Home Theater

Scott Wilkinson

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date

Is Your Home Theater's AC Power Protected?

Filed Under: Vote

By: Scott Wilkinson • Posted: Jul 27, 2012 • Published: Dec 31, 1969 • 15 comments

In this week's episode of the Home Theater Geeks podcast, SurgeX engineer Martin Dornfeld talks about AC power protection in home theaters, thankfully without the voodoo and hype I've heard from others in that field. Our conversation lead me to wonder how many of our readers have taken steps beyond cheap surge-suppressor power strips to protect their precious home-theater gear from power spikes, lightning strikes, voltage sags, and power failures.

How about you? Have you installed a voltage regulator, surge suppressor (other than a cheap power strip), lightning rod, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), or other power protection? What have you done in this regard and why—or why not?

Note: This poll question is not about power optimization—I'll ask about that next week.

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Have You Optimized the AC Power in Your Home Theater?

Filed Under: Vote

By: Scott Wilkinson • Posted: Aug 03, 2012 • Published: Dec 31, 1969 • 12 comments

Last week's poll question asked if your home theater's AC power is protected from things like lightning strikes and blackouts. This week, I'd like to know if you have taken steps to optimize the AC power to your home theater. Such steps can include installing a dedicated circuit, establishing a common ground, and using a power conditioner, such as the Furman IT-Reference 20i pictured above.

If you use a power conditioner, have you noticed an improvement in the audio and/or video performance of your system that you can reasonably attribute to that device? Inquiring minds want to know!

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.