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SteveB

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I have one in every rack that I own, and I don't plug a single piece of gear into anything that's not protected.

For my main rig, I plug my amp head and pedalboard into a Furman PL-8.
 

dwf1004

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"I have one in every rack that I own, and I don't plug a single piece of gear into anything that's not protected." -- SteveB

I see that we're alike there, buddy boy. :)

Furman here too, RR-15 PLUS, the one with the lights and the numbered output meter.
 

SteveB

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Darrell,

Yeah, it must be the IT background, but I'm definitely into power conditioning. It prevents so much electrical stress on components!

I played an outdoor gig last year and the power to the stage was horrible (involving lots of extension cords, etc).

My bass player cooked two amp heads during that gig (first his GK RB head, then his backup Ampeg V4). I was plugged into my Furman and had no troubles whatsoever. I'm sure that his amps had to work extra hard to pull current through that nightmarish highway of wire and that's what cooked them.

I was on the same circuit!
 

fsmith

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SteveB said:
Darrell,

Yeah, it must be the IT background, ...

Steve, I hear ya... IT geeks unite!!! Until I get around to a rack and a Furman, I'm using an APC UPS to run my rig off of. I can sleep soundly knowing that it would take almost a direct lightning hit to wipe out my equipment.

fred
 

dan desy

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I'ver tried a power conditioner once, but it was too tough on my hair. I typically use just the regular kind.

What?....

Oh that kinf of power conditioner...

;)

No, never used one. I might if I had a big rack rig. But all I have are the amp, GT8 and a wireless.
 

SteveB

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dan desy said:
No, never used one. I might if I had a big rack rig. But all I have are the amp, GT8 and a wireless.

Well, the items that you mentioned are just as vulnerable as a rack rig!
Now granted, MIDI gear and the like have a lot more worries, as momentary power sags can corrupt what's in RAM and really mess up your configuration.

But that same momentary sag causes some degree of electrical stress on anything electrical.

I think APC had a case study of Polaroid or Eastman Kodak (I can't remember which).. these folks were replacing something like 3000 hard drives per year corporation-wide. After installing power protection, that number dwindled down to almost none. (It's been many years since I read the case study, so forgive my vague numbers.. you get the general idea, though).

"Clean" power saves your gear from electrical stress. Ever notice how you're most likely to have a light bulb burn out when you first turn the light on? That initial swell of power physically stresses the filament every time you turn the bulb on. Same holds true for circuitry, tubes, and especially moving parts. Sustained, clean power is good. Power that fluctuates creates stress akin to turning the power off and on (although the severity of the stress coincides with just how deep the fluctuations are).
 

dan desy

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SteveB said:
Well, the items that you mentioned are just as vulnerable as a rack rig!
Now granted, MIDI gear and the like have a lot more worries, as momentary power sags can corrupt what's in RAM and really mess up your configuration.

But that same momentary sag causes some degree of electrical stress on anything electrical.

I think APC had a case study of Polaroid or Eastman Kodak (I can't remember which).. these folks were replacing something like 3000 hard drives per year corporation-wide. After installing power protection, that number dwindled down to almost none. (It's been many years since I read the case study, so forgive my vague numbers.. you get the general idea, though).

"Clean" power saves your gear from electrical stress. Ever notice how you're most likely to have a light bulb burn out when you first turn the light on? That initial swell of power physically stresses the filament every time you turn the bulb on. Same holds true for circuitry, tubes, and especially moving parts. Sustained, clean power is good. Power that fluctuates creates stress akin to turning the power off and on (although the severity of the stress coincides with just how deep the fluctuations are).

I promise I'll get a power conditioner if the hard drive on my Road King ever fails... ;)
 

tommyindelaware

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dfrady said:
To the ones using the power conditioners, did you notice any improvement in sound quality ??
:D
it's more about amps & gear getting killed than sounding better......

t.h.d. @ 100% @ full bandwidth ain't exactly class a operation !!!!!!! :p
 

SteveB

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I don't think you'll ever hear anyone claim that a power conditioner impacted their sound. It's strictly for protection of equipment.

Ask any amp repair person how much money they make replacing blown diodes... :eek:
 

dwf1004

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The cables you use will clean up sound more than using a power conditioner will.

However, I could argue that if you have a below-average grounded line, and it would pick up weird things, i.e. a radio station through the conduit, wouldn't a power conditioner help clean that up and remove it? (Pardon my electrical ignorance...i don't read as much as SteveB apparenty does! ;))
 

SteveB

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Hahaha Darrell!

A good power conditioner would certainly remove unwanted RF from the power coming from the AC mains. So I guess if you're broadcasting radio from your amp, it might help. But the more likely culprit would be the instrument cables...

Darrell.. even with all that reading, it still isn't sufficient preparation to make sense of Urwordbreakmed's posts! ;)
 

dfrady

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Thanks for all the input guys, i have decided to get a Furman Power Factor Pro Power Conditioner. Thanks again guys !!
:D
 
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