Circuit Tuning by Alan Maher
Part I:
Tuning With Chokes:
Each circuit location vs. the audio circuit, type of in-wall wiring geometry, circuit
breaker quality, number of duplex outlets per circuit, and even the number of staples used
to rough in the wiring during construction, all play a role in the ringing quality of a
circuit. Harmonic interaction from appliances, lighting, and type of lighting also inject
noise in the form of odd harmonics. The number one culprit for noise in the home is the
circuit panel. All of the elements listed feed back to the panel and branch the noise
throughout the home via the neutral and earth ground.
The original Power Enhancer was designed to deal with this sort of problem. Later I
discovered the filter benefit was not isolated to the treated circuit and could travel freely,
without harmonic loss, throughout the entire phase. The Hammond choke provides a
similar electrical interaction that can be easily heard on circuits installed on the same
phase. As I mentioned, not all circuits ring at the same frequency and some ring higher
in frequency and db than others. The choke primary function is to lower the loudest of
the circuits installed on the same phase.
Getting Started:
I want everyone to take a look at their circuit panel and write down the purpose and
location of each circuit. Next, remove all filtering from the electrical service throughout
the home. Allow the electrical phase 24 hours to readjust. Now you are ready to start
playing with chokes. Put on your favorite reference recording and sit back and get a
good feel for the sound of your non-filtered home. I suggest you repeat one song over
and over for this exercise. Now that you have your list of circuits and locations in hand, I
want you to use a standard PE and plug the filter into the first circuit on your list, as a
note, the stereo circuit should not be on the list for this exercise. Allow the PE 20
minutes to set up on the circuit and take notes while listening to your selected repeated
song once. Unplug the PE and wait 15 minutes before plugging the filter into the next
circuit on your list. Repeat exercise for each circuit in the home excluding the stereo
circuit. Compare your notes, you should find that a couple circuits sound brighter and
stood out more than a few of the other circuits tested. On the brighter sounding circuits
plug in a Hammond 193M, only one choke per circuit is required for this exercise.
Allow your newly installed Hammond 193M chokes a good 72 hours to set up before
testing the 193L chokes on the remaining circuits. Some circuits will sound good with a
193L installed and others will not. Allow each choke a good 20 to 30 minutes to set up
on the circuit before taking and comparing notes on the install.
When installing the chokes on the circuits try to address noise at the source. For
instance you may find placing a choke on the kitchen circuit at the refrigerator lowers the
circuit noise and also lowers the mechanical noise/vibration of the refrigerator. The idea
of circuit tuning is to lower noise but also provide power factor correction where it is
needed. PFC is where the proper form of filtering becomes tricky, because the choke
might lower the mechanical noise of the refrigerator, but it might not provide power
factor correction, you will have to experiment between the choke and PE to see which
offers better efficiency for the refrigerator. You will know by the internal temperature of
the refrigerator and freezer. If you notice the temp is colder at the same setting that is
when you are experiencing proper power factor correction. You might discover that both
filtering methods provide PFC for the refrigerator, in that case go with the best method
to lower all forms of noise including mechanical, because mechanical vibration creates
added harmonics on the circuit that is fed back to the circuit panel.
I would like if everyone gave a brief write up on the sound and video quality after 2 or 3
days of allowing the chokes to set up. I don’t expect toe tapping results, because we are
trying to lower circuit ringing feed back with this exercise. Toe tapping results will
return after we start tuning with the PE.
Tip:
Now that you have located the brighter of the circuits the next thing you will notice is that
some duplex outlets on the brighter circuit will sound better than others with the choke or
PE installed. The reason has to do with location on the circuit, proper polarity, and
duplex quality. I suggest trying each choke one at a time on each circuit duplex until you
locate where it sounds best installed on that particular circuit. The effect will be audible
on the stereo circuit.
You could upgrade the duplex to a good quality brass outlet as a cheap tweak and
increase the resolution provided by the choke application. Audiophile outlets are not
necessary or recommended. The idea with this tweak is to use an outlet that sounds thin
or rolled off in the bass because the choke already provides increased bass via increased
inductance, the outlet could be used to dial in the correct type of bass provided by the
choke application. Brass outlets roll off the bass to increase low level resolution,
articulation, and impact/foundation.
Recommended Outlets:
Hubbell HBL-5262
Hubbell HBL-8200 non-plated (Al Porter sells non-plated 8200 and 8300 series on
AudiogoN)
the Hubbell HBL-5262 is excellent for the Hammond 193M choke, but not so great for
the 193L. The 193L sounds very good with the Hubbell HBL-8200 (non-plated brass)
outlet. The 193L already sounds dynamic in the bass all by itself and does not require
additional help to enhance low level resolution, so it’s important to find an outlet that
offers a neutral character.
Another excellent tip is to treat the a/c blades of the Hammond choke and PE with
Quicksilver Gold. The treatment takes 3 to 4 weeks to fully develop so please wait until
the entire house is tuned before adding this final application, but the added resolution is
worth its weight in gold. Prepping the a/c blades is very easy...picking up some Caig
ProGold 100% solution from Michael Percy Audio. A #00 steel wool pad and a box of
cotton Q-tips are required.
Cleaning procedure:
Apply a thick coat of ProGold to the a/c blade and allow it soak in for about 5 minutes.
