APC refurbs/overstock from manufacturer

J

jvgillow

Full Audioholic
That's not a very good price. I've seen the 550VA APC units on sale (new) for $35 occasionally.

750VA does give you a bit more runtime, but I would look around for a better deal.

Also keep in mind these are stepped-sinewave devices which means they don't produce "clean" AC output. I use a stepped-sinewave UPS for my projector and it works long enough to shut it down, but there is some debate about whether it's bad for the projector (bulb mostly) to use a non-sine power input.
 
itschris

itschris

Moderator
THanks for the info. I guess I'll keep looking. I've asked about that before and I've got answers both ways. I just wonder whats worse for the bulb though: suddenn power outage no cooling or a minute or two on an battery backup like the APC with stepped sinewave?
 
T

tgilb2007

Audiophyte
That's not a very good price. I've seen the 550VA APC units on sale (new) for $35 occasionally.

750VA does give you a bit more runtime, but I would look around for a better deal.

Also keep in mind these are stepped-sinewave devices which means they don't produce "clean" AC output. I use a stepped-sinewave UPS for my projector and it works long enough to shut it down, but there is some debate about whether it's bad for the projector (bulb mostly) to use a non-sine power input.
Its the going price direct from APC, but the vendors, resellers, and what not usually have different (and lower) pricing then APC direct

THanks for the info. I guess I'll keep looking. I've asked about that before and I've got answers both ways. I just wonder whats worse for the bulb though: suddenn power outage no cooling or a minute or two on an battery backup like the APC with stepped sinewave?
The thing w/ step-sine waves is that some equipment will not run off of it, due to Power Factor Correction in the power supplies. If the TV does have a PFC power supply in it, and the UPS is on battery, it will just drop off anyway. Also, those units are not really designed for the in-rush current like the A/V stuff that is made.

And also, the silver faced units are in the middle of a phaseout, going to just the black faced units in A/V. A little FYI :)


Also, the questions on stock, it changes day to day as well, so what is there today is not there tomorrow sometimes (usually). If you have more questions about this stuff, let me know.
 
itschris

itschris

Moderator
Well what then should someone do for lamp cool down in the case of a power outage? Should I just not worry about it?
 
GlocksRock

GlocksRock

Audioholic Spartan
Got mine yesterday, but haven't gotten it hooked up yet.
 
A

armaraas

Full Audioholic
Well, I've had mine hooked up for a couple of days now. A couple of observations- in comparison to the Newpoint Theatre Director- The APC is more compact and several pounds heavier, it feels more solid and well built. The Newpoint is just a much more basic power conditioner and does not have a fancy display, but it does had LED's that indicate the voltage if it drops below 120, 115, etc, and has the Ground LED for the home's wiring, and a surge LED indicating it's active. I believe the Newpoint will supress surges, and does nothing for under voltage.

The APC has the same functions plus an LCD display that displays the voltage in and out, amps being drawn on a 15 amp line, watts being used and as a percentage based on 1440 watts I believe. You can dim or turn off the LEDs on the APC as well. It does voltage correction both ways- ie it will provide a boost once the voltage drops below the level indicated. There are 3 settings for that- as mentioned elsewhere. I've mostly noticed it when turning devices on, the H15 makes an audible click when it boosts voltage. Things aren't constantly being turned off and on for me, so that doesn't bother me.

Right now I have a wireless adapter plugged into it, dlp tv, receiver, xbox 360 and the MWF 15. I just checked out the mammoth stampede in 10,000 BC since my wife wasn't home. I was hitting 110 db during spots (receiver didn't have much more headroom, highest I've ever had it), and I did notice the Line Boost on the H15 lit up to correct under voltage. As soon as I turned it back down to a more normal level the light went off. Of course I could not hear any clicking over the movie.

So far I am pretty happy with it. I think the extra $80 over the Newpoint one is well spent. As I mentioned I had a loose screw and other pieces inside the case that I removed, but it appears to be working normally with no problems. The silver also matches the HK receivers pretty well too.

The only thing I kind of miss, is that there isn't an always on outlet or two on the H15. I know they do not recommended turning it off and on all the time, but the MWF 15 drains about 20 watts even while off, so I was hoping I could plug the wireless adapter into the always on plug, and turn everything else on and off as I come and go (the pc in the room is further away from the wireless router, so I have the adapter closer to the door and on a long cat 5 cable). Instead I think I will use the Newpoint on a switched outlet and plug the sub into that. Otherwise I would love to have everything on the H15 just so I can see how much power everything is pulling. Not that I could say why it would matter, it's just cool.
 
A

armaraas

Full Audioholic
Ok, just for the heck of it, and because I've been curious of the load I use in my room, I decided to connect everything to the H15 and turn it all on. Here is what I had connected and on- 56" dlp tv, xbox 360, HK AVR235, xbox wireless adapter, pc (custom with 380 watt ps), external hd, 19" lcd monitor, printer, MWF 15, and mini fridge with the condensor kicked on. I also had 2 lights on and the ceiling fan on high, on the same circuit but not through the H15 of course.

With just everything on and not doing much, H15 had voltage usages about 54% of available power (15 amp line). The tv was displaying the 360, the monitor the pc. I had the avr on the pc audio. I fired up 10,000 BC again during the mammoth stampede on the pc and turned the AVR to within about 5ish of max volume (again probably around 110db with the sub). During the initial play, the dialogue parts were around 64% of the available power, during the stampede with the sub going it spike up to 84-85% a couple of times, but mainly stayed in the mid to upper 70% range. The line boost kicked on midway and stayed on (it is currently set to Narrow +/- 5%). For the heck of it I changed the setting to Normal from Narrow and replayed the scene. This time the line boost did not kick on at all.

Of course, with normal conditions not everything is plugged into the H15, but it handled it well when it was. I also learned that under normal conditions with my equipment, I'm probably not even coming close to maxing the 15 amp line I have to my room. This probably was the absolute best way of testing, but it's nice to have a piece of equipment that can tell you so much. Just thought I'd share...
 
C

CountryRazkul

Audiophyte
Maybe the boat has sailed... my visit to APC didn't show me anything in the H-Series under $300 big ones.

Anyone got the scoop?
 
A

armaraas

Full Audioholic
I've seen it mentioned on other boards that the deal is now over and they're back to retail pricing...sorry...
 
C

CountryRazkul

Audiophyte
Thanks for the responses and all the help -- one of APCs retailers (BuyUptime.com) is still offering the silver models at the discounted rates. Although I couldn't use the coupon, I did get free shipping and am just elated to be able to enjoy the considerable savings on a H15 unit. **Providing they honor the confirmation invoice sent to me**
 
Crackerballer

Crackerballer

Senior Audioholic
Ordered me 2 H15s last Wednesday. They show up on my door Monday. Very impressed. Then I open the box and I see they sent me 2 H10 units! Called customer service, they had a return shipping label sent within the hour. However the *correct* units will not ship out till Friday or Monday, but atleast they aren't waiting on the wrong ones to come back before shipping the right stuff. More updates to come.
 
GlocksRock

GlocksRock

Audioholic Spartan
I still haven't gotten mine hooked up yet, but I was very impressed by the build quality of the unit, it is quite hefty.
 
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