Do I need a surge protector that costs a lot of money? I was looking at getting the Monster MP-HTS 1000 MKII but it costs $250! (CAD) I read the recent thread about line conditioning and I know that it is probably not needed in my case (we will not be using broadcast TV signals, just plain old cable) but it it true that:

"Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs) are not enough to protect your equipment on their own."

as monster says on their website? ( http://www.monstercable.com/power/productPagePower.asp?pin=1900 )

If this is true then what options are their for surge protectors that are cheaper? What are the people on this board using?

Reading the rest of that paragraph, they don't say what their Tri-Mode™ circuitry does except "disconnects your equipment".

Umm... MOVs are sacrificial, that is, if you get a direct lightning strike to your breaker panel and it travels to the surge protector, chances are the $15 surge protector will be toast, the MOVs will do their job... high voltage comes in, they go into low resistance mode, shunt the power out to ground, chances are they may not survive the process and assuming it doesn't melt your mains wiring or the power bar itself... yes, if the MOVs burn out on strike #1, and you get hit again, they won't be around to save your equipment the second time (you'll notice on good ($20) surge protectors, over time the red light begins to blink... it's an indicator of the life left in the MOVs).

But if you get hit twice in a row like that... throw your hands up, become an agnostic and call the insurance company.

Again, to the moonlighting job - we've got Sony A75 & 1800 VTRs w/DNR RS-422 ST-300 controller, a Ross RVS210A switcher, a Pinnacle Deko 500, a Drastic VVW DDR with an RS-422 controller, banks of Frame-Stors, etc. The computer-based equipment is backed up by APC UPSes for the sag before the diesel genny kicks in, the rest get power through consumer surge protectors.

Bren R.

just go to your local computer store and you should be able to get a decent quality surge protector for cheap, I just use a regular one at home for 2 servers, 4 workstations, and all my audio equipments, have never fried anything in the last 15 years(knock on wood). for CAD$250 you better off with a UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply).

I see. This is pretty much what I'd thought about surge protectors. The only thing that I liked about that monster one (besides that I didn't know if their claims about superior protection were true) was that there is a lot of space between the plugs which is nice if you have to plug in lots of the bigger type plugs (you know, the box-type ones which I assume do some sort of volt conversion...) but I don't think I will be needing this feature since none of my components use this type of plug.

as for a UPS I don't think I will need one untill I can afford one (and even then it's more of a WANT...)

also, the claims of giving a steady stream of 120V AC are also lies, no? (as some of the monster products claim) doesn't AC mean that the current is ALTERNATING? (I think if I remember correctly it is from 60-120 but it's been awhile since I took and science classes, being an english major...)

I use this one http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=2812 by Tipplite. It runs around $150....

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(you know, the box-type ones which I assume do some sort of volt conversion...)

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Wall-warts, as they're affectionately called. Just a transformer.

And I'll post my fave cartoon on the subject again.

Bren R.

Check Home Depot as well. They have one rated at 2900+ joules for around $40 that should work pretty well.

I agree with Ray, I got my Belkin Surge protector rated at 2650 joules for $40. I think they have one that is a little higher at 2900 joules for $50. My dad wouldn't listen to me and bought a Monster Surger protector that cost him $80 and is only rated at 1700 joules or something. The salesman said he needed it. I got him to outgrow his Bose speakers and into some PSB's and he listen's to the same punk who told him the Bose were the best speakers they carried at Circuit City. Go Figure. I know about speakers, but not about Surge protectors...

Owen, as I told Jack in the past, I use nothing and if a lightning strike happened to destroy all my equipment I would view it as being merely God's way of telling me that it's time to upgrade. Audio equipment can handle several hundred volt surges routinely and several thousand volts will destroy the power cord(unless maybe a special heavy duty cord has been bought)before the surge reaches the equipment. For something in between one of the devices in the $20 area might be of some use. So, in my view you should save your money, or at least most of it.

LOL!!!!
"Gods way of telling me its time to upgrade"
JohnK, that is classic.

I was given 3 new Belkin Surgemaster F9G930-10GRY-DL protectors as a business gift from a vendor last Christmas. I still have one sitting in a box. Will this be good enough? Here are some specs...

