Amprx Brown Box

wtfMagH8U

wtfMagH8U

New member
Just going to throw this out there. If any of you have been thinking about buying a brown box do it… it makes a difference in tone… the building my rehearsal spot is in tends to run a bit high… I can have anywhere between 122-125v coming from the wall. Just plugging into this thing on bypass drops me down to about 119-120V and it makes a big difference with my Diezel…
 
I had one but ended up selling it and getting a conditioner/regulator that holds the output at a steady 120V. My wall power fluctuates too much for the Brown Box so I was still having to closely monitor it and adjust it throughout the day. I bought the Black Lion rackmounted regulator and now I don’t have to think about it anymore. My voltage was between 116-127 throughout the day.

It’s worth noting that the Brown Box is a step down transformer- ie it doesn’t regulate your voltage. So if you adjust it to where you want it and your power fluctuates, your voltage will still go up or down.
 
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wtfMagH8U said:
Just going to throw this out there. If any of you have been thinking about buying a brown box do it… it makes a difference in tone… the building my rehearsal spot is in tends to run a bit high… I can have anywhere between 122-125v coming from the wall. Just plugging into this thing on bypass drops me down to about 119-120V and it makes a big difference with my Diezel…
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Next thing I am going to buy for sure. I usually have about 124v from my outlets but have seen it as high as 127.

I considered buying a variac as it is like 1/4 the cost but it also apparently weighs (actually 11lbs, Circuit Specialists has an error on their site that says 25) compared to the BrownBox’s 4lbs.
 
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It seems way overpriced to me unless I'm missing something

I personally use separate line conditioner and variac units that cost me less than $100 together
 
Soundstorm said:
I had one but ended up selling it and getting a conditioner/regulator that holds the output at a steady 120V. My wall power fluctuates too much for the Brown Box so I was still having to closely monitor it and adjust it throughout the day. I bought the Black Lion rackmounted regulator and now I don’t have to think about it anymore. My voltage was between 116-127 throughout the day.

It’s worth noting that the Brown Box is a step down transformer- ie it doesn’t regulate your voltage. So if you adjust it to where you want it and your power fluctuates, your voltage will still go up or down.
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Gah! Wanted the AmpRX rack, now I want that and the Black Lion rack mounted regulator. @Soundstorm I can see how the regulator does it for you alone, but I’m curious about going 118v with my “older” amps while feeding something else to my modern amps.

Is this the one you have? This one

Good info about regulating vs lowering the voltage. I mean, the fact that power fluctuates with the AmpRX alone. That’s why it makes sense to me to have both.

My amps sound so off one day to the next, I wonder if this is an important factor.
 
I use a variac. Very fun tool to have around.

Initially bought one because the line voltage in my last place would run up to 127 or higher at night and I fried a mains fuse over time. Worked great to keep things in the 117 to 120 range.

My current place of one year stays around 120 but dips when the heat or AC kicks on. Keeping things around 115 to 117 now and I dig it. Haven't tried the 90'ish brown out range yet.
 
Soundstorm said:
I had one but ended up selling it and getting a conditioner/regulator that holds the output at a steady 120V. My wall power fluctuates too much for the Brown Box so I was still having to closely monitor it and adjust it throughout the day. I bought the Black Lion rackmounted regulator and now I don’t have to think about it anymore. My voltage was between 116-127 throughout the day.
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GrimTrigger said:
Gah! Wanted the AmpRX rack, now I want that and the Black Lion rack mounted regulator. @Soundstorm I can see how the regulator does it for you alone, but I’m curious about going 118v with my “older” amps while feeding something else to my modern amps.

Is this the one you have? This one

Good info about regulating vs lowering the voltage. I mean, the fact that power fluctuates with the AmpRX alone. That’s why it makes sense to me to have both.

