NO SURGE CHARGE
Mar 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
One fateful near-doomsday, I was finishing a marathon session in my home studio late at night. I reached under the desk to pick up a fallen disc and accidentally kicked the plug to a cheapie multiple-power strip. The problem was, all of my subsequent six hardware-store power strips were chained off that single one. My entire studio was fully powered up in that moment when a loud thump emitted from my more professional-grade (expensive) studio monitors, and then every LED in my studio went black. Covered in goosebumps, I gingerly turned off each piece of gear and then plugged the main strip back in. As I prayed to all of the gods, one-by-one I flipped my gear back on to find it was all still okay. In an instant, I firmly decided to outfit my most cherished investment (and creative lifeline) with something I always put off buying: proper power conditioning. Now, as I sit here glancing at a rack that houses a Monster Power Pro 2500 with its LED playfully dancing between 114 and 118 (incoming volts), I breathe easier; it's one of the best $200 I've spent.
RANDOM ACTS OF CARELESSNESS
If you're not already sold on this idea, you might be thinking, “200 bucks just for a fancy rackmount power strip? What for?” In my case, consider this: That particular strip has a $500 analog filter, two $800 tube channel strips, a $250 effects unit, a $400 digital patch bay, a $500 audio interface, $1,600 monitors, a $200 external hard drive and a $3,000 Mac G5 all attached to it. Now, is $8,000 worth protecting behind a $200 investment (not to mention all the precious computer data that could also be fried in an instant)?
You might argue that you're not so careless as to trip over your cords, but what about acts of nature? Everyone's been in a blackout, been in a lightning storm or tripped a circuit. Economically speaking, take a quick inventory of your studio; if it consists of gear you couldn't go out and replace right away if it all was ruined, then you are a prime candidate for power conditioning.
A SOUND INVESTMENT
Power conditioners are like car insurance. You could be the most careful driver on the road, but if another car runs a red light at precisely the wrong time, your car is toast. However, unlike car insurance (which will fix or replace your totaled car), quality power conditioners are designed to ensure that disasters in the studio or on the road never happen. Their purpose is to not let “bad” power through. It's true that even cheap power strips sometimes provide basic circuit-breaker protection, yet most professional power conditioners' armor against power surges is much more robust. In addition, like antifreeze that regulates a car's temperature, quality power conditioners regulate the voltage going to your gear, making sure it doesn't fluctuate too low or too high. That is important because a steady stream of voltage powering your gear ensures that they perform properly and with the utmost efficiency, and that means your gear is likely to live longer. That is especially important for owners of esoteric or expensive gear. For analog-synth aficionados, an even stream of voltage helps keep those older, unstable oscillators as fluctuation-free as possible. Perhaps best of all, some power conditioners incorporate filter circuitry that removes line noise from incoming electrical lines (RFI/EMI), as well as that generated by the connected equipment. The result is simple: much better sound in your studio and recordings. What caught my attention regarding this fact was a display I saw at the NAMM music-industry trade show: Monster had a display rig set up where you could literally hear just the line noise via headphones, both pre- and post-power conditioner. The difference was startling.
PURCHASE…OR PAY
If my scare tactics or audiophile temptations have piqued your interest, then let's take a brief look at some options. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but rather a snapshot of what's out there in different price points. (Note that all prices listed are retail — not necessarily street — price.) Probably the industry's best-known brand, Furman, has a lot to choose from. Its M-8 model ($65) provides 8 rear-mounted outlets and one front-panel outlet, an RFI/EMI interference filter and a circuit breaker on the rear panel that protects against total loads exceeding the specified 15 amp/1,800W limit. Though not especially robust, for many home studios it could do the trick. The very popular PL-8 II ($189) adds a multistage surge-protection circuit with a voltage-shutdown rating of 140V, a maximum surge of 6,500 amps and front-mounted dimmable LED rack lamps for use in low-light conditions. Furman's PM-8 II model ($329) adds digital-volt and current-meter LEDs on the front panel. Monster Power's Pro 2500 ($200) features robust surge protection, a voltmeter LED, ground and wiring alert LEDs and discrete, separately filtered outlets for digital, analog and high-powered connections. It also has two-stage timed turn-on/off sequencing, so sensitive things like speakers don't pop when the conditioner is turned on. Monster's Pro 5100 ($799) boasts 12 rear-mounted outlets and two on the front, digital volt and amp meters, three modes of surge-protection circuitry and 24-karat gold-plated plug contacts.
If I've managed to convert you, then do your homework before purchasing. Look closely at specs, specifically their Joule, voltage and amp ratings, and think about your priorities. Will you need a 15 or 20 amp model? Do you need many outlets? Extra-heavy surge or dirty-power protection? Several other brands are in the game too, such as ART, TubeWorks and Alesis; rest assured that different models available can meet most budgets and needs. Now, go save your studio!
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