Protection needed for amp?

Hey there OP.

Yes, you should have surge protection. I recommend a whole house unit which will bring your home up to the 2020 National Electric Code standards and a unit for your wall outlet. I recommend any Furman unit with LiFT and SMP. They also include under-voltage protection.

For less valuable, less noise sensitive electronics Tripp Lite Isobar.

To answer your question more directly, in addition to lightning strikes surges can come from the utility company.  We had a situation in a building where at a certain point of the day every surge protector in the building would fry at the same time due to scheduled switching at the plant and bad equipment.  We can't assume that the power company switching the power off and on in a controlled fashion will always be without incident, and not every power outage is controlled.

Best,

Erik

This outlet adapter requires the user to press the reset button after the initial plug-in or a power outage.

ELEGRP single GFCI adapter

@erik_squires:

Thanks for your response. I'm sorry but it's not clear to me whether you're saying  every system needs surge protection as a general rule or whether it's particularly apropos in my case. Could you please clarify? Thanks!  

@imhififan:

Thanks for the suggestion. 

@erik_squires:

Would something inexpensive like this work or do I need to spend more? 

https://furmanpower.com/product/15a-8-outlet-surge-suppressor-w-smp-lift-evs-and-2-filtered-banks/

https://www.furmanpower.com/homeowners-and-audiophiles/

Hi OP

Yep, that strip is great. You can add features but not protection. Meaning, you can get a Furman with balanced power, or voltage regulation but they aren’t safer, just more feature filled.

I’m sorry but it’s not clear to me whether you’re saying every system needs surge protection as a general rule

A whole house surge protector will keep your house from catching fire and protect your major appliances like your air conditioner, water heater and stove but they have relatively high activation (or clamping) voltage so it is always recommended that you use a strip at the appliance itself if it’s delicate and of course, based on the cost to replace it.

What you should put on a surge protector is a value and risk judgement. You have a 30" TV in the guest bedroom and you don’t feel like spending $50 on a surge protector, that makes sense. My PC however which is not only expensive but may have work that is not easily replaced is definitely on a strip.

It's also a location judgement. I'm in South Carolina so we have regular serious thunderstorms that routinely take out communication equipment and unprotected appliances.  You on the other hand have PG&E and there is no way I'd trust them. :-)

@erik_squires:

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide an in-depth answer!

I'll try one, if I can get one with a return policy-- I'd be very pleasantly surprised if it doesn't affect SQ.

As for PG&E, don't get me started. I would say they are, in fact, very trustworthy-- they will always act in favor of  their own financial self-interest !  

@carlsbad 

+1 Great explanation. 

+1 carlsbad for explanation. I do have surge protection for my equipment, but then I've doubled to 5X the filter cap capacity in virtually all of my equipment (not just the power amps). Class D subs don't go into the surge protector.

@carlsbad:

Thanks very much for that detailed explanation. you bring up many points about which I was unaware. 

I suspect the Hegel does have a "soft start", if the short delay between pushing the on switch and the loud click that indicates its readiness is an indication. 

Wow, so much weird information in Jerry's post I hate to even touch it.

I will just reiterate that the whole house units don't clamp low enough or fast enough given the equipment I've lost to lightning which is why the very same manufacturers who sell whole house units recommend you supplement them with outlet surge protectors for sensitive electronics.

I will also say that you need to be very careful in buying boutique power conditioners as many of them aren't even UL listed as surge protectors.  Testing a device for adequacy during a surge protector is not a trivial thing.  It requires specialized equipment and engineers with expertise in surge arresting. Always look for this rating when considering whether a power conditioner is intended to be a surge protector or a very expensive tone control.

@erik_squires:

Thanks for the warning! 

OK... I didn't realize there could be such disagreement regarding this topic.

@carlsbad : Thanks for the suggestion! 

Perhaps specialized insurance as an option?

@lpretiring 

Maybe-- I'll ask our agent.