Clean Power and Surge Protection, School me...

[ryounglaw]

I have spent the last several months upgrading my HT. Current set up is a Samsung ln52a650 LCD Denon AVR 2309CI, PS3 BlueRay, Polk RTI8's (soon to be RTI A7's), CSI5 center, FXI A4's rears. all HDMI 1.3a now and just finish speaker wire upgrade and waiting to a few more weeks to buy my SVS PB13-Ultra or PB-12 PLUS (not sure yet)

With all that $$ invested I have neglected to learn about protecting the system and getting it clean power. I live in Baltimore and have few power interruptions and other that my standard surge protector I have nothing else. Can you guys give a 101 lesson and recommend some solutions that will not break the bank. $$$ is getting tight with the recent and future expenses.

 

[MatthewB.]

If you have good power, most people will tell you not to bother with power protection. Most gear is designed to handle fluctuations between 112 and 124 volts. A surge protector helps clean up the distortion that is carried along the electricalk lines. Say your significant other turns on the hair dryer while you watch TV, you may find "spearkles" on your TV because of the power being used by the hair dryer. Other appliences also drain the electrical line (i.e. Fridge, washer, dryer, vacuum) your neighbor may be using power tools which may have an effect on your electrical line and a good surge protector helps clean up this dirty electricity.

 

[MatthewB.]

A voltage regulator helps stabalize the voltage at a constant rate so that your gear gets a steady 120 volts at all times and helps generate power when the fluctuations goes below 112 volts or over 125 volts, by decreasing or increasing the power stored in the voltage regulators chasis. Avoid companies like Monster and get similar gear from Tripplite, their surge protector "Isobar" can be had for 70.00 and does the same as the Monster that costs 500.00. Also Tripplite sells a VR for 120.00 that does the same as Monster that costs 1,200

BTW, a good surge protector will help out the picture quality to some degree by giving you a clearer picture and in my case, brighter whites and more vivid colors. Not a huge difference,, but a difference none the less. It won't do anything for sound quality though.

 

[ryounglaw]

sorry, VR?

 

[MatthewB.]

VR = Voltage Regulator

 

[emorphien]

While I don't consider it a performance upgrade, I don't mind having something to protect equipment from the potentially nastier voltage swings, etc. I have a laser printer that when it kicks on and a few times later it sets off voltage regulation on my UPS and my APC H10.

If you want to get something for your home theater I highly recommend going this route:
http://store.audioholics.com/section/66232/1/apc-silver-product-blowout

Audioholics is selling out silver colored APC units. As mentioned I have an H10, got it through this sale.

 

[ryounglaw]

ok i am pretty set on the apc 15 in silver at that price. I just have to get over the "do i need it" factor. How long has the sale been going on and how much longer is it expected to last

 

[ryounglaw]

i guess 150.00 is a small investment after spending 6000 - 8000 on a system

 

[55sss]

I purchased the H15 about a month ago. My power is pretty stable so I think it might have been overkill. However, I did notice the other day that the "trim" feature on the H15 was enabled. The incoming voltage had spiked to over 127 and the output voltage was saying 116 volts. Even if my equipment can handle the small swings or at least that's what many people say, I'm felt better that the H15 cut the extra 7+ volts.

 

[ryounglaw]

would a C3 power filter work instead of the APC AV H15 1.5kVA H Type Power Conditioner

 

[lsiberian]

would a C3 power filter work instead of the APC AV H15 1.5kVA H Type Power Conditioner

Just get an APC and be done with it. APC makes the best power strips and have sick warranties. Along with lightning protection.

Don't be silly. You spent 6000 dollars. I think 150 for an amazing power strip is a good investment. Another option is a UPS(which I use).

 

[55sss]

If all you want is surge protection, the C3 or C5 will certainly perform well and that may be all you need. The C3 or C5 are certainly worth the sale price but . . .

The H15 provides slightly better surge protection and filtering, probably not worth the extra $$$. However, for the extra $$, the H15 provides voltage regulation and voltage monitoring along with cool LCD meter for incoming/outgoing voltage, amp usage, etc. The H15 also has 12v triggering capability.
I also replied to your post on AVS. I've had my H15 for about a month and thought it was overkill because after watching the H15 meter, I concluded that my power was pretty stable (between 119 and 123). But the other day I noticed the trim light was on so I looked at the meter to find out that the incoming voltage was 127 and the output was 116. No storms, nothing that I'm aware of but the voltage did spike to 127. Many people will argue that the AV equipment is designed to handle that variation and it probably is but I don't have to worry about it since the H15 lowered the voltage to a safer 116.