Pwr conditioner? Box/strip or a circuit brkr box?

[HTnewbie]

Thanks for those who had comments on in-wall speaker wire. The UltraLink is installed - I ran three 70 foot runs of 14/4 to three Atlantic Technology ICTS 6.3s where two will be used in surround mode and one in single point stereo mode as a 6.1/7.1 rear surround. The lines to the main surrounds will be paired as widely discussed and the rear surround will have a single run of 14ga going to each "side" of the 6.3 (each speaker has posts for right and left). Eager to hear how this setup performs.

Now working on jack boxes and face plate terminations. We have just pulled the sheet rock and I now have the luxury of working at the 2x4 stud level behind where my HT will be set up. This project is actually a DIYers dream (is anyone interested on updates as it progresses? Photos? Trials and lessons?)

With the studs exposed I will be installing jack boxes for all the connections to the surrounds, cable, distributed audio, home network, etc. There will probably be three four gang boxes for AV connections. I have a clean run through the floor into an open basement where I can easily run just about anything I need.

Wondering about power conditioning/filtering. I am installing three dedicated line voltage jack boxes with each having its own dedicated run back to the main circuit breaker box. One each will be dedicated to the two computer workstations that will be part of the same built-in cabinet unit. I will then have one (and could run two) for the AV equipment. I have two basic ways I can go for line conditioning: strip-style/rack mount unit in equipment cabinet or something further upstream? I fully understand the former. For the latter, I could come out of the circuit breaker, go into a conditioner unit and then run up to the wall outlets. With the unit down in the basement I would not have to take up space in the wall cabinet, now worry about more cabling issues, reduce further heat buildup and probably acheive a higher WAF. On the down side, I won't have immediate access to any indicators that may be helpful in monitoring, lose the "coolness" factor, etc.

So, any opinions on breaker-side versus cabinet-side equipment location?

Also, any recommendations for breaker-side, utility room mounted equipment?

My hardware will include:

Samsung HLP6163 RPTV
Yamaha 1500 AVR
V Inc Bravo D2 DVD player
Older JVC DVD/VCR (kids' tapes)
HD cable box with DVR and/or Tivo2
Future universal & HD-DVD players probable

Thanks!

 

[jaxvon]

First of all, what's your budget? Second, photos and updates would great!

For power protection, you may want to look at the following products. However, despite the fact that Monster makes quality stuff (there's a reivew by Gene here on Audioholics), you may just want to avoid them out of principle.

• Monster Power
• Furman Power
• Tripp-Lite
• Equi=Tech

Monster, Furman, and Tripp-Lite all offer bar-based power conditioning. In addition, they all offer rack-mounted solutions. Monster, Furman, and Equi=Tech all offer balanced power products. Balanced power is when you have +60v on the hot line and -60v on the neutral line. There is still a 120v potential between the two, but because they are equal and opposite, they tend to cancel each other out (in terms of interference). The same principle is used in balanced audio connections. Equi=Tech only makes balanced power units. Equi=tech is also the most expensive of any of these products. Still, they offer a wide range of products that could suit your needs, including rack-mounted units up to 10KVA as well as wall cabinets up to 12KVA.

Blah. Really, what you'll end up with is all dependent on your budget. But I do agree, the coolness factor would increase a lot if you had a spiffy equipment rack and stuff....

 

[HTnewbie]

Budget for power conditioning $200-400.

Photos will be posted next week. Spending this weekend running more wire.