Ticket Audio Products, the manufacturing subsidiary of Raper & Wayman, has come up with a solution to the problem of powering lots of separate pieces of studio equipment. The Powerline 2 is a large cream‑coloured multi‑output mains distribution unit, with a number of additional features particularly relevant to the home studio.
A standard IEC inlet on the rear panel of the 2U rackmount box connects the Powerline to the mains, a front‑panel outlet providing a permanent direct feed. The rear‑panel IEC outlets receive filtered supplies, and eight are controlled from a single front‑panel switch. There are also eight 9V AC outlets and four regulated DC supplies, individually switchable for polarity and voltage (6, 9, or 12V) — now you can banish those wall‑warts for ever!
The front panel features four small columns of LEDs indicating the voltage at each of the four DC outlets. A further set of LEDs shows the status of the two rear‑panel fuses and warns you if the polarity of the incoming supply has been reversed.
The unit can handle a maximum load of 2.4kW (10 Amps) and each rear‑panel outlet (switched or direct) can pass a maximum of 1A (240W) — more than enough for running most items of studio equipment. The 9V AC outlets are rated at 20VA (2A) and the regulated DC supplies at 1A each. The low‑voltage AC and DC outlets are all equipped with 2.5mm co‑axial sockets — suitable interface leads terminated in 2.1mm or 2.5mm co‑axial plugs, 3.5mm jack plugs or DIN plugs are available. Internally the machine is well built, with a large custom toroidal transformer providing independent windings for each low‑voltage AC outlet and the four DC regulators. A small circuit board acts as a central termination point for the mains wiring from the inlet socket, the various outlets, fuses and switch. It also carries the 240V suppression and filtering components as well as the DC supply circuitry, although the four LM317 regulator chips are mounted on the side of the case for cooling. Ribbon cables link the main circuit card to a pair of smaller boards on the front carrying the warning LEDs, and to another pair on the rear panel carrying the DC voltage and polarity switches.
This box does exactly what it says it does. The mains filtering seemed to offer a reasonable degree of suppression of noisy fridges and fluorescent lights, and the inclusion of AC and DC outlets is just the job for tidying a nest of mains leads and wall‑warts. The only criticisms I have are of the nasty cream colour, the lack of any cable clamps or plug retainers, and the price: at 30 percent less, every home studio across the land would probably buy a Powerline for their audio, MIDI and computer equipment alike. However, even at its current price many still will, and will wonder how they ever coped without it! Hugh Robjohns