Advice for a power distributor: passive or active?

Or what about a balanced mains transformer.
Much cheaper than power conditioners

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I’ve had a great experience with balanced power (see my post about 30 items previous to this). Not cheap though. Gosh we are a talkative bunch.i

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I have ordered an airlink balanced unit.
Plan to use it on one of my radials to my hifi room, this will go directly to my star wired 6 sockets. The other one i will leave, just incase i feel the amp is better on this, rather than the balanced one.
I have gone for BPS5120MP, 5000va, this will give me a large surplus off power, even if i add the power amp, so looking forward to hearing what it can do.

Like Simon, I am a fan of balanced power. I’m also a fan of isolation transformers when done properly, and am very happy with my Torus AVR2-20. Here is a PF review reprinted on their site. I can also recommend Plixir’s Balanced AC Conditioner; I don’t own it yet, but I’ve heard it, and if I ever find the Torus a new home, the Plixir will take its place. For me, it combines the best of the excellent isolation transformers that Torus uses—Torus uses Canadian Plitron, their parent, while Plixir uses Norwegian Noratel—with fully balanced power. All of that of course is . . . unless Stromtank!

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Based on Greg’s recommendations in an earlier post, I too bought a Torus. And it was easy to hear the difference with and without it. I bought an Equitech for my second system and that too was quite the improvement.

And while I have wondered about it, I have not A/B’d the Torus with the Equitech to see if one is better than the other. These are HEAVY pieces of equipment!!

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Indeed, I’m convinced parts of them are made with lead just to discourage any possibility of return!

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I’m very happy with my DR Acoustics Antigone.

Ten tidily presented Furutech NCF outputs, and it’s bettered the two other things I’ve tried (PS Audio P10 and an expensive suite of IsoTek gear).

Straightforward setup, not too big and heavy, and it hasn’t audibly worsened anything I’ve plugged into it. It has improved things in many cases, such as the startup procedure of my darTZeel NHB-108 (no glimmers of unhappiness as I had straight from the wall) and the quietness of the system as a whole. I don’t know how much of that is down to my entire system being powered from one wall outlet, and therefore a shared ground. Probably a good deal of it.

Another vote for Torus… and another vote for the fact they have a high percentage of lead😆

The only problem they have not been able to solve is the issue of DC offset on the line

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Hmm, I have not experienced any problem with DC offset on the line with my AVR2-20.

Greg, “glev” will correct me if I’m wrong but I think what he’s saying is that it doesn’t do anything to REMOVE the effects of DC offset, not that it causes it

Oh, I understand that. But I am asking because they claim to be able to help with the problem:

Toroidal Isolation
Torus Power transformers electrically isolate connected equipment from the incoming power. Torus Power Toroidal Isolation transformers feature triple shielding for ultimate noise attenuation and isolation from the increasingly noisy and polluted power lines. LONO (Low Noise) technology eliminates audible noise in the Torus Power transformer regardless of line conditions, including DC offset and over- voltage. To ensure ultra-silent operation, a retaining band (for 3U, 4U and 5U models) suspends the transformer inside the cabinet. Torus Power meets the exacting NC10 acoustic noise standard, making it suitable for use in the quietest environments (including recording studio control rooms).

I do not have the chops to assess their claim, but I have always found the Torus folks exceedingly helpful and willing to troubleshoot issues. If their stuff is not doing what it claims to, I’d recommend reaching out to them.

I have the Torus RM (with a Bryston faceplate) and in my case it does help with several types of power-line issues we have in our home. E.g. in the winter months we have hot water humidifiers going 24/7 that cause havoc with some audio components - you can literally hear the toroidals ring. Hi Fi is on an isolated line and it makes no difference. With all the audio gear going into the Torus, the transformer ringing stops.

I would much rather not have to deal with another heavy space hogging component but it is the only power accessory that seems to help.

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Agreed

And yes I have not one but two Torus units - a big and a small :blush:.
Neither are able to remove dc offset. One Torus is connected to the regular household mains and used in a headphone only system. The other is actually connected to a home run dedicated line from the panel (in theory a superior source of juice) - and it still cannot remove the effects of the dc offset - my Naim transformers still buzz like crazy

As noted above, have you discussed this with Torus? That sure doesn’t sound satisfactory to me.

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Isolation transformers absolutely, positively don’t pass DC offset.

So I’d say, either the humming of your Naim units ISN’T due to DC offset; the Torus units aren’t isolation transformers; there’s something that causes new DC offset after the Torus units.

Pick your poison. You might want to try DC killers before a Torus unit, or before a humming Naim to figure out if it really is DC offset that causes the hum.

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Naim units definitely hum (buzz) - fact in Naim world
Torus transformers hum (buzz) as well - at least in my house

I’m not trying to sound like an advertisement, but my Torus is dead silent. As it is supposed to be. They’re made to be used in recording studios. I know that can’t be said of all transformers, but my experience with this one indicates it’s possible. I would make a good recording of that buzz and send it to Torus.

+1 my Torus RM15 is silent as well. The one thing to be mindful of is keeping some distance between it and sensitive equipment. I tried my preamp in the rack above the Torus and I could hear extra hum and noise through my speakers. Moving the Torus further away fixed that

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I am waiting to receive my Plixir Elite BAC 3000, which is going to sit between the circuit breaker and the system, and will report back.

What I am doubtful of in my current system is the Transparent Audio Reference Isolator, to which the four Vivaldi units and the 2 chassis preamp are connected. The doubt that I have is that, while it acts as a filter, the Isolator also deprives energy from the electronics. Any thought on this? Does anyone use true parallel filters?

Completely agree with Greg. My Torus is also dead silent and a hum from it is antithetical to its existence! I too would reach out to Torus. The person I emailed multiple times and had great conversations with was Ross Whitney. I can’t quite recall what his role is but it is some blend of technical and customer support. I too encourage you to reach out to him. All the best!

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