Power Conditioners?

[hamerhead]

I need some better outlet strips than the $2 cheapies from Dollar General. I've read convincing stories from both sides of the power conditioner debate, from 'they do nothing' to 'can't live without them'. I use a Furman on my gig rig but it was already pretty quiet, so I can't say that I hear a difference.

Opinions?

[veatch]

I use a Furman AR117 on the PA rig and I plug my guitar power strip into that.  Mostly wanted the AR117 to protect the gear against brown outs. Can't say if I can hear a difference. My ears are made of peanut butter, after all...  

[HamerCustomEr]

My old band used a big emergency battery pack that we bought at Best Buy.  It was intended for a computer system, and it would charge up from a regular AC outlet, all the while delivering clean AC power to a whole power strip.  It had enough wattage for the whole band to plug into a clean power supply (which helped us when we played a venue that would routinely blow other people's amplifiers).  The best part was, even if there was a blackout, we could still play for four hours!  No e/m interference, no  hum, and peace of mind for all of us.  

[tbonesullivan]

Furman is pretty much the Go-To. They have everything ranging from "glorified power strip" to voltage regulation. What I really like is that most have a "ground" indicator, which honestly every single one should. That's one of the most valuable things to keep yourself noise free and safe. I still remember going to big jams and seeing some pretty horrible power setups with extension cords that had broken grounds I pretty much told everyone around me to plug into my power conditioner as I had a good ground and it's rated for 15 amps.

The ones with the voltmeter are nice, but not really necessary, unless you want to make sure you aren't getting too much or too little juice.

Edited May 13, 2025 by tbonesullivan

[Dutchman]

Furman is my go to! 

I would wire a 200 amp distro for the band and lights. No one used house power just the distro. On the top of every rack there was a furman.

Edited May 17, 2025 by Dutchman

[DaveH]

A small UPS would supply some really clean power, and not that expensive. Plus, if you happened to be opening for Aerosmith, you wouldn't have to be concerned that Steven would slip in and unplug your rig.  😂

[geoff_hartwell]

On 5/13/2025 at 3:53 AM, HamerCustomEr said:

My old band used a big emergency battery pack that we bought at Best Buy.  It was intended for a computer system, and it would charge up from a regular AC outlet, all the while delivering clean AC power to a whole power strip.  It had enough wattage for the whole band to plug into a clean power supply (which helped us when we played a venue that would routinely blow other people's amplifiers).  The best part was, even if there was a blackout, we could still play for four hours!  No e/m interference, no  hum, and peace of mind for all of us.  

Which make and model, you remember?

[HamerCustomEr]

Sorry, I don't.  This was 2009.

2 hours ago, geoff_hartwell said:

Which make and model, you remember?