SonicAlbert
Super-Sonic "Herb" Albert
Blue Bear's post of 10/8/05 is right on the money, accurate information.
I use and Furman PL-Pluses, Tripplite IsoBar 12, and MBT switched rack mount power strips in my studio. They are all fed by an Equitech balanced power unit. As has been stated in this thread, these kinds of units do not condition the power, they are simply power strips that you can rack. I do prefer the Tripplite over the Furman.
The Equitech balanced power unit does help keep hums and background noise down, but it is not a silver bullet. You still need to do everything else right too. It *does* make it easier to keep the bad noise down though, and you can plug new gear in without worrying whether it will give you a hum or not. It's been years since I've even had a hum to deal with, so maybe I'm spoiled.
I use and Furman PL-Pluses, Tripplite IsoBar 12, and MBT switched rack mount power strips in my studio. They are all fed by an Equitech balanced power unit. As has been stated in this thread, these kinds of units do not condition the power, they are simply power strips that you can rack. I do prefer the Tripplite over the Furman.
The Equitech balanced power unit does help keep hums and background noise down, but it is not a silver bullet. You still need to do everything else right too. It *does* make it easier to keep the bad noise down though, and you can plug new gear in without worrying whether it will give you a hum or not. It's been years since I've even had a hum to deal with, so maybe I'm spoiled.
S
soundchaser59
Reluctant Commander
Well, one thing I cannot find in this thread is the word "joule". And it is really the only word that matters with power protection.
When I started I did not have any protection other than the little lumber store power strips they called "surge protectors". Pure crap. I wasted a lot of money replacing computer power supplies and rack mount displays, etc. because of summer thunder storms and downtown surges from construction workers cutting lines or whatever.
I finally decided to look for better protection. In doing the research, I learned that the only thing that really matters is how many joules of raw electric power a unit can absorb before it blows. A "joule" is (correct me if I'm off base here....I'm not an engineer) basically the raw "horsepower" of electricity measured in foot-pounds, or how much juice it takes to move 1 pound a (vertical??) distance of 1 foot. I found that a lot of those cheap surge protectors are only rated for 50 or 100 joules. That's nothing in a modern household. I felt lucky the day I found a large strip rated for 800 joules at a lumber yard selling for a mere $39.
I ended up buying the Tripp Lite LC1800 units. They are rated in the thousands of joules, and they are guaranteed against direct lightning strike if a strike ruins your gear while running behind the unit. Since that is exactly what happened to me (lightning hitting overhead lines outside my house) I tried it. Since then I've heard the loud clicks and pops when it "takes a hit", but I've not spent one more dime on replacing power supplies or anything else.
If a power conditioner of any kind does not give a joule rating, dont buy it. Anything worth trying will give a joule rating. Buy the unit with the highest joule rating you can afford, and if possible get one that includes UPS for power failures. UPS is the only other feature I wish mine had. The Tripp Lites protect against momentary brown outs or voltage sags, but not against total failures. I dont know if Tripp Lite is the absolute best way to go, but I do know if you use the "max joule rule" when you buy, you will never be disappointed in the thing if and when it finally has to do its job.
When I started I did not have any protection other than the little lumber store power strips they called "surge protectors". Pure crap. I wasted a lot of money replacing computer power supplies and rack mount displays, etc. because of summer thunder storms and downtown surges from construction workers cutting lines or whatever.
I finally decided to look for better protection. In doing the research, I learned that the only thing that really matters is how many joules of raw electric power a unit can absorb before it blows. A "joule" is (correct me if I'm off base here....I'm not an engineer) basically the raw "horsepower" of electricity measured in foot-pounds, or how much juice it takes to move 1 pound a (vertical??) distance of 1 foot. I found that a lot of those cheap surge protectors are only rated for 50 or 100 joules. That's nothing in a modern household. I felt lucky the day I found a large strip rated for 800 joules at a lumber yard selling for a mere $39.
I ended up buying the Tripp Lite LC1800 units. They are rated in the thousands of joules, and they are guaranteed against direct lightning strike if a strike ruins your gear while running behind the unit. Since that is exactly what happened to me (lightning hitting overhead lines outside my house) I tried it. Since then I've heard the loud clicks and pops when it "takes a hit", but I've not spent one more dime on replacing power supplies or anything else.
If a power conditioner of any kind does not give a joule rating, dont buy it. Anything worth trying will give a joule rating. Buy the unit with the highest joule rating you can afford, and if possible get one that includes UPS for power failures. UPS is the only other feature I wish mine had. The Tripp Lites protect against momentary brown outs or voltage sags, but not against total failures. I dont know if Tripp Lite is the absolute best way to go, but I do know if you use the "max joule rule" when you buy, you will never be disappointed in the thing if and when it finally has to do its job.
S
soundchaser59
Reluctant Commander
here is the "reputation comment" I got from this friendly spirit....
"punked -dj yak man"
So this forum has the "reputation" thing and anybody can just trash anybody's so-called "reputation" anytime for any reason on a whim, etc....???
How precious!
"punked -dj yak man"
So this forum has the "reputation" thing and anybody can just trash anybody's so-called "reputation" anytime for any reason on a whim, etc....???
How precious!
D
DarkCide
Member
soundchaser59 said:
In my search for a suitable power conditioner, I have become more frustrated the more I read about it.
No one really can give good advice when it comes to this topic.
The quoted post is useful. No one is mentioning the "joule" value importance. To be honest, I think most who claim to know about conditioner or surge protectors don't even know what the joule value means!
