Power conditioners

[Anton D]

Interestingly, Shunyata has a medical division:

Medical - Shunyata Research

Whether in the world's most celebrated recording studios or in heart surgery labs Shunyata Research products achieve profound, measurable results!

shunyata.com

So, real benefits at power levels below what we would ever use, but likely no audiophile result expected. Still, interesting at low levels.

Or, we call that cariolofoolery?

 

[rank]

The important thing is the lightning arrester and the surge protector.

 

[Speedskater]

a Whole House Surge Protector is the best plan for lightning or surge problems.
Not a power conditioner.

 

[DonH56]

a Whole House Surge Protector is the best plan for lightning or surge problems.
Not a power conditioner.

That is what we have. Point-of-service is helpful for surges, and I have several local UPS units, but lightning protection is a whole-house unit at the incoming service. A direct strike would likely get through anything. Another thing to remember is that most conditioners use MOVs for spike protection, so they will only take a few hits before opening and becoming useless, so you have no more protection and there's no way to tell.

 

[rank]

a Whole House Surge Protector is the best plan for lightning or surge problems.
Not a power conditioner.

Of course! But in an apartment, a simple power strip with these two functions can save your precious racing electronics!

 

[Punter]

The power supply in your amplifier has been designed to provide clean DC to the circuit. If it does not perform this function it is faulty. I agree with the other members, a surge protector is the only accessory you should consider for your equipment. One thing I have noticed with "power conditioners" is that the manufacturer does not reveal what is inside the devices they peddle. This is a red flag as far as I'm concerned. Mains connected devices need to conform to basic principles of insulation, connection strength and protection (fuse or circuit breaker). I don't think anyone should connect any device to mains power without being assured that the equipment has these properties.

 

[Deleted member 71304]

Snake oil pressed in Germany?

Kartoffel Hokus-Pokus

 

[Deleted member 77856]

Furman PST-8 only 149USD Well worth the cost. Saved my equipment several times with power surges.

 

[Speedskater]

Another thing to remember is that most conditioners use MOVs for spike protection, so they will only take a few hits before opening and becoming useless, so you have no more protection and there's no way to tell.

a half century ago that was true. But MOV protection has come a long way in the last 50 years. Some modern whole home protectors will text you if they have a problem,

 

[DonH56]

a half century ago that was true. But MOV protection has come a long way in the last 50 years. Some modern whole home protectors will text you if they have a problem,

Hmmm... It was true for the power strip I bought this year but it was a cheap one. The instructions said to replace it after a "big" hit, and looking at the MOVs inside (I forget which ones now and am too lazy to open it up again) the manufacturer said it was good for 1 to 6 high-level surges depending upon the power dissipated. Last year the MOVs used in power supplies purchased for work stuff had a limited lifetime as well, though had fairly high power handling compared to the smaller ones in the power strip I bought. Our whole-house units are 30+ years old and, while they have been inspected and updated, they do not have any sort of "smart" features. So my recent experience with cheap consumer stuff does not me put me 50 years out of date, but I don't have any of the more expensive conditioners (I have UPS units instead as power glitches are a big problem for us).

 

[sq225917]

Why is lightning risk a thing in the USA but not over here in blighty? Is it because of those poles you have?

 

[RayDunzl]

Why is lightning risk a thing in the USA

Depends on your location, and possibly wheter the electric lines are above or below ground.

Florida claims to be the "Lightning Capital" for the US.

There will be some really wild lightning shows at times, but we don't have much in the way of tornadoes and hail, like the midwest.

The electric utility among the houses in most modern areas here (Florida) are underground, though the higher voltage feeders are above ground.

Underground is easy in Florida since the surface is mostly sand (erosion product from the appalachian mountain chain).

Older areas still have above ground service.

 

[RayDunzl]

If you want to watch lightning, try:

Real Time Lightning Map

See lightning strikes in real time across the planet. Free access to maps of former thunderstorms. By Blitzortung.org and contributors.

www.lightningmaps.org

Florida is pretty quiet this afternoon, but this map has 446 strikes per minute counted.

 

[MaxBuck]

We're in Puglia right now and listening to a lightning storm outside. I figure it might be five years since I've heard thunder. Didn't know southern Italy had this kind of storm.

 

[voodooless]

Didn't know southern Italy had this kind of storm.

Basically all of Italy is prone to thunderstorms, especially in the Summertime. The northern part is
The most severe of Europe.

The most active and best lightning in Europe - where is it?

The most active and best lightning in Europe - where is it?

www.severe-weather.eu