[FlawlessOne]

I just bought this....

http://www.monstercable.com/productPage.asp?pin=2125


it's a surge protector and power cleaner and was amazed at the increase in picture quality. I had no idea the ac power cleaner would create such a dramatic improvement in black levels and color accuracy as well as overall picture clarity.


Does anyone know why this is such a great impovement???

 

[jeffleonard]

I'm going to guess placebo effect?


Not flaming, and I may be wrong, but how is it remotely possible to get a better picture through a "power cleaner"?


A better DVI cable, fine. Better interconnects between components, fine.


I'm calling bulls*** on Monster Cables with this product.

 

[Stew4msu]

We have a lady that comes in every other week to clean our house. Every six weeks or so, I give her an extra $20 to clean the power too.





Stew

 

[FlawlessOne]

I would have agreed a day ago! Sounded like total nonsense, but the results are dramatic! I'm not talking slightly better either.


Sanyo PLV-Z2 (cable HDTV)

Bravo D1


PS- Please leave the useless comments to yourself, thanks.

 

[jeffleonard]

If screenshots weren't almost useless, I would ask you to post some.


My vote is still for placebo effect. How much is this thing? If I can get a decent return policy (because I can't imagine for the life of me that it's going to work), I may submit myself to a test.


Now, what do you have plugged into this thing? All components? Projector only? Details requested....


stealth edit: Now, you're going to have to put up with some sarcastic comments. You're making a pretty big claim here...

 

[FlawlessOne]

"You're making a pretty big claim here..."


Not at all... for my system it worked well which doesn't necessarily translate to your system at all. I have the projector (direct), cable (direct), and another surge protector plugged into the unit attached to my NAD receiver and HD cable box.


As for the plecebo effect comment, perhaps you don't understand how offensive that comment is yet?


My guess is that the cable is the biggest beneficary, but I haven't tested that theory yet.


google the price...

 

[jeffleonard]

FlawlessOne, relax. I'm not trying to offend you, as I thought I made clear in my initial post. I'm just trying to see how this could work. And I hardly think that suggesting placebo effect is offensive, as you're making a rather subjective claim. Let's just start over, nice and friendly. There I am.


Now, when you say picture improvement, are you taking about DVD, HD cable and SD cable? Or one moreso than the others? If you're talking about SD or analog cable picture improvement, okay, I'll buy that. Running your cable through a filter and getting a better image makes a lot more sense to me than the projector/dvd player putting out a better picture with clean power.


By the way, what do they claim clean power actually is? A perfect wave?

 

[FlawlessOne]

Glad to clear that up!


As far as the greatest improvement, HD cable sees by far the greatest improvements, but SD cable and DVD stand improvements as well especially with the color accuracy.


From their website referring to Clean Power Ver 2.0: (my ver 1.0)


"Building upon his revolutionary Clean Power ™ Circuitry breakthrough, world-renowned AC power authority Richard Marsh introduces Clean Power ™ v.2.0, which delivers improved filtering and isolation of polluted AC power to Monster’s HTS 5100, for even better picture and sound. So you’ll see the most vivid video possible and hear more natural sound with increased dynamic range and less noise."


"Polluted" AC power can degrade the audiophile performance you expect from your home theatre components. Unless you live directly behind Hoover Dam, your AC power is most likely "polluted" by appliances sharing the same power line with your home theatre components. Electrical power tools, refrigerators, air conditioners, radio transmitter, cellular phones, microwave ovens, even your neighbor's freezer, all generate electromagnetic interference and radio frequency noise which pollutes the AC power and degrades audio and video performance. Even your other home theatre components generate noise interference-adding more "pollution" to your AC power. As a result, you'll hear a loss of dynamic range and resolution with a compressed soundstage and imprecise imaging. You'll see less color detail and sharpness in your TV picture quality. And you'll never know how much of the essential drama is gone in the high performance picture and sound your home theatre was designed to deliver. Monster's Clean Power Circuitry filters "pollution" on the AC power for improved sonic performance and picture resolution. Designed by world-renowned AC power expert Richard Marsh, Monster's Clean Power Circuitry employs special non-resonant filters to reduce RF, EMI and other distortions on your AC power line. The results give you dramatic improvements in sonic performance and picture resolution. Your music and sound will seem to emerge from a "blacker" background, rather than a "gray area." Midrange textures become more liquid and balanced. A sweeter and brighter treble sweeps the high end without harshness or a metallic character. Sound staging improves with greater transparency, tighter image focus and a well-rendered soundstage depth. Your picture resolution will be sharper with less color shift."



