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30 Years, 5 Cities, Many Storms - Not One Failure

As I am tempted by offerings for the newest crop of expensive, high end surge suppressors and power conditioners, I thought I might share with the Audiogon community a particuarly inexpensive one which I have been using since 1978.

Through the years, I have moved at least 8 times, lived in 5 different cities through all seasons including stormy Northeastern winters, Summer "brownouts", total blackouts and countless late Summer, high humidity thunderstorms.

I have owned tube gear, solid state gear, televisions, video devices, LCD projectors - the works - typically leaving all my components on 24/7.

In my latest house, I reported in another thread that the village infrastructure is not so robust; my wall voltage fluctuates from 114 - 124 volts, and we reguarly see brownouts in the summer and power outages in both winter and summer when storms knock branches into the above ground power lines.

Would you like to know my low cost secret for protecting all these components?

NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That right, I have NEVER used a surge suppressor or power conditioner of any kind. I have never unplugged any equipment during a storm - in fact I usually didnt even turn it off.

So as much as I am always seeking new ways to throw money at this lifelong hobby of mine, I am little confused about all the fuss on power conditioners and in particular, surge suppressors.

Does this thread surprise any of you?
cwlondon
chadnliz's avatar
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
No it doesnt surprise me at all, but then again if you ever loose equipment from an electrical surge from storm, car accident near your home or any number of others possible reasons because you have no protection, well that wont surprise me either.
This is like spending years on car insurance premiums and never having one single claim, it onlys takes one time to make it ALL worthwhile.
jmslaw
95 posts
 
Well, congratulations. All that suggests to me is that you have been VERY fortunate. Unlike other audio accessories, the effects of which may be subjective and psycho-acoustic, surge suppressors either work or they don't- either your equipment gets fried or it doesn't. If you are suggesting that spending money on surge protection is frivolous, I would suggest that there are many people on this forum who have lost BIG-TIME $$ on lightning strikes, etc. You have dodged a bullet or two. Don't try to convince others to live dangerously, as well.
cwlondon OP
1,198 posts
 
I am not trying to convince anyone to "live dangerously".

I am hoping someone will provide me with sufficient justification to add more expensive gear to my audio collection.

But as you can see from my experience, this has not yet been easy to do.

Thank you,
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