Surge Protection/power conditioning ?

[Soundman]

Well, I'm in the market for some protection on my recent investments. I know there are no guarantees as far as protection goes, especially with lightning strikes, but was wondering if there is a sweet spot in this area. I know there is a lot of debate about whether it's worth investing money in this area (the law of dininishing return). I have looked at brands such as APC and Belkin b/c they have a good reputation for making good products.
In my area, the power seems to be a bit unstable at times, I get surges quite frequently it seems on my computer for no apparent reason. I have an APC battery backup for it and it works pretty well. So, I was wondering if anyone has some reccomendations for home audio. I just want to make sure I have some protection considering the money I have recently put into it and will be doing in the future as well. Let me know your recomendations, model #'s etc to look at as well as what's a good price point. (at what point is that money being wasted). I just want to make sure my new gear doesn't get fried , and want to replace my current surge protector with something better. Thanks.

 

[Soundman]

Hmmm tough crowd.

 

[MDS]

All of the known brands have similar units at similar price points, except Monster of course which are much higher.

I haven't bought one yet but believe it will be the APC H10. The Belkins are nice but I don't like silver components. Panamax are well regarded but have fewer features (like voltage or current readouts, if you care about that) at the same price point as APC or Belkin.

I'd suggest going to the manufacturer website and reading the manuals for the ones you are considering to get an idea of what features they offer.

 

[Soundman]

All of the known brands have similar units at similar price points, except Monster of course which are much higher.

I haven't bought one yet but believe it will be the APC H10. The Belkins are nice but I don't like silver components. Panamax are well regarded but have fewer features (like voltage or current readouts, if you care about that) at the same price point as APC or Belkin.

I'd suggest going to the manufacturer website and reading the manuals for the ones you are considering to get an idea of what features they offer.

Thanks for the input. I like the H10 too! There's just something cool about black, especially when the lights go out. I've seen some of the the Panamax and Belkin's similar products for less money though. However, I did see the H10 on sale for $199! Not bad. Anyone else have an opinion or experience with any of these products?

 

[avaserfi]

Thanks for the input. I like the H10 too! There's just something cool about black, especially when the lights go out. I've seen some of the the Panamax and Belkin's similar products for less money though. However, I did see the H10 on sale for $199! Not bad. Anyone else have an opinion or experience with any of these products?

I own a Belkin PF60 which I bought for around $160 shipped brand new from ecost.com. They have various sales where they sell tons of random electronics dirt cheap they carry the APC H10 as well and I have seen it for a similar price. I would keep an eye on their site as they don't seem to advertise their sales too often, but they sure are great.

Also, MDS is right most of the brands are very similar. Just make sure you get an UL approved unit (all listed brands do so as far as I know) and you will be in the clear .

 

[Bluesmoke]

Didn't want to start a new thread.

Is this Belkin PF30 a good buy? I intend to plug my projector, my receiver, Xbox 360 and PS3.

 

[Soundman]

Didn't want to start a new thread.

Is this Belkin PF30 a good buy? I intend to plug my projector, my receiver, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Good question. not sure, but it looks like it only ha 5 protected outlets vs the 11 or 12 the PF60 OR h10 has. But it is a bit cheaper.

 

[Soundman]

All of the known brands have similar units at similar price points, except Monster of course which are much higher.

I haven't bought one yet but believe it will be the APC H10. The Belkins are nice but I don't like silver components. Panamax are well regarded but have fewer features (like voltage or current readouts, if you care about that) at the same price point as APC or Belkin.

I'd suggest going to the manufacturer website and reading the manuals for the ones you are considering to get an idea of what features they offer.

Oh, just a thought. I heard someone say the H10 makes a loud clicking sound b/c it has the voltage regulator feature. So, when this is happening, it makes the sound. Is this true, and if so, would this be distracting during music or movie playback?

 

[MDS]

I can't answer that because I have yet to purchase the H10. I've heard that criticism too and am curious myself. I know there is at least one member here that owns the H10 or H15 (jcPanny?) so maybe he could comment on it if he sees this thread.

 

[Hi Ho]

I have installed several H10s and I have never noticed any clicking at any time other than power up. I haven't been around them in operation for extended periods of time though.

 

[Adam]

I have a Belkin PureAV PF31D (about $140 here at Amazon.com). I wish that I could completely turn off the front display light, but other than that it works fine.

I recently bought a Belkin PureAV power strip for my parents for $32 (about half price on sale at buy.com - I've seen it for that price twice). It probably works just as good as mine. Just depends on if you want something in your rack with the other components.

 

[penpitt]

I have an H10 and have never noticed a clicking sound other then power up

 

[matthewdclarkaz]

Apc

I personally own a panamax, but my only reason I purchased it over any other brand was price at the time (huge discount.) I think when I buy my next one (for TV and Audio) it will be an APC though. One thing that APC offers that most don't is battery backup (AVR as well) and power filtration in one unit for a great price. Other brands like panamax you have to chain units, and it gets expensive. Belkin used to have a combo UPS/UBS AVR A/V Filtration unit that was at a great price, but I don't know if they still do.

Watch out for AVS's though. From what I understand about how they work, they really are not worth the cash-ola (though I think monster is the main manufacture of HT avs's)

I know this is way after the fact, but I thought I would through that out there in case anyone else was looking.