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help a new brother out. power supply confusion.

just started getting into higher end audio and essembled my first entry level system. no doubt i'll be upgrading in the future but want to get this power supply thing sorted out. read up on the particulars here at AudioG and am still a bit confused.

current system is krell s-300i integrated, aerial 7b speakers, velodyne dd12 sub, consonance turandot cdp (about to go away/get replaced), sony ps3 (games, blueray movies ect). using audioquest bi-wire gibraltar speaker wire and cardes ic. use satilite for tv/sat radio and listen to alot of SAT radio. music preferance is diverse. rock, alt, jazz, classical...almost everything except country.

have decided to update my cheapo $1 outlets to porter ports and run a dedicated line. think i need a surge protector here in the midwest where t-storms have always made me nervous. had an incident about 15 years ago and have been paranoid ever since.

i've got a monster sp from a few years back that cost about $75. it's not a cheapo from walmart but i truly have no idea how good/bad it is. will using it defeat the upgrades i'm doing?. will a surge protector in general take "anything away". if my monster sp is junk and an sp is something that won't "hurt"...what would you suggest for someone on a budget.

wondering what you guys with more experience think.

i'll save my confusion about upgrading power cords until after i get this figured out =) (should i upgrade power cords period. my equiptment is pretty new with beefy lookin stock cords already?)

cheers
Lev
levy03
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Beautiful rig that you have there! You may want to spend just a wee bit more, and consider a whole house surge protector that can be installed at your service box when you are putting in your dedicated line. It will protect not only your audio gear, but everything else in your home. Understand, this is not a power conditioner but a surge protector.

I have found power cords to make a nice difference for the money spent, others would demur. Why not just purchase one, moderately priced, power cord and give it a whirl? If you don't like it you can just sell it back on the board.
levy03 OP
425 posts
 
never heard of a whole house sp?. will ask my electrician about it. sounds interesting.

to steve and elevick, thanks for mentioning PS audio. i was up half the night reading up on the stuff. the premier sounds like a wonderful add but it's well out of my price range. the quintet would be do-able though. came across a authorized PS Audio dealer that does cryo treatment on the quintet (and is still cheaper then most). know nothing about cryo, but figure why not if it doesn't cost extra....or $100 less!

looks like i've got some more reading/research to do before taking the leap but these replies give me something to work with.

thanks fella's

cheers
Lev
markphd
667 posts
 
You can get a whole house surge protector at Home Depot for a few hundred dollars. They usually keep them in an obscure shelf in the aisle with the load centers (electrical panel boxes). I've installed one myself in the past, and lived to tell others about it. It's no different than installing a breaker although you have to know where not to stick your fingers. It's recommended that you use double protection, i.e. a whole house surge protector plus a local protector with your electronic equipment. As Viridian noted, this is a surge protector, not a power conditioner. Quite often, local units, like Monsters, are a combo surge protector and conditioner both. Twice the product for four times the money!
abucktwoeighty's avatar
abucktwoeighty
1,034 posts
 
I had a Monster HTS3500 MKII Power Center (conditioner) that took the brunt of around 220 volts AC after a racoon zapped himself on my incoming power line, shorting out the transformer. Fried the unit and the raccoon, but the unit saved everything else that was hooked up to it. It was the only piece to fry. I got a Monster HTS5000 MKII to replace it, but now I unplug the whole system when storms are brewing.
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