Power conditioner or outlet?

n80

I’m aware that nothing is completely lightning proof from a direct hit but I suspect if I’d had anything in place between my TV etc and the wall outlet I might have saved my gear. How do you protect super expensive audio gear?

Something like these products can be very effective.

kalali

A good power conditioner will/should have no voltage drop with a high wattage hairdryer running with everything else plugged into it.

This is completely mistaken.

For one thing, it depends on the rating of the power conditioner. Many good power conditioners are intended for low current use. They simply aren’t designed to be used with "a high wattage hairdryer running with everything else plugged into it."

Moreover, a power conditioner can’t generate current. And it’s very common for sudden high-current demands to cause voltage drop - that’s a function of the service you’re receiving from the electric utility as well as other factors, such as the quality of connections in your service panel and your house wiring itself.

Some people assume that if they have "200 amp service" that the utility can deliver 200 amps, but nothing could be further from the truth. It means only that the service panel can safely distribute 200A. In practice, it’s common for the total available instantaneous current to be much less than the rating of the service panel itself.

In my system I have my power amp and pre plugged into a Shunyata Hydra 2 conditioner which is passive and non current limiting with Shunyata Copperhead power cords.  Never ran out of gas.  

@ghosthouse 

They do, which is why I specified SMP and LiFT as being the important features for me. 

I use an older model, Elite 15i something something, although sometimes I supplement it with a voltage regulator. 

My ears are not good enough to worry about power sources and power cords but I have lost some moderately expensive gear (big TV, home theater system) to a lightning strike that did not even hit my house (but close by).

How does one protect high end audio gear from lightning?

I'm aware that nothing is completely lightning proof from a direct hit but I suspect if I'd had anything in place between my TV etc and the wall outlet I might have saved my gear. How do you protect super expensive audio gear? Unplugging really ins't practical unless you do it every night and every time you leave the house.

@erik_squires 

Which Furman do you use?  They have quite a range of products.  Thanks in advance.

I think the presupposition for those who advocate plugging directly into the wall is the circuit is dedicated to that plug/amplifier. Otherwise, and depending on the current requirements of the amplifier, I don’t think its advisable to share the power fed to the amplifier with other electrical devices in the house, especially dimmers or appliances which turn on/off thermostatically. A simple test for the circuit is plug in a high wattage hairdryer in the shared socket and measure the voltage drop when you turn it on. Try the same with your power conditioner. A good power conditioner will/should have no voltage drop with a high wattage hairdryer running with everything else plugged into it.

Okay. So the opinion I read, plug your amp/preamp straight into wall is valid then. Perhaps okay for other components?

What I have read is that a good power conditioner can clean up the fed power and improve...i suppose much like a really good power cord?

Right. Sorry. So here it is:

1) Wells innamorata power amp
2) Jolida Fusion Preamp
3) PSB Imagine T3 speakers
4) Simaudio 380D DAC
5) PS Audio Perfectwave CD transport
6) Questyle CMA 600i headphone amp/dac
7) Musical surroundings nova phonomena phono preamp
8) Lumin D1 streamer
9) Melco N1A network digital library
10) Project Xtension 10 turntable
11) JT Dynamic Power 4 rail power supply
12) Dspeaker antimode 2.0 dual core room correction
13) Sonos connect ZP90 streamer
14) Shunyata MPC-12A power conditioner
15) Focal elear, final audio design sonorous VI, Sennheiser hd6xx, hifiman he4xx, Beyerdynamic dt880 headphones
16) Virtue audio interconnects, JT Dynamic Power power cords

I have different power cords that were built by JT Dynamic for the various components. But I am appreciative of this advice

I suggest you first plug everything in your power conditioner except power amp. Listen and then plug power amp in it as well. Listen again. Try various music, including very dynamic one, and move the volume control up and down. If you hear no difference, leave everything plugged in the conditioner. Also, experiment with your power cords - which goes where. Power cord requirements for power amp are not exactly the same as for cd transport, as an example, but there are those that work very well everywhere. We don't know your system.

This depends on a great deal. 

There is the thought that a surge protector could limit the current. Never seen this proven, but Furman with LiFT and SMP work really great and have fabulous noise reducing characteristics. 

Also, trust your ears. I mean, try it. :) 

I find my system sounds much better wiht a Furman in place than not, and it has a fabulous surge protection built in. 

Best,

E