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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> 100 Year Old House and Electrical https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1745734485 Message started by Alex Scott on 04/27/25 at 07:14:44 |
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Title: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Alex Scott on 04/27/25 at 07:14:44 Hey y'all, I live in a 100 year old house with 100 year old electrical wiring: All the lights in the house blink when the washing machine is on. When the toaster oven in the kitchen kicks on the stove exhaust fan slows down. Sometimes the lights blink when it's windy outside. What gear can I get to protect my system and ensure it is working 100%? Running a new circuit and upgrading the electrical panel is not an option. I have an SEUFO2 and digital front end. I also have a ZeroSurge 8 outlet box that I figure will be better than nothingl. The outlet I'm planning to use is grounded. Thank you! |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Lon on 04/27/25 at 11:00:18 I live in a 107 year old expanded cottage with some pretty darned old wiring and an ancient master panel. I use two PS Audio regenerators and a Decware ZLC in three systems. . . and they work really well to give me steady and clean power to the components (and two TVs). |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by JBzen on 04/27/25 at 14:24:50 Why is a rewire not an option? If it is cost, then best run a dedicated line to the equipment before spending money on expensive regenerate boxes. Money that could be spent on upgraded wiring. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Lon on 04/27/25 at 14:41:59 In my own case rewiring the house and installing a new master panel was estimated to be more expensive. My electrical system was deemed safe |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by CAJames on 04/27/25 at 14:47:45 Quote:
That is my thought as well. It seems like the house has bigger issues than just audio performance. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Kamran on 04/27/25 at 15:51:42 That was my exact thought as well-you need to address the source first. Have you consulted with an electrician about your issues? |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by hdrider on 04/27/25 at 16:04:50 Alex - If it were me, I would first want to establish that the electrical system in place is safe and functional as is. Safety first, tunes second. It seems that some circuits might be close to having too many items on them. How big is the incoming service? When we added a second story, I had the electrician add three dedicated AC circuits to our LR, one into what was the hall closet and now houses our Rack O'Decware, and two on the wall where our speakers/sub live and tv. But do think about getting the electrical service checked out. Happy listening, Chris. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Alex Scott on 04/27/25 at 19:27:16 The house is a rental, and I don't know how long I plan to stay here. Been here less than a year so far. I figure it may make more sense to purchase something like a PS Audio regenerator, that way I can take it with me. The PS15 is 50% off right now. In theory a regenerator makes sense but as it is with anything in hi-fi, there is an opposing camp out there shouting BS and saying regeneraators make the quality worse. So I figure I would gather some input from this forum to better asses what to do. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Alex Scott on 04/27/25 at 19:31:40 @Lon Do you use a ZLC in series with the regenerators? I figure the regenerator would be enough. Are you running multiple systems to need more than one regenerator or is your system really power hungry? |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Lon on 04/27/25 at 19:34:39 I have three systems. . . my main one uses a P15, my audio visual system uses a P10 and my headphone only system uses a ZLC. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Lon on 04/27/25 at 19:37:17 The P15 at half price is a great deal. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Alex Scott on 04/27/25 at 20:21:54 Good to know. I'm leaning toward the PS15, in theory that makes the most sense to me. I just need to muster up the courage to pull the trigger. There is a lot of noise out there talking trash about them. Does anyone remember Steve D's opinion on the PS Audio Power Plants? I remember reading his literature somewhere saying that he built specific power circuitry into one of the amps to get the cleanest power possible, and that the only way to get better would be plunking down thousands for a PS Audio regenerator. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Lon on 04/27/25 at 20:26:33 That's pretty much what I remember him saying as well. Not sure how much actual experience he has with them. When he started adding regulation tubes to the components (something Bottlehead was also doing) he said that this improved the quality of power in the components so much that only an expensive power regenerator would better them. I'm not sure how true that is. . . the regulation tubes do change the sound of the amps and I like to use different ones, but I think a regenerator does something additional or quite different. I have been using them since I bought one of the first P300 regnerators that PS Audio made. . . they have become fundamental to my systems and have brought a lot of "good clean fun." |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Alex Scott on 04/27/25 at 22:07:48 Lon, Curious if you considered running your system off batteries with a sine wave converter. For as much as you spend on the power plants and ZLC, I imagine you could create a robust battery bank feeding into a quality sine wave converter for a fraction of the cost. - Alex |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Lon on 04/27/25 at 22:38:31 No.. .for one thing I'm no longer able to rub together enough coins for such a thing. . .for another: I love what I have now and think it will last me most of the rest of the time I have and it's not broke so I'm not trying to fix it. And I find the modes and the adjustablity extremely useful for my systems. I'm just not interested in battery tech. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Gilf on 04/28/25 at 03:00:58 Honestly, no hassle- the best thing you can do is buy something like an Ecoflow Delta Pro or Bluetti 200L. It’s the cleanest power you will get for an audiophile source and can double to power major household items in a power outage. |
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Title: Re: 100 Year Old House and Electrical Post by Tony Adams on 04/28/25 at 08:36:02 If you can’t upgrade your electrical panel and install new circuits, have you considered using voltage stabilizers or electrical protection like surge protectors for your important electrical equipment? Could this help reduce problems related to fluctuating voltages? Among Us Online |
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