Line Conditioners, Power Strips

[hopjohn]

<font color='#000000'>I've read in various places about benefits of line conditioners and in other places about the negative effects. I'm not sure what side to believe.

Basically my dilemna is what to use between 7 Outlaw M-200 monoblocks, and the wall outlet. I was thinking of just using something with surge supression here, since amps are supposedly self-capable of eliminating any problems with &quot;dirty power&quot;, though I'm not certain of this.

Also I was thinking of using something else, like the Monster HTS1100 I already own, to use with the remainder of my components... DVD-A/ SACD player, receiver, VCR, ReplayTV ,Gamecube etc. for the filtering. Sound like a wise idea?

In looking at what was used with the 3 Audioholic reference systems, each seems to use a slightly different approach from what I can tell, so nothing can really be learned from that. In the Audioholic $3k, $5k, $12k budget systems a similar Monster Powerbar,to what I own, was suggested for the entire system.

I could really use some help here.</font>

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

<font color='#000000'>Search the forums and you'll find lots on the subject. My opinion: seldom necessary, unless you have real problems with your AC. Most of the hype on them is snake oil, as are the expensive &quot;audiophile&quot; ones.</font>

 

[kode3]

I have a Monster Power 2600 Line Conditioner and I love it. I have noticed darker black on my T.V. and less "hiss" from my speakers. For the $349 I paid for it I believe it was worth it. When a lot of people spend 10k on a system, what’s another $349? I suggest you try it, buy one and if you don't see a noticeable difference, just take it back.

 

[Dan Banquer]

Power Conditioners and Strips

"My opinion: seldom necessary, unless you have real problems with your AC. Most of the hype on them is snake oil, as are the expensive "audiophile" ones."
Not exactly Rip. Linear power supplies and linear amplifers are very susceptible to RFI/EMI. This is due to the fact that the rejection of the power supply and amplifier go down as the frequency goes up. We have had some very good threads here on this and the Tripplite Isobar has come up time and time again as one of the best in the bang for the buck category. Not only will this unit protect your system from spikes but it will do a good job of filtering out the RFI/EMI. I have observed all to often a very obvious reduction in noise in a number of instances when the Isobar was used on some pretty noisey AC lines. I have two in my lab for just that purpose, and so do places like recording studios.
d.b.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Ah, but note my qualifier, "unless you have real problems with your AC". So we actually agree, mon ami!

If it ain't broke...

 

[Dan Banquer]

Power Conditioners and Strips

Considering the amount of assorted RF traffic out there today, I recommend this (Tripplite Isobar) for anyone living in an urban or suburban area. For those who live in Lightning Alley in Florida something more robust is in order.
Rip: Have you ever looked at the warranty on the Isobar units?
d.b.

 

[hopjohn]

Tripplite isobar 12 ultra

Funny that Dan mentioned the Tripplite as that was what I ended up ordering before I read his recommendation. As important as anything was the ability to have something to contain all 7 of the power connections in a somewhat organized fashion, that might also protect me from a Texas sized thunderstorm. Occasionally I get RFI (primarily on my TV screen while watching over the air braodcasts) from a neighbor who is an amateur radio operator. I've never met the guy personally, but I know a ham radio antenna outfit when I see one. He has a 40 ft tower in his backyard with a 2 meter antenna atop, and a 5 or maybe 6 element monster just below it. I'll have to take picture of it sometime soon, to show those of you who know more about that stuff. It's rarely a problem though as I doubt he uses it much, at least not at intefering frequencies.

I've never witnessed a case so bad as used to be in my childhood home. My Dad would use his ridiulously powerful ham radio amp (a handbuilt 2' x 2' X 3' unit) that would broadcast his voice over anything in the house that was powered so long as it had a speaker in it. My mom really hated when Dad would come over the tv louder than she could her some critical line in her soap opera.

Anyway.. from the info in previous threads and elsewhere, I'd have to agree with Rip that most of the proposed benefits were for cases which might only exist under the most extreme of scenario, and sounded like in some instances might even color the sound. Certainly more snake oil than substance, for the most part, though that isn't to say that there aren't some benefits such as EMI/RFI protection and surge supression, which is what I eventually shopped for.

 

[stiletto pat]

Need for Power Conditioning

Gentlemen,

I've been trying to bite my tongue throughout the many posts on this general topic, since I am no expert. However, I have a very good business acquantance who is an engineer and specializes in proper electrical connections, grounding, and the like. He specifically recommends a more sophisticated power conditioner.

I just purchased a Monster Power 5100 SS, and after reviewing the features and specifications, he noted that he was very impressed with the unit. His basic feeling is that when we are spending the kind of money on our systems that many of us have invested, we owe it to ourselves to ensure isolation of the different frequency noise that each component creates, and feeds back though the ac power. He felt the Monster's 4 level line conditioning offered a good compromise. Further, with the kind of T-Storms we get in Florida, he is very conscientious about proper connections and grounding. Again, he felt the Monster offered a very sound design philosophy and an extremely good joule rating.

I asked him about the concept of using a Tripp Lite isobar protector on this type of equipment, and he suggested that while this solution was "better than nothing", it was only a mlnor corrective feature because it only filters out 1 frequency area of noice, doesn't have a very high joule rating, and doesn't isolate each componant's feedback noise from each other.

Gentlemen, I'm not trying to start an argument, but rather, just relaying his very learned opinion. He does this type of electrical engineering professionally, and I've seen his professional presentations for which companies and governmental agencies pay dearly. Since I'm just still going through my initial system set up, I can't say if I hear or see a difference with my components. I do however, very much appreciate the equipment damage warranty.

Good Luck,

Pat

 

[hopjohn]

Pat. Thanks for speaking up I appreciate the advice. I certainly would not take anything you said as argumentative.

My only reservation about Monster has been their business philosophy to sale their products at what I would consider ridiculous margains. I had the displeasure of working for Best Buy who works hand in hand with their corporate agreement with Monster. Salespeople are fully expected to tout (ie beat the head over customers) about Monster's superiority over all other cable brands and also surge suppressors in order to sell "add on" accessories. Best Buy gets a nice chunk of the profits for doing so. When I saw the employee discount on Monster items it was quite obvious that both their cables and power strips were marked up 100-180%. I'm sure there are plenty of other companies out there doing the same thing, but I have had first hand experience with Monster's and Best Buy's corporate greed, and vowed never to pay them their handsome salary. So I have personal reasons for not wanting to buy their products, though I'm sure that they are every bit as good as you and your Engineer friend claim.

In case you're wondering why I mentioned owning the HTS 1100 previously, it was only with the discount that I ever considered buying it. A $195 dollar item for $75 my cost.

 

[Dan Banquer]

Power Conditioning

Pat: Are you sure that your engineer friend was looking at the Isobar units? Tripplite does make lesser models which sounds like what he was looking at.
d.b.

 

[Unregistered]

Pat: Are you sure that your engineer friend was looking at the Isobar units? Tripplite does make lesser models which sounds like what he was looking at.
d.b.

I tend to agree- the 'iso' in 'isobar' is the fact that there are filters between the outlet banks. Also they use several different types of filters and inductors which would imply a broader spectrum of filteration

 

[Unregistered]

If You Look At Monster Manual For All The Hts Products You Need To Unplug From Wall, I Dont Really Find That Much Of Protection Maybe For Emi Rfi Noise But No Over Or Under Voltage And No Lightning Protection Is A Problem.
Check Ypur Manual.