Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Power requirements

I'm looking into getting a UPS for my system. Anyone have any advice as to how large? I've got an H/K 525 (which says it takes 1060 watts max, or something ridiculous like that) that's only driving 2 speakers at the moment (will be 5 at some point, maybe 7), a 5 disc CD changer, a DVD player, a TiVo, a 27" TV, a VCR, and an Atari 2600. I'm thinking something on the order of 1000W, but is that just too much? (it would also cost a fortune.) I probably would not put the sub on it, as that's across the room.

Thanks!
Ken

Why do you need a UPS for your AV system???

Incidentally, I did get a small UPS for my front projector, just to get the peace of mind in the event of sudden power loss in the middle of operation -- normally, the fan keeps running for about 5 minutes after the lamp is switched off to cool it down.

Bingo. I don't like the idea of brownouts taking out my receiver. Besides, I don't hold any tuck with those "A/V Power Companies" claims... "Get better sound by cleaning your power with this here $10000 overgrown power strip!"

Ken, that still leaves open the question of why an interruption of power to your AV equipment would be critical. How could it result in "taking out" your receiver?

Power spikes are more of a concern for me. I come from a computer background, so I suppose that I'm more oriented towards trusting UPSes than surge protectors. But hey, if y'all think I'm insane, that's fine. :-) What do you think I should be looking at?

I use and recommend the Tripp Lite Isobar surge suppressors, which cost approximately $60.

Audioholics also recommends them: http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/interconnects/bulletproofing.php

I agree with the other posts that a UPS system is not needed. In fact, I have read (but certainly not tested) that some UPS systems may actually degrade performance because of voltage fluctuations.

In reply to:

---

In fact, I have read (but certainly not tested) that some UPS systems may actually degrade performance because of voltage fluctuations.

---

Yeah, thinking of it... The majority of reasonably priced online UPS's actually generate a "simulated" sine wave. This means that the UPS output is much "noisier" (full of high-order harmonics) than typical residential AC mains. This would be a non-issue for computers and most other digital gears. However, it could adversely affect the sound quality, depending on how good your amp's analog circuits are in rejecting the high-frequency noise contaminating the AC power line.

OK. Thanks for the advice! I'll look at those surge supressors.

This is what I use and I highly recommend it specially if your system is power hungry.

http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=211

I did find UPSes that had both sine wave and simulated sine wave outputs on them. Does it really matter? Also, I do want backup power on my TiVo, so that, at least, is a little UPS. Just being a pitbull on this, I'm afraid.