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Choices, Choices

When it comes time to pick a power product, stick with an established company or one known specifically for power products. (For some shopping tips, see "Splurge on a Surge" on page 84)

APC, well regarded for its PC power products, is now targeting the home theater crowd with conditioners, both with and without battery backups. Its C5 ($99) and C10 ($179) power strips offer isolated EMI/RFI noise-filtering banks for digital, analog, video, and high-current devices. (The C10 also has outlet banks that power up and shut down your gear in a programmed sequence to avoid loud pops that can damage your speakers.) The all-in-one S15 ($1,999) has 12 outlets, 3 of which can be sequenced, plus noise reduction and a battery backup that provides 71/2 minutes at full load or 19 minutes at half load.

Belkin, maker of a broad array of electronics accessories, got serious about power two years ago when it debuted its PureAV line. The strip style PureAV PF3L ($200) boasts 10 outlets and separate filters for audio and video gear, while its top-of-the-line strip, the PureAV PF40L ($300), adds LED voltage and current meters, more robust surge protection, and a separate filter for digital gear. The flagship Power Console PF60 ($749) is a rack-mountable box with 13 programmable outlets, 6 isolated audio, video, digital, and high-current filters, and a central LCD for monitoring input voltage and output current on each bank of outlets. Belkin's first combination UPS/power conditioner, the PureAV Hybrid AVU1500 UPS ($1,199), features an IR blaster that lets the lamps in a rear or front projector cool before the projector is shut down.

Most surge protectors have to be replaced after something like a severe lightning strike because the unit essentially fries itself to save the rest of your gear. But Furman Sound's Series Multi-stage Protection circuitry uses both a high-voltage MOV and a thermal fuse in conjunction with shunting circuitry to handle surges without sacrificing itself. Furman's line ranges from power strip-style protectors to large, discrete balanced-power AC line conditioners, such as its flagship IT Reference 20 ($3,250), which features complete isolation between each of four discrete two-outlet AC banks to help eliminate ground loops and power-supply backwash between interconnected components. Also notable are the Elite-15 PF ($500), a more affordable single-rack conditioner with pull-out LED lamps like those used in musicians' racks, and the RVC-7W Reference Video AC power conditioner ($999), an unusual flat in-wall suppressor designed for use with flat-panel TVs.

Monster Cable's extensive line ranges from the power-strip-style Home Theater PowerBar 1100 ($200), which features isolated filtering, to mid-level shelf-mount models like the HTS 3500 MKII Home Theater Reference PowerCenter ($399), which has dual-mode surge protection and separate filtered outlets for digital, audio, and video gear. In the upper tier, the Signature Series HTPS 7000 ($1,500) features twin isolation transformers, five isolation filters optimized for digital, analog, video, and audio gear, and microprocessor-controlled switching that protects components by turning them on and off in the proper sequence.

Panamax, which has had a solid reputation in power products for more than 30 years, has upgraded its EX line with new models like the M5400-EX ($759), which features five isolated outlet banks, protection for two satellite receivers, two cable TVs, a phone line, and a LAN line. The M5500 ($800) adds what Panamax calls an "AC Regeneration" transformer, which isn't really an AC regenerator but rather balanced isolation transformers that feed clean power to four isolated outlets for video sources and a TV.

PS Audio's products aren't balanced isolation transformers or filters - they're real AC regenerators that do the AC-DC-AC dance. And to our knowledge, it's the only company doing it. The P300 PowerPlant ($1,495) is rated at 300 watts total, making it best for lower-power gear ranging from DVD players and turntables to small amplifiers and preamps. For bigger systems, the top-of-the-line PowerPlant 1000 ($3,500) produces 1,000 watts of clean, regulated, balanced power. Surge protection is provided by six high-speed clamps that PS Audio calls Tranzorbers, along with four MOVs and even a backup fuse.

Richard Gray's Power Company has been making power products for the high end of the market for years, stirring up a lot of debate along the way. The company's unusual approach to conditioning includes connecting its products in parallel to the AC lines rather than directly to them. This allows any component that shares that line to take advantage of the unit's conditioning even if it isn't plugged directly into it. And, while many power conditioners limit or compress current, these units actually store power so they can boost current when needed. For surge protection, the company uses a massive choke (or inductor) that creates a low resistive load in parallel with the line as protection from short-term spikes, backed up by a MOV. The unusual-looking 240-volt SubStation ($2,995) essentially acts as a huge step-down transformer that eliminates ground loops by completely isolating the AC line, while the hefty but more conventional-looking, rack-mountable RGPC 1200 Custom conditioner ($2,095) sports 12 commercial-grade Hubbell outlets, dual-stage surge protection, and twin fast-blow fuses.