I am hoping that someone with experience or knowledge might know the answer to this question, or that perhaps @Andrew or @James might have a ready answer. I was discussing with my dealer yesterday my various AC power improvement plans and my exploration of running certain components on battery power so that, no matter what happens to my AC mains, these components would never lose power. On my short list for this group are:
Vivaldi Clock
Cybershaft Clock
Legacy Audio Wavelet Processor
[The Wavelet is a non-issue, and is mostly a matter of convenience. When it loses power, and power is then restored, it does not power itself back up. And it resets its gain level much lower.]
When I mentioned this to my dealer, he advised me that he “had heard that you don’t get good results with the Clock using battery backup.” Now, I like my dealer a lot, but in the past, whenever I heard something like this, it was usually French for “we don’t sell that solution.” OTOH, he could be absolutely correct. So, I thought I would ask the experts here.
I have several UPS devices by CyberPower and TrippLite for our key computers and servers, but I learned that these are line interactive devices, good enough for computers that are designed for the several millisecond switch over, but probably not ideal for audio equipment. I came to the conclusion that the best type would be a double conversion type. This type of device does not have to switch to battery when AC power is lost, because it is already running on battery. A number of companies make such devices; the folks at Torus Power recommended Eaton, because they are very quiet and are used in studios around the world. On their advice, I settled on an Eaton 9PX700RT (these three items don’t require a lot of current; even at just 700VA, this is probably overkill)
So, this raises two questions:
Will powering the Vivaldi Clock on a UPS like the Eaton present any unusual risk to the Clock? I’m not looking for guarantees or warranties, just guidance.
Should I expect this to impair the Clock’s sound quality?
In general the devices designed to provide backup power for computer / network / telco equipment (especially those that would be appropriate for use in a home) tend to produce a lot of noise on their outputs and can dump a lot of noise back onto the house’s power lines as well. One of these devices will add no real benefit and possibly make your system sound worse.
There’s no reason to provide backup power to the clock. Its signal does stabilize as its temperature stabilizes, but it would need to be powered down for hours in order for it to really cool down.
In the case of an electrical storm you should be powering down and unplugging your system rather than relying on a conditioner or suppressor. Those rarely protect the neutral leg and that’s usually where a surge is going to get in and cook your gear.
You would be far better off sinking that money into a nice bottle of Yamazaki 25 or Hibiki 21 or, better yet, a shopping spree at the SMWS. 100% guaranteed to make your system sound better!
Thanks Andrew. That is good advice. Can’t drink the hard stuff any more, I am afraid [post-cancer], and I sure did love a good single malt.
Anyway, it’s not so much storms. We don’t have that issue around here. But we do experience a fair number of sags, brown-outs, and blackouts unexpectedly. There is no way to power down in advance of them. That’s the problem. Good to know about the Vivaldi Clock. I can leave it plugged into the Torus.
Greg, coincidentally I’ve been exploring Stromtank as an upgrade from my current PS Audio P10. Unsure at this stage whether I’d power my whole dCS system or just the DAC. Will likely pull the trigger once this Covid-19 lockdown clears-up
I’ve read several reviews of Stromtank. I think to get to amplifier-powering capacity gets into some fairly stratospheric pricing, but the possibility of using one for the signal devices is pretty intriguing. it was a review of the Stromtank that led me to a review of the Goal Zero Yeti, also an intriguing possibility. This slightly larger and more flexible unit is also interesting.
FWIW, my Torus AVR2-20 arrived yesterday, about a half hour before I installed my new Furutech 20A receptacles with Telos wall socket plates. The Torus replaces the P10 for audio in my living room. I am extremely pleased with it. I was never unhappy with the P10, but the Torus seems, if possible, to be even quieter.
Interesting, I hadn’t heard of those before. Pity that the reviewer didn’t do some basic measurements with a power/harmonic analyzer though; many battery based systems have appalling levels of distortion in the regenerated AC signals. The Goal Zero’s cooling fan would be a show stopper for me
Anup, I am picking this old thread back up, as I am investigating the possibility of adding a Stromtank 2500 to my system. Its published specs claim less than 2% THD on the AC signal. That doesn’t sound good, but I have no idea if it is or isn’t. PS Audio claims output distortion [which may or may not be the same thing] of less than .5% for their P20, which appears to be quite a bit better. This is all part of a project that is getting my home self-reliant, and eventually off-grid. The Stromtank operates in a way that can fully protect the system in case of even the briefest of power interruptions [switchover between solar/generator/battery], and of course, can fully power the system from battery for complete isolation.
Greg as my experience with power conditioning units is as varied as the units are and I would not even think about a Stromtank without a home trial . You should anticipate that the subjective result may not necessarily correlate with the technical measurements. For example the distortion figures that you quote imply that the PS unit is better than the Stromtank. But is it in real use?
My other point is having seen them in the flesh at the Munich show is how big and dominant they are. Would they enhance your rather nice room decor ( as indicated in the photos that you have posted?). The S5000 seemed to be about the size of a refrigerator .
Anyway I hope you do get a chance to form an opinion as I would love to hear an unbiased one.
Hey Greg, I’ve yet to pull the trigger on the Stromtank for a number of reasons, the most significant of which is that a home trial is proving tricky at this time.
However, slightly more discouraging is that while Stromtank appears to be a zealously engineering focused company, there are zero real-world performance measurements anywhere to be found, including from Stromtank themselves - it shouldn’t be that difficult for a well engineered product.
I’d definitely 2nd Pete’s suggestion of doing a home audition if you can manage it!
Many businesses are struggling, first with COVID-19, and now with silicon chip component supply shortages affecting an increasing number of industries. I’m hearing horror stories of product lead times extending to 10 times what they used to be .
Nevertheless, it doesn’t excuse the silence you’re getting , the local dealer I have was very prompt in their response.
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