conditioners and power centers

[gnxsam]

what is the skinny on power centers and surge protectors....
i currently live in an apartment and hence unable to run separate power lines and outlets (until i move in two months, thank god)- but, what difference do they make and is it audible or more for safety of the gear

sam

 

[Nick250]

Some people think a power conditioner can improve audio and video. I am not one of them. A quality surge protector is my recommendation.

Nick

 

[Brian_the_King]

Some people think a power conditioner can improve audio and video. I am not one of them. A quality surge protector is my recommendation.

Lol, total agreement with that post. I don't know where people come off buying $500 power conditioners [and now my Propaganda Buy sells them!] when the money could be spent on slightly better components/cables.

Edit: Come to think of it, I would buy one if I were rich. But that would only be after I spent ~$25K+ on the system.

 

[flyv65]

Lol, total agreement with that post. I don't know where people come off buying $500 power conditioners [and now my Propaganda Buy sells them!] when the money could be spent on slightly better components/cables.

Edit: Come to think of it, I would buy one if I were rich. But that would only be after I spent ~$25K+ on the system.

Oh, they go for considerably more than $500: Shoot, I saw a guy selling $125 hospital grade wall outlets made of polished copper at the Rocky Mountain Audiofest this past fall. Shunyata was at the show and they had a "power conditioner" for $4k, IIRC. Be that as it may, do I think they work? Well, that depends: I've never heard a difference between one conditioner and another, or between a wall outlet and a conditioner. I have *seen* a difference in my buddy's TV picture between the wall and some bigazz Monster filter he has... different enough that I could identify whether or not he was using it on a pretty regular basis. He thought so too, and kept it (a decision I wouldn't have made myself, considering the price).

Bryan...but I think you can buy better protection for your gear than a $30 fused power strip from RatShak...

 

[Brian_the_King]

Bryan...but I think you can buy better protection for your gear than a $30 fused power strip from RatShak...

No I know, but like one of my friends has a $4K tv, a $300 reciever, and a $350 conditioner. I didn't poop on his party, but I was thinking 'how the hell did magnolia/bb man convince you to buy that?!'

 

[Alex2507]

Audioholics reviewed the Monster 3500 something or another. Favorably I might add. So I bought one from eBay but have yet to hook up anything substantial. $165 w/ 1 yr satisfaction guarantee.

 

[Nick250]

Yes, and they favorably reviewed speaker cables too. IMO you need to read between the lines on this sort of stuff.

Nick

 

[Alex2507]

Ouch! I'm new enough to this game to get duped now and again. Well, at least I didn't opt for the HTS 5100 which is more $. There didn't seem to be a lot of room for interpretation with the review though.

This would be the perfect time for the reviewer to chime in. At this point my objectivity has been comprimised as I really want this thing to be the magic bullet.

 

[flyv65]

Don't get too wrapped around the axle with this stuff: at the very least you've got surge and spike protection for your gear (although as I understand it, collecting on the Monster Guarantee is not as easiet thing in the world to accomplish). I suspect the efficacy of these conditioners (i.e. filters) is based on how crappy your household power/wiring is. I'm still thinking about running a dedicated 20 amp line in our next house, if only to make sure I've got sufficient juice for everything.

Bryan

 

[goeat]

In the house I currently live in, I have seen voltage fluxuations from 80 to 170 (!) on a regular basis, making the addition of surge protectors vital to the survival of any electronic equipment, and the addition of conditioners necessary for audio equipment in order to avoid pops from the outlet. Before I moved here, I didn't take too much stock in conditioners, but seeing the difference before and after, in only keeping interference from my system, I am a believer.

But before I moved here, I also didn't have the pleasure of a +120V ground...

 

[dave1490]

what is the skinny on power centers and surge protectors....
i currently live in an apartment and hence unable to run separate power lines and outlets (until i move in two months, thank god)- but, what difference do they make and is it audible or more for safety of the gear

sam

i had 1 of those acoustic reserch ones worked well.then i got the monster hts 5100 and i could seen the background of the tv picture darker,so i guess stage 4 is btter then ar.had to return it once and had no problem,infact they gave me a bran new one.hats off to monster.if it,s worth the price is up to you but i think it will make you components last longer.