Was just curious, if anyone has used or is currently using a battery back up / voltage regulator with their 950/755 or 770 combo. APC has one that is mainly for computers, but not sure if it is suitable for high current applications. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Some people have done this (I've seen it mentioned here a time or two, although I forget who had such a setup), but in general it is not cost effective. Most PC battery backups will not likely sustain an amp for very long, and I don't think that they are typically sized to handle high current loads. The APC units that you'll find most places(and their usual competitors) are probably not well suited to supporting a home theater amp. Larger TV's (especially big tubes) may also overwhelm UPS's intended for small PC's. The other devices (pre/pro, DVD player, etc.) would be fine.

To give you an idea of what a UPS should be able to provide to support the equipment you want to connect to it, you can look at the unit's VA (volt-amp) rating and the power consumption of your connected equipment (typically listed in watts). The different units can be equated by converting watts to VA with the equation W = VA x power factor. Power factor will probably range from 0.7 to 0.9 in most cases (it cannot exceed 1.0). The maximum power consumption for the 770 or 755 is 1800W, or probably around 1500VA. Therefore to safely support an amp like the 770 or 755 with a UPS, the UPS will need to be rated at 1500VA -- which is not a cheap UPS. The 950, by comparison, consumes no more than 45W, which is typical of a component like a pre/pro, CD player, DVD player, VCR, or game console. TV's will probably have a maximum power consumption of 200W-500W, although it will depend heavily on the TV in question of course.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Be sure to check the information on a certain UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) before purchasing. Even if most do supply the proper voltage and current as rated with a very quick transition time from normal power to battery and back again, the output waveform is rarely a smooth sine wave. It may be closer to a rounded-off triangle wave. Depending on the power supply of the equipment being protected, prolonged operation from battery-backup may not be recommended. I have used UPS for my computer gear for years, and certainly a transition to a modified triangle wave is better than gross power spikes, brown outs, etc., I would not merrily coast along on a UPS with expensive audio gear for longer than it takes to do a comfortable shut-down.

What about just a voltage regulator or power conditioner? I think this may be justified in cases where the home power is crappy. Maybe it might keep transformers from going out(like my 950 recently did). Thinking about the APC Line-R 1250. Any thoughts?

I'm probably the one who has mentionned the use of a UPS the most in other topics / threads.

I keep all of my gear powered through a big UPS , with the exception of power amps, HD monitor and gear (like equalizers) that are only of use when the amps are on.

The idea is that, as well as the surge an spike protection afforded by this unit, it means that in the case of almost all power interruptions:

1. I never have to reset volatile memory (like VCR, LD, and other settings); and

2. Operations like dubbing or recording of programs off satellite etc. will not be interrupted.

During the Hillary Clinton-caused power blackout last year, the UPS lasted for the duration.

I have no concerns over the quality of the waveform. I've never had gear "complain".

It's a matter of convenience. It's certainly not intended to keep the whole system up and running during a blackout. (That's what a Honda generator is for - a la Great Ice Storm of '98!)

Regards.

Jeff Mackwood

Which one do you have ?