Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Surge Protection

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....

In reply to:

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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.