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If you are reading this you must have developed some interest in protecting your gear.
I am hoping a lot of people will chime in so we can use the information here to make an informed decision.
I am not at all an expert on this (far from it actually), so if any section of
this opening post is complete BS, I will correct it!
This is thread intended to:
Problems to solve listed in order of importance (interpret as you like):
There are still a few terms I don't know how to qualify so I'll just mention them and someone smarter might shed some light:
1. Line noise caused by RFI and EMI interference.
2. Harmonic distortion. Has something to do with non-linear loads from the connected devices, I think
.
What connections to protect (all equally important)
1. Power to the devices(
)
2. I don't know of the different systems (Europe vs America) but the coax cable which holds the TV signals
3. For digital interactive TV, CAT 5 UTP cable and or DSL cable
The summary after googling a few days:
Problem's 1 and 2 are typically handled by a surge suppressor. A surge suprressor will be often embedded in the product that will handle problems 3 and 4: a line conditioner with balanced power output(I suspect this is the same as voltage regulation). Different power zones (so that one piece of equipment connected does not cause interference to other equipment) also seems like a good idea. For problem 5 a battery UPS is required. A true online UPS, also named a double conversion UPS, should cover 3-5 and and thus solve most power related problems. Unfortunately, they often SEEM to fall short as a surge/transient protector because or their low joule rating. Is this because a true online UPS uses different means to protect from surges and transients? Just take a look at the true online double conversion SMART UPS line from APC, which typically has a joule rating around 400-600 whilst many surge suppressors go well beyond 2000 joules. As a true online UP makes it own AC created from a DC source a surge may very well only take out the UPS and not the equipment. Clarity is really needed here. Oh, I have no idea what problem 6 exactly entails, but an online UPS should solve this too. The reason for all of this is that it 'creates' (regenerates) new clean power when it converts battery power back to AC.
Now, audiophiles have additional criteria. These have something to do with class D vs class AB equipment. The gest of it is that some UPS/conditioning equipment generates harmonics which have an influence on audio.
So, the question is: is there a good device out there that does all this? Clean problem free power (as a sine wave, not stepped), whilst not impacting audio negatively, that provides enough standby time to safely shutdown the equipment? Please note that devices that only offer limited surge protection MAY be assisted by a device placed at the electricity service entrance. I do not know as to what extent this will provide added protection. If someone with a background in electrical engineering could address this question
.
Another side note is that 'high-end' often seems to go hand in hand with 'split-up'. Perhaps it is possible to place a top notch line surge suppressor (either a device or something at the service entrance) before the line conditioner and then connect the latter to a UPS. Something tells me this will create havoc if I would do that
.
In closing, I've included a list of manufacturers that, during my search, have come up enough times to be worth mentioned (in no particular order):
I am hoping a lot of people will chime in so we can use the information here to make an informed decision.
I am not at all an expert on this (far from it actually), so if any section of
this opening post is complete BS, I will correct it!
This is thread intended to:
- collect and centralize some expert opinions on the matter of surge protection, power conditioning (concerned with general power imperfections), balanced power and noise suppression (more concerned with audio).
- select a range of good products (best value for money). As this is a high-end-gear thread, quality obviously comes before price. I'm sure there are some good products to be found below $1000.
Problems to solve listed in order of importance (interpret as you like):
- Surge suppression
- Switching transients
- Consistent over voltage
- Brownouts and sags
- Black outs (for the projector folks). UPS capability is not that important.
15-30 min. tops should suffice. - Frequency variation (no perfect sine wave?)
There are still a few terms I don't know how to qualify so I'll just mention them and someone smarter might shed some light:
1. Line noise caused by RFI and EMI interference.
2. Harmonic distortion. Has something to do with non-linear loads from the connected devices, I think

What connections to protect (all equally important)
1. Power to the devices(

2. I don't know of the different systems (Europe vs America) but the coax cable which holds the TV signals
3. For digital interactive TV, CAT 5 UTP cable and or DSL cable
The summary after googling a few days:
Problem's 1 and 2 are typically handled by a surge suppressor. A surge suprressor will be often embedded in the product that will handle problems 3 and 4: a line conditioner with balanced power output(I suspect this is the same as voltage regulation). Different power zones (so that one piece of equipment connected does not cause interference to other equipment) also seems like a good idea. For problem 5 a battery UPS is required. A true online UPS, also named a double conversion UPS, should cover 3-5 and and thus solve most power related problems. Unfortunately, they often SEEM to fall short as a surge/transient protector because or their low joule rating. Is this because a true online UPS uses different means to protect from surges and transients? Just take a look at the true online double conversion SMART UPS line from APC, which typically has a joule rating around 400-600 whilst many surge suppressors go well beyond 2000 joules. As a true online UP makes it own AC created from a DC source a surge may very well only take out the UPS and not the equipment. Clarity is really needed here. Oh, I have no idea what problem 6 exactly entails, but an online UPS should solve this too. The reason for all of this is that it 'creates' (regenerates) new clean power when it converts battery power back to AC.
Now, audiophiles have additional criteria. These have something to do with class D vs class AB equipment. The gest of it is that some UPS/conditioning equipment generates harmonics which have an influence on audio.
So, the question is: is there a good device out there that does all this? Clean problem free power (as a sine wave, not stepped), whilst not impacting audio negatively, that provides enough standby time to safely shutdown the equipment? Please note that devices that only offer limited surge protection MAY be assisted by a device placed at the electricity service entrance. I do not know as to what extent this will provide added protection. If someone with a background in electrical engineering could address this question

Another side note is that 'high-end' often seems to go hand in hand with 'split-up'. Perhaps it is possible to place a top notch line surge suppressor (either a device or something at the service entrance) before the line conditioner and then connect the latter to a UPS. Something tells me this will create havoc if I would do that

In closing, I've included a list of manufacturers that, during my search, have come up enough times to be worth mentioned (in no particular order):
- APC (Schneider)
- PSaudio
- Liebert (don't really know if they do dual conversion?)
- Eaton (Powerware)
- Tripp Lite
- Monster (not many people seem to like this brand and accusations go as far as that Monster is not outputting a true sine wave)
- Surgex
- Equi=Tech
- Panamax
- Brickwall. Not that known (I think) but they seem to be VERY confident
http://www.brickwall.com/index.htm