This ^ .... +1
Used them on a DIY preamp, and they created a lot of junk/noise. Troubleshooting the noise source led me to these IEC filters as the cause. Who would have thunk?
Removed it and replaced with a plain IEC AC inlet, and noise magically disappeared.
Do yourself a favor and do a little test.
Get a cheap home heater, the type with 2 "stick" quartz tubes with wire resistors inside.
They typically are 1800 to 2400W, read the label and post it here.
Plug your meter leads in a wall outlet and record voltage.
Then turn both "sticks" on in the heater (plugged in a nearby outlet, preferrably in the same wall and of course on the same phase) , measure the new wall voltage .
Obviously you use 2 different outlets, one for measuring, another for the heater.
Post heater power consumption as rated in its label and both wall voltages (before/after).
If you want to repeat measurements 4 or 5 times and post them in a table, better, we'll be able to average them and have more precision.
Please post them here.
Try to use a good multimeter, a poor low precision one probably won't furnish useful measurements.
Get a cheap home heater, the type with 2 "stick" quartz tubes with wire resistors inside.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
They typically are 1800 to 2400W, read the label and post it here.
Plug your meter leads in a wall outlet and record voltage.
Then turn both "sticks" on in the heater (plugged in a nearby outlet, preferrably in the same wall and of course on the same phase) , measure the new wall voltage .
Obviously you use 2 different outlets, one for measuring, another for the heater.
Post heater power consumption as rated in its label and both wall voltages (before/after).
If you want to repeat measurements 4 or 5 times and post them in a table, better, we'll be able to average them and have more precision.
Please post them here.
Try to use a good multimeter, a poor low precision one probably won't furnish useful measurements.
Lets go one better.
What is the REAL problem you are trying to address? By real, I mean one you have identified and traced to source, not some imagined "narrowing of soundstage" or "loss of air when I play Toscanini"
Yes, that's excellent advice!
One of the most frustrating activities is searching for invisible black
cats in dark closets!
Best Regards,
TerryO
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How many agree?This ^ .... +1
Used them on a DIY preamp, and they created a lot of junk/noise. Troubleshooting the noise source led me to these IEC filters as the cause. Who would have thunk?
Removed it and replaced with a plain IEC AC inlet, and noise magically disappeared.
How many disagree?
So far 2 agree they are rubbish
and 1 disagrees.
Mechanical quality is the only actual reason, anyone who spends more than 20 or 30 dollars on a mains cable expecting anything other than mechanical reliability would be better off listening to Crossing Over with John Edward instead of music.
They are rubbish if you select a wrong or inappropriate one. They work very well if you select the correct one. Key is current draw.
I'd much rather think that you had some hairy grounding problem, and you corrected it, knowingly or not, when wiring the IEC connector.This ^ .... +1
Used them on a DIY preamp, and they created a lot of junk/noise.
Removed it and replaced with a plain IEC AC inlet, and noise magicallydisappeared.
I have 3 off 6A IEC filters. Unused because I don't have equipment that needs that high a rating. 6A is equivalent to 1400VA.
I am getting through my stock of 1A and 3A IEC filters. I would even use the 3A on a 800VA transformer fed amplifier.
One selects the current rating to suit the load.
That's what I suspected, but always nice to have verification. Thanks!
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This ^ .... +1
Used them on a DIY preamp, and they created a lot of junk/noise. Troubleshooting the noise source led me to these IEC filters as the cause. Who would have thunk?
Me.
It wasn't magic. It was a logical outcome based on the actual problem.
Accurate statement..I'd much rather think that you had some hairy grounding problem, and you corrected it, knowingly or not, when wiring the IEC connector.
jn
Apart from cost, any reasons to not go oversized ? - eg, 6A filter powering preamp.
Dan.
Amperage matching is "ok" if you want parts to fail. Try to go 2x as high.
These are awesome. You can try to evaluate them on their inductance, but if you check attenuation you'll notice they all are good. Coilcraft Combination Line Filter Choke
You won't lose any dynamics unless you chose one too close to the device amp rating.
They work better with X capacitors. Several is advisable, and even on seperate sides of it ("Felix") filter. You can use multiple values. the less you have, the more the quality of the cap can vary attenuation (sound). It's best to have the poles opposite from eachother, a zig-zag of wiring, for cancellation.
Y caps that go from hot to ground cause problems depending on the grounding scheme in equipment. It could be less noise than without, in a noisy environment. However audio isn't that noisy. I know it sounds funny, but despite the overall amount of noise that isn't within most people's houses or gear, the difference conditioning makes can be everything.
Y caps from neutral to ground can be flavor assortments too, but you're better off with a few smaller and then something large like 100-300mfd.
These are awesome. You can try to evaluate them on their inductance, but if you check attenuation you'll notice they all are good. Coilcraft Combination Line Filter Choke
You won't lose any dynamics unless you chose one too close to the device amp rating.
They work better with X capacitors. Several is advisable, and even on seperate sides of it ("Felix") filter. You can use multiple values. the less you have, the more the quality of the cap can vary attenuation (sound). It's best to have the poles opposite from eachother, a zig-zag of wiring, for cancellation.
Y caps that go from hot to ground cause problems depending on the grounding scheme in equipment. It could be less noise than without, in a noisy environment. However audio isn't that noisy. I know it sounds funny, but despite the overall amount of noise that isn't within most people's houses or gear, the difference conditioning makes can be everything.
Y caps from neutral to ground can be flavor assortments too, but you're better off with a few smaller and then something large like 100-300mfd.
I'd much rather think that you had some hairy grounding problem, and you corrected it, knowingly or not, when wiring the IEC connector.
Nope. It wasn't a grounding issue. I didn't change any wiring.
The IEC AC filter I used was emitting RF noise. The preamp channel physically closest to the IEC AC filter was noisier than the farther channel, that's how I discovered it. Replaced it with plain AC inlet, and no more noise.
It could be a defective filter unit, as it was bought from an online surplus store.
It can still be a grounding issue. In fact, it's a very good possibility that the filter you used pushed line hash directly onto the ground of your preamp, and your layout is susceptible to that. By removing the filter, you broke the coupling path between the hot and ground.
jn
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