Surge protectors and power conditioners - Good idea or bad?


Years ago, I bought added surge protectors and a power conditioner to my system, including surge protectors/ power filters to my Martin Logans.

Recently I revisited this idea and discovered that many people say to avoid the above, given it's rare to get hit by lighting and blow out your components and that both surge protectors and power conditioners can negatively impact overall sound.

Thoughts?
cdc2

Showing 2 responses by oldhvymec

First of all lightning is sent directly to the closest and biggest ground.

That ground rod at the mains is exactly what that is for. Folks that use to get hit with lightning were hit because of antenna sticking up all over the place. THAT is what normally wipes out electrical gear NOT lightning hitting the power pole.. THAT'S right it goes into the ground rod. THAT rod is for one thing outside spikes coming in from anywhere ONLY. It is not the bond for your house. It is the bond between the house and the pole.. THAT's different

People that don't protect equipment, are BUYING equipment.. simple as that.. Protect FIRST then listen.. IF your equipment suffers because of a surge or filtering device, chances you picked the wrong device.

Power supplies on equipment that are well built (extra capacitance usually) don't suffer from most maintaining devices. The key to healthy equipment is to protect from overvoltage QUICKLY and under voltage the same way, QUICKLY..

Under voltage use to be the number one killer of power supplies in my area.. Not anymore.. 8k lines to 20k lines.. Like magic..

The guy that doesn't protect, doesn't deserve.. simple for me..

Regards
I didn't say it did, I said the purpose of a grounding rod is for outside strikes or OVER Voltage from anywhere ONLY. I didn't say there is not a problem if your house gets a lightning strike..

I'm not UNDER mining what it can do. I saying what the purpose of the ground rod is, not what it may fall short of... LOL I was born and lived in Texas and Alabama until I was 12, my family is from there.. I know what lightning CAN do..

Wind too, I've seen the 8 -10 head of cattle porcupined because of HAY and not being able to get them in a glen or safety. Whole side of a barn just riddled with straw sticking out of it.. Pretty common actually..

Funny you speak of how lightning WORKS. Your the first.. No body really knows HOW DIFFERENT lightning types work.. My vocabulary may be incorrect, There is more than one type of lightning and depending on the region, soil content, and moisture level, determine where it's gonna go, if it does shows up... Could be pyroclastic in nature, Dust storms make lightning, I've actually seen it..

Less than 30 year ago they thought it always discharged by hitting the ground (or a ground).  In reality, it actually comes from the ground and MEETS above the soil plain with the discharge coming from above.

Tell me all about lightning... It does strike twice... In the same place and person for that matter... Has a mind of it's own.. :-)