Is a power conditioner really necessary with axfx?

I have a cheap furman for my (small) rack, just because I just want to switch Axe FX / computer / etc.. with just one button.
Plus I don't like the idea to use everyday the small switch button on the Axe II itself.
 
This is what I plug my Furman PL-Plus C into, lol. With the AxeFx and 2 wireless systems, I like the peace of mind but also the convenience of having my racks powered up without having to plug in a lot of $hit. And the Furman surge blocks make nice stage drops instead the old quads we used to make.

deadringer6565 said:
I use one of those Furman SS-6B surge blocks. I assumed that was decent enough. :oops:

Now you guys have me second guessing myself...

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I have a 1U strip, but this might be interesting.
It would prevent me from buying the whole thing over again : real good hard case for flights, soft one for portability, I've got it all in the right dimensions now, but if I have to upgrade to a III at some point I'll have to start again.
Also if the III is not as deep as II, this furman could just be at the back of the case, hopefully not too messy. And keep all my cases :)

deadringer6565 said:
I use one of those Furman SS-6B surge blocks. I assumed that was decent enough. :oops:

Now you guys have me second guessing myself...

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vangrieg said:
Axe-FX will be fine with 240. Just saying. Overvoltage isn’t that big of a risk in the US as in Europe, but even there I think Axe should handle most typical scenarios just fine. It’s theoretically possible that somebody will mess up with phases and you’ll get 380 instead of 220 (400 instead of 230, 208 instead of 120 etc.). So in Europe it will be out of safe operating bounds and whatever safety margin Axe-FX has, in the US it should handle that easily. Getting some weird stuff like double the voltage like the 240 you mention would be extremely strange and unlikely, IMO. Or maybe they don’t use three phases in the US for transmission?
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The situation that caused what I dealt with was an oddity, to be sure, and had to do with a power snake used by the facility that had become worn at the connection end and caused a connection that put power on the wrong conductors. I'd be the first to say it would probably never happen to me again. My point, probably poorly stated, was that I didn't anticipate something like that happening and the power supply stopped it from damaging equipment downstream from it. In all the varieties of things that could cause extreme power issues, the common thread is you won't have time to shut down when it happens, so having something automated to handle that is a comfort.

If there is one overarching idea for me, it is that I am paid to perform, and preventive maintenance and planning is just part of being a professional. I carry spare guitars, cords, batteries, wireless modules, mics, stands, etc... even a Flyrig5 just in case my Axe FX goes belly-up on me even though, in 6 years and hundreds of gigs, my FAS gear has failed exactly 0 times. The audience wants to hear music and not excuses, so my personal decision is to do everything I can reasonably do to make sure that happens. Power protection is just one cog in that machine. The machine has run well for 40+ years.

Likely way more that the OP or anyone else wanted to know! Sorry for that. I agree with everyone that says the chances are minimal. The chances of failure of any gear is minimal. But I do have a spare tire in my truck. My music gear is insured, even though I've never had an instrument stolen. This is that mode of thinking for musicians. Totally good with anyone who disagrees or does otherwise.
 
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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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+1. I use these smaller form-factor models:

Furman AC-215A Compact Power Conditioner with Auto-Resetting Voltage Protection - Black Amazon product ASIN B003PJ6NPO
 
This is a UK vs US issue. Some areas of the US have problems with power supply fluctuations, or so I'm told. The UK generally doesn't. I've been gigging an AxeFX since the Ultra days. In all that time I've only encountered one occasion when I had a problem with mains supply. That was a small pub outside Chesterfield which had faulty wiring.
 
Phil emptiness.be said:
If decent protection can be built in a plug extension, have amp builders never thought about building one inside the amp ?
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I’m sure some thought about it. However, there are two problems. One, this is a very conservative business, and it has a very weird user group which resists anything new quite vehemently. So I can bet that if a manufacturer builds in some advanced circuitry apart from what his father and his father’s father have been doing since times immemorial, there will be a vocal group of users who will complain that true tube sound is hopelessly spoiled by digital modern digital stuff. Or something. These people are very creative. Two, this is a cost that will never be recovered. This is a counterintuitive thing because common sense says that spending 5 or 10 bucks more on a thing that costs 2000 is nothing. However, if you can charge 2005, you should do it regardless. You should always sell For as much as you can. And most people won’t even know because you cannot inform them effectively and efficiently. So they will still buy power conditioners. Which will make sense to them because they have other equipment beside the amp to protect. So you just waste 5 or 10 bucks on every unit sold.
 
Hofi said:
My Furman kills the noises, which is really cool, and the lights are really handy too. I don’t hear my freezer anymore in my playing :D It has separated sockets which allows it to turn on or off my Active FRFR and the axe fx separately, so it’s absolutely noiseless, no pop no nothing. Love it
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Which unit u got?
 
dpeterson said:
Lightning doesn't care about Axe version
.
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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.
 
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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Depends on where the lightning hits. If the strike is 200 feet away, and it's direct to ground, a surge suppressor just might save your gear. If the strike is two feet away, all bets are off.
 
I witnessed a Monster power strip (don't remember model) sacrifice itself to save a large LG TV, Rotel stereo and some Paradigm speakers once when my brother decided while helping me rewire my old 1940's house turn a 120 circuit into 240 by mistake. It squealed like a pig and burnt but not the equipment. Also Monster replaced it for free.
During the re-wiring process I took the the time run a line to my office and one into my living room that are on their own 15amp breaker. Maybe overkill...I also have Monster surge protectors on my TV/Audio and all Guitar related equipment.
 
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