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BMU 1500 Balanced Mains Unit mk II

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overview
The Balanced Mains 1500

The BMU 1500 mkII™ is the first of our balanced mains units, offering high performance and 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.





The BMU 1500 mkII is capable of powering small and medium sized Hi-Fi and Home Cinema systems and can deliver a massive 1.5kVA - 1500 watts - of pure power via its single transformer technology. The new model features a re-designed internal transformer 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 1500 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. 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.


What is balanced mains?

Electricity delivered to your home is naturally unbalanced; in other words there’s on average 230V on live and 0V on neutral. To ‘balance’ it, you need to split the mains supply and put 115V on live and 115V on neutral. These are 180 degrees out of phase to each other with respect to ground. Any differences between them is zeroed to ground (phase cancellation). The differences essentially being unwanted electrical noise. A lower noise floor is a resultant factor of the balanced power.

Because there’s still a 230V difference between live and neutral at the sockets you don’t need to make any modifications to equipment to work on a balanced mains supply.





What are the benefits?

If you are familiar with balanced audio circuits in Hi-Fi systems, you’ll be aware of the benefits of balanced systems. A Hi-Fi system with a balanced circuit (usually connected together with ‘XLR’ type interconnects) splits the audio signal into two halves – negative and positive. The benefit of this is that ‘noise’ on the positive half of the signal is cancelled out by ‘noise’ on the negative half of the signal. If done correctly, the resulting sound can be of higher quality than an unbalanced circuit.

Many recording studios use a balanced mains supply because it is so very effective at reducing the level of buzzes, hums and induced noise into the audio signal from the mains.The benefit of a balanced mains supply is that both 115V ‘legs’ are of different polarity – so that noise on the live legs is effectively cancelled out by noise on the neutral. It’s this noise cancellation that’s essentially the same as balanced audio.

In our opinion, feeding your system with balanced mains is the very best way to reduce mains noise and get the best performance from your system.

BMU1500 MKII Review



Matching your voltage

Before despatch, each Balanced Mains Unit is factory-adjusted to your specific domestic mains voltage for best performance and efficiency. 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 BMU 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.


Safety

Safety is of paramount importance with any electrical item and our BMUs are no different. For your security, all our Balanced Mains Units feature two stage magnetic and thermal protection. The main on/off switch is integrated with a fast acting MCB (magnetic circuit breaker) which immediately cuts power in the event of a fault on the mains wiring. The second stage is thermal protection; an internal cut off switch is fitted to the transformer that will cut power in the event of excessive heat build up.


Which PowerKord?

The BMU 1500 does not come with a mains cable, allowing you to choose our own; we recommend the Evolution-300 PowerKord or better, fitted with the 16A IEC.




Specifications

  • New custom-wound single transformer
  • Internally wired with Kimber Kable
  • Fitted with 5 inverted UltraSockets
  • 1500 Watt output
  • Pre-transformer filtering
  • Hand built to match your mains voltage
  • Cone feet support
  • New bespoke ABS box design with acoustic damping
  • Sleek, black, anodised front panel
  • High Current 16A IEC input
  • 2 stage magnetic and thermal protection
  • Dimensions: 440mm W, 110mm H including feet, 320mm D
  • Weight: 13Kg




  • Getting the best from your BMU

    To maximize performance from your BMU, we recommend that any additional, plug-in filters you have (from any brand) are connected 'before' the BMU. Do not plug them into the output sockets of the BMU. While this isn't a safety issue, our extensive listening tests showed that they worked best before the BMU. Indeed cleaning up the power before it goes into the BMU has the potential to sound even better!

    choosing your BMU
     

    If you want to confirm which Balanced Mains Unit is suitable for your system and want to check the figures at home, you need to find out the power consumption for your equipment and add them together.


    Maximum power consumption.

    Maximum power consumption is the figure you are looking for; this might be expressed in watts (W) or Volt Amps (VA), but for the purposes of this guide, these can be considered as one and the same. Add together all of the figures for your kit to see what the maximum power requirement is; once you have done this, we recommend the total is no more than 80% of the rating of the Balanced Mains Unit you are looking at.

    For the BMU 1500 which has a 1500VA transformer, your power amp, preamp and sources should not have a power consumption of more than 1200W when connected to the BMU 1500.

    An Example...

    Cyrus Naim Roksan


    As an example,  Cyrus CD XT Signature CD player has a power requirement of about 10W, a Naim
    ND5 XS 2 streamer has a maximum consumption of about 11W, the Roksan Caspian M2 integrated amp (used as a preamp) has a power consumption of a maximum of 230W and the M2 power amp has a maximum consumption of about 550W. The CD player, streamer and preamp and power amp's power requirement is 801W which, when plugged into the Balanced Mains Unit 1500 equates to about 54% of the power available, leaving plenty of headroom.

    Power consumption vs output power.

    When working out your consumption figures, don't confuse the output power of your amplifier with its power consumption. One amplifier we looked at was capable of outputting 220W per channel, totalling 440W - yet its maximum consumption was nearer 700W. They are related, but maximum consumption is the figure you need to be looking at.


    We're here to help.

    The above figures are used as a guide. It's worth knowing that the calculations refer to conventional amplifiers; Class D amplifiers behave rather differently when calculating power consumption - in this case contact us for more information.

    If at any point you need help or guidance when selecting your BMU, contact us and we'll be happy to help.


    The ultimate.

    Ultimately, if you want the very best performance you should always opt for the 3000VA unit. BMU3000 supplies more than enough power for almost any Hi-fi and Home Cinema system we've come across. It's also our very best performing unit, so if your object is to achieve uncompromising performance , no matter how big or small your system, you should opt for this model. 


    BMU1500
    Review




    "every home should have one"

    Read more about theaudiophileman.com review here


    Money Back Guarantee
    Balanced Mains Units are covered by our 60 Day Money Back Guarantee: audition them in your own system for two months. Find out more.
    25 Year Warranty
    Balanced Mains Units come with a Lifetime Guarantee - this means we will cover against manufacturing faults and defects for a minimum of 25 years. Find out more
    Customer Reviews
    Overall product rating 5 / 5
    5 / 5

    reviewed by Gerry Rorke
    28 Jun 2021
    Yes, I recommend this product.
    "More Than Worth It"
    My hifi had sounded dreadful for years. Harsh, painfully sharp, flat, shrill sound. After trying endless system upgrades and only succeeding in refining the sharpness I decided on one last splurge and if no joy I would admit defeat and sell all my equipment . I am so glad I purchased this. I would say at least an 80% improvement. Sound has depth, detail, texture, pace. No more wincing. No more giving up and switching it off. No more bracing myself before a loud orchestral movement. And thanks to Peter at Russ Andrews for patient support and advice. Top quality product and service.