BJFE / BearFoot fx Guitar Effects Community

I noticed my tone was a lot harsh and toppy today and I checked the Voltage with a digital meter because I can. 124.8 Volts! I know it is not too crazy as a %, but do you think the higher wall Voltage translates into higher plate current in the amp which then causes the harsh sound?

I had been testing the output on the SAG output of my Pedal Power 2+ and for fun I checked all the outputs and most were 9.2 - 9.3, but the switched #5 or 6 output was 16.8 Volts DC which is a lot higher than the manual says it should be.

I am going to keep track of the wall Voltage for awhile since typically in the summer the electricity gets really dirty and noisy making my amps sound bad. I really should get a Furman to clean and regulate things and I saw one product that you plug your amp and effects into to stop ground loop humm. http://www.furmansound.com/pdf/catalog/ ... g_2011.pdf

Hey Scott, I'm stalking you this morning...

Living in a house with 50 year old wiring, I have the same issue. If you do buy a Furman, please share your findings with all of us. What I have read is that they really don't make a different unless you buy one of their high end ones.

Anyone out there know anything about this?

I use a Furman IT Reference that I picked up at their offices in Petaluma, CA in 2003. Built like a tank. Weighs 80 lbs plus. Worth the big $$$$$.....definitely!!!
If you don't have a dedicated outlet on the wall specifically set up for your amp, the variation in power coming out of an outlet can be significant not to mention the interference. I have just moved my gear into a cottage we built on the back our property that does have a dedicated outlet but when things were in the main house....holy crap!!!!!!!!! The power sags and surges and the interference from appliances was beyond annoying without the Furman IT Reference.
The Balance Power Distribution is just a "gotta have" in my opinion... However the sucker is SO HEAVY you probably would grow weary taking it to gigs (where you would probably get the most benefits!)

From an outside website:

The power running into our playing rooms consist of three wires. The 120-Volt positive wire (also called the hot wire), the neutral wire, and then the neutral wire is tied to the third wire that is the ground. The positive wire is usually not separately shielded and, therefore, free to interact with the others causing problems. Another quandary most of us have experienced are those nasty ground loop hums and buzzing due to the impedance of your equipment's chassis and interconnect shielding to ground not being zero. If you live in a big city then you can top all this off with the usual line pops, Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), Electromagnet Interference (EMI), and more noises that can drive us nuts!

Symmetrical (also referred to as "balanced") power has been recognized by the US National Electrical Code (Article 530) as an effective and safe method of power distribution. Symmetrical power also uses three wires like we use today, but in a manner that makes sense. It uses a 60-Volt positive wire, a 60-Volt negative wire, and then a ground wire. Benefits? No more power line induced noises effecting nearby audio wiring because the positive and negative leads cancel each other out just as they do with balanced analog audio (XLR). The ground currents that may cause ground loops from the non-symmetrical scheme are virtually eliminated! The icing on the cake is that by balancing your entire system you will typically get up to 24dB improvement in reducing background noise.
The electromagnetic waves generated by electronic devices negatively affect other, similar, electronic devices. Technically these adverse affects are called Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). EMI and RFI may cause malfunctions in electronic devices. Specifically, EMI and RFI cause suppression of signals generated internally in a device, external ambient interference with equipment operation, or emissions generated internally that will interfere with equipment operation The Furman IT Reference cleans this up wonderfully.

The current Furman P2400 and the IT Reference 20i are available sometimes on Ebay for pretty good deals. I just saw a IT Reference 20i go for only $600!!! A real steal...

Thanks for the input. I have been taking readings since the first post and the 124.8 Volts was the lowest reading I had gotten! It gets up to 126.3 Volts some days and I have to think that all our electrical stuff must be stressed out! The worst is when air conditioning comes on. I pull out the acoustic then! I just wish I knew what I needed, but it seems smart to get something to plug my amp and board as well as some computer items. With the Sun going crazy the next 18 months it might be a wise move for all of us!

i picked up one of these : http://www.furmansound.com/product.php? ... d=P-1800PF
if it had a voltage regulator like the rack units that would be the ACE !!!
unfortunately they don't offer that it seems............so i picked up an old Variac for $45.00
plug that into the wall, then the furman into the variac, dial it down to 118 for the days when the furman alone is showing 125v from the wall.

Currently my Variac power cord does not want to come out of the wall.......it's really odd.
it went in with no force, and now seems stuck.

http://www.furmansound.com/product.php? ... d=P-1800AR

This seems like THE unit, but it is out of reach for now. The discouraging thing is it says 120V +/- 5V , so for the bulk of my use the expensive part of the unit may not do much, but if I were playing out all the time I wouldn't think twice.

http://www.furmansound.com/product.php? ... =P-1800PFR Might be the one I go for. I just wish I could find a place that could explain the differences and demo the abilities of each unit. Hey, maybe guitar center!

Wall voltage varies +/- 5~10%. Every device in your home that runs off of wall power is designed to handle this without stress. It will not significantly alter your amp's operation unless you're getting wild and rapid fluctuations. It's also worth noting that if you measure the voltage of the unregulated position of the PP2+ without a load, you'll get higher reading than the voltage under operation.