An Uninterrupted Power Supply for your Audio system?

[sleepyguy24]

Hey everyone,

Yesterday I'm listening to some tunes in my system and the power goes out on my block due to a blown fuse 4 streets over. When the power goes I hear a very loud thump from my speakers because of the sudden power cut off. I think  it is due to the design and DIY nature of the amp. Anyway this got me to thinking that I may just get a UPS for my system so should a black out occur again and I'm listening to tunes I will be able to turn off my system rather than risking damage. Yesterday I had 2 abrupt power outages.

What is your take on the situation? I'm keeping the amp but to have it modified further would probably cost as much as a UPS. Has anyone added a UPS to their system and if so what models did you choose? Was there any sound degradation with you adding the UPS to your system? Since my entire system only consumes 300 watts even with the music blaring ( Thank You Class D type amps ) I think I can just get a smaller UPS.

Thanks

[P.I.]

UPS are something that I have a love/hate relationship with for audio.  We live in an area where there are very few power outages or brownouts here in the great southwest.

First, do no harm.  Make sure that it is a true bypass UPS that is out of circuit except for the sensor.  Beyond that I got nuthin'.  Hopefully others will chime in to relate their experiences.

[Werd]

I use an APC upstairs but I do not have my receiver into it. I can try though. The thing is really heavy and the fan on the back is noisy. Not bad though, but everytime I turn something on the thing groans and the fan starts.. Works great when you need it. On my last outage everything plugged in remained on with about 30 minutes of time.

[rollo]

   What is wrong with unplugging ones system ? It only takes one hour to come back. The only component I leave on is the CDP.
    Actually leaving it on 24/7 will add magnetism to your stuff. That is why a demag disc or device is affective.
    Go to the Uber or other and pull the PC at IEC end. DONE no need to get anything. BRILLIANT unplug who would have thought.


charles

[rpf]

I had an APC S15. It sometimes didn't seem to switch over immediately and my Mac Mini & HD would briefly shut off. IIRC, they would usually then come right back on. 

I kept it mostly for the surge protection until I switched to a PI Audio Buss Stop (I also have a whole house surge protector).

I did try plugging my DAC and amp into the APC and both were negatively affected sound wise.

[Werd]

   What is wrong with unplugging ones system ? It only takes one hour to come back. The only component I leave on is the CDP.
    Actually leaving it on 24/7 will add magnetism to your stuff. That is why a demag disc or device is affective.
    Go to the Uber or other and pull the PC at IEC end. DONE no need to get anything. BRILLIANT unplug who would have thought.


charles

His complaint is while he is playing it. I un plug mine until the power comes back on after an outage.

[sleepyguy24]

Evening everyone

Well after my last update Staples gave me 20% offer on anything in the store so I picked up an APC BX1500G and man oh man people weren't kidding about the love hate relationship with these things.

Love:

My entire system only consumes 300 watts of power at most so the unit won't be taxed heavily at all. I have more than enough time to turn the system off when the next blackout occurs.

No sound quality loss.

The quality build of the thing and how quiet it is.

Should voltage in my house somehow drop below 120v the APC will stabilize it to 120V. Right now my system is seeing 123 to 127 volts since the APC is plugged into my Topaz 1.8KvA isolation transformer.


Hate:

The outlets at the back were not made for aftermarket audio enthusiast power connectors. Even the smallest wattgate terminated plugs won't fit next to each other. So in order to plug my gear into the APC I have to buy a Power Distribution Unit or AC Distribution Unit that will plug into the APC. Right now I'm using my outdoor 14 AWG extension cords to plug my front end into the APC.

Also if anyone else has the bright idea to plug in their surge protector into the UPS here is what APC told me.

http://www.schneider-electric.us/support/index?page=content&country=US&lang=EN&locale=en_US&id=FA158852


Now If I plug any of my Class D amps into the APC and turn them on the APC wakes up, makes some noise and reads it as an "Event". It will return back to normal after but I just find that annoying. Should there ever be a problem in the future and the powers that be review the logs from the APC they will see many an "Event" and wonder what was going on.

Despite all the gripes I'm mostly happy with the APC as it is protecting my entire front end. I wish it could protect my Class D amps to but what can you do.

[Werd]

This is the one I use.

http://www.apc.com/shop/ca/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-1500VA-LCD-RM-2U-120V/P-SMT1500RM2U

[jbtrio]

I use a Purepower 1500+ and love it. It's a regenerator and battery backup. It holds the voltage at 120 volts and converts AC to DC then back to clean AC. You could run it on battery power too.
Everything sounds better plugged into it even my amps with no loss of dynamics.

Excellent product but customer service isn't the best. Thank God it's reliable with no problems.