ON TEST TORUS AVR2 POWER CONDITIONER
52 Australian Hi-Fi http://www.avhub.com.auwww.avhub.com.au
right up to 240 volts, at which there was a
click from within the Torus AVR2 and the
voltage dropped back to 233 volts. I then
increased the mains voltage again, from 240
volts through to 258 volts, and watched
the output voltage of the Torus AVR2 climb
from 233 volts to 240 volts. With an input
voltage of 260 volts, the Torus AVR2 put out
243 volts, slightly above its ±10V rating, but
presumably if I had increased the load, it
would have dropped it down to 240 volts.
At 262-volts, the AVR disconnected all the
loads connected to it, and displayed ‘High
Voltage’.
When I reduced the voltage to 226 volts,
the Torus AVR2’s output voltage dropped to
229 volts, and for an input voltage of 224
volts its output voltage dropped to 226 volts
and so on, delivering ever-reducing voltage
until it was delivering a 220 volt output
for a 218 volt input. Then, when I reduced
input voltage to 216 volts, a relay clicked
and the Torus AVR2’s output went back up
to 227 volts. When I got all the way down
to an input voltage of 170 volts, the Torus
AVR2 again disconnected the components
connected to it, but this time displayed
the words ‘Low Voltage’ in the front panel
display.
So overall, my tests showed that with the
load I used for the tests the Torus AV2 will
maintain an output voltage of between 220
volts and 240 volts for any input voltage
between 172 and 258 volts. The results of my
tests are shown in the accompanying graph.
My fi rst sonic trial with the Torus AVR2
was with an 80s vintage amplifi er I keep
for sentimental reasons (don’t ask, or you’ll
be like my wife, who’s always asking me
why I don’t get rid of it!). It has a toroidal
transformer that hums so loudly I could hear
it from the listening position (just one of
the reasons I no longer use it). After taking it
down from its usual resting place on the top
shelf of my home offi ce I was a bit surprised
to fi nd the amp even worked, as it hadn’t
been switched on for something approach-
ing 15 years, but when I plugged it in, away
it went, and it certainly hadn’t forgotten
how to hum.... at least it hadn’t when it was
plugged directly into the mains power socket
on the wall. However, when I connected it
to the Torus AVR2’s output, the hum all but
vanished... at least I could no longer hear it
from my listening position—though I could
still hear some hum if I put my ear close
enough to the amplifi er’s case.
Somewhat surprised by this outcome, I
tried another amplifi er which uses a standard
EI transformer, not a toroid, but from which
a slight hum has always been audible if I put
my ear right up against the case.Brand:Torus
Model:AVR2
Category:Power Conditioner
RRP:$11,600
Warranty:Three Years
Distributor:Network Audio Visual
Address:Unit 6B, 3–9 Kenneth Road
Manly Vale NSW 2093
T:(02) 9949 9349
E:[email protected]
W:www.networkav.com.auWeight
Cost
HandlesStabilises voltage
Adds power reserves
Cleans-up mainsTORUS AVR2
POWER CONDITIONERWhen it was connected via the Torus AVR2,
the transformer hum was still present, but
to my ear it was at a distinctly lower volume
level.
My third sonic trial was simply to hear
whether the Torus AVR2 had any effect on
amplifi er sound quality, using two differ-
ent but identical hi-fi systems, but with
one system connected directly to a mains
wall socket and the other to the Torus
AVR2. In the set-up I used, both systems
did share a common source component
(an SACD player), in order to simplify the
A–B switching process. In these sessions,
during which the voltage of the wall socket
remained fairly constant at around 242–244
volts (and the output voltage of the Torus
AVR2 also remained fairly constant, but at
234–237 volts) I found it extremely diffi cult
to tell the two audio systems apart, such
that I fancied the differences I heard could
equally be due to the necessarily different
locations of the speakers in the room. Which
is not to say that I didn’t have quite a few
‘aha!’ moments, when I defi nitely thought
I’d found a musical passage where I thought
the sound from the system connected via
the Torus AVR2 sounded clearly better, but
when I then replayed that passage multiple
times through both systems, I again found it
hard to hear the difference I fi rst heard. This
happened quite a few times, as I said: indeed
so often that I began to wonder whether it
was because of transient noise spikes on the
mains that existed for a short period and
had been removed by the Torus AVR2, but
had dissipated by the time I went back to
do my double-checks. Unfortunately, I have
no way of knowing.My last experiment with
the Torus AVR2 was to intentionally reduce
the mains voltages to both systems to just
217 volts, so that one system was getting a
true 217 volts, but the other one (thanks to
the Torus AVR2 automatically boosting the
voltage to it) was getting around 230 volts.
In this last experiment I clearly heard that
the sound of the system connected to the
Torus AVR2 was superior, particularly during
transients, where the sound was cleaner,
more dynamic, and with less distortion.CONCLUSION
The effect of adding a power conditioner to a
hi-fi system will vary appeciably depending on
the quality of the mains power being supplied
to that system in the fi rst place, the supply
voltage itself, and the design of the power
supplies in the components in that system.
For example, if you’re lucky enough to be
living in a house that is supplied with clean,
stable mains power at the correct voltage, and
the power supplies in the components in your
system already have their own fi ltering and
voltage regulation circuitry built in, I think
it would be unlikely that you would obtain
any audible benefi t from adding a power
conditioner.
If, on the other hand, you live in a home
that has a less-than-perfect mains supply and/
or the components in your system have little
in the way of fi ltering and voltage regulation—
or none—then using a power conditioner
could certainly provide tangible benefits.
greg borrowman