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Discovering I may have the cleanest AC power in USA

PS Audio Noise Harvesters are on sale. $50 each.. So naturally I had to buy a pair. 36 hours later in my home.Well I clean the prongs, Caig Gold them, and plug them in.
Nothing.
Nothing.
I am wondering broken? DOA?
I move them to other outlets not on my stereo in the kitchen, in the bathroom (the bathroom has a air cleaner plugged in the same outlet, motor running). OK a single blink.
I remember the dimmer thing. Plug the Noise Harvesters into the stereo again.. and turn on the only dimmer in the place (in the bedroom, on a different circuit) KABLAM!!! Now they are blinking pretty regular. OK they are NOT broken.They also blink when I put them on an Adcom AC box also on different circuit than stereo. Both the Cable internet box and the WiFi box are on it. And yes they blink every minute or so.I checked the Furman REF 20 outlets, no blink. The direct to the amp.. no blink.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So I apparently have just naturally the cleanest AC line in America? (For my stereo equipment.)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Part of it may be the fact I packed the duplex enclosure 20 amp single line I use for the stereo with small quartz crystals coated with Automotive dielectric grease, in small baggies, the duplex is also the Furutech GTX NCF type, and the wall plugs are also filled with the loose small quartz crystals, plus some flattened baggies of the crystals wrapped around the outside shell of the plugs at the wall
Good thing I only ordered two of the Noise Harvesters. More are not needed. (and I actually do not even need the two. but that is OK. I can keep them as a sentinel, to know if I ever get noise on the lines.
So I do not know if my home made anti noise crystals work magic? (along with the Furutech NCF which is basically a refined version of my own crystals) or if I really do have some of the cleanest AC around. (PS I live in a 90 unit apartment building, folks above below, around me. Things like my frig I have several ferrite cores with the AC zipcord wire wrapped in and around them, ditto air cleaners, lamps..
elizabeth
glupson
1,794 posts
 
"That is not a double-blind test."
+1 (I am not sure it really mattered in that situation, but double-blind it was not)
elizabeth OP
6,726 posts
 
glupson. distance? no. The typical measurable radiation from standard unshielded AC lines has nothing to do with the Noise Harvester.
The ’noise’ on the lines as mentioned can come from as far away as the separate dimmer controlled circuit in the bedroom, as mentioned at least 75 feet of wiring away, (and actual physical distance is a direct twenty feet, through a metal outlet box with a brass cover, through 3000 LP albums on the wall and the wall itself.) (and may een comefor a far greater distance. Distance seems to have no matter on the sort of high frequency hash riding the lines. Filters, like in the Furman conditioner, DO.
For the plasma, the AC cord is two meters. The device only blinks if plugged into the AC duplex same as TV.Now the TV DOES radiate freestanding EMI which I can pick up with the Greelee detector in the air. But the Greelee picks up the same radiation (less intense perhaps) from ANY display, on equipment, laptop..The two types may be from the same cause, but the in the air are not what the Noise Harvester is working on.
In general I have no need to be the ’spokesperson for PS Audio, though I want to clear up confusion, I have no interest is selling/shilling this product.
That it seems to do something? yes, did it perform the miraculous cure of some ailment in my stereo? NO. Was I able to track down some AC garbage spewing offenders. YES.
WOULD I BUY THEM AGAIN no. (since they show I have very little spew) But I can see where other folks with more AC garbage in the line would like to keep using them. You do not know until you try I guess.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
All circuits affect the audio circuit unless you’ve gone the route of isolating the audio circuit. That’s why the article from Stereo Times pointed out the Harvester didn’t blink too much or at all with the lights off. Ditto refrigerator. Also, two grounds is better than one. For example a second ground per outlet can be run to the water pipe that is connected to Earth ground. But RFI has many ways of getting into the system inckuding via the air and from RF produced by microchips.
elizabeth OP
6,726 posts
 
Geoff mentions: "" But RFI has many ways of getting into the system inckuding via the air and from RF produced by microchips. ""
I would add that packing DAC and other HF producers, (if they do not get very hot anyway) Packing DAC with antistatic foam reduces the RFI re-entering the DAC chips etc and actually does reduce the noise in the audio signal.
On my current Mrantz I see no need, but my previous DAC an Adcom Da700 (which was just as good as a Bryston highly praised DAC compared in my own system) Took a LOT of money to beat the Adcom WITH the antistatic foam mod.
The black antistatic foam, not the blue. And since thefoam is electrically conductive, Imperative to protect the circuits from it touching them. And grounding the foam to the chassis.
In the Adcom the chassis never got very warm, even with being packed with the foam. IF the unit does get very warm I would not do this mod to it.
If I were rich and bored. I would make a flexible very thin non-conductive tray to fit various brand DAC units perfectly, and fill the tray with the foam and sell them. A vacuum table, borrowed unit to build a sample shape, and some wholesale 36"by 24" 1/8 and /4 inch foams and a ground..

kodak805
44 posts
 
I live in a very rural area in SE TN.  There are no industrial or commercial facilites within dozens of square miles.  My house is the first structure off the power transformer.  The power line from that utility pole is buried all the way to my home's service entrance.  I have two separate dedicated lines in my listening room, one for the digital front end and the other for the power amps.  There are no light dimmers or video equipment in the room.

I purchased an Akiko Corelli passive power conditioner:

https://www.akikoaudio.com/en/products/488-akiko-audio-power-conditioner-corelli-english

Given the highly favorable reviews, I was expecting dramatic results.  I was not hearing this.  I got curious and wanted to know exactly what was going on and so I bought this:

https://www.alphalabinc.com/product/plm/

It is a power lince meter that displays noise on a power line in mV.  It also has a speaker which makes the noise audible.

The Akiko Corelli was not doing anything.  Sometimes the noise level actually increased with the unit plugged in.  I sold it.

It is quite startling how much noise actually rides on a  residential power line.  I am not convinced a cheap wall wart device such as the Noise Harvester discussed here will do much to reduce that doise no matter the wishfull\ thinking involved.
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