Very, very rarely does a product work as advertised, but I must admit this product actually does work. I still can't believe it.

 

[RDaneel]

I was always skeptical of claims about clean power and PQ improvments, but I witnessed one in my system as well. However, I upgraded from a surge only (Brickwall) to an ExactPower EP-15A, a $2000+ (MSRP) ac filter, which I would trust long before anything from Monster. That being said, if you have poor AC quality, you can see a difference if your video system is negatively impacted by the power... my RPTV did have less noise (though a slight difference) as did my audio system.

 

[edfowler]

I am using a Monster 3500 stage 3 or 4 ac unit. When I first got my Z2, I picked up a HTS500 (i think is the #) and the picture quality improvement was great. I got it for $150 at Circuit City. I figured if the 500 was good, why not run it thru my 3500? I returned it to CC and ran the projector off of the 3500.

Now I think I will get the 500 again because it just seemed to do a better job with the lone projector. Trouble is, they are $300 now! It must have been mispriced when I got the first one.

I beleive in clean power so much that I am installing a seperate breaker panel with its own ground and everything for the theater we are building.

I am also having the power company run a new 200 amp service and install a new line transformer from the power lines. Wonder if that will make any difference???

 

[maddogmc]

Quote:

Originally posted by jeffleonard FlawlessOne, relax. I'm not trying to offend you...

Wait! we need some offending


We haven't had one of those "my super deluxe, low ozone, high chrolumdium cable is bettter than yours" threads in a while!


I have great hope for this thread providing some comic relief!

 

[drummer34]

I have been a long time lurker in these forums and for the first time I am going to respond to what is seemingly the most ridiculous thread ever. However the post is valid. I am a musician and power line conditioners are used on all our gear to reduce unwanted noise, electronic hums and hiccups in voltage regulation. What you get is a remarkably clear signal which is clearly discernible. I still feel Monster products are grossly overpriced and if you want to achieve the same results at less than half the price look into power conditioners for music gear.

 

[jeffleonard]

Hey, welcome to the AVS forums! I like the fact that it was this thread that got your first post.


I am really trying to keep an open mind about this. I can understand how running the cable through the unit can help with picture quality. I can't understand why the Z2 would fire a better picture with a smoother wave signal. But, I want to believe.


Flawless is pretty adamant that this unit improved his PQ, so I have to give his arguement some merit.


I am waiting for an ISF technician to report in this thread, and give us a technical answer as to how this is possible.


ISF's?

 

[Josh Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by drummer34 I am a musician and power line conditioners are used on all our gear to reduce unwanted noise, electronic hums and hiccups in voltage regulation.

I also use a line conditioner at home, and I found it a good investment primarily because I have power dips in the summer months. I cannot claim that the line conditioner has ever improved my picture or sound quality beyond keeping things running uniformly when they might otherwise be affected by a power dip. Your mileage may vary.


That said, I have also owned one of these Monster "Clean Power" filters, and to be frank it did nothing that a $10 surge protected from the local hardware store doesn't do. Total rip-off. In my experience, any difference seen is almost certainly placebo effect.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Uhhh isn't a digital PJ just that? DIGITAL? Either the PJ and source has enough power or not and if it helped then it fixed a weird problem (unlikely) IMO. I can see how some power conditioner helps a musician playing analog instruments and even on a limb it isolates the cable box for analog cable but come on now guys. Flawlessone, I gotta go with placebo effect or you sell Monster products. It's right up there with the Tornado air thingie for cars and gas magnets that give you 200mpg. BTW I do still sell the electron scrubbing helper monkeys! Get one now before they're all gone!

