Consequences of Three-Pin Plug-in Filters

As I built up my armament of passive filters plugged in around the ring main, I started to suffer from the RCD tripping. I came home on two cold days to find the heating off - brrr! Some investigation required.

Actually, it just needed some thought. Two-pin filters are fine as they simply short noise on the Live down to Neutral, so no earth leakage. The problem comes with three-pin filters with a delta configuration, sinking some noise to earth. So, enough of these and some seriously high incoming noise and voila, enough earth leakage to trip the 30mA sensing.

The solution was straightforward (for me). I organised for a higher trip current RCD to be installed (no details because you would need to consult your own electrician). Since then, it hasn't tripped once. QED.

All you can do, Bill, is to make sure you have a good earth (I have a 2m spike just outside my back door). Having a low impedance earth should ensure that noise is dumped out and not fed back into components, but it's a good question to ask. Most components have an internal reference which is either taken to 'signal ground' or the chassis connected to mains earth, so the answer is variable depending on the circuit design.

All I can say is that things sound a hell of a lot better using filters than allowing all that noise to stay on the Live and Neutral feed.

Nice, Brian. That's a proper three-pin delta filter. Try using it both close to your system and close to the consumer unit and listen to which you prefer. Both positions have advantages.

I was listening to some more Dire Straits last night followed by Calvin Russell and some other choices. The thing that struck me about my setup now is that I'm no longer focussing on any aspect of the performance, just taking it all in. This is what TonyC really means by 'coherence' and it's just making superb music, drawing your attention to the whole dynamic flowing beauty of it.

The review in The Absolute Sound magazine that I read some 7 years ago (April/May 2008), which led to me ultimately buying the Usher Be-20 speakers, referred to them as 'Music Comprehension Machines'. I couldn't have put it better myself. The original review by Chris Martens is here, for those interested.  I have since heard the later Be-20 DMD with the diamond tweeter, but I prefer the original beryllium which doesn't bring quite as much attention to itself while remaining exceedingly detailed.

It's about time that I review them as they have just continued to respond to every system upgrade I've made since buying them.  They are so good that it's tempting to take them for granted, but they form the foundation of my system choice and I should write about them.  Even though I bought them for a bigger room (the house move that I've yet to make), they work very well in what is really too small a room for them.  Usher barely have any representation in the UK and that's a crying shame since all the models in the range are worth considering.  I'll get writing soon.

I played two versions of the Dire Straits first LP last night, an original pressing and a much more recent 180g remaster. Despite some reservations about the digital remastering of much recent vinyl material, this one was an easy win for the newer 180g pressing. I was shocked at how pinched the original sounded, with very limited bass and restricted midrange energy. The 180g was much more open, with a wider stereo stage and decent impact on drums and cymbals. Voice was better, too. This is one of the largest differences I've heard between pressings.

Compare it with Communique on 180g remaster where it sounds no better than the original CD I bought in Germany just after it came out. I remember at the time comparing my CD with the UK release that didn't sound as good.

No, not really. It's a combination of mastering to better utilise the thicker vinyl and its resistance to warps.

I'm cautious about answering as there are issues to deal with in installing your own earth spike and you really need a qualified electrician to oversee it and ensure it's safe. In my case, the 2m spike supplements the house earthing arrangement to the usual cold water pipe and attaches to the same point.

In case I missed it...

What kit do you have sitting on Black Raviolis now ?

Quite a few then

Tried the RDC4 cones against the BRs under the P10 tonight.

I'm hard pressed to hear the difference. Will try again and also on the Isis as your AYre did so well