Power conditioning / surge protection

" It's currently plugged into one of those surge protectors you get for 20 bucks at Staples. The odds are against it (and I'm insured), but I want to be sure a surge doesn't wipe out my gear."

As far as sound quality goes, you just have to experiment and see what you like best. When it comes to protecting your gear, you have to be really careful. Surge protectors can help in some cases, but not always. For example, I don't know of any power product that protects against lightning. If you are not sure, unplug your gear.

Stringreen,

Overall, we probably agree on most things regarding power conditioners. That said, you may want to have a look at Furutech. I have a e-tp80. Its not that expensive and I haven't found a situation where it hurts SQ at all. (I still plug my amps in the wall.) Its the kind of line conditioner to get if you don't like line conditioners.Personally, I don't like power products and cables that make big changes to your system. Its always at the expense of something. The Furutech is worth it just to get some outlets to your equipment without making a big deal about it. Thats primarily what I use mine for. I got mine from Cable Co. They have them to lend out.

"For Drr and Tbromgard - what are the benefits of plugging your power amps directly into the wall??"

I plug my amps into the wall, as well. I'm not an expert on line conditioners, but the biggest reason for most people is to not limit the power output of the amp in any way. Sometimes conditioners can make an amp sound a bit slower or not as dynamic.

Another reason, is that amps are less likely to be damaged by AC than other types of components. In fact, amps are very similar to power regenerators. Heres some examples of what I'm talking about. The PS audio 1000 regenerator is pretty much the same as the PS audio Classic 250. Same thing with the PS 500 and the HCA. When Monster came out with their regenerators, they came out with a line of amps based on them.

I'm sure that some of the other posters will have a lot more to share on this topic as well.

As far as I know, the only product I know of that protects against a direct lightning strike is a homeowners insurance policy. I was surprised to find this out myself, but I checked with several very good sources and they all gave me the exact same answer. Richard Grey, Shunyata, ESP, Marsh (Monster) and The Cable Company all told me that if your house is hit by lightning, it comes in through the ground and they have no way of stopping it. I really have no reason not to believe them given that they are the ones who actually make the products. Until NASA or Al designs one of these things, I'll keep unplugging my system every time theres a storm.

"That is correct.
If a company says their SPD will protect your audio equipment from a direct lightning strike I suggest reading the small fine print."

Thats a good point too. Making a line conditioner that can't hold up to a lightning strike is not something that a company wants to admit. In defence, though, most of the good companies that offer a guarantee, have a policy in place to back it up. You do have to read the fine print, but its likely that you will be asked to to submit documents like the Dec page of your HO policy, pictures, sales receipts, etc. Basically, they are acting like an insurance company. They're willing to bet that the sale of their conditioners should easily offset any damage to components that they end up paying out. Its a model that does work for them. Personally, the only issue I have with the whole thing is that they should be more upfront about this. Customers may never read the fine print and most retailers will not bring this up during a sale (if they even know). Its very easy to see how a customer can overlook this.

Ptss,

"Hi Zd542. It has been observed that some products have protected against "direct hits"."

Maybe. The question I have, though, is how do you really know is its a direct hit or not? Is there some way to tell?