power conditioner/surge protector advice

[lomarica]

I have some christmas money to burn and am thinking of upgrading from my 15yr old Adcom surge protector to a new power conditioner surge protector.

The Furman Elite 15Pf seems to be about what I am looking for at $700. Any comments and suggestions appreciated.

Not sure if anyone needs my equipment list but to keep it simple I have Parasound amps and processor with a Oppo blu ray and a Samsung plasma

thanks

[TheHills44060]

Just be aware that the outlets on that model are rotated to the right 90 degrees (compared to a wall outlet) which can sometimes cause problems when twisting large gauge power cords. Picky yeah but I have noticed that configuration is not as wire mess friendly.

[Hyfi]

I use the APC H-15 (not exact model) but it works just fine except for not having an always on outlet.

[Enochrome]

I agree with Hyfi that the APC H15 is the best all around best unit. APC is a no frill and all build company that makes large scale units for industry, this is a trickle down for them that is major cost vs. performance for the consumer. The APC H15 has received universal acclaim. Amazon is selling it for $2 50 which is a serious bargain considering that is what they are getting used on Ebay.

[lomarica]

ok thanks thehills

I do have the Pangea power cord which is really thick and also my samsung plug is an odd shape so that is something to think about

[lomarica]

amazon has the apc h15 almost half off so I ended up with that one
it looks like a very good unit and had very good reviews

thanks for the advice

[Enochrome]

Score for you!!!

[TheHills44060]

amazon has the apc h15 almost half off so I ended up with that one
it looks like a very good unit and had very good reviews

thanks for the advice
Niiiice

[lomarica]

I have the large Pangea power cord about 1" thick for my amp Parasound HCA2200 plugged directly into the wall socket on a dedicated 20amp circut. The APC unit has a nice cord but nothing like the Pangea.

Is it better to use the stock cord from the APC to the wall and the Pangea from the APC to my amp or the other way around?

The amp is designed to draw 50amps cont and 90 peak but not sure how much it actually draws when used. The HC name for the amp stands for High Current. However the APC will be able to measure it when connected.
The APC is rated for 1440w cont and 12amps cont.

So I know I do not want to "limit" my amp but I don't want it plugged directly into the wall either. I have a feeling even at loud levels I will be below the 12 amp max for the APC. I have never had my dedicated 20amp circuit break blow
Any advice appreciated.

[Hyfi]

I have the large Pangea power cord about 1" thick for my amp Parasound HCA2200 plugged directly into the wall socket on a dedicated 20amp circut. The APC unit has a nice cord but nothing like the Pangea.

Is it better to use the stock cord from the APC to the wall and the Pangea from the APC to my amp or the other way around?

The amp is designed to draw 50amps cont and 90 peak but not sure how much it actually draws when used. The HC name for the amp stands for High Current. However the APC will be able to measure it when connected.
The APC is rated for 1440w cont and 12amps cont.

So I know I do not want to "limit" my amp but I don't want it plugged directly into the wall either. I have a feeling even at loud levels I will be below the 12 amp max for the APC. I have never had my dedicated 20amp circuit break blow
Any advice appreciated.

The APC cord is replaceable also so you could use your Pagea cor there if you wanted to. Then use the APC cord on your amp since it is better than any stock gear cord. You would think that when you pay $1k for something they could give you as nice a cord as the APC comes with.

I keep my Amps plugged into the APC and have never had any issues. I don't set the limiter since it does go into it's protection mode but mainly because my incoming voltage is already low.

I also use the APC as an overall switch for my Pre-Amp-CDP while my HT is plugged into a Monster strip.

[the hand of boredom]

They aren't marketed to audiophiles so they are dirt cheap and certainly capable of delivering the goods. I recently an isolation transformer (IS250HG) to the cd player. Instantly the background noise was more quiet. After a week, bass was more full and resolute, the was better body to all instruments and vocals, and there was heightened transparency.

Just for interests sake I plugged in the amp (a Yamaha receiver) into the same unit and the same improvements above happened again, most noticeable in the bass- full, tight, rich bass. Another level of transparency was also revealed.

Check provantage.com., they had the best pricing.


I'm going to be putting my phono stage onto the 250HG. When my tube mono-amps arrive back from being repaired I plan on adding two 500HG.

[Glen B]

I have the large Pangea power cord about 1" thick for my amp Parasound HCA2200 plugged directly into the wall socket on a dedicated 20amp circut. The APC unit has a nice cord but nothing like the Pangea.

Is it better to use the stock cord from the APC to the wall and the Pangea from the APC to my amp or the other way around?

The amp is designed to draw 50amps cont and 90 peak but not sure how much it actually draws when used. The HC name for the amp stands for High Current. However the APC will be able to measure it when connected.
The APC is rated for 1440w cont and 12amps cont.

So I know I do not want to "limit" my amp but I don't want it plugged directly into the wall either. I have a feeling even at loud levels I will be below the 12 amp max for the APC. I have never had my dedicated 20amp circuit break blow
Any advice appreciated.
Unless you are driving highly inefficient low-impedance speakers to extremely loud levels, it is very unlikely you will see those high current draw figures you quoted. Those are all out maximum power consumption figures that you will not see in normal use. The average current draw at normal listening levels is typically just a fraction of the maximum. My 600 watts per channel @ 4 ohms amp draws less than 4A at normal listening levels.

[lomarica]

you are correct I am only drawing 5 amps or so with all my amps, sub and plasma going at a pretty good volume. So maybe I went overboard getting my Parasound 220 that can do 45 amps but I know that is only for certain types of speakers

[Glen B]

you are correct I am only drawing 5 amps or so with all my amps, sub and plasma going at a pretty good volume. So maybe I went overboard getting my Parasound 220 that can do 45 amps but I know that is only for certain types of speakers

You did not go overboard. You can't have too much power. While output at average listening levels is only a handful of watts, musical peaks can require much greater output. Having that extra power on hand can result in a more dynamic, effortless, open sound. :thumbsup:

[megancheung]

My favorite Isobar, as they call it, have been made by Tripp Lite. I use several HT10DBS with $500,000 insurance for all UL or CSA certified devices connected, including phone and satellite cable connections. I am in the crowd that appreciates the fact that most quality audio/video equipment comes with quality self regulating power supplies so power conditioning is not really necessary unless you just have terrible power in your area or flush with cash.