Furman 1215/1220 AC regulator (1 Viewer)

[EdD]

Any body every use one of these? Is is worth the money? I've got serious brown-out problems where I live. Lights can dim for serveral minutes (as long as 10 sometimes) and then brighten again. Had an electrician come out and run a dedicated line to the HT but when the neighbor's air conditioner goes on, the whole house dims. Had the local electrical company come out and determine that the neighborhood transformer is overloaded. They've scheduled a service but who knows how long that will take. So, I'm now looking at AC regulators and line conditioners. Most "line conditioners" don't do ac regulation. Came across the Furman 1215 and 1220 ac line regulators and they look pretty good. I've found a few others from APC and Tripplite and they look to be more for computers. Are ther any other brands/models I should be looking at? I'd like to keep the cost under $500 if possible and would like to have 15Amp output. I've found the Furman 1215 at $459 so that fits both of my criteria. Is this a good price for this unit?
Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
EdD

 

[EdD]

Found the 1215 at $410. Looking more and more attractive... Is this a good price?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Ed,
Furman is arguably the most prominent and respected pro-audio name for power-related products. You can’t go wrong with a 1215 (I presume the 1220 is out of your price range). If I lived in California I wouldn’t be without one (that and a stack of “thank you” cards to regularly send to the Sierra Club ).
List price is $599, so $410 looks like a great deal. However, if you can find the 1215 that cheap, maybe you can get the 1220 for about $650?
Good Luck,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
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My Equipment List

 

[EdD]

Not exactly out of my price range but more than I was planning on spending. I'm just not sure if I'm going to need 20Amp output. My main concern is my receiver which is a B&K 307. I don't imagine that it'd draw more than 5-10 amps at reasonable volumes (and that's probably high). There's really not much else on there that is a huge current drain. The amp for my sub is puny (about 100W). The VCRs, DVD/LD player, and DBS receiver don't add up to much. The TV is the only other component that might be a concern. We are currently looking to buy a 50-55" widescreen set which I'll count as 5amps max (which I got off one of the specs). Based on these estimates, I'll hit an absolute high of about 15amps. Does it make sense to go up to the 20amp model for the extra headroom? I guess the question is whether the extra 5 amps and 10 LEDs are worth the price difference. If the 1220 design had more taps then I'd definitely get it.
The 20amp plug is inconvenient but it's not that difficult to swap out the wall socket.
BTW, I found the AR-1220 for $624 at another site.
Thanks for the input.
EdD

 

[EdD]

On a whim, I called around locally and actually found one place selling the AR-1220 for $600 and another for $525! Talk about tempting. The place offering it for $525 does not have it in stock but the guy said he'd be able to get one pretty quick. I'm planning on going over there today to see if it is for real. Is the AR-1220 worth the extra $115?
Thanks.
EdD

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I would say it is, just for the monitoring LEDs and extra outlets. But if the 1215 serves your needs adequately, there’s no reason to get the 1220. Based on your equipment description, I really doubt you’ll even hit the 15A capacity.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
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My Equipment List