I have been researching line conditioners and voltage regulators after purchasing the 950. Looked at the Monster stuff,Tripplite and others. Noticed that everything is cheaper than Monster,am I trading off on quality? Are these other companies other than Monster just as good?Are the specs the same ect. anyone have any experience with the other companies.Thanks

My general feeling is that anything with the Monster logo has a certain level of brand name mark-up built into the price tag. When comparing Monster, Panamax, Tripp-Lite, Brickwall, etc., I would anticipate that Monster gear will very probably cost more than competing products that are equally good. It's not really trading off on quality so much as Monster leveraging their market recognition to charge more.

Is there a certain spec I should be looking for when comparing Panamax,Tripplite Brick wall? I am checking out brickwall's sight now. Im thinking I will pass on Monster if your saying I can get the same thing at a cheaper price

The TrippLite Isobar filters are heavily used in the professional audio/video industries. If anything, they are of higher quality internally (where it counts) than the Monster, which is a consumer unit that has a high marketing cost penalty built in.

Another company you may want to check out is Furman Sound . They also are known in the Pro Audio/Video field. One thing I like about their surge suppressors and line conditioners is they use series mode protection like the brickwall units. This is a superior surge suppression technology compared to the MOV's used in most consumer devices.
One thing you should be aware of in the Tripp-Lite isobar line conditioners is "Neutral to ground bonding at the secondary eliminates common mode noise and provides an isolated ground reference for sensitive equipment". In some, but not all cases when I used these they actually exacerbated ground loop problems. As always YMMV, etc., etc., etc.

I have been happy with my Panamax 5300. I liked the other brands as well, but the Panamax provided 12V DC triggers and the ability to handel more components than many of the others. That worked out in my system, because that is what I needed. If all you are looking for is circut protection with no added noise, their are many cheaper alternatives.

I will be looking into this as well...thanks for the information!
Bill

Take a look at the Brick Wall conditioners that are spec'd for audio. I have one and, am I crazy? but I hear a difference...the music emanates from a black silent background. They seem to have a different conception of conditioning and surge protection. Here's the url:

http://www.pricewheeler.com/index.htm

JMS,
Does Brick Wall have any protection for Cable TV, Sat, and Phone line connections on any of their surge protectors? How do I get the same level of protection for these components? Can't voltage spikes be transmitted along these pathways and cause damage to all interconnected components? I would hate to purchase a Brick Wall product and then introduce MOV style protection in the chain! Would not this defeat the purpose of going with Brick Wall. I think BW advertises that they offer the best level of protection...apart from the "NON-SACRIFICIAL" nature of their surge suppression???

Might check out ZeroSurge. Very good protection for relatively low cost. Can be used right at the outlet like Brickwall, even before an UPS, etc.
I do like Panamax's idea of removing power for major line variations. No connection is the best protection.

Might check out Chang power line filters. No transformers.
www.changlightspeed.com
The Cinema Series provide excellent results.
I prefer these units to either Monster or Panamax.

Panamax aquires Furman.
http://www.panamax.com/PDF/Panamax_Furman_PR.pdf

97dB,
Just wondering in the year 2006.......Richard gray's "stuff" really works....Give it a shot....but, I'm sure, by now you already got something!!!!!!!!!

Belkin PureAV!!!!!!!!!

I've owned/reviewed more power line conditioners than I'd like.

About the only thing I can say for sure is that they all work to a degree, but whether you get the optimum benefit will vary on your location and what powerline anomalies, RFI, EMI, low/high voltages, etc., may exist in your area and which unit you are using.

Then there is budget. Most of the inexpensive PLC don't offer much more than surge protection. The pricier units really offer significant audio/video improvements.

Sndsrtaud,

do you have any experience with the Shunyata Hydra 6 and if so, what do you think of them?

thanks,

John

Hi:

I've not heard the Hydra. They get mixed reviews.

Sndstaud,

could you direct me to a mixed review because so far, I haven't seen/read any that were not glowingly positive?

thanks,

John