Acoustic Frontiers is happy to announce that we are now stocking and recommending the Environmental Potentials EP-2050 Waveform Correction Absorber!

Ok, ok, I hear you say. What the h*ll is a 'Waveform Correction Absorber'? Is it one of fellow countryman Peter Belt's crazy inventions? (For more on this see the May edition of Stereophile magazine...)

Environmental Potentials are a power quality company out of Draper, Utah. Their patented research on absorption of transient powerline disturbances (a.k.a spikes, impulses and surges) and conducted electromagnetic interference led them to develop a number of products that are most commonly used in large industrial facilities, server farms and medical facilities. Luckily they also make products designed specifically for residential applications. Which is pretty useful if like me you listen and watch your system in your home rather than in a large warehouse full of powerful machinery.

You can think of the Waveform Correction Absorber as a much more sophisticated version of a whole house surge protector. These devices are designed to be installed in your main electrical panel or a sub-panel and provide protection for every device in your home. Most whole house protectors are comprised solely of metal oxide varistors (MOVs) which do protect from 'extreme' spikes (say those over 330V) but do nothing to remove the wideband 'hash' of lower level disturbances on the AC waveform.

The EP-2050 works by combining said MOV technology with their proprietary circuitry which 'tracks' high rate of change (i.e. high frequency) disturbances and removing them from the base 60Hz sine wave. The animated diagram below explains this well. FYI the acronyms SPD means 'Surge Protection Device' and TVSS means 'Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor'.

Well, what does this mean for audio and video reproduction? The EP-2050 has been extremely well received by audio reviewers. Here are some of their thoughts:

"Examination of my house's line voltage on an oscilloscope revealed a smoother, cleaner 60Hz signal than before" Kalman Rubinson, Stereophile.

"I installed the unit myself and heard a measured improvement in background noise" Bill Gaw, Enjoy the Music

"My stereo's sound is not "up and down" to the degree it was prior to the unit's installation. The EP2050, whether by virtue of EMI absorption or transient suppression, gives greater consistency to the quality of power my stereo receives, such that morning and afternoon listening sessions aren't disappointing and leaving me wishing I had 11pm-type power. The afternoons are no longer plagued with a whitish treble balance, a disjointed performance (like the sound of a badly designed crossover), or a collapsed soundstage. Better power, all the time, while protecting every electrical device in my whole house? Hello McFly, hello! This is a terrific little device that will reside in every home I ever buy; I can only suspect that Environmental Potentials is not getting its props from audiophiles simply because they're too busy focusing in the industrial and commercial markets to bother with our small fringe community. However, we should and do need products like this, and audiophiles everywhere should start inquiring within, pronto." Ryan Coleman, Positive Feedback.

Please read our power quality pages to learn more about the role of power in high quality audio and video reproduction. Follow this link to purchase an EP-2050.