The Truth about expensive "home theater" surge protectors?
 

Hey all,

I am thinking about what surge protector to get when I get my big screen. My whole theater will be plugged into this protector, essentially. Now, there is a $99 monster brand surge protector for 'home theaters' at best buy. There is also a cyber power brand protector for 'computers' for $24.99. Now, looking at them side by side -- they seem exactly the same -- and to boot the $24.99 cyber power one handles more Joules! I am confused -- why such the price difference?


The monster power satellite protector is Model: MPHTS700HP and is here:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1051384462372


The cyber power one is model 880, and is here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1051384209466


I doubt that the computer one wouldn't work just fine, if not better than the expensive one for my home theater.....What gives?

Thanks,

Matt

from what I understand about them, one of the most important things to worry about is the surge protector's joule protection/rating.

1 joule is equal to 1 watt/volt so you want to calculate all of your component's total wattage together so that you know that the protector can handle it.

for example:
TV = 400 watts
DVD player = 150 watts
VCR = 100 watts
receiver = 700 watts

you'll want a surge protector rated at at least 1400 joules or higher (I leave a few extra for good measure, you can't be too careful).

if your surge protector is too low rated, you might cause considerable damage to your equipment or even cause a fire.

in my own philosophy, i never go too cheap, yet i never buy into the uber-expensive junk like the Monster brand.

your best bet is to spend around the range of $30 - $50 and you'll be ok.

I picked up one of the Monster Powerbars. I am the first to warn people about Monster Cables, but since I got it half-retail from Ebay, I went with it. I've been very happy with it. I like the way it's laid out. I was also living in an old duplex at the time, so liked the 'clean power' factor for my new TV. I wouldn't pay full price for it, even after owning it for nearly 2 years, but if you can find a good deal, the Powerbars are nice.

The truth?

The truth is that if God wants your home theater equipment he is going to get it! ;)

Having said that I would recommend Panamax for surge protection. I have used them for years and all my equipment has always survived power surges.

i agree panamax is a good choice.
i've had it for more than 5 years now and it works fine.
i even had the unwanted event of a real power surge during a lightning storm, that fried the surge protector but none of my gear was affected. i called panamax and they had me mail them the fried surge protector and sent me a new one.
just make sure you get the one with the video cable input.

bently

I don't buy things from Monster just because I think they charge an incredible amount just for their name. Mine was around $30 or so.

Oh come on. $229 for a surge protector isn't that bad.

Agreed. Especially if it is protecting equipment worth alot more than that!

I have a panamax. My receiver's power supply blew. Panamax did nothing. The receiver was off when it blew so it wasn't me. I don't think these companies intend to pay if something goes wrong.

I have the 70 dollar Monster surge protector (I can't remember the model number), that I picked up from Circuit City. You definitely don't want to go cheap when it comes to surge protectors considering the value of the equipment that you're trying to protect. You generally get what you pay for.

Well, only if the warranty is good. Panamax and Monster both have decent reviews about the warranty in my research, Panamax being a bit better. We have 2 differing reviews right in this thread.

I ended up with Monster since they have more options in their lineup. You do have to make sure EVERY wire that comes from outside your house and connects to your equipment goes through the protector to make sure the warranty will be good. That's why you want the models with phone and coax protection, as well. I have 4 MC protectors in my house, no problems yet. Hopefully I won't have any.

Tripp Lite HT10DBS Premium Home Theater Surge Supressor

http://www.acetechnologysolutions.co..._Code=HT-10DBS

how often should protectors be replaced?

Whenever you experience a surge.

One of the added features you should get is a filter for the power. This will help you from getting noise that can come down the line. Over the long haul, your equipment will last longer and you will not get the microwave (vaccum, hair dryer...) static across you screen.

The Tripp-lite one above is fantastic. They make some of the best out there.
Also, take a look at the Belkin Pure AV products. I have a Belkin Pure AV strip (tripp lite didn't have their home theater one out when I bought it) and it's great as well. Plus, if you look around a bit, you can find a coupon for 50% off at Belkin.com. I think I paid $60 shipped for my Pure AV bar like 3 years ago direct from Belkin.

:lol:

Sure...

You know, some people have many thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment plugged into these things. Dropping $200 or so on a high-quality protector (that also has insurance coverage if it doesn't work) seems like a reasonable deal to me.

Of course, you'll always have those who think that plugging their HDTVs into a $15 Wal-Mart bar is fine. More power to 'em. I'm not willing to take that risk.

Hmm, let's see. MSRP of what is plugged into my $200 MC protector....just under $8k, not counting speakers that are only "plugged in" in a secondary fashion. Yeah, I like the money I spent on the protector. Within a couple weeks, it'll go to over $10k with my new TV. Another $2k if you throw in the 7 speakers. (thank god I didn't actually spend that much on this stuff)

Maybe it's time for another thread on Home Theater vs "I have a DVD player". -ohbfrank-