Power Conditioner VS Power Strip/Monster VS Panamax

[umich08]

So, I've been a-thinkin'. I currently have my home theater equipment hooked up to a Monster Home Theater Power Center HT700 that offers 1850 joules of protection that also offers "Clean Power" to my system. Should I consider upgrading my power strip or getting a power conditioner?

If a conditioner would be wise to add on I was considering a MP HDP 1800 by Monster or the M4300-PM by Panamax. I continue to hear rave reviews on the Panamax, but the Monster offers 5526 joules of protection and the Panamax only 1650 joules. What's the opinion out there? Do I even need to add one of these to my Power Center protection? THANKS!

[kareface]

I don't know about that exact model, but I've decided after a great deal of research to get the Panamax M5400-PM when I finally bite the bullet and pick one up. After looking at user reviews and comments from professional test labs I think they are a great value (as long as you aren't paying full price). However that was based in the price range I was looking at so I can't comment on the model you are comparing.

[HeManster03]

umich08- If you still have the same setup that is in your gallery then you definately want to avoid a strip and go with a conditioner. I am not familiar with the Panamax model you are looking at, but I have the 1800 in my gallery, and I am very happy with it. You want something that will split your audio and video onto seperate circuits so you get no interference on either end. The joule protection won't really make a difference IMHO only because it doesn't look like you have enough equipment that would need protecting. I would say go with what you think would look best in your setup and what will do the least amount of damage to your wallet. I'm sure you can get some other great advice from some senior members on this site as well. Happy hunting man.

[thePope666]

Originally Posted by HeManster03

umich08- If you still have the same setup that is in your gallery then you definately want to avoid a strip and go with a conditioner. I am not familiar with the Panamax model you are looking at, but I have the 1800 in my gallery, and I am very happy with it. You want something that will split your audio and video onto seperate circuits so you get no interference on either end. The joule protection won't really make a difference IMHO only because it doesn't look like you have enough equipment that would need protecting. I would say go with what you think would look best in your setup and what will do the least amount of damage to your wallet. I'm sure you can get some other great advice from some senior members on this site as well. Happy hunting man.

How long have you had your 1800? I just upgraded my HT and will need a conditioner and i found that one on amazon for $168 which was reasonable IMO. do you see any improvements with it or is it just a peace of mind?

[HeManster03]

Originally Posted by thePope666

How long have you had your 1800? I just upgraded my HT and will need a conditioner and i found that one on amazon for $168 which was reasonable IMO. do you see any improvements with it or is it just a peace of mind?

I've had it for right around a year now. Before I had a Belkin wall mountable unit so I didn't really notice a huge difference. I do, however, like the look of it on my stand(check my gallery for pics) and I like the fact that it shows the voltage. My power has spiked 2 times in the last few days due to that damn winter storm(I'm near Youngstown, Ohio and we got almost 22" overnight) and both times right before the house power went out, my voltage meter spiked really high and turned my equipment off. Honestly, you'll get alot of different views on this site, mostly good but some will tell you its a waste of time. I personally look at it as a built in insurance policy, so I'd say its about 50/50 performance and piece of mind. I would of course recommend whole house protection as well, and solardad would probably be the best person to discuss that with.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by umich08

So, I've been a-thinkin'. I currently have my home theater equipment hooked up to a Monster Home Theater Power Center HT700 that offers 1850 joules of protection that also offers "Clean Power" to my system. Should I consider upgrading my power strip or getting a power conditioner?

I would strongly recommend selling the Monster and getting a PS Audio Premier. It regenerates clean AC by converting it to DC electricity and then back to AC for your components to perform like you've never heard them.

http://www.stereophile.com/powerline...c_regenerator/

[Johnny Vinyl]

The only thing I can add to this conversation is a situation that I personally experienced:

A positive thread about MONSTER products!

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I'll bet you clicked on this thread just to see what anyone could ever possibly say about Monster products and why anyone would have something positive to say and make it public to boot! LOL! Yeah, yeah, we all know about their outrageous pricing policies and that you can buy more for less when going with other brands. I'm not denying that here, but I do want to tell you about an experience I had last night.

About a year ago I purchased a Monster HDP2400 power centre, as I got a super deal at Future Shop. I picked it up for $199 when their regular price was $469. Power centres are outrageously expensive in Canada for some reason.

Anyway here's my story:

Last night I'm about to turn off my system and decide for some reason to do it manually. Well, I had a buildup of static and as soon as I touched the power button on my Oppo player that static discharged and I could actually see the small spark it gave off. Immediately every component in my system was shut down and when I looked at the Monster unit it only had the power button light on. It returned to normal operating status a few seconds later.

I was worried for a short while and thought the worst. I then decided to power up my equipment and voila.....everything was as if nothing had ever happened.

My Monster HDP2400 did it's job and came through with flying colours! So thank you Monster......you saved me several thousands of dollars.

Just thought I'd share that.

John