I'm moving to India (new Delhi) with my system of LP12/Aro/Armageddon/DV20-X//Hi/82/180/Ela with additional CD3.5 for CDs.
Having been over there even though the appartments have so called 100% power back up the power goes off frequently for a period of 1-5 seconds before the generator kicks in. I can't imagine this is too good for at least the 180 and may be the others. Would a normal uninterruptable PSU be sufficent or should I look at something more audiophile? if so what?

Andy

I'd buy a personal power station just to be sure..... I was in Delhi in late April early May and had 2 power cuts (abeit extremly short) in the 2 days I was there.....
Nice wide open boulevards though :-)
Apart from that, maybe a PC style back-up system would work fine - let's face it, Delhi mains is not likely to be up to Euro standards, so I think the idea of a seperate mains spur would possibly make no or little difference!

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

I'm moving to Bombay in a couple of months and as I will be there for three years there is no way I would want to leave my Naim system behind. My apartment will also have a good power back up but I suspect will be prone to many short interuptions. What is a personal power station and how does this work? I was going to buy several surge protected extention leads for my hi-fi and computer equipment but am concerned that this will not be protection enough. The other concern I have is the climate extremes. i.e monsoon thunder storms in the summer and humidity, although the accommodation is of a high standard therefore will be well air conditioned. Here in England it is reasonably easy to predict when heavy electric storms are around, so one can unplug everything duly. As it takes a while to get properly warmed up each time this happens, I am wondering if a surge protection device would allow me to leave my equipment powered up?
I think that upgrading my system will have to wait until I return..still by then maybe there will be a few CDS3's on the second hand market!

Things seem to have changed in Delhi since I was last there [1986] because I don't recall a single power cut in two months. Or maybe they happen more often in summer?

As for power supplies, a relative of mine in Calcutta uses an enormous bank of batteries, which as far as I can remember cuts in seamlessly. It might be worth investigating such a thing if you have enough space.

So who make the best vfm power stations, I've seen a few from Isotek but the spec didn't mention if they were uninterrruptable or if not.

Hi Andy
hope you are settling down in your new surroundings. Anything I can do to help, please do call.

not many of us purist type audiophiles around ...I live in gurgaon, just outside Delhi. Would be great to meet sometime.

btw, I've invested a minor fortune in time and money into power back-up, mains protection and conditioning etc. we could share notes and experiences.

regards

I will be living in Bangalore for the next 3 months but my music source will be my iPod...lousy timing given that I am buying a second hand pair of Isobariks for my second system just as I leave Illinois! The world is not fair:-(

Hi Highlander !

I can think of worse things than having to live three months with an iPod while an isobarik waits back home. (btw that 'barik is your second system? whats your first system, the berlin philharmonic?)

try my luck... my preamp just blew (rests with the angels) and that has silenced all my music at home. I dont have an iPod, or cd or any other such thingy. Just an lp12 and 200 cherished records.

Must tell you that Bangalore, like many Indian cities, has terrible traffic - and so your iPod will get a daily work out while you wait in endless traffic jams.

Also. a word of advice - bring all the nusic you like with you... depending on your tastes in music and the minimum reproduction quality that makes you go (come!?) oooH!...there isn't much music to buy in india. Damn shame!

btw, if you have a 72/hicap that needs a loving home...but you have heard that before huh?

Naimiak

I've been to India a couple of time before so I know about the traffic and the driving style! :-) Never been to Bangalore though but spent some time in Chennai and Hyderabad.

No, the other system is not the Berlin Philharmonic, it's my (sort of round earth) AV system in the basement which has an Audible Illusions tube pre-amp, North Le Amp 100w monoblocks, a Bravo D2 DVD player (so I can use the DVI out connection) with a pair of Castle Howards and rounded out with a Mitsubishi 62" RPTV. No fancy surround sound, just a damn good picture on either HDTV or DVD and great two channel sound quality. I may invest in full AV someday.

The 'briks were for my music system which is the old Linn/Naim/Linn classic and the 'briks will replace Sara's.

10 days and counting with the first Lariam tablet due in a few days.

Cheers

Jim

The shipping company are coming to collect all my stuff and send it off to Mumbai in 4 weeks time, including my Naim kit. I will not sleep easy until it gets there safe and sound (after I get there.) I too will be coping with just my ipod for a while!

Naimiak..
do you know if Amazon or any of the other online cd sellers will post to India. I buy a lot of music, and don't want to go 3 years without new cd's. Also, how easy is it to buy electrical equipment? I am not taking my TV as it it is too old to be worth the hassle, and I also want to buy a digital camcorder.
You say that you have invested a lot of time and money on mains protection and conditioning. I would be keen to know how and where you bought this, what it comprises of etc, and in fact, any other advice for an audiophile far from home! Does the heat and humidity cause any problems with electrical stuff?

Hi dadgad,
Very good questions, let me attempt some answers.

1. Re Mains protection: INFORMATION VALID FOR MUMBAI ONLY!!
Mumbai, (or Bombay, the city of my birth) has the best mains quality in India, in fact probably comparable to mains in major cities around the world. Sadly the rest of the country is in the dark ages, pardon the pun!

You will face very few, may be 3 or 4 episodes of power outages/breakdowns per year. So you just don�t need to worry a damn about power back-up, UPS or such like.

Voltages are very stable, and again not worth the bother of any kind of mains regulation gadgets.

