Is a power conditioner really necessary with axfx?

touch33 said:
SurgeX. Shit works, worth every dime.
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Just curious on what makes the SurgeX SA-20 worth it. From what I see, the Furman PST-8 performs better at 1/5 the price:

SurgeX SA-20 $575 on Amazon

UL 1449-2 Adjunct Classification Test Results: 1000 surges, 6000 volts,3000 amps, C1 pulse, measured suppressed voltage 290 volts, no failures.

Furman PST-8 $120 on Musicians Friend

188 V peak clamping @ 6000V 3000A input

I would definitely prefer a maximum spike of 188V on my gear vs 290V. At that price for the SurgeX, I could daisy-chain 5 of the PST-8s for even better protection. (Not that I would.)
 
unix-guy said:
I seem to recall reading somewhere that doing that (daisy chain) actually may defeat the function of the surge protector
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If you're not using every outlet on every daisy-chained surge-protector, and you only use the last surge protector outlets, and you're not using the maximum wattage on that last one, there is no logical way it would defeat the function of the surge protectors.
 
I have been using the Carvin AC120S Power Conditioners (https://carvinaudio.com/products/ac120s-power-conditioner) in my mobile rack cases for years. They have functioned well at some venues with really poor dirty electrical power for me. At some gigs others had a lot of power issues where I had none (in one case, even others’ laptops plugged into the venue power without a power conditioner were acting-up due to high electrical noise but I had no issues at all). One of my AC120S units must be 10 years old or more so they hold-up.

I started using power conditioners religiously after I lost an entire rolling rack of gear to a lightning strike at a venue back in 2009 which as very costly. Since then, I have never had another voltage spike or dirty power issue at any venue. So, for me, a power conditioner is an absolute necessity…but that is just my opinion and there are others that think they aren’t necessary at all. So, to each his/her own.
 
fuzzydude said:
Just curious on what makes the SurgeX SA-20 worth it. From what I see, the Furman PST-8 performs better at 1/5 the price:

SurgeX SA-20 $575 on Amazon

UL 1449-2 Adjunct Classification Test Results: 1000 surges, 6000 volts,3000 amps, C1 pulse, measured suppressed voltage 290 volts, no failures.

Furman PST-8 $120 on Musicians Friend

188 V peak clamping @ 6000V 3000A input

I would definitely prefer a maximum spike of 188V on my gear vs 290V. At that price for the SurgeX, I could daisy-chain 5 of the PST-8s for even better protection. (Not that I would.)
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While I think my two-word description accurately sums it up, this link may provide a more in-depth answer for you:

https://www.ametekesp.com/about-us/ourbrands/brandstory-surgex
 
touch33 said:
While I think my two-word description accurately sums it up, this link may provide a more in-depth answer for you:

https://www.ametekesp.com/about-us/ourbrands/brandstory-surgex
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That link doesn't explain how their own testing let 290V through @ 6000V, 3000 Amps. They are supposed to be Zero surge voltage which isn't possible if say lighting directly struck the surge protector. Unlikely, yes, but false advertising is false advertising.

Then there's this from NY Times:

"We tested the Furman PST-2+6, P3 Kill-A-Watt PS-10, SurgeX SA-15, Tripp Lite Isobar HT10DBS, and ZeroSurge 2R15W in previous years, but they didn’t offer the same combination of surge protection, cord length, and number of outlets as the Furman PST-8."
 
Jamme1961 said:
Reading this - ?
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You’ll have to make up your own mind on it, as you can see there are many opinions… which often aren’t nothing more than that: an opinion, possibly based on very limited or no actual professional experience. My decision was based off of what I see with successful touring acts in the performing arts. I’ve not regretted the added expense. Your equipment, your gigs, your reputation = your choice!
 
eddyrox said:
late to the thread, but i use Furman AR voltage regulator
saved my gear on several occasions, esp with wonky electricity or just bad electrical work (like at one biker bar where the kitchen shuts off the fryers and drops the power across the stage area :fearscream: :dizzy: )
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Drops the power as in shuts it off? That's nuts. Either way a voltage regulator is a good piece of equipment to have and probably the most relevant piece of gear when it comes to protection against voltage issues! Surge protection is probably more rare in the voltage occurrences!

Another inexpensive tool to have in you gig bag in the U.S. is a receptacle tester! I don't know if it's necessary for the Axe FX or FM boards to know if your power is correctly polarized or not due to the power supply in the units but for other gear I would want to know before I plugged in to the outlet! I have run across a few places where the plug was wired backwards.
 
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...

181297000000000-00-500x500.jpg
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These are fine.
 
Sixstring said:
Drops the power as in shuts it off? That's nuts. Either way a voltage regulator is a good piece of equipment to have and probably the most relevant piece of gear when it comes to protection against voltage issues! Surge protection is probably more rare in the voltage occurrences!
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it's funny (well not that funny) but the sound darts in and out, which is a sure sign that the power out of the wall sockets are dodgey...
when we used tube amps, as expected, the sag increased and it wasn't as "noticable"...
with digital, ive noticed that the moment that the power dips below 115-ish (5% of 120v) everything gets wonky
that said, the Furman P-1800 AR keeps my AxeFxIII at pretty much at 120v the whole night (assuming there's a semblance of decent power)
 
eddyrox said:
it's funny (well not that funny) but the sound darts in and out, which is a sure sign that the power out of the wall sockets are dodgey...
when we used tube amps, as expected, the sag increased and it wasn't as "noticable"...
with digital, ive noticed that the moment that the power dips below 115-ish (5% of 120v) everything gets wonky
that said, the Furman P-1800 AR keeps my AxeFxIII at pretty much at 120v the whole night (assuming there's a semblance of decent power)
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Pricey but worth it for sure
 
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