Power conditioner question

[lagman]

Hey everyone,

I am pretty new to all of this and was wondering what the general consensus is about what the best power/line conditioner for a basic AV system. I dont need or want the Stage 5 whatever...just want to protect my investment with something that will last for a while and can handle any upgrades I do in the futre. I have been looking at things like Monster HTS 3500 (on Ebay) or Panamax 5100 (also on Ebay). What are some other suggestions? Am I trying to get too much when a basic power strip is all I need? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[lagman]

ok...

Well I guess it was either a really dumb question, or no one has any idea since lots of people looked at the question and no one bothered to reply. Guess I just have to keep digging to find answers. If anyone does have any idea or experience with any line conditioners please give me your input.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[tbewick]

What are power conditioners meant to do? I just use a normal strip lead and I don't seem to have had any problems. I would have thought that the power supply in the equipment your using would be designed to run straight from an ordinary mains socket.

 

[Haoleb]

You can get the HTS 3500mk2 off amazon for something like 130. I bought one almost a year ago for my 2 channel system and just bought another off amazon for our Theater. Im not going to claim I heard any differences, because i havent even bothered doing any listening tests with and without the unit. Mostly I use it for its surge protection. Any positive effects from filtering are a plus. Besides, Its much neater and about 600 times better looking then some power strip.

The build quality on these monster units far exceeds what you would expect for 130 bucks. The blue LED on the front is a bit annoying though. The power up/down sequence these offer is also handy for most people.

Inside the 3500 mk2

 

[sholling]

I’m assuming you mean surge suppresser/line-noise filter. Froogle the Belkin PF40. You can pick one up for around $160, or just head to Wal-Mart for a 4000 joule surge suppressor for $40. I use the former, plugged into the later (used as a cheap sacrificial surge suppresser), for my A/V gear, and also the later for my subwoofer and computer gear. Keep in mind that surge suppressers wear a little with every power hit and need to be replaced every couple of years. That’s why the pricy PF40 is plugged into a cheapie – to extend its life.

A true line conditioner is used to adjust the occasional low-voltage/over-voltage situation to safe levels, but (like a UPS) may or may not be a good surge suppressor.

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=LE1200&tab=features

 

[lagman]

thanks

thanks for the suggestions...I just saw the Belkin PF40 when I was searching for different line conditioners and I am seriously considering it or the PF31. Like someone mentioned earlier, I dont think it will make any difference in quality on my plasma tv or home theater system, but I guess I can spend 100-200 dollars to help protect my investment. I have always just used the basic surge protector but Im worried about "dirty power" taking life off my plasma tv more than anything. I dont even know if that is true but there are some people saying thats what happens. If anyone else has input on this I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[tbewick]

thanks for the suggestions...I just saw the Belkin PF40 when I was searching for different line conditioners and I am seriously considering it or the PF31. Like someone mentioned earlier, I dont think it will make any difference in quality on my plasma tv or home theater system, but I guess I can spend 100-200 dollars to help protect my investment. I have always just used the basic surge protector but Im worried about "dirty power" taking life off my plasma tv more than anything. I dont even know if that is true but there are some people saying thats what happens. If anyone else has input on this I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Rob

I don't see how your plasma TV would be affected by the mains supply.

I've had some hard disc drives damaged because of power cuts, but I really can't see the power supply being a problem. If you're concerned about a lightning storm, then you can just unplug your equipment from the mains socket. I do have a couple of Belkin surge protectors, but they weren't nearly as expensive as the protectors you're considering.

 

[Hans]

I am currently looking into this myself. I got a couple questions for you:

Q- I have a minifridge on the same circuit line as my home theater stuff, my preamp, my sub, etc. I got a medium poping sound from my sub definitely caused by the fridge compressor going on and off. I find it annoying, and i'm not sure, but could maybe damage my equipment in the long run. Would a power conditionner (such as the Belkin PureAV PF40) eliminate this poping sound? If not, what kind of gear could do the trick?

 

[mfabien]

I am currently looking into this myself. I got a couple questions for you:

Q- I have a minifridge on the same circuit line as my home theater stuff, my preamp, my sub, etc. I got a medium poping sound from my sub definitely caused by the fridge compressor going on and off. I find it annoying, and i'm not sure, but could maybe damage my equipment in the long run. Would a power conditionner (such as the Belkin PureAV PF40) eliminate this poping sound? If not, what kind of gear could do the trick?

If the popping sound is your only concern, can you not plug an extension power cord from another AC output from a different circuit?

 

[tbewick]

I am currently looking into this myself. I got a couple questions for you:

Q- I have a minifridge on the same circuit line as my home theater stuff, my preamp, my sub, etc. I got a medium poping sound from my sub definitely caused by the fridge compressor going on and off. I find it annoying, and i'm not sure, but could maybe damage my equipment in the long run. Would a power conditionner (such as the Belkin PureAV PF40) eliminate this poping sound? If not, what kind of gear could do the trick?

Does the subwoofer make the noise when the connection to the A/V receiver is unplugged? If it does, then perhaps you should contact the subwoofer manufacturer. If your main pre-/power amplifier manages to reject the noise created by the fridge, then surely the same should be true of the subwoofer's pre-/power amplifier.