However the ever-increasing use of SMPS type power supply systems in computers, TV and the like means a lot of hash and gunk in the mains. I have tried any number of mains conditioning devices, some Indian and some sourced from abroad, some costing a few pence (a VDR across the mains in) to some costing almost as much as the amps�And They All Cause As Much Harm To The Music As They Do Good. This is specially true with Naim amplification. Save yourself the money and forget it�just plug the system in and you will be fine

The most effective way to avoid mains hash is to listen late at night and into the wee hours of the morning. That�s when the Evil TV-watching-mains-hashing gremlins are asleep!!

2. Re: Amazon etc shipping new CD�s to India. Yes they can and do. But the trouble is we have some pretty restrictive and arcane customs/import rules and regulations. The most effective solution would be to have the CDs sent to a friend abroad, and have the friend send them to you in India as personal parcel post. This way, provided it�s a few at a time, the customs don�t get too hassled. I presume you will be working here for a multinational, so your colleagues would be traveling abroad regularly� just coax/cajole/arm-twist/ them to hand carry the music for you. Most of my friends happily brought back LPs for me from abroad, they also brought the single Malt, and I just played them the music on my system!

3. Re Heat and Humidity:
Your system will be indoors I hope and I assure you it will cope with climatic extremes better than you will ! Most of us leave our systems permanently powered on�the resulting warmth in the cases takes care of humidity.

You might want to be more careful with photographic equipment, CDs LPs with regard to fungus, a typically tropical problem. Here too the best solution is to store them in cool dry places OR in a cabinet with a small (say 25 watt) bulb on inside the cabinet. The warmth from the bulb keeps the humidity away and prevents fungus. Take the usual precautions please!

4. Re buying white goods:
Almost every modern household gadget is now available in India. The popular brands are the Korean Samsung and LG with the odd Electrolux and Whirlpool. You should be able to buy all the fridges, ACs, TV, Microwave etc you want, at reasonable prices and usually with 1 or 2 years warranty cover. (btw I have flatearth preferences in white goods too�)
Photographic equipment (sigh!) is another matter. Some low end stuff is available, but at ridiculous prices. And there is very little choice. So do bring the camcorders and Leica�s with you from abroad.

Advice for Audiophiles? Same as anywhere in the world� enjoy the music, and evangelize the flat-earth heresies!

Do get in touch if you need anything else.

looks like our tribe is growing

I am in Spain, and we too have bad mains, with loads of power cuts, mainly in the winter.
I do try to turn off the hifi when big storms hit, but maybe 30 - 50 times a year the power is interupted, thus switching the stereo off.
All I can tell you is that I have yet to have a problem with anything going wrong. All I use is a Russ Andrews 'Silencer' - maybe i am just lucky, but any advice about UPS's or whatever would be interesting....

quote:

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The 'briks were for my music system which is the old Linn/Naim/Linn classic and the 'briks will replace Sara's.

10 days and counting with the first Lariam tablet due in a few days.

Cheers

Jim

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Exiled Highlander... now i understand about the Lariam! and your rather interesting nick. May your exile end soon... !

going from Sara's to 'bariks... I would probably stay at home for three months, atleast.

Your second system looks and sounds quite interesting. How does the sound comapre with the classic Linn/Naim system?

Have fun!

[This message was edited by NaimiaK on Sun 26 September 2004 at 10:11.]

quote:

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Originally posted by Exiled Highlander:

10 days and counting with the first Lariam tablet due in a few days.

Cheers

Jim

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Jim:

Way off thread, but I thought I would mention something useful about Larium. I am sure you have heard of sleeplessness and odd dreams that come when you do manage to get to sleep. My wife calls them "Stephen King" dreams. You can migitage the side effects, if they are bothersome to you, somewhat by breaking the tablet in half and spreading the two halves out over a week.

Norman

Norman

Indeed it is way off topic. I don't normally have a problem with Lariam but having said that I'll now probably start halucinating wildly...oh no wait, that was the 25 year old Macallan... :-)

Cheers

Jim

Jim,

LOL. Have a great and productive trip.

Regards,

Norman

Do you think that if I take enough Larium my CD5 will halucinate into a CDS3!?

Exiled,

Just to let you know I've been travelling to India since 1989 and, having taken Larium once, will never take it again. Protection not worth the side effects. Why not stick to Paludrine and Avloclor? Unless you're going into the serious wilderness and/or spending the night in the middle of paddy fields (in which case the cobras will probably get your first) they're perfectly OK and have virtually no side effects.

I'm off to Goa for our annual extended winter sojurn in a few weeks, and have to trade CDX/52/135s for a Creative JukeBox (pre- ipod era) and Altec Lansing PC sat/sub speakers. Still I can get a Mana rack cloned locally for about five quid (no flames please) if I get bored.

The locals put simple stabilisers on their equipment (e.g. TV, fridge) but that only smooths out the fluctuations - does nothing for cuts. I expect power to be down for up to 2 hours virtually every day while we're over there.

Have a great time in India. It's a country that enchants and infuriates in equal measures.

Regards

Graeme

Graeme

I've taken Larium before and at one pill a week I think I'll survive. On my last trip I didn't bother with anti-malarials but that was only a week long excursion, for three months I'll err on the safe side.

Maybe I get get a Nait 5 and a pair of Harbeth Monitor 30's to connect to the iPod for the trip...on the other hand I'll survive I think.

Just added the last part to ensure this thread didn't get lifted for being non H-Fi! :-)

Cheers

Jim