Power Conditioner choices looking for advice

gfong · May 2010

Any opinions/experience with any of the three that I have listed? I have seen a few posts about these lately, so it seemed timely.

APC H10BLK AV Black 1k VA H-Type Power Conditioner ($199.00)
max input 10 Amps
4949 Joules of surge protection
Let Through Voltage Rating: < 40 Volts

APC H15BLK Power Conditioner ($279.00)
max input current is 15 amps
5270 Joules of surge protection
Let Through Voltage Rating: < 40 Volts
Resettable circuit breaker

Belkin AP41300FC10BLK 13-Outlet, PF60 Home Theater Power Console
($206.00)
7114 joules of surge protection
Level 4 power protection
Lifetime Warranty
Phase 6 PureFilter™ Circuitry with isolated digital, video, audio, and HiCurrent™ filters

The APC models have Automatic Voltage Regulation and the Belkin does not.

ksnisbet86 · May 2010

I would go with the APC based partly on the volt regulation, and also the electronic noise filtration. I know of quite a few people that have these units and swear by them. Plus its APC they make battery backup for a living for computers or any other electronics.

TECHNOKID · May 2010

ksnisbet86 wrote: »

I would go with the APC based partly on the volt regulation, and also the electronic noise filtration. I know of quite a few people that have these units and swear by them. Plus its APC they make battery backup for a living for computers or any other electronics.

+1 APC is the authority when it comes to such products. You are not buying their name but ratter a quality and efficient product.

gfong · May 2010

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

Gadabout · May 2010

I have the Belkin PF 60 and it does just fine, however comparing it to an APC is a little like apples and oranges. If you need a power conditioner get the APC if you need higher amps you'll need the Belkin.

Since I don't have and APC, I'm not sure if it has the feature of being able to set time delay on outlet pairs like the Belkin does. It's nice for a power up or down sequence with one on button.

gfong · May 2010

Gadabout wrote: »

I have the Belkin PF 60 and it does just fine, however comparing it to an APC is a little like apples and oranges. If you need a power conditioner get the APC if you need higher amps you'll need the Belkin.

Since I don't have and APC, I'm not sure if it has the feature of being able to set time delay on outlet pairs like the Belkin does. It's nice for a power up or down sequence with one on button.

Thanks for the insight. Appreciated.

IRLRaceFan · May 2010

Is this something I really need?
Is it more for durability / protecting my investment? And/or do these offer a noticeable performance improvement?
I understand "garbage in, garbage out", but if the power coming from the outlet, through a high quality power strip is fairly "clean", is this still necessary?
I've gone years without having one, so what am I missing?

Toolfan66 · May 2010

IRLRaceFan wrote: »

Is this something I really need?
Is it more for durability / protecting my investment? And/or do these offer a noticeable performance improvement?
I understand "garbage in, garbage out", but if the power coming from the outlet, through a high quality power strip is fairly "clean", is this still necessary?
I've gone years without having one, so what am I missing?

All of the above!!!! If my wife could notice the difference then there is a difference.. LOL;)

I have a Plasma in our bedroom I had been running it without a PC but as soon as I put in a PC it was like buying a brand new TV, it made that much of an improvement. and it's a 720p TV and the Picture Quality is outstanding..

So IMHO your missing everything..

Just for the record I now have 4 Power conditioners in the house, Monster, Panamax, APC. they all do there job. The only reason I have the Monster was the price was right and where I needed it in the house. but it works just as good as the others in cleaning up sound and PQ.

packetjones · May 2010

I am interested in getting a power conditioner as well but was curious if it would make much of a difference. I currently have a monster HTS950. Are the units discussed here a significant jump from what i am currently using?

searay40dad · May 2010

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

I have a Plasma in our bedroom I had been running it without a PC but as soon as I put in a PC it was like buying a brand new TV, it made that much of an improvement. and it's a 720p TV and the Picture Quality is outstanding..

So IMHO your missing everything..

NO kidding?! it really makes that kind of difference? can someone give a little more technical explanation why such a significant difference?

great, so here we go again, this forum is going to cost me even more money. it's never going to stop is it;)

Jer.War · May 2010

I always wonder if I need a power conditioner, or just want to buy something. I worry about a cheaper unit being a choke point for amplifiers, or affecting the sound quality adversely. I dont have much "noise", but the background can always get "blacker"....
I had the PF60 (or PF40) in mind when I did all the research. Belkin is known for a quality product and there were alot of great reviews. Then I saw these on e-bayhttp://cgi.ebay.com/YAQIN-ML-1100-Universal-POWER-FILTER-PLANT-sockets-/120560673271?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c11f9e1f7.
These units and there like (bada, G&W, audiofriendly) appear to be built with heavy guage wire, caps, and inductors, all packages in a nice metal case. Due to my indecision and the weight of my wallet I have decided to wait. I really enjoy my system right now and I can always upgrade, right....?

gfong · May 2010

I am going to go with the APC brand but have not decided on model number. I willl be ordering it next week. I will do a mini review once installed and see what it improves.

searay40dad · May 2010

great. looking fwd to hearing about it.