My amps sound so off one day to the next, I wonder if this is an important factor.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's the one I have. I really don't hear much of a difference between 118 and 120 though honestly, maybe a little tighter in the response at 120. But you can always get a Variac off Amazon (about $120) and play around with voltages. And with the Black Lion, once you set your voltage with the Variac you don't have to worry about it drifting around. But so far I've been very happy at 120V.

Also, yes if your power fluctuates it will seriously play tricks on you. It changes the response and tone of your amps and was enough to almost drive me crazy. I ended up running an isolated circuit with it's own grounding to my studio, and then added the Black Lion regulator. I don't have any more "off" days where I'm scratching my head wondering what changed. My amps all sound the same from day to day now. It was a pricey fix but well worth it to me.
 
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I’ve been using an Amp Maniac for a couple of years. Works great!

Hand Made and Assembled in the USA​

The Amp Maniac was developed in response to requests for a completely variable version of the Tone Preserver. You can dial in any output voltage you desire with the knob on the top of the unit. The Amp Maniac is the same size and weight as the Amp Preserver, so its easy to handle and take to a gig. Unlike other variable transformers on the market, the Amp Maniac will not allow you to exceed the line voltage and blow up your amplifier. It is also not recommended that you run your amp at less than 90 volts for obvious reasons. The Amp Maniac is fused at 2.5 amps of current.
 

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Soundstorm said:
Yep, that's the one I have. I really don't hear much of a difference between 118 and 120 though honestly, maybe a little tighter in the response at 120. But you can always get a Variac off Amazon (about $120) and play around with voltages. And with the Black Lion, once you set your voltage with the Variac you don't have to worry about it drifting around. But so far I've been very happy at 120V.

Also, yes if your power fluctuates it will seriously play tricks on you. It changes the response and tone of your amps and was enough to almost drive me crazy. I ended up running an isolated circuit with it's own grounding to my studio, and then added the Black Lion regulator. I don't have any more "off" days where I'm scratching my head wondering what changed. My amps all sound the same from day to day now. It was a pricey fix but well worth it to me.
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Thanks for writing that out. I feel validated and less crazy after reading it! Countless times I've turned my amps on and hated the feel/sound enough to go into a "I should sell my amps slump" which I always chalked to my shitty playing or some emotional problem. The power in my house is really dirty, but not worth upgrading since it is a rental.

@Soundstorm can I get your advice on something?

Are the Black Lion Audio PG-2R Voltage Regulator and Tripp Lite LCR2400 Automatic AC Voltage Regulator with Surge Protection identical in terms of voltage regulation? I came across the Tripp Lite 3U and find the form factor and features suit my needs better and is a slimmer fit in my rack since I can put it in back. I see the BLA has the digital readouts, USB-A and USB-C charging ports, and cool XLR outputs for dimmers front and back. But besides those features, do you think both items are equally good in terms of supplying constant 120V of power? Thanks for sharing your expertise!
 
GrimTrigger said:
Thanks for writing that out. I feel validated and less crazy after reading it! Countless times I've turned my amps on and hated the feel/sound enough to go into a "I should sell my amps slump" which I always chalked to my shitty playing or some emotional problem. The power in my house is really dirty, but not worth upgrading since it is a rental.

@Soundstorm can I get your advice on something?

Are the Black Lion Audio PG-2R Voltage Regulator and Tripp Lite LCR2400 Automatic AC Voltage Regulator with Surge Protection identical in terms of voltage regulation? I came across the Tripp Lite 3U and find the form factor and features suit my needs better and is a slimmer fit in my rack since I can put it in back. I see the BLA has the digital readouts, USB-A and USB-C charging ports, and cool XLR outputs for dimmers front and back. But besides those features, do you think both items are equally good in terms of supplying constant 120V of power? Thanks for sharing your expertise!
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I've actually owned both units, but had to sell the Tripp Lite due to the amount of hum/noise it generates. Not through amps but just in the room, it's annoying. The Black Lion unit makes a very minimal amount of hum that I barely notice. So I didn't spend an extended amount of time with the Tripp Lite, but I've had the Black Lion for over a year now and it's been great. The extra USB and front outlets are nice too, and it has three sections that turn on and off in sequence so that your monitors are always last on and first off to avoid any pops. Makes shutting down the whole studio a lot more convenient when it's just one switch.
 
dcburn mk.ii said:
I’ve been using an Amp Maniac for a couple of years. Works great!

