Belkin PureAV PF30 or Monster Power HTS3500MKII?

crazy

Hi,

I need some help in selecting between these 2 power conditioners.

1) Belkin PureAV PF30 (around $90 on buy.com)

2) Monster Power HTS3500MKII (around $170 on buy.com)

I got a really bad voltage fluctuation last evening, all the light in my house went really dim and I thought I was going to get a power outage. But instead everything went rather dim and then it got back to normal. This scared me like hell! I thought it's really time to invest in a power conditioner to protect my gear. We've had a lot of conversation about power conditioners in this forum and a lot of folks have good experience with them and so I was wonder if anyone could suggest if the $170 price tag on the Monster Power HTS3500 is worth the additional amount compared to the Belkin PF30.

Also, if anyone's had the Monster power conditioner listed about and if they've been happy with the performance.

Thanks a lot!!!

disneyjoe7

I don't think any product above would of prevented that "Brown Out" to your equipment that is not what they are designed for. (At least my thinking) On the other hand what really scares me is that without any above product the voltage surge you had when power was restored (may of not even seen by your eyes but was there trust me) your equipment experienced.

crazy

disneyjoe7 wrote:

I don't think any product above would of prevented that "Brown Out" to your equipment that is not what they are designed for. (At least my thinking) On the other hand what really scares me is that without any above product the voltage surge you had when power was restored (may of not even seen by your eyes but was there trust me) your equipment experienced.

Well, do you know which products might be suitable for these type of situations? Also, from what I've heard, a reduction in voltage doesn't necessarily damage the product. Is that true?

I do have a surge protector right now - but the folks on this forum suggest that a $50 surge protector isn't good enough to protect hi-fi gear.

gonzalr

I bought the Monster Power HTS3500MKII in buy.com also, so far so good. There was a big improvement specially on my TV audio. Also, the HTS3500 has 12 outlet not sure about the Pure AV.

disneyjoe7

Crazy,

I'm less afraid of your audio equipment during a "Brown Out" more afraid about the voltage peak during the restore power back to normal levels. So the products you listed are fine for this, my vote would be for the HTS3500MKII though. Brown outs are more damaging to compressor / motors and such, AC units, Refrigerators, should be shut off during a Brown out. For voltage fluctuations like a BO an UPS type product is the key.

WilliamM2

I use a Panamax, and during a brownout as you describe, it automatically shuts off power to everything. It restores power when the voltage stabilizes. I'm sure either of the units you are looking at would do the same thing.

disneyjoe7

Removing power during is the best thing, so a thumbs up with Panamax. I'm wonder if the Monster unit does the same thing?

Early B.

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Removing power during is the best thing, so a thumbs up with Panamax. I'm wonder if the Monster unit does the same thing?

Yes.

disneyjoe7

You must own one, I wasn't able to find that info in the owners manual. But my track record isn't so good lately on finding things.



OK anything.

Early B.

I had a 3600. The auto shut-off was the best thing I liked about it.

Joey_V

Love the auto on/off on the 3500... not so sure if the PF30 has it.

Lowell_M

WilliamM2 wrote:

I use a Panamax, and during a brownout as you describe, it automatically shuts off power to everything. It restores power when the voltage stabilizes. I'm sure either of the units you are looking at would do the same thing.

I have the HTS3500MKII, which shut power off as you stated above during a recent brown out.

cheddar

They also have stuff like this:

http://www.monstercable.com/power/lineVS.asp

and this:

http://www.furmansound.com/products/pro/reg/ar-20.php?req=acv

if your actual voltage moves around a lot.

Toxis

the monster runs $1500 retail. Not sure about the furman.

cheddar

Yeah, I know they're expensive.

Furman sells a 15amp version that I think you can get for something like $500. I didn't know if the power problems were really due to actual outages or if the light bulbs were flickering all the time.

cheddar

Fleabay has the monster for $439.99, new. Just don't be confused by the Signature Series that just gives you blue meters instead of red to match their monster amps.

Edit: Seems like the furman is a better deal since it also has power conditioning and spike protection. It's been a long time since I looked at these, but I remember places like guitar center either had them or could special order them and they always discount their stuff to retail.

disneyjoe7

cheddar wrote:

I didn't know if the power problems were really due to actual outages or if the light bulbs were flickering all the time.

Have you considered an UPS a large UPS I use one and I tested it by using a Hairdryer on high so I know it could pull the amps correctly. I considering adding a power conditioner after the UPS for my self.

cheddar

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Have you considered an UPS a large UPS I use one and I tested it by using a Hairdryer on high so I know it could pull the amps correctly. I considering adding a power conditioner after the UPS for my self.

I was actually referring to crazy's power fluctuations. My voltage is pretty stable, that's why I decided against buying the furman and just pick up an htps 7000 from goodguys when they went belly-up.

cheddar

Also, how often do you have to replace the battery in a UPS? They eventually need to be replaced, right?

disneyjoe7

A battery in a UPS can be murdered early in life, many little power dips short recharge time between such so every UPS battery life can be a little different. OK so given that 2.5 yrs to 5.5 yrs most I ever had lived for 4 yrs or so, when getting low they tend to give you **** when power goes off sooner then they did when new. So my UPS would give me 40 Min's AC working time then start sounding beeper when getting close to complete AC down. When the batteries where getting low (4 x 12v-7ah's) the beeper would sound much earlier, this given me time think about battery(s) replacement.

disneyjoe7

Anyone with a power sensitive needs, LCD with their lamp fans needs, TiVo or any hard drive recorders need a UPS for nice power down needs. All devices of such will life longer given a nice AC power feed. IMHO

josh_parsons626

Well I guess I gotta put in my 2 cents. I know all the guys on here are gonna disagree probably 100% with me, but I full back up anything that Monster puts out. All my wire and cables are all Monster and I can tell a big difference from when I watch DVD's and when I watch TV. I dont have a surge protector yet but have heard them before and they are awesome.

crazy

Hi folks!

