Power Re Generator capacity questions

Llippman, I'll just add the following thoughts to the excellent inputs and analyses you've been provided with above:

1)Before deciding how to proceed, I would suggest that if you don't already have one you obtain a good quality multimeter and measure your line voltage, preferably during the day and during the evening, on both a weekday and a weekend.  The further removed it is from 120 volts (in either direction), at the times during which you generally listen, the greater the likelihood that a regenerator will be beneficial, IMO.  The reason being that in most cases components sold in the USA and other countries where 120 volts is standard are presumably designed to sound their best at that voltage.

2)Estimate and take into consideration the length of the house wiring between the outlet(s) which power the system and the breaker panel.  For example, if that length is 50 feet, and the breaker is rated at 20 amps, chances are the wiring is 12 gauge, and an increase in power draw of say 1500 watts that may briefly occur on dynamic peaks in the music would then result in a corresponding brief voltage drop of 2 volts, due to losses in the wiring.  If that length is 100 feet, a 4 volt drop would briefly occur on that dynamic peak.  The greater that fluctuation in voltage, the greater the likelihood that a regenerator would be helpful.

3)Keep in mind also that if the system is powered via a single 20 amp breaker, the maximum amount of power that is available from the outlet(s) is/are approximately 20 amps x 120 volts = 2400 watts.  Although power demands above that value resulting from occasional very brief dynamic peaks can presumably be supported without the breaker tripping.

Good luck.  Regards,
-- Al
 

P.S. One additional thought:

4)Keep in mind that a regenerator will in itself consume power. For example the PS Audio P10, which can supply up to 1500 watts, has an efficiency rating of ">85%" when supplying large amounts of power. Which means that on brief dynamic peaks in the music which may result in 1500 watts being briefly demanded from a P10 by the system, the P10 itself would consume as much as 265 watts. 1500/(1500 + 265) = 85%.

So 1765 watts would be drawn from the wall outlet(s) under that condition, in addition to the draw of whatever components are not being powered by the P10.

Regards,
-- Al

Thank you Al - great additional input.  I will get a multimeter and test it out.  I think a friend of mine has one...  I so appreciate everybody's time and knowledge in trying to help me pick the right product.  This is such a great community.  

I'm not sure what the OP's target budget is but I do see mention of a P10 so I'm inclined to think a budget of about $4-4.5K.

Assuming any of the above is correct then I would recommend you give the Torus RM line or Bryston BIT line a close look for your purposes.

The Torus RM20 @ about $3300 will handle 2400VA and is an awesome product. I recently picked one up and it's been impressive to say the least. I am using the RM20 for my Mono Block Amps only which have a load of around 1000VA each @ a 4ohm load.

I'm so impressed with what the RM20 has done in my system that I intend to pickup a RM10 or RM15 now also to cover my front end gear.

I've been running all my gear straight to the wall for YEARS and never felt the need for a power conditioner. I have x 4 dedicated 20A lines in my room. One for each component (total overkill). I decided to try a power conditioner now for several reasons that I won't bore you with. The RM20 is plugged into x 1 of these 20A circuits and it is now responsible for powering both of my amps, which previously, each had their own 20A plug/circuit.

Based on what I'm hearing now I honestly feel the RM20 is providing MORE current to the amps now than the x 2 dedicated wall sockets were before. Seems far fetched but in lookng at the Specs on this unit it's able to supply some serious Juice during transient peaks (400A @ half cycle, 100A for up to 30sec..) which is more then going stright into the wall by a long shot.

Moral of the story, there are other options available I haven't seen mentioned in this thread (until now) that can handle your system requirements with ease. I'll leave one final remark, this is the first time I have ever been impressed with any power conditoner product (I've tried the most popular brand out there more than once whose name I'll keep to myself but isn't hard to figure out) so take my recommendation as you see fit.

Balanced power works better than power regen, cheaper too (been there done that). Best of all, if you can do American 240V, you get balanced power for free.