Power Conditioners/Voltage Regulator?

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amiller

amiller

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OK guys,

I've been hearing about power conditions from time to time and I understand the concept, however, does the hype really hold up? Does your amp sound better when using a power conditioner? Do you think the "big boys" and manufacturers, such as Bogner, use a power conditioner when testing their amps to see if they meet specifications?

Seems like a lot of money and I'm wondering if the bang is worth the buck.
 
A power conditioner is just a power strip with some extra features. You want a voltage regulator.
 
Code001":7fc6d said:
A power conditioner is just a power strip with some extra features. You want a voltage regulator.
Click to expand...

The Furman website refers to their unit as - "Furman AR-15 II Voltage Regulator Power Conditioner." I guess that's where my confusion comes from. :confused:
 
Code001":dfdce said:
A power conditioner is just a power strip with some extra features. You want a voltage regulator.
Click to expand...
A "good" power conditioner is not "just a power strip with some extra features".

If you looked at your AC power on a scope, you would see that the sine wave is anything but a smooth arc. A good conditioner will smooth out the waves and remove noise, etc. making for a better signal and making your amp sound better ... however ...

Code001 is right, you really want a voltage regulator to keep the power to your gear at a constant voltage where ever you play. A good regulator will usually include a line conditioner.

The inexpensive Furmans and its relatives allow too much variance of the voltage and really won't help your sound too much. The higher end regulators work well and you'll find that your sound from venue to venue will remain about the same because of the voltage regulation.

Plan on spending anywhere from $350 to $1000 for a good regulator/conditioner. If you just plan on spending $100, just buy a good power strip/surge supressor!

Just my two cents.
 
Boomer":c2b01 said:
Code001":c2b01 said:
A power conditioner is just a power strip with some extra features. You want a voltage regulator.
Click to expand...
A "good" power conditioner is not "just a power strip with some extra features".

If you looked at your AC power on a scope, you would see that the sine wave is anything but a smooth arc. A good conditioner will smooth out the waves and remove noise, etc. making for a better signal and making your amp sound better ... however ...

Code001 is right, you really want a voltage regulator to keep the power to your gear at a constant voltage where ever you play. A good regulator will usually include a line conditioner.

The inexpensive Furmans and its relatives allow too much variance of the voltage and really won't help your sound too much. The higher end regulators work well and you'll find that your sound from venue to venue will remain about the same because of the voltage regulation.

Plan on spending anywhere from $350 to $1000 for a good regulator/conditioner. If you just plan on spending $100, just buy a good power strip/surge supressor!

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

The Furman AR-15 II Voltage Regulator/Power Conditioner is priced over $600.00. Do you consider this model up to par?
 
amiller":a3dd7 said:
Boomer":a3dd7 said:
Code001":a3dd7 said:
A power conditioner is just a power strip with some extra features. You want a voltage regulator.
Click to expand...
A "good" power conditioner is not "just a power strip with some extra features".

If you looked at your AC power on a scope, you would see that the sine wave is anything but a smooth arc. A good conditioner will smooth out the waves and remove noise, etc. making for a better signal and making your amp sound better ... however ...

Code001 is right, you really want a voltage regulator to keep the power to your gear at a constant voltage where ever you play. A good regulator will usually include a line conditioner.

The inexpensive Furmans and its relatives allow too much variance of the voltage and really won't help your sound too much. The higher end regulators work well and you'll find that your sound from venue to venue will remain about the same because of the voltage regulation.

Plan on spending anywhere from $350 to $1000 for a good regulator/conditioner. If you just plan on spending $100, just buy a good power strip/surge supressor!

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

The Furman AR-15 II Voltage Regulator/Power Conditioner is priced over $600.00. Do you consider this model up to par?
Click to expand...


Check out the ebay dealers. I got a new, in-box AR-15 II last year for about $420 shipped using a best offer.
 
Code001":73373 said:
The Furman AR-15 II Voltage Regulator/Power Conditioner is priced over $600.00. Do you consider this model up to par?
Click to expand...
It's certainly the best they offer but it still allows a 10 volt swing and that's a little much for a truly consistant sound from venue to venue but it's not bad.