So I was about to place an order for the Belkin PureAV PF30 yesterday, when I read this comparision.

http://www.pureav.com/power/silverblue/

Everything looked good and sufficient for my needs except for the fact about Auto Over-Voltage Protection.

Here's what I got from the glossary:

Over-voltage
A power surge that happens when high-current items like air conditioners are switched off. The suddenly surplus voltage is dissipated across the rest of the circuit and can sometimes far exceed the peak current of your electronic equipment.

If the Belkin doesn't have Auto Over-Voltage Protection, shoudl I be concerned? Does the Monster provide this protection (coudln't find anything regarding this on their website).

Given the price, the Belkin seems to be a winner but I don't want to purchase it and then realize that I should have opted for the more expensive Monster! (Monster Power HTS3500MKII)

At my palce, there is a bit of voltage fluctuation when I switch on the AC or the room heater.

cheddar

Dude,

Sounds like your power is all over the map. Sags, spikes, outages. Probably a lot of stuff you can't measure by just looking at the lights. I don't know about how much damage all this stuff can cause besides the spikes that the surge protectors are supposed to protect you from, but it must be tough trying to run an audiophile system in such an environment.

Just get something now and quick to protect your stuff. $90 bucks, whatever. But if you're planning on staying in your place for awhile, you should really be thinking of a better long term solution. I doubt whether anything in the $100 dollar something range can do anything besides protect against surges when your power really goes wacko. Conditioning doesn't smooth out the wide dips and peaks you're getting.

crazy

cheddar wrote:

Dude,

Sounds like your power is all over the map. Sags, spikes, outages. Probably a lot of stuff you can't measure by just looking at the lights. I don't know about how much damage all this stuff can cause besides the spikes that the surge protectors are supposed to protect you from, but it must be tough trying to run an audiophile system in such an environment.

Just get something now and quick to protect your stuff. $90 bucks, whatever. But if you're planning on staying in your place for awhile, you should really be thinking of a better long term solution. I doubt whether anything in the $100 dollar something range can do anything besides protect against surges when your power really goes wacko. Conditioning doesn't smooth out the wide dips and peaks you're getting.

Cheddar - I totally agree with you. I need something and something fast and that's why the urgency to decide between these 2. I have a budget of < $200 to get something for the time being and something in the next day or two. That's why I'm having such a hard time deciding which one to get.

Could you please explain what you mentioned as better solution and what that might cost?

Looks like the builder didn't do a good job here

peteran

Crazy,
Maybe you should look into this also...

http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=3151

I know I am.

there is also the 1200 and 1000 model

cheddar

Well, looks like you have some pretty clear options.

1. Buy the Belkin (I have an HTPS 7000 and although the size of the spike the monsters will absorb goes up as you move up the line, I think you're actually paying for the power conditioning bells and whistles, which are probably a secondary consideration for you at this point.). I don't know what the auto-over voltage thing is, but you can always move up the Belkin line if it's something you really want. +$200-$300.

2. You can buy the low-end Belkin and put a UPS in the loop. These usually even out your voltage as well as keeping your fans and hard drives running for a smooth power down in an outage as has already been suggested. +$259 for the tripplite above.

3. Get the furman I suggested (although I've never used one...) that includes voltage regulation, spike protection, and power conditioning. I haven't priced these for awhile. If you have a guitar center nearby, tell them you want this:

http://www.furmansound.com/products/pro/reg/reg6.php?req=acv

or $399.99 on fleabay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Furman-AR-15-Power-Conditioner-Voltage-Regulator-NEW_W0QQitemZ300004587960QQihZ020QQcategoryZ23792QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It seems like each of these options might require you to alter your budget. Bad power is no fun .

cheddar

The auto-over voltage protection sounds a lot like the T2 protection on the 3600 mkII. It shuts down the unit when voltage is outside the 70-132V range.


Home Theatre Reference HTS 3600 MKII PowerCenter™ with Clean Power™ Stage 3 v.2.1 Circuitry

T2™ automatic disconnect/reconnect protection circuitry.
Tri-Mode™ power protection circuitry with audible alarm and auto disconnect.

venomclan

Hi Crazy,
If you budget is up to $200, than why not just get the PF60? It can be had now for around $175 and has overvoltage. I have one and I like it a lot.

I live in Florida and during the day I have a 4.25 ton A/C, air handler and a 1.5hp pool pump running. When these large items switch on, it usualy takes about 3 volts away from the wall. When they go off, the same is returned without a glitch to my system. I think that if you are leaning to Belkin in general, the PF60 cannot be beat at its current price.

Are those bimmers broken in yet?
Venom

disneyjoe7

Have a 5 ton AC unit with a 1.5hp pool pump, like my UPS best.

venomclan

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Have a 5 ton AC unit with a 1.5hp pool pump, like my UPS best.

Which UPS do you have Joe?