Gadabout · May 2010

I don't have any power conditioners, but I live in new construction and the voltage here is pretty consistent. The 2 big stereos are also running on dedicated 20a lines. To double check how your power is get out a meter. If you don't have one, they are pretty cheap. You can get one for $20 or so. I'd recommend an auto ranging one, just cause they are easier to use.

Switch it on to AC and put the probes in the vertical sockets and take a reading. Make a note and repeat for a few days. You might notice more power drops in the heat of the summer or cold of the winter as the other houses crank up the heat / AC units.

Probably the best time to check is in the morning, as everyone is up and getting ready for school or work. Lots of lights, TV's, coffee makers, stoves, water heaters etc.. are on. See if the voltage changed a lot from your initial reading. You might also want to take readings over the period of a week, at different times to try and find the worst case scenario.

The other thing you can try, is fire up a vacuum or hair dryer and see if that causes a big drop. If your seeing a 5 volt or so drop from your highest reading, you might want to consider a Power Conditioner. Plus anyone running a DLP or amp with a fan should consider the power conditioner just to let the bulb / amp cool properly if the power goes out.

Just my .02,
Scott

cheddar · May 2010

Gadabout wrote: »

I don't have any power conditioners, but I live in new construction and the voltage here is pretty consistent. The 2 big stereos are also running on dedicated 20a lines. To double check how your power is get out a meter. If you don't have one, they are pretty cheap. You can get one for $20 or so. I'd recommend an auto ranging one, just cause they are easier to use.

Switch it on to AC and put the probes in the vertical sockets and take a reading. Make a note and repeat for a few days. You might notice more power drops in the heat of the summer or cold of the winter as the other houses crank up the heat / AC units.

Probably the best time to check is in the morning, as everyone is up and getting ready for school or work. Lots of lights, TV's, coffee makers, stoves, water heaters etc.. are on. See if the voltage changed a lot from your initial reading. You might also want to take readings over the period of a week, at different times to try and find the worst case scenario.

The other thing you can try, is fire up a vacuum or hair dryer and see if that causes a big drop. If your seeing a 5 volt or so drop from your highest reading, you might want to consider a Power Conditioner. Plus anyone running a DLP or amp with a fan should consider the power conditioner just to let the bulb / amp cool properly if the power goes out.

Just my .02,
Scott

A lot of things going on here, not all can be cured with a power conditioner.

For constant voltage, you need a voltage stabilizer, not a power conditioner. A power conditioner can protect your equipment from under or over voltages by disconnecting your equipment when severe conditions exist. But it can't stabilize your power to feed it a constant voltage.

For power outages, you need a battery back-up uninterruptable power supply. This will allow you to shutdown your equipment gracefully for a short period of time before the battery power runs out. But a UPS is not really meant to power your equipment for very long, especially at full load. A UPS can stabilize your voltage as well.

A power conditioner is supposed to clean the power going to your equipment. So if someone uses a hair dryer and you've ever seen snow on your TV, you know what dirty power looks like. A power conditioner cleans the power to clean-up or lessen things that would cause visual or audible manifestations of dirty power.

It is possible to get all three mechanisms in one product. But saying that a power conditioner in general will cure all three situations is misleading.

gfong · May 2010

Lots of good info from all, thanks for the input.

Gadabout · May 2010

cheddar wrote: »

A lot of things going on here, not all can be cured with a power conditioner.

For constant voltage, you need a voltage stabilizer, not a power conditioner. A power conditioner can protect your equipment from under or over voltages by disconnecting your equipment when severe conditions exist. But it can't stabilize your power to feed it a constant voltage.

....

It is possible to get all three mechanisms in one product. But saying that a power conditioner in general will cure all three situations is misleading.

The term Power conditioner was used as the original author posted. Their definition was an APC product which are mostly battery backup units. It would be rare for most home owners to install a true power conditioner as the service in the home is usually 120/220.

So I wasn't misleading them. I was using the term power conditioner as the original author was using the term. A Battery supply to take over for under voltages and also give the user a chance to shut down their own equipment during power outage, while they are still being supplied by the battery.

The post was more about finding out if you really needed what the author termed as a power conditioner. While this forum might be the exception most people never really look at the power that goes into their homes for noise or voltages.

Scott

cheddar · May 2010

Gadabout wrote: »

I was using the term power conditioner as the original author was using the term. A Battery supply to take over for under voltages and also give the user a chance to shut down their own equipment during power outage, while they are still being supplied by the battery.

Actually, the APC H10, the APC H15, and the Belkin are all power conditioners, although the APC models include voltage regulation as the original author stated. None of these units are UPS battery units although APC is well known for making other units that include them. The original author is correct in labeling all three of these units power conditioners. The thread's topic has always been about power conditioners, not UPS battery back-ups.

Gadabout · May 2010

My mistake, the only APC's I have seen are battery backup units.

Please disregard all my posts. They are of no Value in this thread.

Power Conditioner choices looking for advice

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