JonathanD Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 If you dont want to talk about this subject dont. I tried a search and didnt come up with anything fruitful. ============================================================ The short and skinny. 1. How do power conditioners work? 2. If your amp (such as a QSC 2402) has protective circuitry do you need one of these? 3. Is it possible/likely for a wall outlet to give insufficient energy to an amp? Is it a loss in volts, or amperage? What exactly does it mean when my power conditioner says there is only 110 volts coming from the wall outlet? 4. Main question do I really need it, or am I carrying it around for absolutely no reason like a scared ninny? A more personal touch of the above. I recently have been reading about power conditioners. Mine takes up 1/4th of my 4 space rack and adds weight. I was wondering if I really needed it. Mainly I like it because it makes me feel safe. I have heard stories (dont know if there is any validity to them) that the electricity in Indiana is very bad and equipment has fried because of non-sufficient electric current to amps (only guitar and bass amps, not amps with built in protection). So I was reading about it and cant seem to find any good evidence for having one. It seems like a fancy power strip. If your amp has protective circuitry(here again I am working with limited knowledge) do you really need a power conditioner? Here is a link to something from the Andy Lewis who works at Acme Sound. http://www.acmebass.com/forum/stewart_amplifiers.htm Do you use one? Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 The only power conditioners worth having are so big and heavy that there is no way you'd want to carry one around in your rack. All the others do no more than a simple surge protected power strip would do, apart from taking up more rack space and emptying your wallet more. Furthermore plugging a power amp into a 'power conditioner' can result in restricted current flow to the amp and thus premature shutdown at high volume. In short, sell it on eBay to someone who either doesn't know the above or is still more interested in the size of their rack than what it does. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 As Alex said in so many words, a power conditioner may tell you when the voltage drops, but unless you get a gigantic mondo expensive one, it can't do anything about it. I use the cheapest rackmounted power supply in order to have the convenience of having everything plugged in and ready to be turned on with one switch. Then I plug the cord from the power supply into a nice surge protected plug strip. The less expensive your equipment is, the less chance that bad power will be able to damage it. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 When I had a rack, I just mounted a surge protected power strinp in the back and l pugged everything into that. Still had the convenience of one button power up and I didn't use a rack space. Probably a little lighter, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanD Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 Thanks. YAY, a free spot. cant have an open space can we... yay May 22nd. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moot Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I use the cheapest rackmounted power supply in order to have the convenience of having everything plugged in and ready to be turned on with one switch. Me too but mine has a couple lights built in that light up the rest of the rack. Worth the $40 right there. "He is to music what Stevie Wonder is to photography." getz76 I have nothing nice to say so . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbn Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 I use the cheapest rackmounted power supply in order to have the convenience of having everything plugged in and ready to be turned on with one switch. Me too but mine has a couple lights built in that light up the rest of the rack. Worth the $40 right there. Mine was free. It was pulled from a computer server rack. It has an added bonus of having a power cord that is 15 feet long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhomer Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 I think for the price, a power conditioner (which automatically adjusts the incoming voltage) able to handle the amperage draws of bass amps are really unneccessary. If you are gigging in a properly wired facility, (at least 100 amps for the stage plugs ONLY, AND a seperate feed for lights) its not needed at all. Back in the day, a lot of venues were not sufficiently wired to handle the amperage draws a stage full of amps and lighting could generate. What happens, the band gets going, guys notice the stage volume getting softer, they reach back for the volume knobs, and this is the worst thing they could do... What is happening is Ohm's Law.. Increase the current draw, something has to decrease, which is the voltage. In extreme cases voltage at the outlets might get as low as 90! If you insist on making the amps put out the same SPL's as you're used to, you could damage your outputs and speakers! It was suggested a long time ago that "brownout protectors" would help save your equipment. There are other ways you can help lessen the effects of undervoltages without investing in the power conditioner. I use a 12 gauge power strip in my rack. Smaller gauge wire, especially in long runs, could cause a voltage drop. I also use a 30Hz high-pass filter on my preamp. Low frequencies are amp (current draw) eaters, and really take away from a power amp's overall efficiency. Since I've done these two things, the effects of under-voltage (reduction in volume and losing tone) have significantly been reduced.. My power amp runs a lot cooler. too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 If you are gigging in a properly wired facility, (at least 100 amps for the stage plugs ONLY, AND a seperate feed for lights) its not needed at all. I've never played a place like this. Around here, you are lucky to have an outlet within reach, let alone separate and adequate power for sound AND lights. We just make "the hum" part of our sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 Like Jeremy I have a cheap rack mount power strip in my rack for convenience. I like being able to plug one thing in, hit one power button, and be ready to go. The bottom of the line Furman works fantastically for this and you can get them new for less than $60 and its got a 15amp fuse in it as well. About a month ago I avoided blowing up my rig and pedal board by having surge protection in place. All I lost was a $15 power strip. Last time I checked $15 was a lot less than over $3000. It has an added bonus of having a power cord that is 15 feet long. Dude. THAT rocks. I really wish Furman would do that with thier rack mount power strips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 Add: Anything more than the cheap Furman (or whatever brand) is a waste of money. Even the $550 Furman can only do so much before it falls over as well. Not. Worth. It. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 You could of course move to a modern country that has manly and stable 230V power. Out of curiosity, what current are typical US sockets rated at? Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 120V 60 cycles Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 Out of curiosity, what current are typical US sockets rated at? 15A. there are also 20A circuits, but they take special plugs. professional stage venues might also have 125V/25A sockets, but those are far from typical. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 I think for the price, a power conditioner (which automatically adjusts the incoming voltage) able to handle the amperage draws of bass amps are really unneccessary. please tell me you're not implying a simple furman, or anything short of a couple thousand dollars, does this. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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