Is a power conditioner really necessary with axfx?

I have no delusions about a 1U rack costing $200 or less protecting against a lightening strike, but here's an angle worth considering...

Back when the Texas freeze happened, and mega surge ripped through my neighborhood. Along with a few appliances running at the time, it bricked a Furman and everything hooked up to it. IIXL (prompted my switch to the III, so maybe a blessing in disguise), one of the first NDSP QCs, arc'd a >$3000 tube amp... full on nightmare situation.

When insurance came around to check things out, he took one look at the Furman and how everything was running out of it and approved the claim. Maybe it was just the scale of the event, maybe I just have good coverage (USAA), but I don't think it hurt having the Furman just to show an effort to avoid a total loss was made.
 
When I got my Axe I had a Furman I bought used so I put it in the rack, almost more for outlet convenience though, so I could run pedal wireless units (I don’t use wireless often) and for a MacBook power supply for on the go Axe Edit. Also handy for charging a phone when on a gig or for when my Bluetooth page turner’s battery dies and I need to use the power supply for it.
 
ernieumass said:
Does a power conditioner protect you from a 120,000 volt lightning strike? I thought it was just for power irregularities and normal power surges that you might experience on the grid. Thank you for your time if you answer this.
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nope but it cant hurt having one no?
 
Years ago, I bought a Furman PM-8E II. I've not used it much. I find the hum from the unit annoying, and it just doesn't give me confidence in it being a great power product. I know little about how these things actually work, so the hum may not be a technical problem, but the sound of it is annoying (to me) nonetheless. If I was touring, I might use it anyway, as other noises will mask the noise.

Anyway, I live in Denmark. I probably have more trust in the power net, than if I was located in Texas.
 
Brown-outs suck … basic protection on all

D402C3CD-3F4F-41E7-BC15-CBBC6A78FB14.jpeg

Mastering back 30 year old DAT archive studio tapes through the AxeFX into a DAW.
 
No. Any surgr suppressor will work if you want protection, but "conditioning" isnt doing anything for the fractal.
 
mr_fender said:
The Furman M-8X2 is not much more than a basic power strip/surge protector in a rack chasis. They are passive and MOV based, but they will disable the unit when the MOV's are spent though. The Furman units with SMP (classic series and up) are self resetting, have isolated outlet sets, over-voltage shutdown, and can better protect from repeated surges over time. Big difference in quality and protection between the two. Merit series is better than nothing, but definitely not as good a value for the long term protection they offer. You can also skip the models with the meters in the front too. Those are just passive displays that do nothing to keep voltages steady. True active voltage regulating models cost significantly more ($600+).
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Would you mind sharing what you use?
 
I guess Im foolish for being on the high end of power protection, but I have the Furman P1800 AR voltage regulator. Makes sense to me that stuff built for 120 ought to get a steady supply of 120, no matter what’s coming in from the wall. Ive seen some really wonky numbers over the years on what the voltage is. It was expensive but I only needed one.
 
In many circumstances, voltage regulation is definitely needed. For digital equipment that is powered by a switchmode power supply, it's often not as critical as long as the power level is relatively stable. The power supply specs for the Axe III from the manual is 90–264 VAC, 47 – 63 Hz (universal input). Anything within that range that is fairly stable will allow normal operation. The power supply compensates automatically.

For full analog unregulated power supply circuits, like in most tube amps, that is very much not the case. Any fluctuations in the supply voltage will cause a proportionate fluctuation in the B+ voltage of the amp and change the response of the amp a bit. Voltage regulation might be a good idea there if your power is not very stable, especially if you need really consistent performance like in a studio setting. It also can be very good for touring acts that might see wide shifts in supply voltage depending on where they happen to be in the world.

It certainly won't hurt anything and voltage regulating power conditioners are typically top of the line when it comes to other filtering and protection circuits as well.
 
Yeah, that's the one I use now. I have a 3 space rack for my Axe II and an old TrippLite power conditioner. When I upgraded to the III, I didn't want to get a new rack, so I just switched to that external conditioner from Furman and retired the old rackmount TrippLite to TV duty.
 
mr_fender said:
In many circumstances, voltage regulation is definitely needed. For digital equipment that is powered by a switchmode power supply, it's often not as critical as long as the power level is relatively stable. The power supply specs for the Axe III from the manual is 90–264 VAC, 47 – 63 Hz (universal input). Anything within that range that is fairly stable will allow normal operation. The power supply compensates automatically.

For full analog unregulated power supply circuits, like in most tube amps, that is very much not the case. Any fluctuations in the supply voltage will cause a proportionate fluctuation in the B+ voltage of the amp and change the response of the amp a bit. Voltage regulation might be a good idea there if your power is not very stable, especially if you need really consistent performance like in a studio setting. It also can be very good for touring acts that might see wide shifts in supply voltage depending on where they happen to be in the world.

It certainly won't hurt anything and voltage regulating power conditioners are typically top of the line when it comes to other filtering and protection circuits as well.
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You can have a solid 120 at your gig then once that 30 year old refrigeration kicks in, you’ll see numbers dip to 100 or less. This drives tube amps nuts. I dont know what the effects are on digital gear but it cant be very good.
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
You can have a solid 120 at your gig then once that 30 year old refrigeration kicks in, you’ll see numbers dip to 100 or less. This drives tube amps nuts. I dont know what the effects are on digital gear but it cant be very good.
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Its fine with digital gear. That was the point of his post.
 
Feflicker said:
Its fine with digital gear. That was the point of his post.
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His post said power that’s relatively stable. If power keeps dropping by 20v then spiking back up shortly after, that’s anything but stable power. Even though the unit is built to operate within that range, I’m of the belief rapid fluctuations can be harmful.
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
His post said power that’s relatively stable. If power keeps dropping by 20v then spiking back up shortly after, that’s anything but stable power. Even though the unit is built to operate within that range, I’m of the belief rapid fluctuations can be harmful.
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Id be more worried about why in the heck power is doing that and get out of the building 😅
 
A lot of gear is set up for +/- 10% I retired from 35 years as a power lineman . I can honestly say a lot of issues (not all ) are caused from improper building / residential wiring . Proper grounding is a huge issue. A bad hot water heater element will cause voltage swings as well a shocking at the faucets . Most electrical grids are designed with regulators and capacitor banks to keep voltage steady

I agree better safe than sorry, but a lot of voltage protectors are snake oil . Case in point electricity lives to go to ground, most voltage protection doesn’t protect the ground side only the 120
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
His post said power that’s relatively stable. If power keeps dropping by 20v then spiking back up shortly after, that’s anything but stable power. Even though the unit is built to operate within that range, I’m of the belief rapid fluctuations can be harmful.
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A bad ground will cause voltage swing
 
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