If the unit stops making the noise with the line-in cable unplugged, then it must be a problem with interference affecting the line-in cable.

I've actually got a related problem with my own M&K subwoofer, but I haven't bothered getting it repaired yet. The unit makes noises (with or without the line-in cable attached) when light switches are turned on and off in the house. Over the phone, M&K said that they think they know what the fault is, and that it's a straightforward repair.

 

[Hans]

The popping sound problem is directly related to the fridge compressor going on and off. No problem whatsoever with the sub when I brought it to a friends house for a test.

I dont want cords or cables showing anywhere in the room, I would even prefer to unplug the fridge


Q- Is a power conditionner like a Belkin PureAV PF40 would get rid of that popping sound?

 

[j_garcia]

No, a power conditioner will NOT remove line noise/pops like that, AFAIK.

 

[Hans]

No, a power conditioner will NOT remove line noise/pops like that, AFAIK.

Hey thanx for the reply,

This is what i'm reading on Belkin site about power conditionner:

"Power Conditioners PureAV Power Conditioners combine Multi-Phase PureFilter Circuitry with Advanced Over-Voltage Protection to isolate and eliminate line noise generated by digital components and external sources such as household appliances. The innovative low profile design allows for easy mounting on walls or furniture. "

What do you think about that? Is it BS, or what? The thing is, I live in small town with really no products at hand to test.

And also, what about UPS? Would that work?
Thanx.

 

[tbewick]

The popping sound problem is directly related to the fridge compressor going on and off. No problem whatsoever with the sub when I brought it to a friends house for a test.

I dont want cords or cables showing anywhere in the room, I would even prefer to unplug the fridge


Q- Is a power conditionner like a Belkin PureAV PF40 would get rid of that popping sound?

I'm just thinking that it could be radio interference from the fridge that the subwoofer is picking up. If that's so, then buying a shielded cable may help. If the unit still makes noise with the line-in cable unplugged, then the popping sound has nothing to do with the cable.

 

[WmAx]

The popping sound problem is directly related to the fridge compressor going on and off. No problem whatsoever with the sub when I brought it to a friends house for a test.

I dont want cords or cables showing anywhere in the room, I would even prefer to unplug the fridge


Q- Is a power conditionner like a Belkin PureAV PF40 would get rid of that popping sound?

Some of the UPS battery units constantly monitor power quality, and upon detection of noise/distortion, they will instantly switch to battery mode until the noise/distortion has ceased. However, be prepared to spend a bit for such a unit, as an APC Smart-UPS with sufficient power rating for your A/V system, unless you buy a refurbished unit.

-Chris

 

[audiofox]

I’m assuming you mean surge suppresser/line-noise filter. Froogle the Belkin PF40. You can pick one up for around $160, or just head to Wal-Mart for a 4000 joule surge suppressor for $40. I use the former, plugged into the later (used as a cheap sacrificial surge suppresser), for my A/V gear, and also the later for my subwoofer and computer gear. Keep in mind that surge suppressers wear a little with every power hit and need to be replaced every couple of years. That’s why the pricy PF40 is plugged into a cheapie – to extend its life.

A true line conditioner is used to adjust the occasional low-voltage/over-voltage situation to safe levels, but (like a UPS) may or may not be a good surge suppressor.

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=LE1200&tab=features

What is the wear mechanism for a surge suppressor? Unless there are componenets designed to be sacrificed when a spike is input to the unit, I don't understand how they can "wear out". A UPS is different, since the battery can degrade over time, but the passive and active components in a surge suppressor are essentially line filters, or voltage bridges/converters in higher end units, neither of which should wear out unless they exceed their designed-to operating points. Maybe the latter is your point, which would indicate that the suppressor is incorrectly designed from the start.

 

[sholling]

I'm not an electrical engineer but this covers what I've read for 15 or more years in professional trade publictions (I'm a network engineer) and should answer your question. BTW while I've seen gear fried due to surges, I've seen far more fried due to poor grounds. Check your grounds!

Also please note that the average consumer level 'stand-by' UPS has your gear running off of pretty much naked street power until there is a power failure, Then, and only then it switches it battery power. It's only when you get into very high buck online UPSs that you are living full time off of the battery while it's being recharged real-time from wall current. While these are a huge improvement when it comes to maintaining an even voltage, they still make p-poor surge suppressers. As a networking professional that's been responsible for 100 or so servers at a time I've always plugged UPSs into high quality surge suppressors, and I've replaced those surge suppressors annually. Beats heck (still being good) out of unpaid all nighters rebuilding racks.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/235_Surge_Suppressors_-_They_Wear_Out_.shtml

 

[flyv65]

I'll second the UPS comments Sholling has made, and add one or two of my own. First, check out the PS Audio website for additional surge/spike protectors, and consider running your amp (if separate) straight from the wall as opposed to from the filter. I'm currently using a Monster HT2500 and while the amp draws nowhere near the limit of the circuit it is on, an audible difference can be heard switching from wall outlet to filtered outlet (all who listened prefering the wall outlet). You might want to consider buying or making better/thicker power cords for your stuff, too... I know, I know, it sounds like a buncha snake oil, but I tried it, and it pisses me off that I hear a difference and don't know why.

Bryan...but I'm not starting down *that* road, my friends...