Power Conditioner vs EMI/RFI surge protector

[SlappityPoppity]

Hey y'all, I'm trying to downsize my rig a little bit. I have a rack mounted Hartke LH500 and a rack mounted Fishman power conditioner. The rack case is just bigger and heavier than my Rumble 115 cab and I'm tired of it lol. My question is, do the surge protectors with EMI/RFI filtering like this one (Invalid Link Removed) do the same job as the power conditioner? If not, how do they differ?

Thanks y'all!
Anthony

 

[agedhorse]

WHICH Furman "power conditioner"?

 

[SlappityPoppity]

WHICH Furman "power conditioner"?

I'll have to check once I get home. I bought it used from a friend. I know it has like 10 outlets and two pull out lights up front

 

[BassmanPaul]

I suspect that there is not much ‘conditioning’ going on.

 

[basscooker]

They do a good job of filtering cash from your wallet.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

Power conditioning is marketing speak, usually describing surge suppression.

 

[Jim C]

I thought it was decided that most if not all modern, decent bass amps had RF filtering and some surge protection built in.
That would bring the next question: if you don't have enough, how much do you need?

 

[agedhorse]

Correct, most do not benefit from additional "protection".

 

[SlappityPoppity]

Appreciate the feedback y'all. I currently have a Hartke LH500 in a 6 space rack case with this Power conditioner. If I don't really need the power conditioner, I'm probably gonna sell the rack case and get like a roadrunner or Gator rack case bag thing that's just big enough for the head itself so it's easier to carry, and just get a nice power strip surge protector thing. They're like 30 bucks at Pro Audio Star right now.

 

[agedhorse]

Don't waste your money IMO.

 

[akrachanko]

I'd like to point out that you can get rack cases with suitcase style wheels and a handle. I have one by Gator that's really nice, and it may be an alternate solution to your problem. Just thought I'd mention it.

Also I've always just thought of power conditioners as rack-mountable power strips, because that's really all that they are in the end. So to answer your question, yes, surge protectors and power conditioners basically do the same job as each other.

 

[SlappityPoppity]

I thought it was decided that most if not all modern, decent bass amps had RF filtering and some surge protection built in.
That would bring the next question: if you don't have enough, how much do you need?

I honestly had no idea. My Hartke LH500 is probably 5 to 10 years old. Thanks for that nugget of info!

 

[SlappityPoppity]

I'd like to point out that you can get rack cases with suitcase style wheels and a handle. I have one by Gator that's really nice, and it may be an alternate solution to your problem. Just thought I'd mention it.

Also I've always just thought of power conditioners as rack-mountable power strips, because that's really all that they are in the end. So to answer your question, yes, surge protectors and power conditioners basically do the same job as each other.

I'm looking at an SKB rack bag with a wooden shell covered in Nylon and it has a shoulder strap. It has 2 spaces which is all I need for the Amp head. I'd need a 3 space if I want to put the power conditioner in there. The amp is already 25 lbs though, so if I just have the rack bag and the Amp I think that's plenty of weight lol

 

[RTCnME]

I put my LH1000 in a Gator case for the same reason. Had to notch the aluminum rail along the bottom because I wanted to keep the rubber feet on the head, but otherwise it drops right in...

 

[SlappityPoppity]

I put my LH1000 in a Gator case for the same reason. Had to notch the aluminum rail along the bottom because I wanted to keep the rubber feet on the head, but otherwise it drops right in...

View attachment 3488291

Sweet, thanks! Is that considered a shallow rack case? I've seen a few gator cases that I'd be interested in, and they're labeled as shallow, so supposedly they wouldn't fit the LH500.

 

[RTCnME]

Yes, it is a Gator GR-2S and it fits the head perfectly. The back of the head comes just to the back of the case so the cooling fan is not obstructed which I like. You have to unplug the power cord to fit the back cover on, but that's not a big deal to me.

 

[SlappityPoppity]

Yes, it is a Gator GR-2S and it fits the head perfectly. The back of the head comes just to the back of the case so the cooling fan is not obstructed which I like. You have to unplug the power cord to fit the back cover on, but that's not a big deal to me.

Thanks! They make some soft stuff that's considered shallow. It's cheaper than the others as well. I might pick one up and see how it goes. I'm assuming if the LH1000 fits in a shallow rack then so will the LH500. I'll double check the dimensions though.

 

[rohi]

For a downsized rig, I'd recommend the Furman AC-215a. I use mine for live and also recording, it drastically mitigated my buzz while using single coil pups. For me, it was worth the investment.

 

[agedhorse]

How can any "power conditioner" mitigate single coil buzz when the noise enters the pickup via radiation rather than having anything to do with the power line?

 

[Kevan Campbell]

For a downsized rig, I'd recommend the Furman AC-215a. I use mine for live and also recording, it drastically mitigated my buzz while using single coil pups. For me, it was worth the investment.

Agreed. I bought one of those Furmans for the same reasons and it’s worked very well for me...only regret I have is not buying the slightly bigger one with more outlets since my guitarists keep wanting to plug into my AC-215A before me.