Frequently Asked Questions —
Power Factor Technology in the Home Theater
Q. What is Power Factor Technology? (Click for answer)
A. Power Factor Technology is but one of many unique Furman AC power management technologies. Specifically, it was designed to meet the needs of today's current starved power amplifiers, powered receivers, and powered subwoofers.
Q. How Does It Work? (Click for answer)
A. Power Factor Technology utilizes a proprietary parallel reactance circuit which stores a reservoir of energy while lowering high frequency AC impedance during transient peak operating conditions. This circuit acts like a massive "fuel tank" for your power amplifiers power supply, providing increased performance and stability with over 45 amps peak current reserve in the Elite-15 PF i, and up to 80 amps peak current from the IT-Reference 20i! This transient power factor correction technology is the same concept that is already used in many large industrial applications and in large professional power amplification systems that can not tolerate compromised performance.
Q. Why Would I Need It? (Click for answer)
A. Today's audio sources are more dynamic than at any time in history. 30 years ago, the dominant audio medium was the pre-recorded cassette tape - a mere 15 years ago it would have been a VHS tape for a home theaters. These mediums were extremely limited. Minimal bandwidth (fewer lows and highs), and compressed dynamic range (no immediacy or presence, a lack-lustre - dull reproduction). Fortunately CD, SACD, DVD, and Blu Ray have put an end to the performance restrictions we once knew. Now everyone can enjoy the real-life reproduction that was once reserved for industry professionals and broadcast engineers alone. Unfortunately, loudspeakers are no more efficient that they were 30 years ago when they were only required to reproduce a small fraction of what they are faced with now.
To meet this demand, power amplifiers have increased in size, efficiency, and power output. Yet, most homes do not have the ultra-low AC impedance taps these amplifiers would like to have for stable, peak operation. In fact, it's for this reason most power amplifier manufacturers do not recommend plugging into a power conditioner – this is with good reason, as most power conditioner's filtering and protection circuits, by nature, increase line impedance and resistance, restricting the flow of current these amplifiers so desperately need!
When a power amplifier is reproducing audio content – particularly fast dynamic audio content with extreme transients (ie : a quiet classical piece that suddenly demands your attention with a crash and striking of cymbals and timpani, or; a loud, sudden explosion in an action film), it may need a sudden large draw of current to reproduce the signal accurately. Most amplifiers will supply this, but when they do, their power supply (particularly their power transformer) can become temporarily unstable while the supply momentarily drops to a very low impedance (nearly a short circuit for a fraction of a second). At this time, the power amplifier's supply circuit will attempt to stabilize with a large current draw from your AC wall tap. If current cannot be provided efficiently enough, the result is a phenomenon called current compression.
Current compression can result in greatly reduced fidelity, frequency response, and transient volume level of the signal that is being reproduced, leaving the content sounding boomy, flat, dull, and listless. By providing a current reservoir at the AC source immediately in front of the power amplifier, a short duration current reserve is readily available . This provides control, bottom-end extension, and increased dynamics when the power amplifier is pushed to higher volume levels.
Q. What Furman Home Theater Products Feature Power Factor Technology? (Click for answer)
A. For 120V regions, the Furman Elite-15 PF i offers 45A peak current, the Elite-20 PF i and IT-Reference 15i provide over 55A peak current, and the IT-Reference 20i provides over 80A of peak current. For 220V-240V regions Furman offers the Elite-16 PF E i (55A peak current) and IT-Reference 16 E I (80A peak current).
