Power conditioners

[KrisJ]

I was looking at a couple of units and am not sure as what benifit one has over the other, or if the benifits warrant the cost

APC 1.5 AV
Belkin PF60
Panamax EX 5500

Anyone care to to provide some insight?

 

[GreenJelly]

From what I understand... they are BULLSHIT! Kinda like Monster Cable... However they do provide you some added protection in case of a indirect lightning strike. (A direct strike will Melt your Receiver/TV/AMP to the floor... hehe)

The reason is that your Amp and Power supplies probably use big compacitors on the output of the board. They are designed for the irregular power from the company.

Yet, If you have cheap equipment they probably make allot more of a difference then the big AMPS!

I havent seen any research on the topic, but it would be difficult, cause it would be based on your individual system.

So if you want... buy it, and try it out... do a REAL double blind study... and if it dont work, return it.

As far as money spent... I always push for speakers as the number 1 area that you should spend money on. Then Amp/AV Receiver... Then lastly Cables and these accessories.

WIth all this said, I was thinking of running it between my UPS and my Computer. I find my UPS will swing 5v and some Hz on the AC channel... makes me worry... I can watch the power from the wall, right from my computer... of course it is just a snap shot, or a average... and it may not be adequate.

 

[skizzerflake]

Personally, I don't think you can do much to improve electricity, but those things can be helpful, mainly in protecting your equipment. Having lost a bunch of components to lightning and voltage surges, it could save you a lot of money and aggravation. Last summer a nearby strike cost me a surround sound receiver, PC power supply, small TV, and a precious Carver power amplifier in one microsecond. Cheap power strips don't do much to help but some of the more expensive ones at least come with an insurance policy that will offset some of the cost if it doesn't work. Sometimes lessons come hard.

 

[GreenJelly]

Lightning will fry almost anything... Its just an amazing amount of current. Just having it hit near your house can cause damage to electronic devices. It doesnt even have to enter the AC power... Ive even seen equipment beign damaged that was OFF during the lightning strike.

Its amazing what god can do... His plans will always prevail over ours, and though they often dont make sense, they seem to defy what ever we try to do to prevent and protect our equipment.

 

[JonnyOzero3]

Its amazing what god can do... His plans will always prevail over ours, and though they often dont make sense, they seem to defy what ever we try to do to prevent and protect our equipment.

no offense, but that was damn random.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Its amazing what god can do... .

Why is he/she/it brought up in this thread?

 

[jcPanny]

Apc

This site did a couple reviews and articles on the APC power gear and it is used in their refrence system. Ulike some other manufactures, they don't require you uplug the power center in case of lightning and it will properly isolate your gear. If it doesn't, the warranty will cover your gear.

I am looking to get the H10 with includes power protection, filtering, and line regulation (outputs 110V regaurdles of input voltage).

 

[GreenJelly]

Ok, so lets not talk about this...

Why is he/she/it brought up in this thread?

Who else can I yell at when my TV catches on fire and turns into a pool of toxic sludge

Well actually, its my (and others) answer to why things like this happen and the amazing power these events have... I was going to go indepth about it, but then we will be caught up in a debate about the existance of God, which is something I care not to debate; nor do I care to change anyones view on such matters; nor do I care for someone else to try and change my views on such matters. I also know that such maters can not be solved, proven, or even influence other people the way you want them to be influenced. Not that I even care to influence people on such issues (unless they ask me for advice)

So if you want to ask me for some advice:
Live and Let Live,
Easy does it,
But for the Grace of God,
...Think, Think, Think...
First things First
(notice: Live Easy But Think First)

As for the topic, it is a nice issue... I wonder what would come when you send in a receipt for damaged goods totalling over $5,000 for items damaged do to a near lightning strike.

Mike

 

[mtrycrafts]

As for the topic, it is a nice issue... I wonder what would come when you send in a receipt for damaged goods totalling over $5,000 for items damaged do to a near lightning strike.

Mike

Well, you get your homeowners insurance policy to pay first, then, the warranty from the power bar company, if you have all your receipts, picture that it was used correctly, etc.

 

[GreenJelly]

Ahh yes, insurance... Im moving the 3rd... Got to call for that... thanks for the reminder.

Mike

Anyone actually hear a improvement with these things, or are they too snake oil...

 

[KrisJ]

I won't call complete BS on power conditioners. While I have a hard time swallowing some claims about hearing and seeing greatly improved detail in a system, I know they do protect your equipment and some can remove unwanted noise from some components. Several years ago in my first apartment, I could hear the kitchen appliances in my sub. I connected the sub to "gasp" Monster subwoofer surge protector and the noise stopped. I don't however recall if I had ran the sub signal cable through the device, or just the power cable. I don't recall hearing appliances or unwanted noise through my other speakers in the system, but they were on a seperate outlet/surge device on the other side of the room.

 

[GreenJelly]

Well the voltage does vary buy allot more then I like, though I usually cant go so far as to narrow down a reason, except that maybe 10 people at once just switched on their lights?

Compacitors should be able to even the DC flow from the powersource to the amp. So big heavy Amps usually make for good power.

Their are a few general rules, in this market place... First rule is that heavy amps equal high quality. Light amps equal crappy quality. And the same goes with the base drivers. The drivers with a big heavy cone on them are of somewhat quality. If they have tine cones on them then they are of low quality...

So I guess what your telling me is if you have a amp that weights under $10 pounds, then a line conditioner would probably help you a bit

hehe... sound quality by weight... what a concept!

 

[Ampdog]

Conditioners and lightning protection

Also see "Plugging an amp into the Wall" under the sub-forum "Amps, Pre-pros and Receivers".

The subject matter is similar, and will prevent repetition here.

 

[zumbo]

I have had lightning toast my equipment. The vacuum will send nasty sounds through the system. I believe lights have been covered. For these three reasons, mainly the first, I purchased the ACE 315. Read about it here: http://www.wildwestelectronics.net/adcom-ace615-power-conditioner.html

I left out one other reason. I ran out of places to plug stuff in. LOL