Power conditioning / surge protection

Stringreen,

Overall, we probably agree on most things regarding power conditioners. That said, you may want to have a look at Furutech. I have a e-tp80. Its not that expensive and I haven't found a situation where it hurts SQ at all. (I still plug my amps in the wall.) Its the kind of line conditioner to get if you don't like line conditioners.Personally, I don't like power products and cables that make big changes to your system. Its always at the expense of something. The Furutech is worth it just to get some outlets to your equipment without making a big deal about it. Thats primarily what I use mine for. I got mine from Cable Co. They have them to lend out.

Look into the Brick Wall surge protectors for non-fail protection (no MOV's). They claim some line conditioning as well. All for around $200.
Makes sense to me. I own 6 here in lightning prone Atlanta.

http://www.brickwall.com/index.htm

I run separate 2 ch and HT systems and both are connected to PC's. Haven't had any adverse results from surges and out west in Colorado, we get plenty of them. For Drr and Tbromgard - what are the benefits of plugging your power amps directly into the wall??

"For Drr and Tbromgard - what are the benefits of plugging your power amps directly into the wall??"

I plug my amps into the wall, as well. I'm not an expert on line conditioners, but the biggest reason for most people is to not limit the power output of the amp in any way. Sometimes conditioners can make an amp sound a bit slower or not as dynamic.

Another reason, is that amps are less likely to be damaged by AC than other types of components. In fact, amps are very similar to power regenerators. Heres some examples of what I'm talking about. The PS audio 1000 regenerator is pretty much the same as the PS audio Classic 250. Same thing with the PS 500 and the HCA. When Monster came out with their regenerators, they came out with a line of amps based on them.

I'm sure that some of the other posters will have a lot more to share on this topic as well.

+1 re Truman's comment on the BrickWall surge protectors/line filters. I use this model, into which I connect my entire system, including the amplifier.

I have not sensed it causing any adverse impact on dynamics or anything else. I should add, though, that my amp is Class A, and therefore its current draw is essentially constant and independent of the dynamics of the music. That would not be true of Class AB or Class D amps.

Regards,
-- Al