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New member Username: BderosPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | Hi all- I just want to get your opinion's on power conditioners. Is one necessary? I just added a Panasonic 50" plasma to my HT system and the reps at Best Buy highly recommended a power conditioner, the Panamax Power Conditioner. What are some thoughts out there. |
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New member Username: MusclezPost Number: 7 Registered: Apr-06 | I'd like to hear some thoughts on this as well. I was looking at a couple by Panamax and Acoustic Research. Look just like surge protectors, but apparently filter and "condition" flow also? |
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New member Username: NfminstallerPost Number: 3 Registered: Apr-06 | As a previous sales rep, Monster has some pretty convincing displays that make you think you need some of this stuff. As an owner of such a product, I do notice a difference, but it's not a significant difference where I live. As an installer of a/v equipment, there are some houses that absolutely NEED this type of equipment. In my case, I probably didn't need it, but I have seen way too many houses that do. I think the biggest question as to whether or not you should get one is are you experiencing problems, and what type of equipment do you have. Obv the better the equipment/larger the tv, you are going to notice the difference more. I definitly wouldn't recommend a conditioner on a HTIB, but if you have a good sound system and a large tv, it's probably a good investment. That said, most people don't use the proper power strip for thier AV systems and most of the correct ones have conditioning on them anyway, so it's probably worth getting one anyway! Here's a few tricks I've learned to help you decide if you need one. 1-If you have an old power strip with a light on it, plug it into the wall outlet you plan on using and then plug your equipment to it and turn it all on and get it going. If the light on the power strip does not stay constant (flickers), you would benefit from a conditioner. 2-If your overhead lights flicker when your ac, dishwasher, fridge, or laundry equipment turn on, then you need one. 3-If you have a hum on your amp when you turn it up (with no music playing) then you need one. 4-Interference on your picture is sometimes caused by power issues too, so if you have noise on your picture, that might mean you need one too. |
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New member Username: BigpoppaphileSAINT CLOUD, MN United States Post Number: 10 Registered: Mar-06 | excellent post bob, very practical advice, I have often wondered as well about the "fluff" and hype of those monster store displays. However, I was researching for a conditioner myself as I have 1-4 of above problems, and came across this http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product_Id=4004157&JRSource=google.dataf eed.TRL+HT10DBS. is this a good brand/product compared to the monster alternatives? And is it indeed a conditioner or just a surge protector? My main goal is to not spend a lot of money since I don't have thousands of dollars of equipment but just improve the quality of electronics I do own and protect from lightning storms and my apartments' bad wiring. |
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Bronze Member Username: ReddfoxxOntario Canada Post Number: 25 Registered: Mar-06 | bigpopaphile This is a surge protector not a a power conditioner. Panamax, Belkin and APC make good power conditioner and surge protectors all in one. See previous post. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/accessories/207203.html and check the Power conditioner Thread. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/accessories/53.html |
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Bronze Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 43 Registered: Jan-06 | I will add a personal story...I live in a rural area that is experiencing tremendous housing growth. Although we can count on at least one short power outage a month, the real problem is voltage drop, sometimes to 106 volts AC or slightly lower. I added a 1500 voltamp APC SmartUPS and it has made a difference. The high end SmartUPS series is a power backup device and a line conditioner in one. Also, it is one of the few UPS units that produces true sine wave output when it is on battery backup. During the summer when AC power demand is at it's greatest, it is surprising how often the "low voltage" light comes on and the unit kicks into conditioning mode to stablize the output voltage to the equipment attached. For about the price of the over-hyped Monster conditioners, you can get a true power backup/conditioner. Plus with the SmartUPS series, if you hook a computer to the UPS, it will give you output statistics and power curves as it records the history of the unit. If you don't want to try eBay, check out www.refurbups.com for reconditioned and re-battery'ed APC units. |
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Bronze Member Username: BigpoppaphileSAINT CLOUD, MN United States Post Number: 13 Registered: Mar-06 | So just to make sure I'm not confused here, a backup device can be an additional thing to a conditioner, where it somehow knows what level power is coming from the wall and if it drops below a certain point, it adds more power? Are these units different than the computer backups I've seen and are made especially for home theater apps? Thanks for the info so far Gilles and MVM! |
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Bronze Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 44 Registered: Jan-06 | hello bigpoppaphile.... yep, "battery backup" and "line conditioner" can be two separate devices. Here is where it gets a little murky. Typical cheap battery backup units sit there and wait for the AC power to drop out completely and then they go on battery power and "create" 110v AC power. The dirty little secret of the backup power industry is that most of the low grade backup units create "square wave" AC power - an approximation of the pure sine wave AC power you get from the utility company. A computer's internal power supply can handle the square wave AC input from the backup unit....many audio and video devices can not. They may run, but they may also overheat or blow there internal power electronics. That is why I mentioned specifically the "APC SmartUPS" line of backup/conditioner units. There are other quality brands that do the same thing, but I have used APC units for many years and trust them. Not only do they provide battery based backup power, they condition and boost or limit the AC power when it is on. If you use the computer logging feature of APC SmartUPS units, you will be amazed at how utility company power varies during a given week. High voltage, low voltage, drop outs, spikes, you name it, it will show up - and without the logging feature you might never know it. So, after a rather windy answer so far, I am talking about a high grade uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and line conditioner made for computers, generally high end business computers and network servers. But, since it conditions the AC line all the time and produces a true sine-wave AC power when operating on it's internal batteries, it will work great for A/V equipment as well. |