Furman: P-1800 AR vs PFR

  • Thread starter Thread starter FourT6and2
  • Start date Start date
Had to return it and get the P-1800 because the outlets in my home are 15a not 20a.
A91B9B7D-D301-4EA5-A00A-E6844B68D049.jpeg
 
I'm a bit confused. According to the P-1800 AR manual it says it does power conditioning as well, so it does both voltage reg and conditioning. Did you mean it doesn't have the 'clear tone" extra conditioning and amp the reserve current like the PFR @FourT6and2?

I bought the P-1800 PF R and AR but thinking of returning the AR. The only benefit I see of the AR is if you have voltage fluctuations above or below 5 volts (Looks the the transformer has only 5 volt taps) and my wall only goes down to 119 and up to 121 max after checking it for a few days.
 
Cenotaph said:
I'm a bit confused. According to the P-1800 AR manual it says it does power conditioning as well, so it does both voltage reg and conditioning. Did you mean it doesn't have the 'clear tone" extra conditioning and amp the reserve current like the PFR @FourT6and2?

I bought the P-1800 PF R and AR but thinking of returning the AR. The only benefit I see of the AR is if you have voltage fluctuations above or below 5 volts (Looks the the transformer has only 5 volt taps) and my wall only goes down to 119 and up to 121 max after checking it for a few days.
Click to expand...
That's correct. The AR has 'some' power conditioning capability but not to the extent of the PF R. No reserve current capacitors either. If your voltage is that consistent you don't really need the AR. I run a PF R and every amp I've plugged into it sounds better vs. going straight into the wall. Reduces errant noises too. Some have said that running both units reduces noise even further but just by a very slight additional amount. I'm extremely content with just the PF R for my needs.
 
Cenotaph said:
I'm a bit confused. According to the P-1800 AR manual it says it does power conditioning as well, so it does both voltage reg and conditioning. Did you mean it doesn't have the 'clear tone" extra conditioning and amp the reserve current like the PFR @FourT6and2?

I bought the P-1800 PF R and AR but thinking of returning the AR. The only benefit I see of the AR is if you have voltage fluctuations above or below 5 volts (Looks the the transformer has only 5 volt taps) and my wall only goes down to 119 and up to 121 max after checking it for a few days.
Click to expand...

Compare the specs. They're a bit different and the PFR does filter out more noise than the AR.
 
Reynaldo Pena said:
Had to return it and get the P-1800 because the outlets in my home are 15a not 20a. View attachment 155101
Click to expand...
One way to achieve this with the unit your returned I've heard is to just use an adapter, because the IEC makes the plug different just so that they aren't confused and can be differentiated.
tldr; It would have worked on a 20A circuit with a 15A outlet with a NEMA 5-15P to NEMA 5-20P adapter.
 
I drag my P1800 AR to all my gigs. It's a pain, but worth it. Most of the places we play have saggy, baggy voltage. At the volume we usually play and the amount of alcohol being consumed, a little bit of noise will not be noticed...
 
idimata said:
There was no need to return it. Most places have 12AWG wiring on 20 Amp circuits with 15A outlets and can handle a P-2400 with a NEMA 5-15P to NEMA 5-20P adapter.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. After checking prices, I’m thinking about just buying a 1800 PFR to plug into the P1800AR that I already have.
 
Bumping up this thread as am currently evaluating the same two units. In fact just purchased them both and have been testing them in various configurations for the past two weeks. I only use them to protect my tube guitar amps, and run my effects unit through them as well. No studio use.

After these two weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that unless you are really gigging at places where the voltage fluctuates more than +/-5 volts then the Voltage regulator is a waste of monies. As far as which unit is cleaner and provides better power to my amps, it is clearly the P-1800 PFR.

I also tested variations of the order of the units from the wall to my amps, and I found that the most reliable and best sounding was what a poster said that Furman suggested, that is Outlet —> PFR —> AR. When I went in the other direction, the weirdest thing happened with the voltages coming out of the AR. In the latter config, the AR was actually sending out more voltage to then the PFR than what was actually coming out of the wall. I posted pics to show…. It was consistently putting out about +2 volts more than if I just plugged the PFR directly into the wall

In any case, my home voltage never exceeds 124v, and the place I gig at regularly is about the same, so the P-1800 AR is going back, because at the very least it might be defective, as it putting out more voltage above 120 than it is receiving doesn’t make sense. I could see it making up voltage that it’s not getting below 120, but not more than.

