power conditioners: what's it for

They are designed to protect your amp and other rack gear from getting fried by sudden power surges.

 

I thought about swapping out my compressor (not using it much) and putting in a power conditioner but I haven't been able to tell from my research if it is really worth it, unless you buy an expensive one.

Isn't a simple surge protection power-strip enough anyway?

 

A power conditioner makes you power smooth and soft and shiny, don't you know anything?















Listen to Dave, he's smart...

DWB

 

a computer equipment surge protector will do the same thing.

www.apc.com

also, a power strip with a high joule rating will work well too.

 

Big difference between surge protectors and power conditioners. A surge protector provides protection against power surges only. A good power conditioner (much more expensive) regulates the voltage and current to your rig. Especially nice to have with tube gear that is more sensitive to fluctuations. I bought a power conditioner years ago after our guitar player pointed out that his was showing a line voltage of only about 98 volts in the club we were playing in, but his conditioner was providing a steady 115 volts to his all-tube Mesa rig.

JD

 

That's true, I know the more expensive ones are useful, but most people have lower model Furmans in their rigs...I don't think those do anything to regulate voltage.

 

I think mine is nothing more than a rack mounted power strip

But having one cord to plug in is handy...

 

I use the older Furman AR-117 power regulators. They do provide regulated output voltage, protection against power surges and EMI/RFI filters. I bought both of mine used for about $150 each.

My only complaint is that they weigh about 15 pounds. They do provide a lot of protection for the $$ spent.

Played an outdoor gig last weekend. The area we were in was covered and a thunderstorm developed. There was a wonderful lightening show that would have been pretty scary without the Furman.

The current model of the Furman regulator is called the AR-1215.

Chuck

 

The nady one's seem exactly the same (aside from color) as the low-end furmans. However, they are way cheaper. How are they compared to their more expensive counterparts?

 

I've got the cheapest Furman in my bass rack. I don't think it does anything special other than provide a rack mount power strip with a nice switch that can turn everything off at one button. In most of my PA racks I've mounted power strips inside the back of the rack and this works just about as well and doesn't take up any rack space. I don't think the type of surge protection these cheaper units provide is going to do much against the kind of surge that would take out good bass equipment. If you can afford the price and the rack space, they're kinda nice. If not, go to Wal-Mart and get a $5 power strip and mount it to the inside of your rack.

 

Please answer

 

I got a great power strip from WM. It's a construction grade unit (metal case), it's got a very high joule rating, eight spaces (two for wall warts), black and yellow in color, with a 15' extension cord built in for only $10!!!

Eventually I'll invest in a power conditioner, but for now this works just fine.