Power conditioners a complete lie?

[Driver_King]

Is this any good? (Compared to the APC) I also saw a two outlet power conditioner from Walmart that would be nice for my A2-300 that has no protection at all. Considering I live in "The Lightning Capital of The World" in Tampa Bay, Florida and have crappy "surge protectors" protecting all my equipment, I thought it would be a good time to get one for the new year. Thanks.

[bruss01]

Most people don't realize that a voltage "sag" is hard on electronic equipment. Ever notice when your AC kicks on or in some cases the fridge motor cycles, you get a momentary dimming of the house lights? Not a lot, but noticeable. Well, that's a power sag. Depending on what your local wiring is like, somebody running a blender or starting up a clothes dryer in the neighboring apartment can do this too. I've been told that this is hard on electronics over time, because whatever job they are doing, for that moment in time, they are being asked to do it with less voltage than they need.

This is why I am of the opinion that a surge suppressor strip such as is sold in hardware stores is insufficient. I have all my computer and network equipment attached to APC units. These not only prevent surges, but they also boost the power output to normal levels during a temporary sag. I have not had a failure of an electronic component plugged into one of these - EVER - in the years I have been doing this.

[Driver_King]

Is this a good deal? Would it be as good as the other unit you guys were showing me? Also, anyone have any opinions or suggestions for the other conditioners I posted earlier?

[Driver_King]

Which ones would be best out of what I listed and would the cheap 2 outlet conditioner work for just my sub?

[Zman2k2]

Now that I've been reading this, I've begun to question my HT protection. Currently I'm running with this surge suppressor, but I got it free when I bought my TV. I'm wondering if this is enough or should I look at getting something more?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

Howdy, I am a licensed Master Electrician and I will tell you that sags & surges are real and they are a real threat to your electronic equipment. I paid good money, like the rest of you I'm sure for my Home Theatre gear. I know that it needs to be protected. I have three forms of protection for my equipment, 1) I installed a dedicated 20amp 120volt circuit for my stuff with #12awg from the breaker panel. 2) I have an APC 1500VA UPS with AVR plugged into that. 3) I have an APC Surge Suppression plug strip plugged into the UPS and all of my equipment goes into the strip. Now the strip might be viewed as overkill but no, there are not enough receptacles in my UPS so i use the strip for power distribution. i also have my cable and Dish network boxes coax going through it as well as my ethernet that goes to a hub for my network enabled components. I can't tell you how many times people have had either a lightning strike, surge or sage that have lasted more than 3 seconds destroy their equipment. You spend so much money on these things and get CHEAP little plug strips. most of the time this is due to ignorance in the belief that this is enough, well, IT'S NOT! All of my equipment is well protected with all three forms mentioned. I had a good friend who lost a plasma and a blu-ray player both connected with a $15 plug strip called a Surge Protector. Spending a couple of Hundred dollars on REAL protection will not only protect your equipment from electrical faults from both nature and the power utility it will also extend the life of your equipment by giving it good clean power. Trust me on this, I'm a professional and this is almost 30 years talking to you!

THIS SHOULD BE A "STICKY" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[saprano]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

Howdy, I am a licensed Master Electrician and I will tell you that sags & surges are real and they are a real threat to your electronic equipment. I paid good money, like the rest of you I'm sure for my Home Theatre gear. I know that it needs to be protected. I have three forms of protection for my equipment, 1) I installed a dedicated 20amp 120volt circuit for my stuff with #12awg from the breaker panel. 2) I have an APC 1500VA UPS with AVR plugged into that. 3) I have an APC Surge Suppression plug strip plugged into the UPS and all of my equipment goes into the strip. Now the strip might be viewed as overkill but no, there are not enough receptacles in my UPS so i use the strip for power distribution. i also have my cable and Dish network boxes coax going through it as well as my ethernet that goes to a hub for my network enabled components. I can't tell you how many times people have had either a lightning strike, surge or sage that have lasted more than 3 seconds destroy their equipment. You spend so much money on these things and get CHEAP little plug strips. most of the time this is due to ignorance in the belief that this is enough, well, IT'S NOT! All of my equipment is well protected with all three forms mentioned. I had a good friend who lost a plasma and a blu-ray player both connected with a $15 plug strip called a Surge Protector. Spending a couple of Hundred dollars on REAL protection will not only protect your equipment from electrical faults from both nature and the power utility it will also extend the life of your equipment by giving it good clean power. Trust me on this, I'm a professional and this is almost 30 years talking to you!

