Is balanced power safe? I'd love to get set straight on this- I don't think so

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I dug up this old thread on the balanced power topic from another Forum. Lots of debate, but an electrical engineer and an electrical machine designer participating are adamant that it’s not safe in residential settings. (Disclaimer: I’m not an advocate one way or the other.)

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[FrantzM]

I dug up this old thread on the balanced power topic from another Forum. Lots of debate, but an electrical engineer and an electrical machine designer participating are adamant that it’s not safe in residential settings. (Disclaimer: I’m not an advocate one way or the other.)

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

This is my take as well. Equi=tech seems to work but as I mentioned earlier, there are IMHO, better alternatives. In view of the potential safety hazards, this should be approached with great care.

 

[Occam]

I dug up this old thread on the balanced power topic from another Forum. Lots of debate, but an electrical engineer and an electrical machine designer participating are adamant that it’s not safe in residential settings. (Disclaimer: I’m not an advocate one way or the other.)

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Do you mean the electrical engineer and his electrical machine designer/sheet metal mechanic sidekick, whose latest products have this spiffy feature -

http://www.avahifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=263&Itemid=210

All new AVA products now include IEC power sockets and a ground lift switch to eliminate ground loop hum in complex systems.

This switch does not lift the signal ground, or interpose a standoff between signal and safety ground, but actually disconnects the safety ground from the chassis of his Class I products.


These are the folks whose opinions you invoke as an appeal to authority???

Then again, I wouldn't be concerned with such (wrt safety) dumbass implementations if they were fed via a GFCI protected circuit.

 

[Nyal Mellor]

Do you mean the electrical engineer and his electrical machine designer/sheet metal mechanic sidekick, whose latest products have this spiffy feature -

http://www.avahifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=263&Itemid=210

This switch does not lift the signal ground, or interpose a standoff between signal and safety ground, but actually disconnects the safety ground from the chassis of his Class I products.
View attachment 17649

These are the folks whose opinions you invoke as an appeal to authority???

Then again, I wouldn't be concerned with such (wrt safety) dumbass implementations if they were fed via a GFCI protected circuit.

Funnily enough this is the same guy who said you want a listening room with concrete walls and no absorption for 'best bass response'.

 

[Atmasphere]

If you follow NEC requirements, all the outlets used with symmetrical power will be of the GFCI type. Equi=Tech does this on their units. The concern is when symmetrical power is installed as part of the building wiring- then you have to be careful that all outlets are GFCI.