Conditioner/surge protector questions

[ellisr63]

I have had Leviton whole house surge protectors in my last 3 homes...on this home we got a Seimens. The only reason I switched is I was told the Seimens was better. We also had 2 voltage regulators installed as the voltage was 135v! This is typical voltage in Mexico, and is not acceptable as far as I am concerned. Personally I have never noticed an audible benefit or problem with whole house surge protectors, APC UPS, or Furman surge protectors. Now the Monster HTC7000 wss the same except it did start giving me problems toward the end with the outlets on the back blowing the fuses. It did save my whole rack when we had a faulty wire on the transformer, and got 350v going to the HT rack!

One thing to note...surge protectors do not protect long term over voltage like I had in my last home or like I have in my current home. They only protect against spikes like lightning.

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[Gotguns]

I would

If you don't need the smart feature then I'd look at offerings from the well distributed brands like Tripp Lite, APC, Belkin, Amazon/Mediabridge....just keep in mind MOV types have limited functionality....to get really good protection some of the better uninterrupted power supply units might be a thought, too.

I would Like a surge protector that is smart when turning on stuff, that way I don't blow breakers. If it could start the projector, and av receiver, then DVD, amp, then subs that wod be great. Do you know of some thing like that?

 

[Verdinut]

I would



I would Like a surge protector that is smart when turning on stuff, that way I don't blow breakers. If it could start the projector, and av receiver, then DVD, amp, then subs that wod be great. Do you know of some thing like that?

Sure, it's called a power sequencer. I am using one on my HT system. But it doesn't feature any surge protection:

https://www.furmanpower.com/sites/furmanpower.com/files/_/Furman-Pro-AV/ps-8r_manual.pdf

 

[Verdinut]

Sure, it's called a power sequencer. I am using one on my HT system. But it doesn't feature any surge protection:

https://www.furmanpower.com/sites/furmanpower.com/files/_/Furman-Pro-AV/ps-8r_manual.pdf

The APC H15 which I'm also using features some delay functions on some of its outlets as well as acting as a real surge protection device:

https://www.audioholics.com/power-conditioner-reviews/apc-h15/apc-h15-introduction-and-first-impressions

 

[-Jim-]

Hi Gents,

I'm a licensed Electrician (and a trained Electrical Technician after that -- but I haven't been on the tools in ages as I changed careers after 10 years in the trade ) and in my house (and at the family Cabin where Lightning Strikes hitting power lines are more of a concern) I put in Whole House Surge Protection. (They both happen to be GE, but the technology is pretty much the same regardless of OEM these days.) It's a simple breaker like device that fits in your panel. The easiest ones to mount (snap into an available open double slot) are from the same OEM as the Panel, although some manufacturers make universal types to plug into panels that the other OEMs have.

IMHO Power Conditioners are a waste of money with our utility feed and probably yours too. The voltage levels are quite stable and almost no noise on the feed. However, if you have "noisy" appliances, motors, lighting, saws, etc., (I don't buy / install them) you may want to look at a Power Conditioner after you install Surge Protection. IMHO Surge Protection is a bargain and everyone should have it if you care about your audio and electronic equipment.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[lovinthehd]

I would



I would Like a surge protector that is smart when turning on stuff, that way I don't blow breakers. If it could start the projector, and av receiver, then DVD, amp, then subs that wod be great. Do you know of some thing like that?

Defer to Verdinuts suggestions on this point. The smart ones I use merely turn on other units after the master (avr in my case) is turned on....so just my amps which have no trigger feature to use with my avr....

 

[Gotguns]

Defer to Verdinuts suggestions on this point. The smart ones I use merely turn on other units after the master (avr in my case) is turned on....so just my amps which have no trigger feature to use with my avr....

What unit do you have?

 

[lovinthehd]

What unit do you have?

A couple of these.

 

[davidscott]

If you don't need the smart feature then I'd look at offerings from the well distributed brands like Tripp Lite, APC, Belkin, Amazon/Mediabridge....just keep in mind MOV types have limited functionality....to get really good protection some of the better uninterrupted power supply units might be a thought, too.

Agreed. I use APC and have never had a component die due to lightning. Of course that could just be good grounding in my apt complex. And they do wear out.

 

[Gotguns]

Agreed. I use APC and have never had a component die due to lightning. Of course that could just be good grounding in my apt complex. And they do wear out.

What one do you use? Is it a up or surge strip

 

[DigitalDawn]

We live in the lightening capitol of the US (south Florida) and we only use SurgeX.