So what are people talking about when they say PC's are useless?
im buying one anyway to see for myself but over the past 2 weeks i've been doing some research and i always find a group of people that really seem to thinks its not worth it.......but a $20 or $40 surge protector is?
and for every person that say you dont need it there's always another one that says you do, only one way to find out.

[saprano]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

THIS SHOULD BE A "STICKY" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

agreed!!!

[Driver_King]

I get power sags all the time. My celing fan is the thing that shows it the most. Whenever there is a lot off bass or an loud music playing, the light dims and returns to normal. Typically I have the lights out for movies though...

[crazyBLUE]

Well it's THAT time of year to be asking for things DK !!!

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

I didnt expect better PQ and AQ just more piece of mind

[ak808]

I think most people that say it is not needed or useless think that by using this they'll see another level of clarity and sound. This is not always the case or rather rarely the case. I agree with betaman in that it all depends on the level of your components.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

THIS SHOULD BE A "STICKY" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I added his comments as a contributing point to this thread....

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=71897


It'll hopefully grow into a "Catch-all/FAQ" thread...... IF PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE

[airkitty]

Hello,
I purchased the Panamax 4300 from Tweeter this weekend for $90. It was 70% off due to store closing. I believe that investments should be made to protect assets and this is another example of this philosophy.
Mark
Sony KDL40V3000
Marantz 7002
Panasonic BD30
Panamax 4300
etc..

[saprano]

$90?
which tweeter did you get it from, is there anymore left?

[Lucy Diamond]

I have a simple surge protector for my home theater and a completely tricked out rack mounted line conditioner to power my guitar amps (4 Mesa/ Booogies and vintage Marshall and a Vintage Fender) and I can't tell you a damn thing about the home audio portion of this thread but as soon as I bought my Furman, it tightened up the attack (when you hit a note) and the response (when the transformer fires the energy to the tube grid) like nobody's business. Mesas are super b*tchy when it comes to crap power and when you run that much pre-gain (5 stages) you hear the difference.

My point...if it is doing something for me as a guitarist, it MUST be doing something for You/me/ us as a home theater enthusiast.

[aramis109]

Hey guys- If you use the 60% off coupon g179w at checkout, you can get the H15 for $127 shipped- it's about $119 before shipping right now.


http://www.apc.com/resource/include/...=us&segmentID=


Please tell me I got a good deal.

[tlinnert]

You got a great deal aramis! I just received mine and I purchased mine last week for $170 and thought I was getting a steal. Congrats!

[DezNutz]

I got a Monster Power conditioner, for both peace of mind and difference in use. I live in an old house, and the wiring is just as old, so hooking up alot of high proce components to an old line, that I experience about 3 power surges a year on, was a no brainer to get a decent surge protector and conditioner.. I have hear decent things about the monster power conditioners as well.. so it has worked out so far.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by DezNutz

I got a Monster Power conditioner, for both peace of mind and difference in use. I live in an old house, and the wiring is just as old, so hooking up alot of high proce components to an old line, that I experience about 3 power surges a year on, was a no brainer to get a decent surge protector and conditioner.. I have hear decent things about the monster power conditioners as well.. so it has worked out so far.

Old house here too, and last night I was playing some Fallout 3 and got two brownouts in the neighborhood. My lights flickered for a few seconds and then died while all my equipment was on. Really scared me and then this deal came up today. Decided it was Providence and took the plunge.