Sine Of The Times
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday May 8, 2000
Buy an amplifier or home-theatre receiver rated at 100-watts per channel and you'd be entitled to think it would deliver its rated power, wouldn't you? Well, depending on where you live, it might not.
The problem is the mains power delivered to your home. Hi-fi equipment designers expect that when you plug their equipment into a power point, it will be fed with clean 240-volt AC (alternating current) power. It's a great concept, but few Sydney suburbs get the full 240 volts. If the mains voltage in your street is just 5 per cent low (228 volts), your amplifier's output will also drop by 5 per cent, to 95 watts per channel.
Don't bother ringing Energy Australia to complain because it doesn't guarantee you'll get the full 240 volts, nor does it guarantee the purity of the mains signal. In theory, the mains power should be a pure sine wave. In practice, the waveform is usually heavily distorted, sometimes by as much as 5 or 10 per cent.
To be fair, this line distortion is not all Energy Australia's fault. Australia's system of distributing 240V mains power using unbalanced, unshielded aerial cables was developed in the days before fluorescent lights and computers. These days, rogue signals caused by fluorescentlighting and computer power supplies are able to get back into the mains, and are the cause of much of this distortion. Some of these mains disturbances are clearly audible though any audio system, such as the clicking sounds caused when refrigerator or pool pumps turn on, or the buzz of fluorescent light fittings. Other problems, such as increased background noise, might only be audible on better quality hi-fi systems.
The Peach Audio Balanced Power Supply won't boost your mains voltage, but it will get rid of all your mains noise and earth loop problems. It will also eliminate radio frequency interference caused by TV cables, mobile phones and two-way radio networks.
Designer David Peach says installing a balanced power supply will also reduce system noise and dramatically improve stereo imaging. If you use it to for your television, it'll even eliminate video hum bars from the screen.
Installing a Balanced Power Supply is simple. Plug it into the 240V wall socket, then plug your audio and video components into the five 240V output sockets at the rear of the BP1000. It's that easy. The model BP1000 (shown above) is specifically designed for home use, with a luxurious custom-made black chrome casing. Budget-priced versions, in standard white cases, are also available.
Infofile
Peach Audio BP1000 Balanced Power Supply
Price: $1,995
Peach Audio Electronics
130 Coogee Bay Road, Coogee, NSW 2034
9315 7525
peachaudio@bigpond.com http://peachaudio.8m.com/power.htm
© 2000 Sydney Morning Herald