In the first pic, the voltage regulator is on the left, plugged into the outlet, the Power Factor PFR is on the right, plugged into the Voltage Regularor. Notice the displays, where then AR shows 122v coming out of the wall, but then, the PFR should be showing the same 122V, but it shows 124 instead.

To verify these result, I went ahead and tested this with my AmpRX BrownBox by plugging it directly into the auxiliary outlet of the voltage regulator, and it showed the same +2 Voltage coming out of the AR, see the 2nd PIC

Now when I plugged the units where Outlet —> PFR —> AR, both devices displayed the exact same voltage, see the 3rd PIC. I’m dubious that in this configuration I am getting any of the reserve current benefits of the PFR, since I am plugged directly into the AR….and since the voltage tolerances are too great to be of any value to me, I am sending the AR back (and like I said, it could be defective with the odd voltage increase at its outlets)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7435.jpeg
    IMG_7435.jpeg
    3.7 MB · Views: 47
  • IMG_7438.jpeg
    IMG_7438.jpeg
    1.9 MB · Views: 40
  • IMG_7441.jpeg
    IMG_7441.jpeg
    2.8 MB · Views: 47
Last edited:
jazzgear said:
Bumping up this thread as am currently evaluating the same two units. In fact just purchased them both and have been testing them in various configurations for the past two weeks. I only use them to protect my tube guitar amps, and run my effects unit through them as well. No studio use.

After these two weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that unless you are really gigging at places where the voltage fluctuates more than +/-5 volts then the Voltage regulator is a waste of monies. As far as which unit is cleaner and provides better power to my amps, it is clearly the P-1800 PFR.

I also tested variations of the order of the units from the wall to my amps, and I found that the most reliable and best sounding was what a poster said that Furman suggested, that is Outlet —> PFR —> AR. When I went in the other direction, the weirdest thing happened with the voltages coming out of the AR. In the latter config, the AR was actually sending out more voltage to then the PFR than what was actually coming out of the wall. I posted pics to show…. It was consistently putting out about +2 volts more than if I just plugged the PFR directly into the wall

In any case, my home voltage never exceeds 124v, and the place I gig at regularly is about the same, so the P-1800 AR is going back, because at the very least it might be defective, as it putting out more voltage above 120 than it is receiving doesn’t make sense. I could see it making up voltage that it’s not getting below 120, but not more than.

In the first pic, the voltage regulator is on the left, plugged into the outlet, the Power Factor PFR is on the right, plugged into the Voltage Regularor. Notice the displays, where then AR shows 122v coming out of the wall, but then, the PFR should be showing the same 122V, but it shows 124 instead.

To verify these result, I went ahead and tested this with my AmpRX BrownBox by plugging it directly into the auxiliary outlet of the voltage regulator, and it showed the same +2 Voltage coming out of the AR, see the 2nd PIC
Click to expand...
I bought and have built a power-related rig with the P-1800 AR, P-1800 PF R, and the P-2400 IT. I would say that the AR does not really contribute as much as the other two I mentioned. I would get the other two and not worry about the AR. The AR I believe may serve better as a stand-alone unit. If you have the PF R I doubt you need the AR. Overall, the P-2400 IT is the best unit thus far because it lowers the noise floor of the devices connected into it. It's great.
 
jazzgear said:
I also tested variations of the order of the units from the wall to my amps, and I found that the most reliable and best sounding was what a poster said that Furman suggested, that is Outlet —> PFR —> AR. When I went in the other direction, the weirdest thing happened with the voltages coming out of the AR. In the latter config, the AR was actually sending out more voltage to then the PFR than what was actually coming out of the wall. I posted pics to show…. It was consistently putting out about +2 volts more than if I just plugged the PFR directly into the wall
Click to expand...
As weird as that sounds, it has to do with the way it functions. They are supposed to provide a constant 120v +/- 5v, and it shifts to different taps based on the incoming voltage. This sometimes results in what you're experiencing - a slightly higher than 120 wall voltage getting bumped up higher. Coincidentally, that happens to me with my AR more often than not at my house. These days I just use my PFR and then use an Amp Maniac to drop the voltage a bit. Now the Amp Maniac can't bump up voltage, so it has it's limitations; however, it's a better solution with my wall voltage and needs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top