tyg

Went to Costco and they were selling Power Sentry Surge protector with about 10 outlets for $19.00 with 3120 joules and Tripp lite whose casing is bigger with 10 outlets for $99.99 with 5000 joules. I know that the more joules the better the protection but is it worth to pay $99.99 for the Tripp lite or is the Power Sentry good enough.

speedyray

Probably the wrong forum, but

What are you pluggin into it?

When I plug my 7K home theater into something I do not quibble over $80. When i am plugging in a cordless phone and some lamps, $20 is overkill.

Edit: to add to post below me, I use a Monster Power surge protector. I got a great deal on it through a returns auction ($5). That said, I would recommend it. Also, my brother was in the market for one, and found a very nice surge at Radio Shack for around $60 and it had the cable protection plus 12 plugs I think.

nightmaster

I agree with speedyray on this one. I'd much rather pay some difference to have better protection for my HT than to skimp on its power source. I think I'd do some looking around on the net to get some unbiased recommendations on what the best surge protector is for the money if I'm putting down $100 for one. Monster has been plugging their protector and it runs for about the same price. Practicing what I preach, I just bought the Monster Power HT 800 for $80..... I live in the sticks where I'm bound to have power surges as well as power outages, both accidents just waiting to happen to my HT equipment. There are better ones on the market but this is better than going to Kmart and buying one that is likely little more than an extention strip.
If I'm plugging in the coffeepot and it turns to toast I can live with that, but my 57 inch Hitachi widescreen deserves a little more loving care.

Brian Shannon

And I am going to agree with the other two posts.

I use two Panamax surge protectors for my theater. I know that no surge protector is a guarantee but those "power strips" may or may not even be true surge protectors.

Personally I do not want to take the chance.

hoyalawya

www.brickwall.com

bboisvert

Monster actually makes some really good surge protectors/power filters. I have the HTS 2000 MKII and it was worth every penny. They have other models too... some with fewer features or outlets for less cash.

Anyway, as others have said, if you're plugging something major into this strip (a home theater, for instance), you don't want to play it cheap with the surge protection. Do a bit of looking around and get something quality. Again, I'd recommend looking at Monster's lineup.

SaigonaZn69

I have the hts1000 and it improves my satellite because it takes out these dumb black lines that I use to get...

hoyalawya

The specs on these Belkin PureAV Surge Protectos look promising. The PF40 could be bought online at less than $230 shipped and about $290 for the PF60. I think that I will get one for my second system (using APC power bar currently).

Dah-Dee

I love my PF60

eCost still has it for $274.89 with free shipping (put it in the cart to see the sale price). They shipped mine double boxed and I had it in a few days.

hoyalawya

Just called eCost, they said that Belkin is scheduled to ship a batch of PF60 to them sometimes during the next 2 weeks. Dah-Dee could you please provide a mini-review on the PF60? Does it provide under-voltage protection? Does it provide auto-voltage regulation (keeping the AC consistently at 115v)? If it does not, would it be a good investment to get a unit (probably a Belkin UPS) that does AVR to place before the PF60?

Dah-Dee

I thought I'd read somewhere that it provides under-voltage protection, but I don't see it discussed in the manual. You might have to contact Belkin to verify that.

No voltage regulation here. I've also thought about doing what you discuss, adding a UPS w/AVR. One concern there might be whether the UPS would somehow restrict dynamics in audio, which I've heard can happen with power units. Happily, the PF60 has high current outlets for power-hungry beasts like my AVR 7200, but I'm not sure how a UPS would affect that.

I'm very happy with the PF60, feels good to have a lot of surge protection (I still want to add a whole-house unit, though) and to know junk is not getting through to my components via the power line. It also looks great on the audio rack

Here's a review I found: http://www.laaudiofile.com/belkinpf60.html

Here's the Belkin product page: http://catalog.belkin.com/PureAV_det...duct_Id=178925

hoyalawya

Dah-Dee, thanks for the reply. I put in an order for the PF60 from eCost the other day and the unit is now shipped. Per the UPS question, isn't it true that a typical UPS will pass through the current from the wall during normal period and only switch to the batttery once the power is "interrupted." If that is the case, it should not affect the dynamics of the receiver. Am I correct?

Edit: I have an LCD RPTV. Therefore, a UPS is a must for protection of the bulb.