With the purchase of several Radial Workhorse 500-series frames [Tape Op #85, #92], I decided to add a new rack as well as rewire one of my four Audio Accessories 96-point TT patchbays (www.patchbays.com). The patchbay has four monolithic EDAC connectors on the back, so I called up Redco Audio (www.redco.com) [#21, #66, #76], who supplied the patchbays and original custom wiring years ago, and I asked them to build up EDAC snakes to my specification: number of lines for each multipair cable; precut length of each multipair; and fanout length, connector type, and grounding scheme for each termination. Other than the many hours I spent carefully planning all of the cable runs, the only other work I really had to do was disconnect the old wiring and plug in the new. Well... I decided to go a little further, and I ended up pulling out my tie-wrap gun and redressing the various cables that had become victims of entropy after years of swapping gear in and out. In addition, I implemented a new AC-power distribution scheme. In Tape Op #92, I mentioned the CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System ($129 street; www.cyberpowersystems.com); I have one for my control room's computer rack and one for my Sony DMX-R100 digital console. The rest of my gear is now plugged into two power-line conditioners from SurgeX (www.surgex.com): an SX-2120 ($719 MSRP) 20 amp model with two banks, and an SX-1115 ($539) 15 amp unit with a single bank. Both Furman power conditioners that I used previously (PM-PRO [#29] and PL-PLUS) as well as my Furman headphone system (HDS-6 [#38]) failed after only five or six years of use, so I didn't want to invest in another Furman product. Unlike Furman, SurgeX does not rely on metal-oxide varistors that degrade over time. Instead, a patented, non-sacrificial series- mode circuit is utilized for surge protection, which has the additional benefit of not contaminating the ground line like MOVs can even during "normal" conditions. For what it's worth, SurgeX's series-mode implementation is Grade A, Class 1, Mode 1 certified to federal guidelines, and its products have either a 10 year or 11 year warranty — depending on which SurgeX document or webpage you read. The rest of the company's marketing efforts are as confusing as its website, and there are several product lines with various feature names that are neither explained well nor differentiated clearly (and its marketing department ignored my phone calls and emails), but SurgeX did come highly recommended from several sources. For power outlets "downstream" of the SurgeX units, I wanted rackmount units without MOVs, so I bought four Tripp Lite RS-1215 power strips ($44 street; www.tripplite.com). These have outlets on both the front and back (with "normal" and 90 degree versions available), and ingeniously, the rack ears can be unscrewed and reconfigured to allow for installation in a rack at several different depths, or for attachment to a flat surface like the side of a rack or underneath a desk. That's downright ingenious. Oh, and worth mentioning is that the RS-1215's power cord is long enough to go across a good-sized room, so I bought heavy-duty, 3-prong plugs from Home Depot and cut the cords to lengths more appropriate for my particular use. Speaking of power cords, most of my audio gear uses standard IEC cords; over the years, I've been purchasing a bunch of 12'', 18'', and 24'' IEC cords for about $2 each from various sources. The combination of short power cords, Tripp Lite power strips, and carefully spec'ed fanouts of the Redco audio snakes means the backs of my racks look neat and

Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.

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