Comments on Profile Post by rlow

I've always been curious about these for audio. I've read so many times where people say surge protectors negatively impact engagement, but is that still the case when the surge protector is directly on the panel?

Surge protectors in power bars, as I understand it, can restrain sound due to higher output impedance. That tends to affect high powered things like amps. I don’t believe the whole home protectors do this (or at least not to the same degree). Honestly I don’t really care though, as I would rather have the extra layer of protection, since almost every piece of gear I own costs more than it did for the surge protector.

It also protects all your other electronics and appliances in your house, so IMO well worth it, especially if you deal with any frequency of power outages, which we do especially over the winter.

What kind did you get?

I guess the question is, do you perceive a audible difference between before and after?

@dasman66 nothing obvious. @Armaegis this one: https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/skuPage.CHSPT2ULTRA.html

I had my electrician run tech power to the studio this summer and asked him about one of these - he said he had never heard of it. Thanks for the link - it is a great idea to do this.

equipment blown up by surges negatively impact musical enjoyment.

We have one in the house since it was built in 2012. It’s always been there since I’m into hifi, so I don’t hear a difference. :P
But seriously, as it has to be able to handle the load of the whole house, I can’t think of a way how it could influence the sound.

@atomicbob - that's why my audio equipment is hooked up to an isolation transformer... I assume that will blow rather than the equipment. Or is that a false assumption on my part?

@rlow... thanks for the link. I didn't realize how inexpensive these things are (and looking at the installation instructions, how easy to install)

@dasman66 - transformers tend to slow down transients unless catastrophic arc-over occurs such as from a direct hit by lightning at the power feed to the main panel.

@atomicbob... So if I read that correctly, that means the iso transformers won't sacrifice themselves to a lightning strike... time to look at getting the whole home surge protector installed...

@dasman66 - transformers are good for suppressing noisy low energy transients providing clean output. Lightning strikes require a shunt to earth such as a lightning arrester.