You may want to have a read of this thread Mario

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...mains-and-new-radial

Or go the the original and definitive thread on the first established use of balanced power in an all-Naim system. 

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...ic-substation?page=1

I also had active DBLs at the time the 10kVA balanced transformer was installed....and the results were transformative-but see the thread for details. 

Thanks James, I have read much of that but it really hasn't reached a conclusion yet. I'm hoping to hear from several people who may have tried but either they are too busy listening to music thanks to balanced power or the subjective improvement is hard to fathom. Hopefully the former is the case. Ron Toolsie, if you can comment, that would be great.

Mario.

Ron you beat me to it - thanks, I will start reading!

Another thread to look at:

Suffering from those transformer hum blues?

I started it a couple of years ago. It may be helpful.

Best regards, FT

I've got this: https://www.corepowertechnologies.com/  feeding my system which includes a N272 & 250DR. It really made a very big improvement in clarity, background level, bass extension and smoothness.

Thanks Robert, looks like another manufacturer of balanced powers supplies, but I really need one big one as I have the many boxes that active naim brings. 

I have read as much as I can find so far and I think that no body has felt that balanced power brings any loss of dynamics or speed to a naim system.  

Conditioning on the other hand, seems to definitely have a negative effect with naim.

Mario,

Before I try balanced power, I would first get a dedicate line AND (country codes permitting) a dedicated earth spike or three. This will give you a good feeling how improving the power will improve your system. Adding balanced power then gives more of the same. 

For the price of a handful (and sometimes just ONE) fancy power cords, it is possible to fundamentally improved the quality of the mains feed and the integrity of the earth return, both of which have sound technical reasons as to why they offer subjective upgrades. 

I think I paid around $2500 for the Equitech transformer back in 2005....they are closer to $8000 now. Installation was another $400 or so back then. A Nordost Odin 2 power cord does not leave much change out of $20,000 (!) and cannot even begin to approach what a well installed balanced power feed would do for a fraction of the price. 

Indeed, I have a sneaky feeling, that once balance power is used (with maybe 20dB drop in noise floor), the effects of different power cords maybe minimalized. 

Thanks for the reply Ron, I used to have a separate earth for my active dbl system (552 300 2x250dr) but was informed that was illegal and unsafe here in Australia, so I then had an electrician make the new earth for the entire house rather than just the hifi. The main reason for me to get a balanced transformer is to remove hum without a loss of that classic naim sound. I dont like hearing the power supplies buzzing away even if im not using the hifi. If I get an added boost I  performance along with removing hum then I'm a verry happy man. I just fear that what some hear as an improvemnt, may remove some of what I like about the naim sound - excitement, emotion and involvement. No good to remove any of that for a sterile lifeless 'perfect'  sound, I want to hear music - mius the hum!

thanks,

Mario.

last three words should read " minus the hum"

thanks.

There is no way I would consider using 'only' an 1800VA balanced power source with a full-blown triamped active system. I would guess the MINIMUM rating you would need would be circa 5kVA, otherwise there could be choking of dynamics. On a slightly related note, I experimented with a 300W PS Audio Power Plant-which is nothing more than a class A power amp that gives gain to a 60-Hz synthesized sine wave. And both the CDS3 and the 552 sounded flat when plugged into it-probably due to current limitation. The LP12/Armageddon however did cartwheels of joy with the PowerPlant. I did not try any of the power amps into the PP3 as they would in all likely hood suffered to an even greater degree. 

The balanced power subtracted non only the transformer hum, but also the background hash that lives superimposed on the music reproduction, and ridding the playback of mains-borne noise allowed you do listen much deeper into the music and hear microdetails and microdynamics that were being dithered away by the non-balanced power. Its like taking a walk on a cool morning in the desert and being gobsmacked by how much extra visual detail and clarity you can see without the background humidity/pollution that we have all become too accustomed to, to a point we realize how much of an adverse effect it had only after it is removed. You feel like you can see for miles, and miles and miles......

Even a mid-level Yamaha CD-recorder was given a new lease of life when fed balanced power. The 16/44 recordings of the LP12 (and the NAT01) played through the CDS3 were nigh indistinguishable from the original source. This was not the case when it was not treated to balanced power (OK.....the Sonority roller shelf under the CDR also contributed to the end result). 

Get the best and biggest balanced transformer you can afford/accommodate, and be sure to have it competently installed. Its all swings and no roundabouts! Only then will you appreciate fully what the real Naim sound can be. 

