I am planning to install solar power and/or a whole house generator (still deciding which one, depends on budget) at my house to use during extended periods without power. Is it safe to use either of these systems to power hifi gear?

This is the generator I'm looking at: https://www.amazon.com/Generac-Guardian-7034-Aluminium-Enclosure/dp/B01MDLE5CC For solar I haven't chosen a specific system yet.

I would be using it to power my TV, media player, Onkyo TX-NR626, my Klipsch 5.1 setup (RF-62 II's, RB41 II's, RC62 II, and SW-112), as well as a desktop PC that I built along with 4K monitor and 2.1 studio monitors/sub.

I'm looking into this because I know that portable generators output relatively dirty power not suitable for this type of gear, but I'm not experienced enough with whole house generators or solar yet so I wanted to check if anyone here knew if it was safe. Thanks.

 

That Generac unit apparently uses electronic control (AVR) of a specialized alternator, which allows the engine to slow under light loads for quieter operation and lower fuel consumption while still maintaining the correct output frequency and voltage.
(A standard AC generator has to run at a constant speed, independent of load, to maintain a constant output.)

It states here, that the output total harmonic distortion is only 2% (apparently due to the electronic control) which should be fine for all your electronic equipment.
That's probably as good as normal main's voltage.

 

That Generac unit apparently uses electronic control (AVR) of a specialized alternator, which allows the engine to slow under light loads for quieter operation and lower fuel consumption while still maintaining the correct output frequency and voltage.
(A standard AC generator has to run at a constant speed, independent of load, to maintain a constant output.)

It states here, that the output total harmonic distortion is only 2% (apparently due to the electronic control) which should be fine for all your electronic equipment.
That's probably as good as normal main's voltage.

I hope the TS is not a "golden ear". If he is I guarantee that 2% THD in the power source is definitely not acceptable.

 

I hope the TS is not a "golden ear". If he is I guarantee that 2% THD in the power source is definitely not acceptable.

I was referring only to possible damage to the gear, not whether the 2% THD in the power supply AC will somehow corrupt the audio (which I think is unlikely).

 

I have an 18 KW Centurion Series by Generac and it does just fine running on Natural Gas. Actually 18 KW Natural Gas and 20 KW running on LPG (Liquid Propane Gas). It runs the whole house with plenty of power to spare and that includes a Sony TV as well as a pile of what many would call sensitive electronics. Never had a problem with "dirty power" as many call it.

Something you want to consider when buying a generator like this is some include the 200 Amp service panel and some don't. Meaning you can buy a specific model for a $1,000 less from a distributor and think it was a great deal till you discover the service panel wasn't included.

I know I replaced a 5 year battery about 3 or 4 years ago so ours is about maybe 7 years old and that thing has been a God Send on several occasions. A major power outage in January up this way and things start to freeze real quick. All in all, mains power drops out and within ten seconds we are totally back up and running on the generator. We run on natural gas so I don't worry about fuel and the thing can run for over a week before I would shut down and change the oil. While my wife's mom was alive it ran and supported all the sensitive medical equipment we had and never a problem and again, this is slightly older technology unit than what is out there today.

Ron

 

Quite a lot of av gear uses a switching power supply, so it may not make any difference whether it's fed a pure sine wave or a dirty square wave. For peace of mind, it'd be nice to use some kind of fancy power filter that is smart enough to shut off if the supply is sketchy. I picked up a Monster power bar intended for flatscreen TVs that includes voltage and current display for cheap at a thrift store, and feed my AV gear from that.
I think this is it...
https://www.amazon.com/Monster-HTFS-1000-PowerCenterTM-Discontinued/dp/B0000E2PMC

 

I hope the TS is not a "golden ear". If he is I guarantee that 2% THD in the power source is definitely not acceptable.

I spent some time in the audio components business so I know a thing or two about their [the golden ears] expectations and they are mostly off the charts unreasonable. I interpreted "clean enough" in the thread's title to be about more than safety. My interpretations was: "clean enough" so there are no audible artifacts from the power supply, not "clean enough" to avoid damage.

 

My interpretations was: "clean enough" so there are no audible artifacts from the power supply, not "clean enough" to avoid damage.

So are you saying that 2% THD in the power supply can be actually audible in the audio gear output, or that some "Golden Ear" people think they can hear it.

 

So are you saying that 2% THD in the power supply can be actually audible in the audio gear output, or that some "Golden Ear" people think they can hear it.

The latter. A "Golden Ear" will tell you convincingly that he believes he can hear audio artifacts from a a power supply with 2% THD. Don't even get me started on the special cables they will pay big money for.

 

It's common for power amplifiers to have unregulated power supplies, so some poorly designed amps could be vulnerable to line noise. I don't know if this applies to AV receivers as well. High-end gear isn't necessarily synonymous with good design... sometimes ideology or crackpot theories take precedence over sound electronic practice.

 

The latter. A "Golden Ear" will tell you convincingly that he believes he can hear audio artifacts from a a power supply with 2% THD. Don't even get me started on the special cables they will pay big money for.

So the question then is: does the TS have a "Golden Ear"?

 

.

So the question then is: does the TS have a "Golden Ear"?

If he does have a golden ear, the generator running outside his house will likely be more noticable than 2% power supply distortion

 

So the question then is: does the TS have a "Golden Ear"?

Which is why I said in my original post that I hope he is not one.

 

Which is why I said in my original post that I hope he is not one.

And the TS will need to answer that.