Something New Has Arrived :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

Two pieces at 176 lbs. each require the guys from Manny's Piano Moving to bring up to the listening room :~)

 

More to come. Stay tuned.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

No new amps or speakers :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

Two transformers. One 4kva and one 5kva.

 

http://512engineering.com/index.php/power-delivery

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, One and a half said:

@The Computer Audiophile, you may need some of that snow to cool the transformers, at low loads , reactive currents keep the temperature warm.

 

Good to see the ground can be tied together between the two , that’s really important for keeping the grounds the same potential.

 

There's enough difficulty in moving a 2 kVA around, let alone 5 .... your floor up to it?

This floor is made of incredibly strong wood from the 1940s when houses around here were built very well. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Oh wow, I like these balanced power units. Got them connected this afternoon. Fantastic. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here’s the piano a few months before being smashed. 
 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Comments split off into new thread. 
 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, Summit said:

 

I can see that you have made some nice improvements lately. First you got some wonderful full range speakers, when room treatment and now mains power conditioner. What’s next audio rack 

 

At the High End show in Stockholm least weekend they had a lot of good sounding systems. My favorite room was probably the Bayz Audio Courante room with the big ass Stormtank etc.

 

 

 

 

Very cool. Nice to see Spectral gear as well. I've heard many systems with the Stromtank. The first units that shipped had some issues and I haven't investigated the product in a while. I love the concept. 

 

P.S. I'd love to get a decent, low profile rack, but the prices are crazy!

[The Computer Audiophile]

13 minutes ago, mansr said:

Isn't HDCD an entirely digital process?

Let’s not go off topic. Your question could lead to pages of interesting but not totally relevant discussion to the topic at hand. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

18 minutes ago, Jud said:

@The Computer Audiophile - I have my audio system powered by an isolation transformer. But I'm glad it's not located in my listening room because it hums like a mf-er. I'm late coming back to the thread so my apologies if this has been answered previously: Have you measured the acoustic noise coming from these at, say, a meter's distance (or the room level measured at that distance when they're on vs. when they're off)?

Dead silent. 
 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

5 minutes ago, jcn3 said:

 

@The Computer Audiophile -- i didn't see a response to this post.  what is the retail price for the two units you received?

Stand by ...

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just received pricing info. I wanted to make sure I had the latest before posting. 

 

5kVA = $19,500.00 USD

 

4kVA is not really a production product as it was build solely to be able to air freight cost effectively to audition around the country. 5kVA exceeds the weight limit. Price difference is negligible

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, JoeWhip said:

I agree completely about the need for clean power and have done what I can do to get it. These babies are not in the audio budget. 😢

Yeah, not cheap for sure. They are made by hand in ultra low quantities in northern California. The chassis is quite utilitarian and modest. At least one isn't paying for jewelry if he doesn't want it. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, JoeWhip said:

Imagine what they could get for them with some blingy boxes. Don’t give them any ideas. 😎

Ha! Not these guys. Zero interest in bling. It's all about performance. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, dtgpeter said:

You have very likely not heard everything your system can do if you are not using one of these transformers.

That's exactly how I now feel peter. It's crazy. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

8 minutes ago, infonut said:

Has anyone compared the 512 Engineering Symmetrical Power Source input transformer to one of the Stromtank units and have a preference?

I’ve heard both and have no doubt the 512 solution is superior in the systems I’ve heard. The Stromtank is a neat solution and certainly looks cool, but I don’t know that it stands up to something like this symmetrical power source. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I’ve had the new RAAL-requisite SR1a true ribbon headphones and a Berkeley Audio Design RS3 connected to the 512 4kVA and the results are amazing. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

52 minutes ago, bbosler said:

I have no doubt that Chris is hearing the stated improvements, but does this device perform better than those that cost much less? Given the challenges involved I doubt we ever see a balanced power shootout. One significant hurdle is the sheer size of these things as has been noted. Couple that with the difficulties in installing some and comparative reviews become logistically very difficult if not impossible. For instance, I  read a glowing review of an Equitech 5Kv wall mount unit that weighs over 300 pounds and had to be installed by electricians as part of the electrical system versus just plugging it in.  The reviewer bought it before the review so he could get it installed. Does the unit discussed here outperform the $10K Equitech unit? We'll probably never know.

Yeah, this is one of those unfortunate realities. These things are beasts and the commitment it takes to evaluate them is quite serious and expensive.

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 hours ago, cjf said:

I'm sure I am not understanding but how is this device a 5VA unit when the Input source assuming standard single phase power at 20A wall plug only generates 2400VA unless my math is wrong? It appears to also only have a 20A Input receptacle also. I didn't think transformers could create more power on the output than on the input unless they could somehow operate at above 100% efficiency ?

 

 

I can use 30amp or 240v with the 5kVA.