Furman Power Conditioner

[Metalman_666]

What's the deal with these? I hear a lot of pros use them in their rigs, but what are they supposed to do?

[some_dude]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

They clean line noise off your mains power supply (the stuff from the wall) so that they don't contaminate your amp.

(For an example of noise on your power line, go run your vacuum cleaner while watching tv).

They also act as top notch surge protectors, have overvoltage protection, some have voltage/amperage meters, act as a power bar, and help to eliminate ground loops.

[AcidBurn]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

They do what their name implies, they condition the incoming power. It gets rid of ground noise/hum and is also a surge protector/voltage regulator. Not too mention they give you 8 sockets and 2 front lights, with everything fitting in 1 rack space.


edit: too slow

[aleclee]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

There are two types: one that helps isolate line noise and another that additionally provides voltage regulation.

The line noise helps when things like large appliances (e.g., air conditioners) create ripples in the AC line. Those ripples can raise the noise floor in your gear.

Voltage regulation ensures that your gear sees a consistent voltage (+-3V). With tube gear, it makes your tone more consistent 'cause voltage fluctuations actually change the bias point of your amp. With solid state gear, it keeps the microprocessors happy so your digital gear doesn't reboot mid-gig.

[Metalman_666]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

hmmm... so they're very helpful then?

[aleclee]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

It gets rid of ground noise/hum and is also a surge protector/voltage regulator.

Only the AR series provides voltage regulation. The others offer surge protection and thus some very limited degree of over-voltage protection but don't really do much as far as providing consistent voltage to your gear.

[AcidBurn]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

hmmm... so they're very helpful then?

Pretty much essential for rack gear and great to use on other equipment too.

[aleclee]

Re: Furman Power Conditioner

hmmm... so they're very helpful then?

Depends.

Personally, I wouldn't drop my $$$ on a power conditioner unless the power where you play is $#!t. Most so-called power conditioners are little more than glorified surge protectors anyway. By the time you get a top-shelf conditioner, you're getting close to the range of a voltage regulator. As a guitar player (assuming you use a tube amp or a DMA), you'll see more benefit with a voltage regulator than with a conditioner without regulation.

All this presumes that you play in places with varying power or various places where your power may vary. If you're a basement player and don't have power issues at home, there are probably better places to spend your money.