Power conditioner? Is it for me?

[westom]

Originally Posted by dldevo

stage filtering is clean up of the haze and garbage that comes to us from the power company, you will be shocked at how much the grunge attached to our power supply affects what we listen to.

View the numbers. That haze and garbage is also called perfectly ideal power to electronic power supplies.

What would a line conditioner do? Filter power. What do electronics power supplies do? Same - just better. A minimal one:
First AC mains power is filtered. Then convert from AC voltage to many hundreds of volts (higher) DC. Then filtered again. Already, this minimal power supply has done more than any $hundreds line conditioner.

Then that supply converts high voltage DC to high voltage radio waves. Then filters that while converting it to low voltage radio waves. Then converts radio waves back (again) to DC. Then more filtering.

Anything that line filter is going to accomplish must already be inside electronics. Above is only minimal. Some electronics have even better 'line conditioning'. How much was that 'line conditioner' that does not claim to do this?

But when so many tell us how to think - without numbers - without the reasons why - then a massive and highly profitable market exists selling snake oil to the naive.

How easy to scam so many? Well many recommend UPSes for 'cleaner' electricity. Why? Because the majority do not demand what is only available from the more honest - numbers. Let's view numbers from a typical 120V UPS when in battery backup mode. Two 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts between those square waves. Also called a sine wave output (because square waves are a sum of sine waves). The naive call that 'cleaner' electricity.

Another example: hearsay becomes popular myth. Then a majority believe the myth. Easy when so many do not demand numbers. Those line conditioners were recommended despite facts.

ryandubbz asked about a monoprice product. A same protector sells in a grocery store for $7. Same numeric specs (because it is the same circuit). Take a $3 power strip. Add some ten cent parts. Sell it for $25 or $150. The naive will even recommend the $150 one only because the sales brochures are fancier. Those line conditioners do not answer (or do) what ryandubbz asked.

Surge protection is completely different from the many other anomalies posted. Suddenly every anomaly (including blackouts) is a same destructive transient? Total nonsense. OP only asked about surge protection. Line conditioners do provide near zero surge protection. Enough for the naïve to claim 100% protection. What happens when hearsay without numbers is promoted by a majority. Same hearsay and outright lies also proved Saddam had WMDs. You would think we all learned from history. Nope.

Surge protection requires a completely different solution. All facilities that must have effective protection do not use crappy, undersized, and excessively overpriced devices such as the monoprice unit. That monoprice unit does not even make it claims in numeric specs. Sales brochures can claim to save the world. No numbers in its numeric spec says how little it really does.

Effective solutions are located elsewhere, are available from responsible companies, and can accomplish far more at about $1 per protected appliance.