 

[drummer34]

i am not trying to argue the original posters point that his picture quality has improved. My only problem is with others telling him that what he sees different is only in his mind. Much of musical instruments are digital. Digital signals are conveyed through discrete changes in the state of the signal like the presence or abscence of voltage (1 or 0). This make the digital signal's content LESS susceptible to electrical noise when it is regenerated and should eliminate noise or distortion along the circuit. Maybe it doesn't always.

 

[jeffleonard]

Quote:

Originally posted by drummer34 i am not trying to argue the original posters point that his picture quality has improved. My only problem is with others telling him that what he sees different is only in his mind. Much of musical instruments are digital. Digital signals are conveyed through discrete changes in the state of the signal like the presence or abscence of voltage (1 or 0). This make the digital signal's content LESS susceptible to electrical noise when it is regenerated and should eliminate noise or distortion along the circuit. Maybe it doesn't always.

Right. If you had interference or something on a circuit, this should help. I think this would be more of a noticable improvement with audio. (i.e could possibly kill any ground loop hum, hissing, etc.)


I think the question here is with black levels and color clarity. Maybe (maybe)if you had some sort of interference at 60 HZ on your projector, and your projector is trying to run at 60 HZ, this device could "stabilize" the picture.


Like I said before, I want to believe. This is all subjective so far.

 

[undetected]

Another lurker here. I think I remember reading in another thread that a clean power supply can make a difference in the video itself. Yup, found it in the AE700 thread. There are further replies to this post later on in the thread (it's only about 60+ pages so far, you'll find them ).


Again, trying to recall what I read, I think someone said that YMMV depending on what you're getting off your wall, so if you try it and it doesn't make a difference, maybe you're getting relatively clean power already.


Okay, I found the posts, but the problem with lurking is you don't post enough to get the permission to post URLs. Oh well. The first post is on p. 54, about 5th from the bottom. The other post is on p. 55, 12th from the top.

 

[Shock96]

Ok, anyone who needs a refresher on AC line noise and ground loop issues please visit and read the following article.

http://industryclick.com//magazinear...=49&mode=print


This article also has some useful information
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/how...rlinedist.html


I have a larger Monster PDU (HT1000) for the main system and a separate

Monster A200 just for the projector on another circuit. When I used the Audio Prism Noise Sniffer (Thanks Desco!) the EMI and RF interference on my circuits was significant. My home is older with original wiring so that was to be expected. After plugging in the A200 the EMI and RF noise was reduced to almost undetectable levels and the picture was perfect. The HT1000 eliminated all EMI and RF noise on the main circuit (Amp, DVD, HDbox etc)


So, there is no mystery to this subject. A quality line conditioner removes RF and EMI garbage from the line. If your house is older with a less effective ground you will see more of an improvement than a new house with fresh wiring and grounds. Simple as that.


Mike

 

[Insider]

It seems that both camps have made some good points in this thread. A portion of the improvements may be subjective. Yet, it wouldn't surprise me if you are getting a genuine improvement in picture quality. However, if a major improvement in background noise level is noticable, a check up on the rooms circuits may be a good idea.


Example, I was getting rather annoying hum bars on my screen. While replacing an outlet, I noticed that the wires supplying power to the outlet the projector was on were not in great shape and somewhat incorrectly installed. After cleaning them off and correctly connecting them, my hum bars almost completely disappeared (still have a loop between the DirecTv feed and the rest of the system).


Also as mentioned by others, if your power is spotty and prone to dips and spikes, the conditioner will take the workload off the power supply in the gear. Now that the FCC has given the power companies the green light to go ahead with BPL, there's going to be a lot of noise on the power lines in the future.