surge protecter and line conditioner recommendation

apc furman panamax they all do the job its a cosmetic thing after that.

I like Panamax, and I buy them from "Power Systems Direct" which is a Panamax authorized internet dealer. Their pricing is reasonable - certainly less than the stuff at BB.

what minimum joule rating is recommended

as higher joules = higher price

ty

In a very general sense, the joule rating is related to the longevity of the device. Kind of like a very thin vs thick bullet proof vest.

so the firefighter's coat will stop a BB gun
but it won't stop a 357

with lightning/power surges
do we need to stop a bullet or a BB shot

and what is this recommended joule rating

ty

I just bought a Pure AV HT power conditioner at Sams Club today for $70, from what I've seen on the internet that's a good price and this thing looks like it should be pretty substancial. If nothing else I've got a bigger power strip and should provide more conditioning, surge protection, and isolation than the regular surge protector I had before. I'm sorta hoping it takes away some of the grainy picture on my new LCD when watching SD programming.

I wouldn't bet on it. Most suppression units have some power conditioning in the way of emi/rfi filtering....but this generally doesn't improve picture quality to any visible degree.

I've had a lot of experience with APC units, and they seem to get the job done quite well. I've gotten to work with some pretty fun 400lb models... try carrying that up 3 flights of stairs!

Are Line Conditioners snake oil, or is there really a need to "Clean" the power to your AV equipment? Do they do something useful like protect from the split second power outages?

Depends. Is your power really noisy and dirty?


Depends. Some do, some don't. The term 'line conditioner' encompasses everything from an extension cord with an MOV in it to a power regenerator with UPS.

When we first moved into our new home- I had a electrician run two dedicated 15 amp lines to my AV center {both lines have a surge protector on them} I was concerned about the 1938 electrical wiring being able to keep up with the AV gear demands. My plasma PQ was really good and I like the PQ. Then we had some flickering in the house lights we call PGE and they came out and determine, at the pole, the negative leads were corroded and replaced them. Remembering something I read here at avs about clean power, I immediately turned on the plasma and the PQ was much better. For what it's worth- check the power into you home too. {I didn't hear or test if the stereo sounded better}.
db

nothing and i mean nothing will prevent damage from a direct hit and if it will
we probably can not afford it.

I use mine as surge protectors only, though the Panamax surge strip I have does call itself a line conditioner... meh.

im redoing my entire room setup and will be purchasing a pioneer 4270 or 940hd. I have an xbox 360,ps3,ps2,xbox,wii,infinity 5.1 stereo system, computer as well as other items such as cell phones, ipod,phone, ac, humidifier etc. Whats the best surge protector to get? Should i purchase more than 1 as i have so many things to plug in? Whats the deal with MOV's? Read from a few sites that they are bad while other sites say they aren't. Please help me out. Thanks

Do you own your own home blove145? And FWIW, what general geographical area do you live in?
It'll help in drafting a reasonable reply to your question.

thanks for the prompt reply Chu Gai, no i dont own...I live @ home with my parents in NYC.

I wouldn't worry about the AC or humidifier. Depending upon what you want the unit(s) to do, you could go very basic by buying like the Stratitec (directron.com) which would handle most of what else you've got. Might need two. OTOH, if you want the device to also have things like switched/unswitched outlets, 12 volt triggers and other things, you'll need something like the shelf/rack mount units from APC, Panamax, Belkin, TrippLite, etc. The former will set you back around 25 or so while the latter you're looking at spending about 10x more.

What is better, a UPS (battery backup) or a surge protector? I can get a very good deal on a 10 outlet Belkin PureAV Isolator (also a surge protector I believe).

What do you need? Does your AC voltage sag or surge?

I'm not sure about surges but I know we have power outages roughly once a month.

Well, if you want something that will let your system sail through them, you need a UPS. It should also handle brownouts (sags) and surges without interruption. A standard surge protector will only protect, that is, shut down the AC to protect the components.

I mainly just want the TV to be protected. If brownouts and outages won't hurt it, then I can get a surge protector. I was under the impression that sags were bad for electronics. Is that true?

It's true. Panamax makes several units, without UPS, that will block surges and that also will disconnect during a brownout. Perhaps others do, too.

Do you have sags?

I am old enough.

I don't know whether or not I have "clean" power. How can I tell? What should I look for? I live in Phoenix, AZ. We don't often have power outages. I'm installing a 1080p 50" plasma, surround speakers, receiver, and up-converting DVD player in my family room next week. My HE installer recommends the Belkin PureAV Home Theater Battery Backup with AVR Technology... here's the link:
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=195291

He can get it for $250. What do you think? Is it really necessary? Can I get away with a less expensive surge protector or is the battery back-up and noise reduction a good idea? Will it really make a perceptible difference in picture and audio quality? If you don't think I need the Belkin, what less expensive option do you recommend?

Thanks for the advice!

Saibari,

See the link in this forum for an answer to the same question asked there.

If you have not witnessed any degredation of electrical appliances, loss of power or overheating equipment.....why do you need to add power conditioning and battery back up?