pendingrequests Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I asked this question on SOS (Sound on Sound) I don't remember getting a definitive answer. Is it bad in anyway to use surge protectors on any of my equipment, or the PA gear for that matter? My good old father got me a pretty nice surge protector 4 way and I don't want to act like a swine and not use it! Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 No idea, but I would be interested to know what you have heard to suggest it would be bad.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Surge protectors are fine. Expensive power conditioners are not, as they can restrict current flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin E Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Our Mackie PA mixer/amp was damaged by a surge/spike.We had it fixed by a respected repairer who said such things are now common in the UK and he recommended using a surge protector at all times for any amp and indeed with any sensitive home appliance such as TV, computer etc. IIRC the explanation was something like our electricity comes from many sources and is often switched from one to another with potential for spikes, this is apart from your deep freeze, oven etc switching on and off causing more local variations These things do nothing but act as an insurance against potential damage so if you have one you'd be daft not to use it (and get the whole band to plug in at the same time!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendingrequests Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 [quote name='Martin E' timestamp='1356346564' post='1909309'] Our Mackie PA mixer/amp was damaged by a surge/spike.We had it fixed by a respected repairer who said such things are now common in the UK and he recommended using a surge protector at all times for any amp and indeed with any sensitive home appliance such as TV, computer etc. IIRC the explanation was something like our electricity comes from many sources and is often switched from one to another with potential for spikes, this is apart from your deep freeze, oven etc switching on and off causing more local variations These things do nothing but act as an insurance against potential damage so if you have one you'd be daft not to use it (and get the whole band to plug in at the same time!) [/quote] Thank you And apologises to the late reply. Christmas and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1356313464' post='1909166'] Surge protectors are fine. Expensive power conditioners are not, as they can restrict current flow. [/quote] Why is it that people like Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee use them as part of their touring rigs then? Is that to smooth out suspect supply in various venues? I thought good conditioners were all about keeping the supply constant, not restricting it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 (edited) [quote name='WinterMute' timestamp='1356532503' post='1910813'] Why is it that people like Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee use them as part of their touring rigs then? Is that to smooth out suspect supply in various venues? I thought good conditioners were all about keeping the supply constant, not restricting it? [/quote] Uninterruptible power supplies are the thing that actually does that. Power conditioners vary in snake oil content from being channel strips, to being current limiting devices. Edited December 26, 2012 by Mr. Foxen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1356544237' post='1911008'] Uninterruptible power supplies are the thing that actually does that. Power conditioners vary in snake oil content from being channel strips, to being current limiting devices. [/quote] Sure, I get that, but both Rush frontmen list Furmen power conditioners in their racks, neither of which are UPS's as far as I remember. Do they act as voltage regulators both ways, limiting spikes but also protecting from drops in voltage? A UPS steps in if the voltage drops below operational levels, but if that happens in a venue then the lighting and PA goes as well as the backline, you'd need a UPS the size of a truck to deal with that I'd have thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Like a power strip, except you get given them for free when you are in a big band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Depends on your issues.... We use Surgex (http://www.surgex.com) now due to issues playing in country mansions, Hotels etc.... definitely helped with regulating power and allowing decent monitoring of whats going on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1356553759' post='1911164'] Like a power strip, except you get given them for free when you are in a big band. [/quote] I'm pretty sure Rush don't use stuff just cos they got if for free... They strike me as knowing exactly what they want in their rigs, if a power regulator wasn't doing something I sort of doubt it'd be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Its doing the function of a power strip, less stuff to plug in. The only other task it could be doing is regulating the power supply to other equipment, and if that was necessary, it would indicate that equipment lacks the ability to regulate its own power supply, which throws the idea of being picky about their gear out the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendingrequests Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 [quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1356553982' post='1911167'] Depends on your issues.... We use Surgex ([url="http://www.surgex.com"]http://www.surgex.com[/url]) now due to issues playing in country mansions, Hotels etc.... definitely helped with regulating power and allowing decent monitoring of whats going on [/quote] No major issues thankfully! Just a case of is it worth using one. Some Hotels and bars I have played, the wall-outlets are in horrible conditions. I've used this a few times and it's steered us away from a bad outlet: http://www.maplin.co.uk/mains-socket-tester-9800 Looking at things, I'll probably use the surge protector strip on the PA system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodster Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 [quote name='WinterMute' timestamp='1356561563' post='1911266'] I'm pretty sure Rush don't use stuff just cos they got if for free... They strike me as knowing exactly what they want in their rigs, if a power regulator wasn't doing something I sort of doubt it'd be there. [/quote] I think I read that the national grid in the US is way more unstable than the UK and therefore power conditioners are more popular, and necessary, over there than they are here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 (edited) Power conditioners and surge protectors contain (or should) large inductors and capacitors. The idea is that the capacitors get hit by all the spikes and surges that would normally hit the capacitors and transformer in your amp's power supply. Without one, over time the capacitors in your amp's power supply give up. It's quicker when touring to swap out a conditioner than an amp's power supply. If you're playing three hours a night for several months your amp is going to be subject to thousands of spikes. a failure in front of several thousand people, requiring an amp swap would be embarrassing. If you're playing a few hours a week, in front of a few hundred people, you decide whether to take a spare conditioner or a spare 'one of everything else' in the unlikely event it fails. Large gigs are usually run from generators, not from a venue's power supply. Edited December 28, 2012 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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