Hand Made and Assembled in the USA​

The Amp Maniac was developed in response to requests for a completely variable version of the Tone Preserver. You can dial in any output voltage you desire with the knob on the top of the unit. The Amp Maniac is the same size and weight as the Amp Preserver, so its easy to handle and take to a gig. Unlike other variable transformers on the market, the Amp Maniac will not allow you to exceed the line voltage and blow up your amplifier. It is also not recommended that you run your amp at less than 90 volts for obvious reasons. The Amp Maniac is fused at 2.5 amps of current.
Click to expand...
I have one of those as well. It’s great. I like that you can be more precise with it.
 
shar-vell Dan said:


The Furman AR-1215 is more than a "power conditoner" its a voltage regulator.



Electric current / amps is a living thing.
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That video was terrible.

Rack mount sized and stuck 15 amp and 120volts.
I guess at least it regulates something...
 
dcburn mk.ii said:
I also had a Furman Power Conditioner.
Didn't notice it anything different from running a surge protector with six receptacles.
Sold it and bought the Amp Maniac.
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Learning little by little here, but what you wrote makes sense considering a power conditioner doesn't regulate voltage, it just provides protection against power fluctuations and additionally filters EMI/RFI. The product @shar-vell Dan linked is a voltage regulator on top of being a power conditioner and surge protector. Here is Sweetwater's take on it.
shar-vell Dan said:


Electric current / amps is a living thing.
Click to expand...

Terrifying. I got electrocuted as a kid, even though it was relatively minor I still remember how sickening it felt. Electricity scares the crap out of me.

Soundstorm said:
I've actually owned both units, but had to sell the Tripp Lite due to the amount of hum/noise it generates. Not through amps but just in the room, it's annoying. The Black Lion unit makes a very minimal amount of hum that I barely notice. So I didn't spend an extended amount of time with the Tripp Lite, but I've had the Black Lion for over a year now and it's been great. The extra USB and front outlets are nice too, and it has three sections that turn on and off in sequence so that your monitors are always last on and first off to avoid any pops. Makes shutting down the whole studio a lot more convenient when it's just one switch.
Click to expand...
Damn, not what I wanted to hear because I spent so much time planning out the perfect layout for my 16U rack where space is dear... but very valuable information to have on hand before I go on a spending and install spree. I planned to put the Trip Lite in back of the rack, but sounds like the hum would bug me regardless of where it is positioned... may have to just sacrifice that extra space and go for the Black Lion unit....

BTW, this person agrees with you @Soundstorm as do others in this thread: "Anyhow, I received a LCR2400 a week ago, plugged it in & was astonished at how physically loud it was humming. So loud that here's no way I could track vocals or acoustic instruments in the same room as this thing. I tried it on a few different circuits, all with the same result. I called Tripp Lite & they said it was likely a faulty transformer & suggested I return/exchange it through Amazon (where I purchased the unit). I filed for an exchange, sent off the old & the new arrived yesterday & it's just as loud!"

One question for the group and one for @dcburn:

1) What number(s) do I have to add up to make sure I am not overloading a power unit? For example, the Tripp Lite rates the maximum input amps at 20 and the maximum input Watts at 2400. The Black Lion unit is 15 amps. How many devices can I plug into the latter? I intend to plug in 3 tube amps, 1 Fryette LXII, 1 Fryette PS-100, one Axe Fx II, the rest are less demanding. Do I just have to add up the amps in each and make sure they come in under 15 total? The tube amplifiers won't be played simultaneously.

2) Are @dcburn and @dcburn mk.ii two entities residing in the same body? :unsure:
 
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