Question re. electricity

[tcontas]

Hello all. I just posted this in the Speakers Forum. Figured I'd try here as well:

I think I'm going insane, so I'm hoping some of you might be able to disabuse me of that notion. On some days, my speakers sound very full, rich, lots of low end and punch, etc., and on other days (same placement, receiver, recordings, etc.), the speakers sound quite a bit "weaker," more anemic, less robust, etc. I know zilch about electricity, but am curious as to whether it's possible that my electric service isn't consistently "strong" or effective or whatever word you want to use. Or maybe my receiver is working erratically? Anyone have any ideas at all about this? As I said, it may all be in my feeble mind... Thanks. Oh, also, if you've actually heard of something like this and there's an explanation for it, is there also a remedy that won't break the bank?

[Jimmy C]

...the system seems to sound better than at other times... in the head? Surely a possibility. BUT - I have just installed hi-hat lighting on a rheostat (sp?) and those things are definitely noisy. Make sure they are off when listening. I do, however, love the dim lighting...

I have a Rotel line conditioner, but honestly, I don't think it does much conditioning - the only way to control said hi-hat noise is to shut the lights off. I use the Rotel for a "central plug-in type thing"... not so much for it's sonic virtues. It MIGHT, however, help with lightning (surge protection).

Other things related to the perception of a different sounding system (when all things are the same) MIGHT include system warm-up, your brain and ears warming up (I have no conclusive evidence of either), your mood, the electrical grid and neighborhood usage, alcohol consumption (and whatever other drug of choice), ambient noise, operating temperatue and humidity, and possibly other things.

Not sure of the exact easons, BUT I understand what you refer to...

[mtrycraft]

Hello all. I just posted this in the Speakers Forum. Figured I'd try here as well:

I think I'm going insane, so I'm hoping some of you might be able to disabuse me of that notion. On some days, my speakers sound very full, rich, lots of low end and punch, etc., and on other days (same placement, receiver, recordings, etc.), the speakers sound quite a bit "weaker," more anemic, less robust, etc. I know zilch about electricity, but am curious as to whether it's possible that my electric service isn't consistently "strong" or effective or whatever word you want to use. Or maybe my receiver is working erratically? Anyone have any ideas at all about this? As I said, it may all be in my feeble mind... Thanks. Oh, also, if you've actually heard of something like this and there's an explanation for it, is there also a remedy that won't break the bank?


Well, lots of carefull troublshooting is needed.Your memory could be faulty from day to day. You may have hearing problems that you didn't know, or an allergy affecting you.
Indeed th epower can be at fault so you would have to keep careful track of voltage over many days. You may have to try a test disc and see if you can measure sound level differences from normal operation and those you consider not normal. For this you would also need a SPL meter, careful note taking to make sure the volume is in the same position, if it has a numerical readout.
You may have a speaker driver intermittent operation that would need careful checking.

[skeptic]

Hello all. I just posted this in the Speakers Forum. Figured I'd try here as well:

I think I'm going insane, so I'm hoping some of you might be able to disabuse me of that notion. On some days, my speakers sound very full, rich, lots of low end and punch, etc., and on other days (same placement, receiver, recordings, etc.), the speakers sound quite a bit "weaker," more anemic, less robust, etc. I know zilch about electricity, but am curious as to whether it's possible that my electric service isn't consistently "strong" or effective or whatever word you want to use. Or maybe my receiver is working erratically? Anyone have any ideas at all about this? As I said, it may all be in my feeble mind... Thanks. Oh, also, if you've actually heard of something like this and there's an explanation for it, is there also a remedy that won't break the bank?

The chances are that if there is a problem, it has nothing to do with the power coming into your house. But if it does, it will take someone with skill to find it and there are a lot of expensive products that promise the moon but won't fix it. Many so called power conditioners are nothing more than a convenience outlet strip with some very inexpensive capacitors and MOVs which will give protections against spikes (a rare event in most cases) but little else. Don't be fooled. I've seen countless power conditioning scams including those costing tens of thousands of dollars sold to commercial and industrial users whom you'd think would know better so it's buyer beware.

Most light dimmers are not simple rheostats but complex electronic switching devices which can add hum and noise to power lines usually resulting in a hum or buzzing sound, not a loss of bass.

It will take skill and patience from someone who knows exactly what they are doing to determine if you have any problem at all, what the real cause of it is, and the correct way to fix it. even worse, intermittent problems are usually the hardest to diagnose correctly. Short of that, there are a lot of well intentioned people who will guess wrong, cost you money, and then of course there are merchants who have a cure all for everything but when it doesn't work will either not take their product back in return or at best give you a store credit so watch out. Sorry to give you this bad news but that is reality.