Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler non-MOV surge protection

I'm looking for really good surge protection for all my equipment. It seems foolish for me to have invested all the money I have into my gear, and not have it protected from power surges, spikes, brown-outs, etc.

From the little I've read, I want a non-mov based system (like the Adcom ACE-315 or a brickwall unit). Are there any other non-mov based units that I should be looking at?

Thanks for the help.

You could take Saturn's route and get a good line conditioner. His is a Tripp-Lite (LCR2400?). I wouldn't pay the extra bucks for an "audio" one. You could also get a UPS, but I was laughed off the boards when I asked about that about a year ago.

I'd like to hear where this thread goes. I've thought about the same thing myself but I don't know what to get. My mother used an APC UPS unit throughout her graphic design career, mostly so that in case of a blackout she would have time to save and shut down properly. I don't think that functionality is really relevant in the home theater case though. I don't really need to listen to music for 2 minutes after the lights go out. I know APC also makes rackmount surge protectors, but I think one good surge and they shut down until you replace a fuse. (Not like that Adcom one.)

Yes, but having a UPS would let you shut down the system a little more gently than just having the power go out. I haven't looked at the Adcom one, but as usual with stuff from higher end (yeah, yeah) audio equipment, I suspect snake oil.

id say a good majority of equipment uses physical switches to turn on and off anyway so turning it off with a switch would be no different than pulling the plug. but.. i know alot of the equipment that yous guys use is less likely to have a physical switch.

That's true. But my H/K has a physical switch and a standby switch. (bizarre...)

I think to a large extent it's for peace of mind. You get one that has a significant monetary insurance claim behind it and you should be all set. I mean, if I end up buying one and nothing ever happens to my stuff that's great. But if my stuff does get fried and the company that makes the surge protector replaces all of it, that's great too.

Yup.

Just out of curiousity, Craig, why non-MOV? For that matter, what is MOV?

Rather than a UPS or similar... using something like the Furman PM-8 (rack mount power conditioner) might be worth a look.

http://www.furmansound.com/pro/pwr_cond_seq/cond/cond1.htm

Bren R.

In reply to:

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That's true. But my H/K has a physical switch and a standby switch. (bizarre...)

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come to think of it. my NAD does too. i can turn it on and off with the physical switch on the front of the unit. or i can turn it off into standby with the remote. but if i turn off the physical switch it just shuts off.

I dunno... If the power surge is large enough, it can arc across an "off" physical switch...

(link is ~1.5Mb MPEG movie)

I am sticking my toe into this pool very gingerly as the subject can spin off quickly along the lines of "which speaker wire is better' (DON'T ANSWER THAT).

I wanted some anti-fry protection. I found a Belkin power strip that allowed everything to plug in, including phone lines. It is rated up to 2950 joules and was $50. I ended up (God forgive me) getting a Monster 1100 power bar that was about 2800 joules because the congfiguration of the thing allowed me to hang it on the back of my TV stand. I got it for 1/2 price, but it was still too much. Lotsa pretty lights though.

They all carry some kind of "insurance", so my guess is that 1) they are somewhat effective or 2) you can't collect because of some obscure condition you need to meet.

I just sleep better knowing my equipment can withstand a direct lightning strike or a solid blow from Thor's hammer.

Here's some info on MOVs (as well as other good info on surge protectors and line conditioners):

http://howstuffworks.lycoszone.com/surge-protector2.htm

Is Thor's hammer faster than Maxwell's hammer? Both are definately faster than my hammer

It's my understanding that a MOV based surge protector is by design, a "disposable" item. They can take just so many hits, and then they're done. The problem being, you don't know when they're done.

I'm by no means an expert...hell, I'm not even a novice when it comes to electricity. I'm just going on what I've read on websites and boards. After some semi-extensive online reading, I came up with non-MOV as being the best way to protect my gear.

I by no means expect any audible improvements. That's not my goal. I don't want any audible changes at all! I just want my stuff safe and sound.

Brickwall has an excellent reputation. The Adcom ACE-315 seems to be based on the same technology, and costs less.

Fair 'nough. From reading that article Peter posted, I see that some MOV based surge protectors do have a little light that tells you if they're working or not. I'd still probably edge towards the line conditioner. I think the one I mentioned was only $200 (mind, I haven't looked at the Adcom you mentioned at all, so...)

I've found the Adcom ACE-315 online for $263. I missed out on one on Ebay for $225 a month or so ago. Darn it.