Standby power usage for STF-1?

[Ehorst99]

Does anyone know the power requirements of the STF-1 while it is in standby? And, for that matter, the VTF-2 Mk II?

With recent jump in California electricity costs, we're looking at everything as a way to reduce electricity usage.

Thanks.

[Erukian]

after reading this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4620350.stm

I'm finding myself concerned. My STF-2 has a 200watt BASH amp, so i'm assuming it's designed to be efficient in standby state, but i'd really apreciate numbers from someone at Hsu. like how much power the stand-by signal sensor and whatever else is on takes up.

-Joe

[Dudley]

I have a watt meter that I can hook up to my STF-2. I will try to remember to do that tonight. I don't think it is very much power though. Of couse lots of not very much can equal a whole lot.

[Erukian]

bump.

I'd really like to know about this, can Hsu please help out? they have to have some sorta specs on the BASH amps they use for idle power consumption.

-Joe

[Ddavidson]

With recent jump in California electricity costs, we're looking at everything as a way to reduce electricity usage.

Thank the lord its not yet hot. All that money i am spending on electricity is keeping me poor and away from buying yet another new subwoofer. Bugger !!!!

Ddavidson

[Erukian]

bump...

[mit]

I am also interested in the STF-1's standby power consumption.

[Ehorst99]

I hooked a watt meter up to the STF-1 and got the following results:

Standby (red light): 6-7 watts
Active but no signal (green light): 6-7 watts

Obviously, when it's really doing work, it uses more.

[John Firestone]

That is pretty high. An STF-1 would probably burn up more energy in standby than it would consume in use, when I calculate how I might use it! That is only $6 a year for standby power at $0.10/kW-h. Still, there's another thing for Dr. Hsu to optimize. :)

[Dudley]

I forgot about this - glad it was bumped. I measured my STF-2 and it consumes 11 watts on standby, or when it is on with no signal.

I may start turning it off when I won't be using it for a while. Luckily where I live (right by a monstrous dam) electricity is only 4.5 cents per kW-h. :D

[John Firestone]

We have quite expensive power in Northern Germany but it also very reliable. A few months ago, I experienced my first outage after a dozen years of living here. It lasted about a second until the city grid decoupled from a suburban substation that had failed, which was also a first. This brief glitch made the paper.

Anyway, I find it kind of cheeky to be asked to spend more money not using a device than using it!

[Ehorst99]

I've changed the subwoofer so that it is plugged into the switched outlet on my receiver. Practically speaking, there's no reason for the subwoofer to be on -- even in standby -- without the receiver being on since it's the place that's providing the signal.

[wid]

I've changed the subwoofer so that it is plugged into the switched outlet on my receiver. Practically speaking, there's no reason for the subwoofer to be on -- even in standby -- without the receiver being on since it's the place that's providing the signal.

Plugging your sub into the switched outlet on the receiver is not a good thing to do. The consumpsion rating of the sub more than likely is higher than the rating of the outlet.

[swank121]

The switched outlet on my receiver has a big warning label stating "DO NOT ATTACH DEVICES THAT CONSUME OVER 100 WATTS" .. I would check your manual before using it with a sub.

[John Firestone]

Plugging your sub into the switched outlet on the receiver is not a good thing to do. The consumpsion rating of the sub more than likely is higher than the rating of the outlet.Switch or relay contact erosion in the receiver could be a bigger problem. I added a little, external relay box to my system to avoid these problems.

[Ehorst99]

The "maximum watts through the switched outlet" is an interesting topic.

Even running the receiver (a Denon 2805) at -10 db -- about the maximum volume we can tolerate -- while playing to more rumbly parts of War of the Worlds, the watt meter only shows occasional 65 w spikes and more typically is showing 20-25 w. On more typical programs and music and at typical volumes, it's usually crusing along at only 6-15 w, max.

Additional facts:
- I'm not a really "bass head" when it comes to subwoofers. I'm only looking for it to fill in the bottom in an unintrusive sort of way.
- This is an STF-1 we're talking about.
- The display on the watt meter updates every second. This are one second averages. Certainly, there are brief spikes that exceed the number displayed.

But, on average, it's just not using anything close to 100 watts. YMMV.