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Do I really need a surge protector?

Melvin7822

Melvin7822

May 11, 2004
1,471
376
45
Broomfield, CO
#1
I understand that an amp can only protect itself once and that it's obviously a must for my effects, but do I really need it for my amp?

Could a surge protector possibly starve an amp of current in the way a "power conditioner" does? And what is it about a power conditioner that starves an amp of the current it needs?

I ask these questions as I have a Tripp-Lite Isobar that when I plug my amp into, the amp doesn't sound as good as opposed to directly plugging it into the wall outlet. From what I understand it has EMI/RFI filtering. Does that make it a "power conditioner" in disguise? Discuss, discuss...
 
#2
Personally I think they're both a waste of money. Never heard of 'current-starving' so can't really comment on that but if a conditioner has a current-limiting function I would expect no problems so long as that limit is above the maximum normal demand of the head. I use an outlet tester (when I remember to bring it) for grounding-safety reasons but remain unconvinced of the need for or efficacy of any kind of conditioning. It will be interesting to hear from others who might explain why I should get one.
 
#5
Well, fuses blow and are replaced, breakers trip and are reset. I use a little $8 surge protector power strips on everything. They don't limit any current or sound any different. It's just a little 15 amp breaker between the wall and your stuff for a little added protection to the one in the building's breaker box that serves the whole circuit. The Joule rating says how big of a surge it can trip out on before it arcs across and hits your gear anyway. Ones for computer systems usually have a higher rating but I don't know that that's necessary. Ones with outlets mounted sideways and farther apart are nice if you have a lot of wall wart type power supplies.
 
#8
I view my amps in the same way I view my computer and studio equipment... it's all susceptible to being zapped, particularly if you don't know the quality/state of the wiring in a venue. I use an APC surge protector for my amp and preamps, and usually take a feed off that via another strip for my effects pedals. Better safe than sorry, IMO.

As for power conditioners, my guitarist has a Furman in his road case that also houses our main Mackie mixer and power amps for the PA and monitors. We were given power off a generator for a gig one time and he plugged the power conditioner in first... the current being sent from the generator would have fried our equipment had he not investigated it with his Furman first. Food for thought.
 
#10
Melvin7822 said:
Could a surge protector possibly starve an amp of current in the way a "power conditioner" does?
Click to expand...
No, because a surge protector is not in the current path, it lies across the current path. At normal voltages it has a high enough resistance to current flow so that it essentially does nothing. With high enough voltage applied it diverts the excess voltage away from your gear. Chances are you'll never need it, and it won't prevent damage from a direct hit by lightning. But for a few bucks there's no reason not to use one.
 
#12
I use a Furman SS-6B which has 6 plugs and a long power cord.

In addition to surge protection, it also has an RF noise attenuator, for playing in rooms with flourescent lighting, and a host of other problems. It was under $30 when I got it.

Do you need protection? I don't know.

For $30, I don't want to have to find out.
 
#14
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#17
Carvin has a power conditioner/sequencer that's at least as good as any Furman. It powers up gear with a few seconds between each one so that there's no surge from turning everything on at once. The Power Conditioning functions are pretty serious, but it can't do anything about an under-voltage condition. Next paragraph for the solution there. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I have to confess that I use a big old APC Uninterruptible Power Supply with a heavy lead acid battery inside (at least 1400W) whenever I think it's likely that the mains power is going to be wonky. It's a must on generator-supplied gigs; those things can be all over the place.

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Besides all the filtration functions, it provides extremely clean power AND it can counter temporary voltage drops or even complete outages. These are not the wimpy UPS that you pick up at Fry's for your home computer. This one's designed for small server farms. Plan on at least $500 for one. I've actually had the power drop offline completely, silencing the entire band except for the drummer and I. I learned to pay attention to power early on because I had an entire keyboard get wiped out by a power glitch.
 
#18
$10 - $15 bucks top. It's a cheap and you need a power strip anyhow.

Lighting does strike the same place twice. The MOV can blow on the first strike and be of no use on the second. Some power strips have multiple MOVs.

Anybody actually check to see if their MOVs are blown? The power strip still works if they blow.

Get a power strip that has indicator lights to tell you if the MOV blew, and don't forget to look at the lights.
 
#19
dspellman said:
Carvin has a power conditioner/sequencer that's at least as good as any Furman. It powers up gear with a few seconds between each one so that there's no surge from turning everything on at once. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
Reality check. These are what constitutes the 'Power surge Transient/Surge Absorbers'
Heavy-Duty MOV Surge Protector : Surge Protectors | RadioShack.com

And this the 'pure power AC120S EMI/RFI filter':
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I wouldn't pay another $100 for an automatic power turn-on sequencer when I know how to turn on my gear one piece at a time.
 

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