What's a power conditioner

[griffinconst]

What does a power conditioner do and should I have one for my AV system?

 

[Adam]

I'm truly not trying to be a wise guy by posting this link, but here is a link to a website entitled, "What is a Power Conditioner?" that has some good info. It was the first hit on a Google search of "power conditioner".

As for if you need one, that depends on how noisy your power is at your place. I have a power conditioner and noticed no difference at all in audio or video performance - nor did I expect to. I really only bought it for the surge protection and the extra outlets.

 

[john72953]

I'm truly not trying to be a wise guy by posting this link, but here is a link to a website entitled, "What is a Power Conditioner?" that has some good info. It was the first hit on a Google search of "power conditioner".

As for if you need one, that depends on how noisy your power is at your place. I have a power conditioner and noticed no difference at all in audio or video performance - nor did I expect to. I really only bought it for the surge protection and the extra outlets.

+1.

I haven't noticed any difference in PQ/AQ either, but I didn't buy it for that reason. I just wanted something to protect my HT investment (about $6,000). If the power coming into your place is fairly clean, then a good-quality higher-end surge protector will do the job as well.

 

[Geno]

Okay, I'll do the wisecrack...A power conditioner is a device manufactured by power conditioner companies to lighten your wallet. Like the others have said here, if you don't have noisy power (that isn't eliminated by the circuitry in your equipment) then you don't need one. It's sort of like wearing a pacemaker if you don't have heart disease.

On the other hand, a good surge protector isn't a bad idea for obvious reasons - just don't let the advertising hype get the best of you. We're all a bit neurotic about our electronics, and that's just what these companies are hoping for.

 

[highfigh]

Okay, I'll do the wisecrack...A power conditioner is a device manufactured by power conditioner companies to lighten your wallet. Like the others have said here, if you don't have noisy power (that isn't eliminated by the circuitry in your equipment) then you don't need one. It's sort of like wearing a pacemaker if you don't have heart disease.

On the other hand, a good surge protector isn't a bad idea for obvious reasons - just don't let the advertising hype get the best of you. We're all a bit neurotic about our electronics, and that's just what these companies are hoping for.

And I'll counter the wisecrack by saying that nobody has clean power, if you consider all of the noise and fluctuations. It's impossible to completely protect against lightning, so beyond that, dirty power and brownouts like in the South, where the line voltage can drop to about 90VAC, a conditioner is needed but it requires a specific type. For most uses, a surge protector will work well enough but with every spike, your microprocessors develop a bad attitude about things and at a certain point, they will fail. Extremely thin wires, circuit board traces and surface mount devices really hate dirty power. You don't necessarily need a top of the line Richard Gray (about the most expensive consumer brand) but if you live close to radio and TV towers, I guarantee that you have a lot of noise on your power wiring.

If anyone has access to an oscilliscope, it's easy enough to see and with a cell phone, to record and post here. I would be very surprised to see little or no noise.

 

[MidnightSensi]

There is such thing is A/C noise, but mainly having surge protection is the idea.

Also note that a surge protector won't regulate voltage (like if you have high voltage into your home, which can fry sensitive equipment), you'll need a voltage regulator for that.

APC is a good brand to buy from.

 

[skizzerflake]

Be wary of the frauds. Some might recall the Tice Power Conditioner. You plugged it in anywhere in the room and it magically fixed your electricity (the components did not get plugged into the Tice). It looked exactly like a Radio Shack alarm clock and even came in a box marked "Optimus". It made a loud noise at 6:30 AM. They charged $500 with a money back warranty. Thousands were sold, few came back. Cognitive dissonance? Embarrassment?

 

[sholling]

On the other hand, a good surge protector isn't a bad idea for obvious reasons - just don't let the advertising hype get the best of you. We're all a bit neurotic about our electronics, and that's just what these companies are hoping for.

As someone that lost a Sony XBR, mid-priced audio gear, and a computer all in the same power hit I take having a top quality surge suppressor seriously and can't recommend them enough. Whether or not you need power filtering only you know, but it's not like the price difference between a really good surge suppressor and a power center is huge if you catch a sale.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a surge suppressor becomes weaker with each hit it absorbs. I like to replace mine every couple of years. I'm not sure if power centers are effected the same way.

 

[highfigh]

There is such thing is A/C noise, but mainly having surge protection is the idea.

Also note that a surge protector won't regulate voltage (like if you have high voltage into your home, which can fry sensitive equipment), you'll need a voltage regulator for that.

APC is a good brand to buy from.

Yup. The noise does cause problems, though. Some conditioners regulate and can keep the voltage a lot more consistent over a wider range of incoming supply voltage, too.

 

[skizzerflake]

It just might be that one of the best reasons for a power conditioner is the warranty. Some come with an "insurance policy" for what's plugged into it in case of voltage surges, especially due to lightning. A couple years ago, I lost a vintage analog system, HT receiver, TV, PC components, et al, due to a nearby lightning strike. I really wished I had one of those insured conditioners, not because I thought it would have prevented the damage (nothing stops several million volts), but for the payback.