D
darrvid
New member
Well, I'm certainly not saying the post dealing with joules is off base (i've no idea if what he says is true), but I wouldn't read that and decide everything else said isn't helpful. Considering he's not really sure what a joule is (its just another measurement for work, or energy), and that a joule is ever so related to volts and watts which I'm sure are discussed above, there's probably a lot of good info in this post regarding power conditioners.
btw, a joule is measured newton meters (at least that physics course was good for something
)
btw, a joule is measured newton meters (at least that physics course was good for something
)
punkin
Univalve & Avatar Speaks
COOLCAT said:
The MOV doesn't really do anything in the way of filtering or "conditioning" the power. They're in place as a sacrificial component which breaks down in the event of a surge. Once the overload voltage is reached, they go dead short to shunt the voltage spike to ground.
Like Bear said, you really have to step up to get real power conditioning and regulation.
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soundchaser59
Reluctant Commander
punkin said:
Yes, to Obi Punkin Kanobi you listen......
To get "real" power cleanup, a guy has to spend some huge bucks. If you were wanting to get the kind of power conditioning they use for concerts and large clubs..... but then, a lot of those people are tapping into the power grid right off the pole, screw the breaker panel and the outlets......
R
roadwarrior
New member
I am now a Furman convert as well. I didn't give much credibility to the so called power conditioner idea. Until I finally bit (with the understanding from my sales engineer over at Sweetwater it would come back if it didn't do as he said). Well once I powered it up I noticed in a very short while (about the first half hour) that there was a complete absence of clicks, pops and other weird electrical noises that typically infiltrated my DAW (a Korg D3200) as well as the fact the brightness of the LCD screen was dead steady instead of an occasional flicker. I am now a believer. This unit however (the AR15-II) is not just a conditioner but also a full voltage regulator, which I think makes a heck of a difference as well. It will set you back 5 big ones but worth every penny..........
F
foreverain4
New member
the monster power 2500 is an excellent piece. coming in at $200. i found out last night, it even has UPS for the "digital equipment" plugs. the power went off for like 5 sec, and my computer and HD recorder stayed on while everything else went off...
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sound125
New member
mshilarious said:
Depending on what voltage is coming from the receptacle, it can also do more than that. I've encounted many venues with poor wiring, some even with open grounds and other wiring anamolies.
Ditto on the travelling rack and a good VR.
H
Hollowdan
New member
The only power conditioners I use are Furmans, and I ALWAYS use a Furman. I will not plug my gear in ANYWHERE for ANY reason without a Furman. I have A/B'd Furmans to MUCH more expensive Monster power conditioners and I have actually heard a difference. I have seen with my very own eyes a $500 Furman out perform a $2,000 Monster. Go to www.furmansound.com and read why. Look for SMP+ E.V.P. and Li.f.t. and it will explain what each one does. And only Furman has those things. If you care about your gear you will only use Furman power conditioners. Crazy thing is that even the PL-8II ($130 new) has all those features.
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CedricT
New member
Hi.
I saw your post from Oct 2005:
but my main reason to buy this Furman rackrider unit was:
i live in belgium (220 volt) and 80% of my hardware is US made (110v)
so i need those 9 110volt outlets
I've lived in the US for many years and all my gear is US but I may moving to the UK or France very soon... So i'm trying to figure how to keep using all my gear, PCs, amps, etc in Europe. Obviously I don't want to buy everything again there. That'd be a ton of money. Any advice?
Thanks
I saw your post from Oct 2005:
but my main reason to buy this Furman rackrider unit was:
i live in belgium (220 volt) and 80% of my hardware is US made (110v)
so i need those 9 110volt outlets
I've lived in the US for many years and all my gear is US but I may moving to the UK or France very soon... So i'm trying to figure how to keep using all my gear, PCs, amps, etc in Europe. Obviously I don't want to buy everything again there. That'd be a ton of money. Any advice?
Thanks
M
MOFO Pro
Opinions are like SM-57s
Commercial contractors in the UK and Ireland are required to operate power tools at a job site at 110 volts... for this reason 220/110transformers are fairly commonly available...
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CedricT
New member
Good to know.... you don't know for France by any chance?
Do you know if there will be problems with 50 vs 60 hz cicle? especially for computers... Finding anyone in the US that knows about this problem is very difficult!!!
mshilarious
Banned
Good to know.... you don't know for France by any chance?
Do you know if there will be problems with 50 vs 60 hz cicle? especially for computers... Finding anyone in the US that knows about this problem is very difficult!!!
Most PC PSUs are going to be switchable between 110V and 220V. Some might automatically switch; most I've had used a switch instead. If they can handle 220V, they are probably also 50Hz tolerant. Check with the manufacturer of your PSU; if in doubt, buy a new one.
As for all of your audio gear, you need to check with their manufacturers. Some gear is switchable externally, some will have an internal jumper, some might not support 220V at all.
Muyukiguki
Kung Fu Master
I'm not gonna lie.. I bought my Furman for the sweet pull out lights!
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CedricT
New member
Thanks! And I should know because I built my computers... and I do remember now that there's a switch. As for the music gear I've started looking. Most expensive stuff have solutions... the cheap stuff is unforunately another problem. Of course I can use one of those big coil transformateurs but I'd rather avoid the heat, buzz and overall risk.
For whoever out there that have small power adaptors, chances are you just need to change the power adaptor and you'll be fine.