surge SUPPRESSION and power conditioning

Surge Suppression and Power Conditioning 
You grab the power cord and plug it into the wall. Right? Not so fast. Plugging in expensive, sophisticated electronics like a high definition television, home theater surround sound system, and digital media players without effective surge suppression and power conditioning can be the worst thing you can do. Let me explain why.

Surge suppression
We all know someone who’s had electronics damaged by a power surge. It’s much more common that the power companies like to admit. It’s usually caused by a lighting strike near your house. Lighting strikes a utility pole and this supercharged voltage travels down the lines into nearby homes. During the rainy season in Florida, it happens virtually everyday. When the power surge enters the house it wreaks havoc on everything that’s connected to an AC outlet, including your expensive electronics.

Power surge damage is usually catastrophic. Connected equipment is basically totaled. Of course, most homeowners insurance will cover the damages, but we all know what kind of hassle that can be. Proving what you own and how much it all costs is a pain. And what are going to do while you wait for the insurance check? Watch TV on your iPhone?

Effective surge suppression is the solution. The word “effective” is key. A $5 power strip with a fuse may claim surge suppression, but in reality it rarely works as advertised. The amount of electrical power that travels down the line in a direct lightning strike will completely overwhelms its modest capabilities. This is a case where you get what you pay for. Really effective surge suppressors incorporate elaborate circuits that completely decouple the surge from the connected electronics. A good surge suppressor gives up its life to protect everything else. What a noble cause! In fact, many quality surge suppressors guarantee their effectiveness with a connected component warranty. If the connected component is damaged, they’ll replace it. Check with the manufacturer for all the details because they can vary, but rest assured that these are companies that put their money where their mouth is.

Power conditioning
As a kid, do you remember watching your favorite TV show, only to be disturbed when mom decided she wanted to vacuum the living room? As soon as that darned vacuum cleaner was turned on, the TV’s picture went all snowy and fuzzy. “Mom! Turn that thing off!!!!”

Back then if your TV could have been equipped with a good power conditioner, all that screaming and yelling would have been unnecessary. That’s exactly what a power conditioner is for. It cleans and scrubs the AC power that comes out of the wall of all the interferences caused by a myriad of common sources such as washing machines, blenders, lawn mowers, and even cell phones. There are two major types of AC interference: Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). EMI is caused by an electromagnetic field generated close to your system. EMI can affect the quality of your TV picture in the form of “snow” or overall reduced clarity. RFI usually comes radio stations, microwaves, cell phones, and similar sources. In minor cases, RFI can create snow or and fuzziness on a TV picture. In extreme cases, cell phone conversions and even radio shows from nearby transmission towers can plainly be heard through your audio system’s speakers.

Again, a power conditioner cleans this interference so the connected components can perform at the high levels they were designed for. At Sound Advice, we consider good surge protection and power conditioning to be an essential part of any good audio/video system. So call us or click help to enlist their assistance. This might be the most important conversation of all when it comes to maximizing the performance and quality of your home entertainment.