smartling Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Have been looking at some of the posts on power conditioners (alot of good information) and have been attempting to narrow it down between Adcom and Brickwall and have a few questions: Price: Brickwall PW8R15AUD (8 Outlet) runs $249 Adcom ACE-615 (similar setup it seems) $350-$450 Are their any different features from Adcom that you get for the extra price tag? Also i'm concered about my 15 AMP line not having enough juice. I'm currently running the following: Harman Kardon AVR7200, Klipsch RSW-10, RB-75 Bookshelves, RC-7 Center (havent purchased the other 4 speakers yet) and minimal equipment thus far for the extra DVD, VCR, TV etc that I plan on upgrading soon. Does it look like I might run into some issues here and have to convert to 20 Amps? And finally: is there anything else out there for this price range that runs series mode with dedicated outlets for your high watt reciever and subwoofer? Thanks for taking the time to read and helping because I feel like a fumbling novice! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royster Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Tice power block (used) on Audiogon.com or ebay. Best bang for the buck, aformer Sterofile recco prod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Bill- Your 15A line will not have any problems with your gear. In my previous house I ran my Denon AVR-4800, a separate 2-ch power amp, DVD, CD, TV, and SVS sub all on the same 15A circuit and never once popped the circuit breaker. There is a good thread I started in the Technical Questions section about series mode gear, titled "Surge Suppressors." I went with a Zerosurge unit and have been very pleased with its performance. They are the original folks to use series mode technology, and the price was a bit cheaper than the Brickwall unit. And yes, the Zerosurge and Brickwall units are identical. I don't know much about the Adcom units, but Surgex also uses series mode technology. They were at the higher end of the price scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiob Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Best bang for buck is the Adcome Ace515 Definetly! used for $60-80.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartling Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Thanks for the info guys - i'm a little hesitant about going used with surge protection - realistically how long are they supposed to last with series mode protection? I just moved to an area that has an inordinate amount of lightning strikes (tampabay)so I need something with longevity. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 ---------------- On 7/29/2004 6:14:41 AM smartling wrote: Thanks for the info guys - i'm a little hesitant about going used with surge protection - realistically how long are they supposed to last with series mode protection? I just moved to an area that has an inordinate amount of lightning strikes (tampabay)so I need something with longevity. Bill ---------------- Then don't get series mode, would be my suggestion. Find another solution. I'd look into something in an industrial grade TVSS unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Bill- Series mode units are not supposed to wear out like metal oxide varistors (MOVs). Companies like Panamax and Monster use MOVs in their units, which, can eventually wear out, sometimes fail catastropically. Series mode units, most likely, will never fail, so I would assume going the used route would be fine. For a really good tutorial on series mode vs. MOV, check this out. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2421176#post2421176 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 RFinco swears by the brick wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 ---------------- On 7/29/2004 3:23:34 PM jhawk92 wrote: Bill- Series mode units are not supposed to wear out like metal oxide varistors (MOVs). Companies like Panamax and Monster use MOVs in their units, which, can eventually wear out, sometimes fail catastropically. Series mode units, most likely, will never fail, so I would assume going the used route would be fine. For a really good tutorial on series mode vs. MOV, check this out. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2421176#post2421176 ---------------- I was under the impression that series mode also had a joule rating and hence a lifetime limit. Am I mistaken here? I was poking around looking at some relatively inexpensive industrial and lab grade surge suppressor systems and found a few 15a and 20a that were 60kA instantaneous rated, no lifetime max - for about the same price of your mid-line Monster or Pana. Oh, and one more thing - this I know from experience. The better quality MOV units (like Monster and Pana, for example) will cut power to the equipment when their joule rating has been exceeded. I've seen this happen at least once on a Monster unit, where it was overloaded by a lightning strike and just cut power to the system. Components were all left undamaged by the surge. My friend was completely panicked when it happened, because we were watching a movie at the time, and she is a classic techno-dunce who freaks out when anything goes wrong. I plugged them into another unit she had handy and she breathed a sigh of relief.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 i have a panamax that has worked great and never given me a problem once, i would highly recomend a panamax, now the monster ones don't even bther wasting your breathe on them... the transformers and the caps are notorius for calcium corrosion and i think that is due to the fact that they use cheaper parts and over work them and what not, but i have seen the calcium build up on displays at stores as well as a friends house.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 I use a Panamax,I have no idea if its better than x or y.I do know its not the conventional joule type,it never becomes disabled or loses its capability to protect(on paper anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartling Posted August 5, 2004 Author Share Posted August 5, 2004 jhawk92 - nice thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2421176#post2421176) - completely exhausting! I still havent completely finished it. Grif: I didnt see anyone else comment on your question which leaves me abit confused. I was hoping someone else might reply. If series mode has a joule rating it doesn't sound full proof - the question is how long is the life expectancy in a surge prone area? Again with just learning about mov and series mode technology i'm not familiar with tvss? Do I assume correctly that it not a simple plug in device? Also what kind of price range are you talking with a industrial grade solution? I tried a seach on the site for tvss but didnt see anything. Thanks for all of the comments, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartling Posted August 5, 2004 Author Share Posted August 5, 2004 Also can anyone comment on Ultimate Outlet? It uses Tranzorbers instead of MOV's - is this comparable to series mode? Also it seems to be a good cleaning unit and not too limiting on power. In the product description it indicates that it would never wear out - of course i'm always skeptical. Anyone care to comment on this product as a better alternative to your average series mode product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted August 5, 2004 Share Posted August 5, 2004 ---------------- On 8/5/2004 9:40:56 PM smartling wrote: Also can anyone comment on Ultimate Outlet? It uses Tranzorbers instead of MOV's - is this comparable to series mode? Also it seems to be a good cleaning unit and not too limiting on power. In the product description it indicates that it would never wear out - of course i'm always skeptical. Anyone care to comment on this product as a better alternative to your average series mode product? ---------------- Tranzorbers? Sounds like a fancy proprietary term for an MOV. Absorbing transient voltage = limited capacity to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 I use the Tripp Lite LCR-2400 Rack-Mounted Line Conditioner. It provides 14 outlets (2-front) and supports a 20-Amp load, so long as you have it plugged into a 20-amp circuit. I have mine plugged into a 20-amp home-run back to the breaker box. I found it for $245 on-line. It works great and it protects my entire theater system. I've used it for 1-1/2 years with zero problems. http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=211 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 I make my own. A parallel delta circuit of MOV's and Capacitors in a heavy duty plug or a stub line cord. Shunts all transients and RFI to Earth, almost zero insertion loss and an immediate,noticable improvement in sound quality. In a high RFI area you may need more but for most the inexpensive solution is adequate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Griff- The series mode units do not have a joule rating, therefore no lifetime limit. smart- Yeah, it's a LONG thread. But the post I directed you to, on page 2, pretty much sums everything up. Still, lots of good info on these type of posts. AVS is good for that. Also good for extreme opinions, but such is life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 ---------------- On 8/6/2004 11:42:02 AM jhawk92 wrote: Griff- The series mode units do not have a joule rating, therefore no lifetime limit. smart- Yeah, it's a LONG thread. But the post I directed you to, on page 2, pretty much sums everything up. Still, lots of good info on these type of posts. AVS is good for that. Also good for extreme opinions, but such is life. ---------------- Good to know. Looks like I'm getting into a new dealer relationship, so I can start including Furman Pro Line conditioners with my HT installations instead of the Panamax I currently use. Last thing I need is an unhappy client who got good and nailed in a lightning storm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Bump for Kenratboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Tripplite LC1200 or LC1800 on eBay --- less than $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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