I'm not advocating spending more than that. My only point was that a $100 regulator probably isn't going to do much for anyone except the guy who sold it!
 
I use a Furman PF Factor pro (floor model) and it works great, but I use it for protection more than anything. Most amps OT's are designed to take what crap is in you outlet, but at clubs you never know what is going on. If anything it is one less thing to worry about.
 
i just got the AR-15 series II a few days ago. the ac voltage in the house i live in only reads at 115v which is kinda low and my amps sound weak and a little bit muddy, the home i live in is less than 2 yrs old. but the ar-15 will bring me up to 120v now. thats gonna help me alot, thats where the voltage regulator part comes in, theres only a few that have a voltage regulator and power conditioner both built in 1. i think everybody who gigs or has nice amps should have some type of conditioner to give you steady ac thats not dirty. i was getting some radio station coming thru my amps and pop and crackle noise also, but now everything is gone. im very pleased.
 
Yeah, I was thinking about buying another conditioner / regulator the other day, but decided to do more research first.

Not good with all of the technical stuff, so I am going about my decision slowly!
 
kannibul":3dba6 said:
You guys are WAY overspending on those things.

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/tec ... sku=LE1200
Click to expand...

For some reason with rack gear you typically multiply the cost of the non-rack gear by 2-4 times I have seen. Not sure why they always want more for rack stuff, but that is just the way it seems to be.

I have heard of some people warning against over regulated your amps, agedhorse over at HC live sound forum talks alot about this.

For me I want something that I can see what the voltage is, but I don't necessarily want to try to regulated it.
 
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Thanks guys,

But, I still have not heard anyone say definitely "WOW!!! my TONE is much better since I got a voltage regulator."

I'm sure a good voltage regulator will keep the voltage consistent at close 120...but does that really translate into better tone...worth the money? :confused: Or, is it just an academic fact?
 
A voltage regulator will not make your tone better assuming you normally plug it into an outlet that actually produces 120 volts. What it will do is make your tone consistant from room to room no matter what the wall voltage is (within the limits of the regulator).

A power conditioner, again, will not make your amp sound better but will remove line noise and interference that can have an effect on your amp.



amiller":e5930 said:
----------------------

Thanks guys,

But, I still have not heard anyone say definitely "WOW!!! my TONE is much better since I got a voltage regulator."

I'm sure a good voltage regulator will keep the voltage consistent at close 120...but does that really translate into better tone...worth the money? :confused: Or, is it just an academic fact?
Click to expand...
 
Boomer":53e97 said:
kannibul":53e97 said:
You guys are WAY overspending on those things.

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/tec ... sku=LE1200
Click to expand...

The APC unit offers considerably less voltage protection than the Furman.

The Furman is +/- 5 volts while the APC is +6 to -12% (notice the APC is a percentage, not volts like the Furman) and that is a significant difference.
Click to expand...


But is that difference, in the context of use, worth nearly 6x the cost?

I bought one of those Furman units. Just so happens my house voltage is right on the cusp between taps on the transformer - the result, it swings the voltages harder on my amp than just plugging in the wall - which, the end result was that my amp would get louder and quieter at (seemingly) random intervals.
 
Boomer":b52e2 said:
A voltage regulator will not make your tone better assuming you normally plug it into an outlet that actually produces 120 volts. What it will do is make your tone consistant from room to room no matter what the wall voltage is (within the limits of the regulator).

A power conditioner, again, will not make your amp sound better but will remove line noise and interference that can have an effect on your amp.



amiller":b52e2 said:
----------------------

Thanks guys,

But, I still have not heard anyone say definitely "WOW!!! my TONE is much better since I got a voltage regulator."

I'm sure a good voltage regulator will keep the voltage consistent at close 120...but does that really translate into better tone...worth the money? :confused: Or, is it just an academic fact?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Yeah, what he says. It depends on how crappy the power is coming out of your wall. If you're gigging I think it would be wise investment. I've played in some clubs where the buzz was just awful and my amp sounded like crap. I wish I would have had one in those situations.
 
Boomer pretty much nailed it. I tried an APC but that did not work nearly as good as my Furman voltage regulator. Best investement I have done in YEARS.
 
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