And unlike linear power supplies, a balanced transformer will never need servicing, recapping, replacing etc. 

hi i have a seperate stand alone balanced power supply 2000va on my system (air link model, non conditioning version i.e. standard one) as not yet able to run dedicated mains circuit, runs from single unswitched socket then onto power strip (wireworld matrix 2) 

was pretty cheap upgrade compared to others, and have done extensive testing with and without and definitely makes a difference for me on my system (check out my profile for details)

key thing was ensuring you went for a transformer that had significant head room for what your system needs, for example mine is 2/3rds over capacity for my system 

anyhow is just a view from me from my experience 

mat 

Airlink recommended a 3kVA BPS for my system (with a pair of NAP135s).  Given the very small difference in cost to go for the 5kVA one, I went for the larger one.

Best regards, FT

yep I want to go for the big Airlink, I'm talking 10kVA, now that is massive, but with 555Ps, 552PS, 2 X Supercap DR, 2 X 250DR, NAP300 and Armageddon I don't have much choice. (BPS100230MP) with no conditioning.

Mario.

I have the 10kVA Airlink with multiple taps. My incoming mains is fairly high at around 246V, so I use the 250v tap and drop the output to around 230V (it's lightly loaded so the secondary runs a little high). Hum banished, noise floor lowered, no impact to PRAT. 

DaveBk posted:

I have the 10kVA Airlink with multiple taps. My incoming mains is fairly high at around 246V, so I use the 250v tap and drop the output to around 230V (it's lightly loaded so the secondary runs a little high). Hum banished, noise floor lowered, no impact to PRAT. 

Hi quick question (as also looking to get a dedicated mains installed) did you have the balanced power supply connected downstream from your standalone consumer unit and what MCB trip amp rating did you use?  

Thanks

mat 

I'm currently planning an extension which will include a dedicated music room and have the chance to install a radial just for the HiFi. Therefore discussion of a balanced audio transformer is of interest.

I don't have a particularly current heavy system and a 2000VA would probably suffice. However, in terms of HiFi spend this is not that significant so is it worth going for a somewhat larger version? Would a 5000VA be overkill or are there advantages/disadvantages going bigger?

Thanks in advance 

Hi MuttonJef,

You may like to read my recent post on the other BPS thread that's running.

Best regards, FT

How many VA for 555PS, 552Ps and one NAP300 would I need?

at least the VA  OF THE TOTAL VA of the load of naims plus alittle extra 10%

DAVEBK, do you have the Airlink BPS100230MP?  this is the one I'm considering to use in Australia and your results with respect to PRaT and hum removal is what I am hoping to achieve. 

Not sure what my incoming mains is but we use 240 volts here, but I understand that I can output 230 volts which would benefit all my naim boxes. How does one do this? Does an electrician simple wire the outgoing mains cable to a 230 volt set of terminals or is there some kind of switch on the BPS?I currenty have 10mm2 cable with a 40amp circuit and was also thinking of moving up to 16mm2.

Any thoughts,

Thanks

Mario.

Bryce Curdy posted:

How many VA for 555PS, 552Ps and one NAP300 would I need?

Hi Bryce, the Engineering Director of Airlink recommended a 3kVA one for my system which has 555PS, 52/SC and a pair of 135s, so not very different.  However, as the 5kVA one was only £100 more, I supersized.

Best regards, FT

DaveBk posted:

I have the 10kVA Airlink with multiple taps. My incoming mains is fairly high at around 246V, so I use the 250v tap and drop the output to around 230V (it's lightly loaded so the secondary runs a little high). Hum banished, noise floor lowered, no impact to PRAT. 

Hi Dave, I can understand the DC offset being lowered, but I can't see how using a transformer can affect the noise floor ... unless the noise was the DC offset? Are you able to explain? HF noise (what some call 'hash') obviously couples across a transformer, perhaps you have some sort of filtering as well?

audio1946 posted:

at least the VA  OF THE TOTAL VA of the load of naims plus alittle extra 10%

That's the electrical engineering minimum; in reality that will limit the dynamics of the sound produced.

Consider 3kVA as the minimum for SQ, and 5kVA as preferable.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

DaveBk posted:

I have the 10kVA Airlink with multiple taps. My incoming mains is fairly high at around 246V, so I use the 250v tap and drop the output to around 230V (it's lightly loaded so the secondary runs a little high). Hum banished, noise floor lowered, no impact to PRAT. 

Hi Dave, I can understand the DC offset being lowered, but I can't see how using a transformer can affect the noise floor ... unless the noise was the DC offset? Are you able to explain? HF noise (what some call 'hash') obviously couples across a transformer, perhaps you have some sort of filtering as well?

Simon, if there's an interwinding, then the HF coupling is substantially reduced.  Even without an interwinding, the inductance of the transformer windings still, to some degree, selectively increases the source impedance of the HF coming through the secondary.