Monster Power AV-800 any good?


I have my Rogue 99, Rega table and C.E.C. player plugged into this fat,purple power strip.My Dynaco is plugged into my other outlet alone.I bought the Monster($50.00) for the surge protection alone in hopes it would also improve the sound but at the very least do nothing but protect from lightening.Is this thing any good.My dealer freaked when I told him I have one.
david99
In a word, no. Don't use this for your audio system. For slightly more money get Monster HTS 2000, avaliable from www.globe-mart.com for $125, got rave reviews from Absolute Sound July 1999 issue, reviewer said nothing he has ever tried improved his sound so much for so little money! More expensive Monsters do not improve sound. Now if you have $500-1000 there are other options.....Audio Prism, PS Audio etc.
I am not familiar with every model and feature, but I have the 800 and the HTS-3500. The 800 was an improvement over nothing and did have a rating or 1350 joules if I recall correctly. It did lower noise floor a bit. I once lost $5000 worth of gear to a lightning bolt in my NYC apt. (And I certainly never thought it could happen here, or to me!) Megasam is probably right about the HTS 2000 being a good deal but, I really like having a "component" in my rack for power conditioning and cable management. I haven't compared the 2000 to the 3500, but the 3500 is an excellent product in its price range. Maybe you can find a deal on one. At least you can count on good protection from the elements while you think and shop around. Good luck.
My experience having both Monster units indicates to stick with AT LEAST the 2000. The 2000 has one level up in filtering stage compared to 800. The HTS 3500 is even better. For detailed info check monster website ..... A good filter or unit can improve your power but consider that this is not a cure for other problems like grounding, etc or old connections and less than desirable wall plates and a noisy non dedicated circuit bear this in mind as well. Under certain circumstances even component vibration might hinder the extent of improvement you might get. Just sharing some thoughts. Regards
My experience having both Monster units indicates to stick with AT LEAST the 2000. The 2000 has one level up in filtering stage compared to 800. The HTS 3500 is even better. For detailed info check monster website ..... A good filter or unit can improve your power but consider that this is not a cure for other problems like grounding, etc or old connections and less than desirable wall plates and a noisy non dedicated circuit bear this in mind as well. Under certain circumstances even component vibration might hinder the extent of improvement you might get. Just sharing some thoughts. Regards