Surge Energy Rating: 2950 joules
Maximum Spike: 150,000 Amps
Peak Current Normal Mode: 90,000 Amps
Peak Current Common Mode: 60,000 Amps
NM Surge Response Time: <1 nanosecond
Let-Through Voltage Rating: <40 volts

Not that I want to think about it, but it claims that this line has a unlimited maximum for which belkin will pay to fix or replace any connected equipment that becomes damaged if the Surgemaster fails. For them, this is the highest level of coverage that they offer. Their other lines go from $10,000 - $250,000 but this one is unlimited.

While that is great and all, I would rather avoid making a claim later.

That is something I will have to use. I like that line.

Has anyone ever seen the aftermath of a direct strike on an electrical system? It's scary and fascinating at the same time. I’ve seen melted breakers, outlets and copper drips/splatter. I don’t know if it had a good ground because the lugs in the electrical panel where melted into pools of copper and aluminum. The smell of charred plastic is hard to forget. After seeing this, I find it hard to believe anything would protect my equipment if it were directly hit. I would be more worried about my home at that point.

I see. So the crappy white power bar that I'm using right now is good enough because it allows me to plug in all my equipment and God will pay for me to replace anything that he hits with lightning? Am I getting the right message here? :-)

I use a Panamax 5300. It's like an insurance policy to me. I have no idea if it could stop a direct lightning strike. I do know that it would prevent a power surge.

Try to think of a surge suppressor as safe sex. (for the lack of a better term )

You got it, Owen. Have faith and God will provide you with the means to get the good things in life, including audio equipment(but excluding items such as exotic cables and power conditioners or outrageously overpriced speakers, players and amps)

Actually, that's why God made renters and homeowners insurance. If you don't have a policy covering your AV equipment, you should! (I need to increase mine...)

You guys are killing me here! I'm a good catholic but God has nothing to do with my HT stuff.............at all! According to the church I want for to much and should sell some and give them the money!

John, your priest sounds a bit like ours, but one time after Mass he praised me on my moving reading of the Epistle and I took the opportunity to question him on the Gospel. Jesus told the young rich man that if he wanted to insure salvation to give up all his worldly goods and follow Him. I questioned Monsignor about how this applied to audio equipment and he said that unless I was talking like Krell or Wilson Audio not to worry. He wouldn't give me a specific speaker recommendation but did confide that at a private audience the Pope had confirmed that Bose really does suck.

You guys are killing me edit - I'm copying NH
Seriously, after this joking around, I don't want to hear about somebody’s HT getting struck by lightening...

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But if you get hit twice in a row like that... throw your hands up, become an agnostic and call the insurance company. - BrenR

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I would view it as being merely God's way of telling me that it's time to upgrade. - JohnK

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Hmm... two sides of the same coin?

Bren R.

>>for CAD$250 you better off with a UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply).

What a great thread...

I thought a UPS was a must-have for audio equipment... if you don't have a UPS, then you have to listen to music on one of those little hand-crank radios when the power is out. Our major radio stations kept broadcasting music during the last big blackout; I think we have an obligation to keep listening

Hey, the Monster power surge protector in the "cartoon" is the one I have...................I had no idea it can do all that too!

Just out of curiousity, have you guys ever daisy-chain your surge protectors?

I have not.....but here in Florida, (the lightning capital of the world)........if there is a direct hit, it's ...............over.

Well, if lightning doesn't strike while a hurricane is happening, you probably don't need protection. Now let's talk about watertight speaker wraps and wind resistant weights.

Recently one of our office at Boca in Florida was getting pound by couple storms within 2 weeks, power was down for almost 3 weeks and everybody were being relocated to a temporary office that we leased, glad we have another engineer onsite otherwise I wouldn't be happy to fly back and forth to FL in those crappy weather!! Fortunately we'd shutdown every single Servers there before Sh!t hit the fan, in situation like that I simply wouldn't dare to challenge how well the UPS and Surge Protectors going to perform in the office.

I think we should start a new religion where HT IS the God and every year on december 25th Ian (as an Avatar of said God) gives every good little boy and girl that did not fall into the temptation of exotic cables and line conditioners extra special gifts. We could call it "Axiomity" and we could all be good "Axiomists" and the collection plate that is passed around at mass would go towards new equipment for the church so that all of God's children could watch movies at least once a week and feel the bone-crunching bass, listen to music that is accuratly reproduced...heck we could even send some to the recording studios that produce crappily-recorded albums so that they can stop this horrible trend... think of all the GOOD we could do...all the poor third world children that are forced to watch TV on crappy black and white 13 inch monitors whom we could deliver to God and save their souls... Praise the Lord!