Line Condition /Pwr Protection on Mono Block amps?

Big power amps have less delicate components in them, far more power supply capacitance, large transformers and other 'bulky' electronics that can tolerate and absorb power surges better then most other audiophile hardware. So - Yes - they are inherently less vulnerable.

That said, ANY unprotected, plugged-in AC electronic device could be taken out by a bad lightning hit or surge. So, you always take a bit of a chance by assuming that any built-in surge/lightning protection (which may be just a simple fuse or fusable link) will be able to handle the type of surges that you encounter in your area.

I guess the bottomline is - If you feel that the amps sound enough better without protection to justify exposing them to a bit of risk, then I say go for it. They are the least likely of your devices to be affected by surges.

As for disconnecting the amps when not in use, I highly recommend against that except when you know that a storm is heading your way or you will be away for an extended period, as the Pass X- and XA-series amps are known to need about 3 full days of powered-on settle-in time to sound their best. That was a revelation that other X-series owners told me when I had one, and was easily proven in my own system. My X-250 and X-3 amps sounded cold and gritty when I shut them off after short periods of use. But after about 3 days of use or powered-on idling, it sounded much more relaxed, liquid and smooth. This was a very reproduceable condition for me. Of course, you may have a different situation, so try it yourself.

Personally, I never turned my X-250 off or unplugged it again... no surges, no problems, better sound...
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BTW - I used an original Hydra & an Elrod Signature3 powercord to drive BOTH my Pass X-250/X-3 amps, which both had Shunyata PC's themselves. Most of my front-end equipment was on the Hydra as well.

I used it that way to keep the sonic advantages of the Hydra in the entire chain, and because I never personally noticed any reduction of dynamics, even during full HT impacts. But remember that this is MY particular system in MY room with MY power conditions and MY hearing, so YMMV.

In a more general view however, the ORIGINAL Hydra does not offer ANY surge suppression at all - just a fuse (which I even replaced with a Copper Slug). It is a fully-passive design, so it shouldn't get in the way of the dynamics. That is the biggest difference between Hydra and Hydra-8, as the latter HAS surge protection which, in my mind, COULD cause a dulling of dynamics when the Hydra is shared with a bunch of other equipment, just as Grant describes.