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Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
#258361 04/27/09 12:25 AM
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Hey guys, i was talking to my audiophile coworker who asked me if i had a power conditioner and i said 'no'. I thought they were just overpriced surge protectors. I have a $100+ SP with all my gear plugged into it. He told me it wasnt enough. Now my question to you guys is,' Should i make the PC my number priority or save for a new amp?'.


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Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
ghost271 #258363 04/27/09 12:31 AM
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What's his reasoning for saying it's not enough?


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
ghost271 #258366 04/27/09 01:39 AM
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Joel, it's possible that your coworker, regardless of whether he's an "audiophile", isn't adequately informed on this topic. Audio equipment such as amplifiers have to have built-in provisions for power conditioning in their power supply section. The transformer, rectifier and filter capacitors take the AC from the wall outlet and convert it into clean DC for the amplifying section to work with. No additional conditioning is necessary with typical correctly designed units, although there're plenty of sellers out there who're happy to profit from the gullibility of some in this matter.


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Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
JohnK #258376 04/27/09 03:17 AM
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Power conditioners are perhaps one of the better examples of snake oil in the business. An amp is faaaaaar more likely to make a difference (and I'm still not sure it would) than a power conditioner.


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Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
Ken.C #258386 04/27/09 04:00 AM
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I would go with an amp 100%.

Whats the purpose of a power conditioners anyways? If it is to clean the "dirty power" where, what, when and how would that occur?

I guess if I was running my home theatre off of a generator during a power outage then the power conditioner might help?











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Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
BlueJays1 #258389 04/27/09 04:54 AM
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He was telling me that a 'brown-out' could kill my equipment moreso than a power surge. And another salesman was telling me that in the event of a spike, my circuit breakers in my home or SP couldn't trip fast enough to protect my gear. He then assured me that my picture and audio quality would improve because i would be getting a more consitant voltage to all my components.


Sanyo Z5 HD Projector w/100" screen
Yamaha RXV-663,BD30,HD-A30
Toshiba 55SV670U
M60s
VP150
QS8s
Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
ghost271 #258390 04/27/09 04:56 AM
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I guess using his logic i should buy Monster Cables too.


Sanyo Z5 HD Projector w/100" screen
Yamaha RXV-663,BD30,HD-A30
Toshiba 55SV670U
M60s
VP150
QS8s
Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
ghost271 #258393 04/27/09 01:04 PM
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Do you live in an area that has frequent brownouts and lightning storms?


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-Max Payne
Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
ghost271 #258394 04/27/09 01:08 PM
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I don't think that just buying a power conditioner is worth it. However, if you want some extra peace of mind you may want to look into a voltage regulator. If you can still find one of those silver apc h15's for $150 to $200, it may be a good investment. I've been happy with mine but haven't noticed any improvements in sound or picture quality at all (like some of the crazier people will try to tell you). The main function of it is to protect from over and under voltages and spikes that aren't too large. It also has filtering and conditioning like most others that you won't notice any difference having. No surge protector will protect from spikes that are too large, so the main purpose is that most companies offer life time coverage in the event that the unit doesn't suppress the surge. I would hope that the company would cut you a check to cover the replacement of most equipment and then your insurance company could cover anything that is left over. But, I've heard cases where they pro rate the value of your gear and such so who knows. Anyways they will surely give you more that the $200 investment in the unit in the case that all of your gear is fryed so you would come out ahead.

- Nick

Re: Power Conditioner or Amplifier ?
Nick B #258395 04/27/09 01:16 PM
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I don't think there is a problem in investing in a decent surge protector, but all this talk about "Conditioning" is hogwash.


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