Five minutes with design consultant Art Kelm, Ground One AV
The Wall Mount unit is an easy-to-install Toroidal Isolation power transformer designed to deliver clean power to high-end electronic components such as recording studios, listening rooms, and luxury home cinemas, where the highest fidelity audio signals and best image quality are of paramount importance.
Art Kelm, owner of Ground One AV, studio design consultant and consultant for Torus Power, relies on the Torus Power Wall Mount unit as well as the All-in-One Toroidal Isolation transformer which he designed for large residential and commercial studio projects. The Wall Mount offers many of the same features as the Torus Power All-in-One (AIO), and also offers simplified installation for electricians and custom integrators. These Toroidal Isolation transformers reduce the possibility that faulty power is to blame for issues in any AV system, making it easier for technology professionals to focus on their primary areas of expertise by taking power problems out of the equation in any installation. In a world where technology professionals seek to differentiate themselves in their designs, their product selection, and their service, Torus Power units are ideal options that facilitate the highest quality experience possible.
recently shared his thoughts on Torus Power Toroidal Isolation technology and the key features of the Torus Power WM Series that technology professionals should be aware of.
What are some of the key features in the Wall Mount (WM) Series?
Art: Designed for larger AV installations, the WM series comes in RM, AVR, and AVR2 configurations, offering Toroidal Isolation, surge protection, automatic voltage regulation, cloud-based monitoring and control capabilities, and more.
Are these all the features an isolation transformer should have for a high-end audio visual installation?
Art: Yes. Everything that ‘s needed is in the Wall Mount unit. It has noise elimination thanks to the toroidal transformer. It also has the benefits of re-grounding, which means that any racks plugged into this unit are all on the same ground plane. And, it feeds up to eight racks. The centralized ground plane eliminates the potential for any hum and buzz.
Whether the input is as low as 85 volts or as high as 135 volts, we can still maintain a consistent 120 volts +/- 5 volts output. I’ve found over the years equipment tends to start dropping out of regulation and the noise floor starts to increase anywhere from 115 to 110 volts—once it hits 110 volts or less the equipment is not performing properly at all. Anything greater than 125 volts puts your equipment at risk of power surges and power supply failure caused by over-voltage. Automatic Voltage Regulation is great for the AV market and for protecting sensitive electronics.
There are several layers of protection built into this unit: The commercial grade surge board; the transformer itself, which acts as a buffer for some of the over-voltage; and a series mode surge board. It seems like it has all the components necessary for superior protection and performance in a large AV system….
Art: That’s correct. The industrial grade surge board on the primary helps protect the transformer as large surges can damage a transformer. The massive Toroidal Isolation transformer also helps protect your investment and filters out noise. And the series mode surge suppression on the secondary output guarantees your equipment will never see a large surge.
Let’s talk a bit about the power category. A lot of people consider the category to be surge protection or power conditioning. But Torus Power is actually doing something very different: Toroidal Isolation is another level of dealing with the foundation of voltage for an audio video system.
Art: That’s exactly it! And with Toroidal Isolation comes noise mitigation. Getting rid of noise is really what it’s about. We don’t want noise between neutral and ground, and we’ve solved that by re-bonding the neutral and ground on the secondary of the isolation transformer. In terms of electricity, you’re creating a new service that eliminates much of the noise.
We don’t want noise between line and neutral, because that will act as hiss in components. If you walk by a tweeter and you hear a hiss, dirty power between the line and neutral causes it. The Toroidal Isolation can help mitigate all those issues. It’s very important for performance, especially in a high-end stereo or two-channel system, which is where we’re seeing more of these units used today. Of course, we also see them a lot in high-end surround sound or 3D surround-sound home cinema systems, and even in whole home audio systems where the residents want the highest quality sound, reliability, and protection from variable power conditions. If you have a high-end AV system, whether it’s distributed audio, a home theater, or a two-channel listening room, you want to make sure that system is protected and you’re getting the best performance out of it.
You’ve spent 30 years in the recording studio environment, much of which has been at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Does the Torus Power wall mount panel use the same technology found in recording studios?
Art: Yes, the WM uses the same technology used in recording studios today. Oddly enough, this technology was not available when I first started in the industry. There were no Toroidal Isolation transformers—they were made of flat copper, single, double and triple-shielded transformers. They did the job, but they were much larger, put off a huge EMF field, and were difficult for electricians to wire.
The Wall Mount Series from Torus Power is—I hate to say it—basically a no-brainer to install. Just select the appropriate power level, the features needed, and the electrician runs dedicated lines from the unit to install power outlets where needed. WM units are provided with 20A output breakers, or they can be supplied with terminal blocks to enable direct feed to the subpanel. Maybe I don’t hate to say it. It is a no-brainer for any electrician to install.
Why This Is Important: The Torus Power WM Series provides three levels of power protection and Toroidal Isolation for clean sound. Art Kelm, Ground One AV owner and design consultant, talks about the unit’s features and ease of installation.
Image URL: https://www.toruspower.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/wm22.png Image Width: 523 Image Height: 899 Logo URL: https://www.toruspower.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/TPLogo7-7-16.png Logo Width: 352 Logo Height: 103