I saw a demo of SurgeX technology a couple of years ago: they zapped their units multiple times with very high voltage, and the competition was done after a single zap. I was so impressed that I stopped purchasing APC, Panamax, Furman and others.

Haven't had a fried unit yet.

 

[viorelc]

I live in Florida, and use a few Furman M-x2 protectors for the audio/video equipment, including a sound mixing rack that uses its own (slightly different model). Never had a problem during many of the thunderstorms we had around here. I had a few disconnects (like 3 in 5 years) likely due to spikes (the power did no go off). Florida Power and Light offers the option to install a power surge protector for the entire house, but never felt like doing this and pay a monthly service for it. For network, all the devices I have include surge protection. My computers are also on Furman units, separated from the A/V equipment.


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[Danzilla31]

We live in the lightening capitol of the US (south Florida) and we only use SurgeX.

I saw a demo of SurgeX technology a couple of years ago: they zapped their units multiple times with very high voltage, and the competition was done after a single zap. I was so impressed that I stopped purchasing APC, Panamax, Furman and others.

Haven't had a fried unit yet.

Do you put your audio equipment on them like your amps and such?

I'm asking because they definetly affect the highs in my system and have a slight effect on dynamics. They roll back the highs some and just dampen they dynamics slightly like a light cloth is laid on the soundstage I have to turn up the volume a bit more to get those dynamics and even then they still sound slightly compressed

I've ABd back and forth with them both on and off the system enough to know it's not in my head.

Some aspects of this I actually like but some of the sound changes I don't

I'm just trying to decide if I can live with the changes in sound is all. They are very well built units though built like a tank and I'm going to have to live with them for now at least I don't want to void my warranties on the new room I had done. Until I figure out a permanent solution.

 

[panteragstk]

After whole home protection the best thing you can get is an APC Home theater UPS. Or just a decent UPS meant for computers. They do everything a surge protector does plus voltage regulation. They also help during brown outs by making sure your equipment doesn't have the power go up and down at random. I've seen that fry things in the past. Better safe than sorry.

Furman makes these as well, but they aren't cheap.

 

[Verdinut]

After whole home protection the best thing you can get is an APC Home theater UPS. Or just a decent UPS meant for computers. They do everything a surge protector does plus voltage regulation. They also help during brown outs by making sure your equipment doesn't have the power go up and down at random. I've seen that fry things in the past. Better safe than sorry.

Furman makes these as well, but they aren't cheap.

IMO, a UPS is not a necessity for a home theater system. The APC H15 which I am using on mine is a power conditioner, a surge protector and features voltage regulation as well. It's built like a tank.

 

[davidscott]

What one do you use? Is it a up or surge strip

Mine are only APC 8 outlet surge protection strips rated at about 2700 joules. I know Furman makes better but I've never had a problem with these on any of my setups. They are all fairly new ( 2 or 3 years old) so maybe not being older does make a difference. A UPS is a whole different animal.

 

[panteragstk]

IMO, a UPS is not a necessity for a home theater system. The APC H15 which I am using on mine is a power conditioner, a surge protector and features voltage regulation as well. It's built like a tank.

I would disagree just because cutting power from a projector or receiver can make bad things happen.

On a receiver I've seen random power cuts reset settings. Rare, but it can happen. I'm not saying totally necessary, but peace of mind on an expensive pre/pro or AVR. They do have sensitive electronics in them that I want to protect. I'm fine with it if it's overkill. This is mainly in the situation where power randomly cuts and comes back quickly. Just a black out isn't generally an issue.

Power cuts on a projector can kill the bulb since it doesn't have time to cool down.

Other than that, you're right. Amps won't have any issues. TVs might though.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

IMO, a UPS is not a necessity for a home theater system. The APC H15 which I am using on mine is a power conditioner, a surge protector and features voltage regulation as well. It's built like a tank.

I’ve been using an H10 for a long time. I like that it indicates when trimming etc. nice looking unit too. Works...

 

[ParisB]

IMO, a UPS is not a necessity for a home theater system. The APC H15 which I am using on mine is a power conditioner, a surge protector and features voltage regulation as well. It's built like a tank.

That's what I have too. Honestly I know I don't "need" it, as my neighborhood is newer and power is stable and I'm not in a lightning risk area...but more of a why not. I needed something to plug in all my gear and that one also looks nice.

I'm not really buying that it affects any sound quality, something else must be going on.