how can mains effect the sound?

quote:

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would'nt any drop in current or some other measure of electric power or noise be cleaned out by the conversion from AC to DC in the cap?

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This is what I would have thought, but personal experience has proved (to me) otherwise.

Years ago I used to have a my Lingo plugged into one of those 4 gang adapters. When I plugged it out of that and into a 'proper' socket the difference was surprisingly large.

I hope the forum techies can shed more light on the subject.

Steve B

I just re-arranged all my cables and now have my naim plugged into the wall on it's own and if I had to use a word it is better I don't understand! I noticed that the naim has a 10A fuse in the plug and obviously the 4 way gang would have a 13A, so the power would have to go through that.

It's definatly better is getting better as I listen, it is clearer, sounds more effortless.

See the problem is, it could be exactly the same and all in my imagination.

PhD in power generation and distrubution

in other words, i think this is a very interesting and complicated subject........and i am not at all qualified to speak on the subject.........so here's my 2p worth....

AC electricity supplies are generated by turning a handle with a coil of wire on it, with a magnet somewhere nearby. (steam turbine/diesel engine = handle; alternator = coil/magnet).

The generated current varies cyclically, and i think that more than one coil is wound into the alternator to help 'smooth out' and increase the generated electricity supply.

Then the electricity supply is transformed and fed to a thousand and one users who run all sorts of resistors, inductors and capacitors off it. (mainly kettles and tellys). Each one feeding back and generally buggering up the supply chain (i think this is called noise). These users sometimes want more electricity than the alternator can supply (i think this is called demand).

The 'ideal' pure generated AC supply would have the cyclic Volts and the Amps peaking and troughing together through every 360 deg turn of the alternator. The resistors, inductors and capacitors in the system tend to cause the volts and amps to peak at slightly different times. (This is called phase lag or phase lead or phase shift to make it sound complicated). the amount of shift varies depnding on what is connected into the electricity supply system. The bigger the
shift, the less real electricity, which depends on volt x amps

Noise, demand and lag all conspire to vary the quality and available quantity of electricity to your hifi system. The power supply companies try to correct some of these variations and so does your Naim power supply (hicap/flatcap etc) Some are more succesful than others.

You can't do much about demand or phase shift (other ythan listening to your music at 3 o'clock in the morning when the demand is pretty low). But you can reduce local noise by using big cables in dedicated spurs to the hifi and proper earthing. Local noise has a bigger effect than distant noise and is worth controlling.

Most universities run three year introduction courses to this interesting subject (the course usually leads to a BSc/BEng in electrical engineering) after which you can move on to the PhD part.......

or you could just get a life..........a local electrician.........a Naim hifi system.........and listen to loads of nice music played by artists........

Cheers

Don

it could be exactly the same and all in my imagination.

real or imaginary ?.......why worry ?.....just enjoy it....even the guys with the PhDs don't understand very much.....and most of what they do understand is down to trial and error....

cheers

Don

Don
Briliant,
At least now, I think I understand
or at least I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure, maybe I might understand one day but until then, I think it might make a differance but again, it might just be my imagination or not
Ohhhhhhhhhh sod it !!!!!
Oldie.

can I suggest you download Tina from www.tina.com and model yourself a power supply. Then you'll see what happens to the mains when you've been messin' with it! It'll draw you lovely waveforms and stuff!

Andrew

there are 10 types of people in this world... those who can read binary, and those who can't...

Christ!!! Andrew that just makes my head hurt !!
I think I would rather not know
Oldie.

Ohhhhhhhhhh sod it !!!!!

Perfect Oldie, perfect....

I should have mentioned that because the subject is so complex, the PhD guys use complex numbers to sort out the lead/lag problems. Half the complex number is imaginary anyway........

Cheers

Don