Is it worth it to buy a “power conditioner” rather than just a Surge Protector?
adam s asked:
I want to buy protection for some high end DJ equipment, and was wondering if it was worth it. A surge protector i need would cost around $25, as opposed to one with a power conditioner in it for ~$100.
Is it worth the extra $75?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the great answer! Ill just buy a regular power strip!
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I want to buy protection for some high end DJ equipment, and was wondering if it was worth it. A surge protector i need would cost around $25, as opposed to one with a power conditioner in it for ~$100.
Is it worth the extra $75?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the great answer! Ill just buy a regular power strip!
January 12th, 2010 at 8:12 am
As an electrical engineer, I’d say No. A surge protector may protect me from the hassle of filing insurance documents for a damage claim from a dead-on lightning strike, but a power conditioner does nothing to protect the equipment NOR help it operate better. A lightning strike will not be averted by a power conditioner and you still need the surge protector.
Essentially, the power supply for your equipment IS the power conditioner. Multi-phase appliances operate on straight AC power, and fluctuations in the utility lines can affect that operation. For your DJ equipment, and other household electronics (including computers), the power supply isolates the utility’s AC from your equipment, converts it to DC and then regulates it to compensate for any variations in utility service.
Should, for some reason, the utility supply too much voltage, your surge protector will protect the equipment, assuming that the mains circuit breaker didn’t trip first. Voltage that’s too low will simply drop below the operating point of the power supply, which will turn off, just like hitting the OFF switch. And no amount of power conditioning is going to supply what isn’t there to condition.
Manufacturing plants, production lines, use power conditioners. For the consumer, it’s just a massive waste of money. Anyone who claims experience with some personal disaster that they averted with such equipment is just spinning you a yarn. percival.sweetwater
January 12th, 2010 at 10:09 am
The best thing you can get for protection is a UPS. You can get one that will cover 800 watts for $100 or so. It will switch on within a few milliseconds of detecting bad or no voltage. Nomadd