Do you use a voltage regulator to run your amps?

[Yossi]

I started another thread about surge protection and I was reminded about voltage regulators, and directed to Furmansound.com.
They write: "In fact, the quality of AC power has been so poor for so long, most musicians have no idea how great their amplifiers could really sound. When the AC power factor is poor, amplifiers sound muddy because their power supplies can't deliver when pushed. The scream and cry from a guitar loses bite and harmonics, basses lose their punch and weight, keyboards sound nasal, losing clarity, attack, and extension. Not so with Furman's Power Factor Pro."

Do you agree with this claim? Do you use a voltage regulator?

[J.T. Guitar]

Just to clarify; The Power Factor is not a voltage regulator. It basically banks some extra power so that when you hit your tube amp hard, it allows the power to remain more constant, rather than sagging. I use one, but if the power in the building is high or low, that's what the PF puts out.

I am looking at getting a real voltage regulator like the Furman AR-15. This keeps the voltage at a constant 120 volts.

I wish Furman would come out with an AR-15 in a Power Factor chassis. I don't want to drag a rack around.

[Yossi]

Originally Posted by J.T. Guitar

Just to clarify; The Power Factor is not a voltage regulator. It basically banks some extra power so that when you hit your tube amp hard, it allows the power to remain more constant, rather than sagging. I use one, but if the power in the building is high or low, that's what the PF puts out.

I am looking at getting a real voltage regulator like the Furman AR-15. This keeps the voltage at a constant 120 volts.

I wish Furman would come out with an AR-15 in a Power Factor chassis. I don't want to drag a rack around.

The voltage regs are very expensive. Will you hear a real benefit with a voltage regulator?

[soldano16]

Originally Posted by Yossi

The voltage regs are very expensive. Will you hear a real benefit with a voltage regulator?

There are two aspects to the problem. Spikes in the voltage and generally high voltage. When I moved into a new area 3 months ago and plugged in my amps, they sounded very buzzy. I checked the wall voltage and I was almost 126v - all the time.

Lucky me has a variac so I can bring in a proper 115 for my vintage Vox and Marshall heads.

I do also have a Furman VR but that has a 5% tolerance on it so it's not perfect.

But using the Furman and then the variac, I have a pretty steady setup.

[Yossi]

Originally Posted by soldano16

There are two aspects to the problem. Spikes in the voltage and generally high voltage. When I moved into a new area 3 months ago and plugged in my amps, they sounded very buzzy. I checked the wall voltage and I was almost 126v - all the time.

Lucky me has a variac so I can bring in a proper 115 for my vintage Vox and Marshall heads.

I do also have a Furman VR but that has a 5% tolerance on it so it's not perfect.

But using the Furman and then the variac, I have a pretty steady setup.

Thanks. You have quite a bit invested in getting the power where it should be. I am not sure if my voltage is a problem. I'll have to check it out.

[dmitrix]

a little bit of the of extra voltage wont necessarily a bad thing, it worst when its lower as the power on the load its constant, with lover voltage you will draw more current to support the load and thats what actually fries your amp, not the voltage,