fuses appear not to be generally used,  safety is better addressed in other ways like a stipulation of no more than 4 outlets per circuit (which then have lower rating breakers than typical UK rings would have), maximum distances allowable between outlets to minimise trailing leads. Interestingly, there is compulsory socket provision outdoors - and in bathrooms. I'm guessing their distribution boards must be much bigger than typical UK, with more cables running to it.

The limit of 4 outlets per circuit would almist inevitably effectively result in dedicated circuits for hifi as a matter of course.

I also gather that split phase supplies are not incommon, with two live wires out of phase with each other, enabling 220v across those, or 110v from either one to neutral. It might be that this could provide options that might result in less mains-borne interference.

Innocent Bystander posted:

The suggestion that USA wiring may be less chalkenging for hifi than UK prompted me to have a quick peek. Very interesting - whilst USA appears to have less emphasis on safety in that plug fuses appear not to be generally used,  safety is better addressed in other ways like a stipulation of no more than 4 outlets per circuit (which then have lower rating breakers than typical UK rings would have), maximum distances allowable between outlets to minimise trailing leads. Interestingly, there is compulsory socket provision outdoors - and in bathrooms. I'm guessing their distribution boards must be much bigger than typical UK, with more cables running to it.

The limit of 4 outlets per circuit would almist inevitably effectively result in dedicated circuits for hifi as a matter of course.

I also gather that split phase supplies are not incommon, with two live wires out of phase with each other, enabling 220v across those, or 110v from either one to neutral. It might be that this could provide options that might result in less mains-borne interference.

 

I'll post a photo of my 'circuit breaker box' (how we refer to a home distribution board) later.  It's quite extensive.  25 or so separate circuits, each with its own circuit breaker.  

And yes to the ability to derive 220v easily.  I have a 220v line in my kitchen for the electric oven, and another into my garage to charge my car.

Each bathroom and the kitchen employs a Ground Fault Interruption circuit.  This is required by the local codes for ~40 years now. 

From what I've read there is no limit on the number of outlets per circuit in the code.  I've not seen anything about a 4 per circuit limit.  My circuits are all 15 or 20 amp (this is very common) and a limit of 4 would be pretty impractical as it would be very hard to approach 15 amps.  And it's common to have lighting and outlets on the same circuit; one CAN isolate the hi fi outlet from (LED) lighting, but I've not bothered as I can't hear any issue.

Use a dedicated line for HiFi...

In North America, the 2 phases are generally quite well balanced, but if possible chose the phase with less motors (Fridge, air con or lighting dimmers...).

I have heard good results with isolation transformer (1:1 in Europe or 2 phases to 110v in North America) but it has to be big (10KVA.., it is heavy, cumbersome and expensive).

Anything about Mains should be done by a certified electrician, it is potentially dangerous and has to comply to local code (if not, in cased of issue,  your insurance company will refuse to pay).

I am right now personally testing a kind of plug I can stick into a free spot and it improves the overall sound. They also have this in the form of a electricity distribution unit, that should be even better. So far I am impressed with the benefits it brings.