Scrub all sides of the a/c blade with the steel wool pad. The surface of the metal should
be as slick as wet ice by the time you are finished scrubbing. Wipe off the residue and
buff the metal surface with the cotton Q-tip. Continue until the a/c blade of the PE has a
mirror finish. You will probably apply two scrubbing applications of ProGold and 1 thin
application to treat and buff the metal surface. After the surface has a mirror shine it is
important to remove most to all of the ProGold from the surface of the metal. It is not
important to apply alcohol to remove the last bit of ProGold residue, just wipe off the
ProGold as part of the buffing stage as much as possible before applying QSG to the a/c
blade.
Part II:
Circuit Panel Induced Filtering:
The circuit panel is the number one culprit in the home for amplifying noise and passing
the noise to every circuit in the house to only magnify by other appliances plugged into
the electrical service. Usually this noise is heard through the stereo in the upper
midrange and lower treble. It will be heard as bright or brittle sound quality. The fix is
very easy to do and the effectiveness of the improvement can be tailored by the preferred
audiophile method.
1. The cheapest solution is to apply Stillpoints ERS to the inside of the circuit panel
door. The entire door should be covered. The effect should be heard almost
immediately within the first 30 minutes and will continue to adjust over the next
several days. Note: Only use a single layer of material to cover the door panel.
2. The next solution is 1 to 3 Audio Magic Large Quantum Disrupters, pending door
size, adhered to the outside of the panel door using 3M foam double stick tape.
Center the Quantum Disrupter over the main and individual circuit breakers. If
multiple Disrupters are used to cover the entire door, space each 1 inch apart
from each other. The Quantum Disrupters offers 10 times the filtering
performance of the ERS treatment. QD should not be used with ERS for this
tweak.
3. The next and best solution is the Shakti Stone. Multiple will be used to cover the
outside of the door with 1 inch spacing between each Stone. The writing side of
the Stone should face the panel door. If the incoming service wiring and
individual circuit wiring is exposed at the top or sides of the panel, I highly
recommend strapping 1 Stone directly against each wire bundle using a pair of
extra long zip ties. The writing side of the Stone should press against the wire
bundle. Center the width of the Stone to the wire bundle.
The Quantum Disrupter and Shakti Stone tweak has outperformed many $7500 plus
high-end power conditioners that I have experimented with over the years. This
tweak is all about affordability and using what you might have currently lying around
the house or collecting dust in the audiophile toy chest. I do not suggest going out
and spending $750 to a couple grand to upgrade the circuit panel, if you do not own
either of these items, and budget is tight, I suggest at least trying the cheaper ERS
alternative.
I would allow this tweak 7 to 10 days to stabilize on all circuits before starting the
next tuning phase.
Part III:
Circuit tuning using the PE series:
As you have come to learn, the PE design offers infinite circuit calibrations to match
any system component, manufacture, or musical preference. The PE can be
systematically installed throughout the home on every circuit and offer a range of
tuning possibilities for the circuit, circuit panel, system, and individual component.
Let’s start by tuning non-audio/video circuits. Tuning non-audio/video circuits help
develop soundstage size and tonal colors.
I would like for everyone to look at the list of breakers again for this exercise. Go
back to the first non-audio breaker on your list. It would be best if you knew which
duplex outlet was first and last on the circuit. Once you have the circuit mapped lets
start tuning by using one of my favorite combinations:
PE II > PE > PE IV / PE III / PE V Standard > PE > PE II
In this design you can either use a single PE III, IV, or V in the center location, do
not use all 3. This design will range from lower midrange warmth to dynamic to
hyper detail pending the center filter model added to the combination.
Circuit tuning is similar to power cord tuning. A good quality cord, or in this case
circuit panel by the time we are finished, should not add coloration to mask over
other problems located within the system. Colorations at the system are nothing but
poor interaction choices and easily fixed when you have the right tools. In my
opinion a good quality cord should reproduce exactly what is provided by the
recording, it should not add or take away from the performance. A good quality and
implemented filter system should remove any coloration, noise, crosstalk, etc that
may be travelling throughout the home and prevent it from entering the system
component, but it should do it in a way that doesn’t negatively effect the original
signal.
Allow your first tuned circuit to stabilize over the next 4 to 5 days and see what it
sounds like on the audio circuit. I don’t advise using the same filter combination for
circuit 2, 3, 4, etc, because other parameters play a role in the tuning process.
Example: Circuit breaker quality, number of breakers, length of in-wall wiring,
number of duplex outlets, quality of duplex outlets effect circuit ringing, all play a
role in the final outcome, the filter is only as good as it’s connecting counterpart. Not
every circuit has to have 4, 5, and 6 PE models installed, most circuits do fine with 1
to 4 filters installed.
Example:
Circuit 1: PE II > PE > PE IV > PE > PE II.
Circuit 2: PE > PE> PE. Maybe a 193M installed.
Circuit 3: PE V Standard
Circuit 4: PE > PE > PE. Maybe a 193M installed.
Circuit 5 (Audio Circuit): PE V Surge Interrupter > PE V Pro Custom > Reference
Power Strip.
NOTE: Since the Surge, Pro, and Ref share the same receptacle, you might also
consider optional tuning/filters for other outlets on the same circuit. It’s only
optional because I personally don’t find it necessary, I would prefer instead to use
the new Studio Reference v2 cabling with the built in PE V Pro Custom filtering or
the new PE V IEC filter to provide component isolation and power factor correction.
The Pro Custom combination does a great job of blocking incoming noise and the
Studio Reference v2 and PE V IEC filters offer the same level of isolation filtering at
the component power inlet to prevent system crosstalk from interacting and entering
the component.