Why Balanced Mains?
Supplying your system with balanced mains offers an unrivalled way to dramatically reduce mains noise and improve the sound quality from your system – that’s why balanced mains are common features in recording studios. Our Balanced Mains Units (BMUs) are precision-built for us by a small, specialist UK transformer manufacturer and the updated MKII versions are the very best performing units we have ever offered.
Rear of BMU1500 MKII - N.B. Euro and U.S. socket versions also available.
Our BMUs perform as well as they do thanks to the care we take over their manufacture. The balanced mains transformers are individually hand-wound on an oversize silicon steel core of the highest quality, and we have a special technique of ensuring that they are extremely quiet in operation - a problem with some cheaper models of balanced mains units.
All units feature KIMBER KABLE internal wiring and our very best UltraSocket mains outlets. No modification is needed for Hi-Fi components - such as amplifiers, CD players and other sources - to work on balanced mains. Typically, you would connect the Balanced Mains Unit to your wall socket, and the mains extension supplying your system to the Balanced Mains Unit's outputs.
Which Balanced Mains Unit?
We have two Balanced Mains Units (BMUs) for you to choose from - one rated at 1500 volt amps (VA) and one rated at 3000VA. The ratings indicate the amount of power the Balanced Mains Unit can supply and needs to be matched to the total power consumption of your system.
The most important thing to remember is to choose the most appropriate sized BMU for your system - if you select the wrong one, your system won't sound as good as it could.Matching your system.
You should always have more than enough power on tap. You can never have too much power but you can have too little, so a BMU that is over-specified is never a bad thing - in fact quite the reverse; it means you'll have enough power in reserve for when your set-up is reproducing particularly dynamic music or there's lots of bass. If you choose a Balanced Mains Unit that's not up to the job, the music will sound flatter, less dynamic and not as engaging.
Matching your voltage.
Each Balanced Mains Unit is factory-adjusted to your domestic mains voltage for best performance and efficiency before despatch. To do this, on receipt of your order we will send you a voltage meter which you should use to monitor your mains voltage over a 48 hour period. Once you have an average figure, we will use this to match the Balanced Mains Unit before shipping. This is not user-adjustable but can be adjusted free of charge back at the factory if the need arises – for example, if you move house.For a more detailed guide to choosing the right BMU for your system, click here.
Balanced Mains Unit 1500 mkII™
The BMU 1500 mkII™ is the first of our balanced mains units, offering very high performance and is suitable for most small and medium sized systems. The new 'mkII' version has a completely new design which we can confidently say is the best performing version of this model we've ever offered.BMU 1500 capacity.
The BMU 1500 mkII is capable of powering full systems with a power requirement of up to 1500W - such as systems with a couple of sources used in conjunction with a stereo amplifier of up to about 250W. The new design features a re-designed internal transformer and the resulting unit is quieter in operation and more efficient than the older model... what's more, each Balanced Mains Unit is tailored to your individual set up for the best performance.
An example system suitable for use with the BMU 1500 mkII would be a Cyrus CD XT Signature CD player and a Naim ND 5XS 2 music streamer, connected to a Roksan K3 integrated amp (used as a preamp) and a Roksan K3 power amp.
BMU 1500 Features.
The rear of the BMU 1500 mkII is fitted with five UltraSocket™ mains outlets. They are inverted to make plugging in your cables straightforward. Mains input is via a high current, 20A IEC socket and the mains input is filtered for additional mains purification. There's also both thermal and magnetic breakers included in the design to ensure safe operation. The BMU 1500 mkII is mounted in an equipment-sized fire-resistant ABS case, making it perfect for housing in an equipment rack. It’s heavy, so we recommend sitting it on the bottom shelf.
Balanced Mains Unit 3000 mkII™
The BMU3000 mkII™ is our largest balanced mains unit, offering the best performance and is suitable for all sizes of systems. The new 'mkII' version has a completely new design which we can confidently say is our best performing Balanced Mains Unit ever.BMU 3000 capacity.
The BMU 3000 mkII is capable of powering the largest of Hi-Fi and Home Cinema systems (Russ uses one in his own set up at home) and can deliver a massive 3KVA - 3000 watts - of pure power via its twin-transformer technology.
An example system suitable for use with the BMU 3000 mkII would be a two Musical Fidelity M8 700m Monobloc amps coupled to their M8 fully balanced preamp, an Innuos ZENith media player, Clearaudio Ovation Turntable with Clearaudio Balance + Phono Stage and a Luxman D-05u CD/SACD Player (With USB DAC).
BMU 3000 features.
The new model features re-designed internal transformers and the resulting unit is quieter in operation and more efficient than the previous model... what's more, each Balanced Mains Unit is now tailored to your individual set up for the best performance.
The rear of the BMU 3000 mkII is fitted with five UltraSocket™ mains outlets. They are inverted to make plugging in your cables straight forward. Mains input is via a high current, 20A IEC socket and is filtered for additional mains purification.
There's both thermal and magnetic breakers included in the design to ensure safe operation and the BMU 3000 mkII is mounted in an equipment-sized fire-resistant ABS case, making it perfect for housing in an equipment rack. It’s heavy, so we recommend sitting it on the bottom shelf.
