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Manufacturer says no surge protectors??? Okay, will you warrant against lightning?? (1 Viewer)

J

John Morris

I have been shopping for s simple surge protector for my amps and was just about to buy some when I received a reply from the manufacturer of my amps. I had asked them for the max amp rating of my amps to determine which max amperage of the surge protector would suffice. Here was their reply:
The max amp rating is the same as the main fuse! we do not recommend line conditioners or surge protectors since they can limit the performance of your amp. Our amps have plenty of protection schemes which obviate the need
for other kinds of protection...don't worry!
Hmmmm, says I? I wonder what would happen if a lightning strike fried my amps and then I sent them in for repair under warrenty????
Me thinks I'm gonna save that email!
:)
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Take Care,
merc
 

Henry Carmona

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John,
Plz tell us the brand amp you are referring to.
I find it very strange that they would tell you this, esp since there are manufacturers who make both amps and line conditioners.
I know there are line conditioners with enough reserve to power most any amp on the market. I guess figure out the amp rating and get yourself a good conditioner.
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"Charlie don't surf."
[Edited last by Henry Carmona on July 14, 2001 at 01:35 AM]
[Edited last by Henry Carmona on July 14, 2001 at 01:36 AM]
 

Corey Hancock

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Oct 30, 1998
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Hmmm, I have/had an NHT SA-2 sub amp hooked up to a surge protector and it died durning our last thunderstorm here in Dallas. Strange thing is, the fuse in the amp didn't blow, the storm knocked out the main board inside the unit. So, eventhough the surge protector did not do it's job properly, I don't think not having one would have gotten me different results. Everything else on the protector was ok though...strange. Just my 2 cents.
Corey
 

Greg_W

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I just dug out my Bryston 9B's instruction manual, and it says to 'simply plug the amplifier directly into its own wall socket' and that the circuitry in the amp will 'reject RF, line spikes and other powere-line problems.' So maybe your amp does the same.
Greg
 

Ryan Wright

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I've read a lot about surge protectors not doing their job. Has anyone had to file a claim with the manufacturer of the protector before? How was the process? I've got a bunch of nice APC protectors & a few cheaper brands hooked up to my equipment. I hope they don't make you provide receipts; I didn't keep any of mine.
I also wonder, does APC extend the same warranty to devices on a their SmartUPS systems? I assume these have built in surge protection. I should find out. My servers & audio equipment are all on a SmartUPS 1400, but not a surge strip. I just assumed the SmartUPS had built in protection. We had a nasty lightning/thunder storm come through here last night and it's forced me to rethink everything. I called State Farm today and my homeowners insurance will cover anything, but I'd rather deal with APC as I don't have to come up with the $500 deductable.
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-Ryan (http://www.ryanwright.com )
 

Chu Gai

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Corey, it sounds like either your surge protector is inadequate, or that the board inside the sub blew from other reasons. Good practical reviews of surge protectors I believe can be found in back issues of Consumer Reports.
Check with APC Ryan to find out if you first have to have your home owners insurance kick in before they'll handle the balance. My understanding is that they're a reputable company. At their website, they've got a live chat Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm EST so you should be able to find out what you need there. Good luck!
 

Dale B

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A surge protector does just what it says,protect you from voltage surge,not from lightning, but from your electric generating facility.I don't think there is any kind of protection from a direct lightning stike.I work for a utility company and I also thought a surge protector would stop equipment damage but found out differently. I know there will be some different points of views,but I know for a fact.
 

Phil A

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Most good amp manuf. will not recommend surge protectors. A surge protector is something that is looking to clamp voltage and an amplifier is trying to do the opposite, put out voltage. They generally will impact the sound quality and dynamics of many amps. That is not to say that all amps or surge protectors are alike.
 

Carol Curtis

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Every Surge protector I've ever seen, if you read the small print will tell you it will not guard against lighting strikes so the manufacture might be right if they have built in surge protectots in their equptment then you don't need one.
 

PomingF

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I believe most higher end standalone amp manufacturers do recommend not to power the amps through surge suppressors or line conditioners unless they also have high current capabilities so not to affect the amps' performances. Unfortunately units like these can cost almost as much as the amps themselves.
One of the reasons the new Bryston 14B-ST stereo amp costs more than the identical power 7B-ST monoblocs is due to the 14B-ST's built in surge protection/line conditioning.
I am powering all my amps directly off the wall sockets and recently raised the coverage on my homeowners' insurance just in case. :)
PF
 

SethSpeaks

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You're gonna love this.....
To protect against lightning tie a 1/2 hitch knot in the power cord. As the energy surge rolls over itself, it will melt the cord at the knot. This info was from a Byte magazine editor many years ago. His house had a direct hit. Everything that had the knot was spared, everything else was toast. He of course did need to replace the power cords. Also he didn't say anything about his house catching on fire from the cords melting, but logic would dictate that would be a possibility.
The only actual foolproof option is to unplug everything during an electrical storm.
 

DanG

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Earlier this summer we were watching Perfect Storm (irony this..) and a real storm rolled up without us paying due attention. A couple of bolts hit close and before I could get to the Marantz RC5000 to shut everything down, my Panamax 1500 just shut everything off its own.
After the storm(the real one) had passed, thinking the Panamax must of got hit, I unplugged everything and fired it up. It was fine and working okay ever since.
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J

John Morris

Out of respect for the manufacturer of these amps, and the fact that I just don't feel right revealing their name without the other party's permission, I'm not going to reveal the manufacturer. I have emailed the company and asked for permission and I'm sure that he will get back to me soon. This company gives me excellent customer service but it usually takes 24 hours... and only Monday through Friday. If he says OK, then I'll post who told me this.
One thing is for sure, PomingF is correct; this company is first class... but still not a Krell... at least pricewise.
wink.gif

Just in case, I also have carried a special insurance rider which covers my computers, electronics and other stuff like my wifes accessories.
In the meantime, I'm just gonna continue to plug em in and run em... without surge protectors. Then again, two Panamax units continue to protect all my other components.
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Take Care,
merc
 

Henry Carmona

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Well, ok John,
but i dont see why information like that would be harmful to the manufacturer.
After all, your part of the public and it was revealed to you.
I mean, maybe wed like to purchase this great brand since they have all the protection already built in :)
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"Charlie don't surf."
 
J

John Morris

Henry,
I understand what you say... but... if anyone posts one of my self-assumed private emails; I'm just gonna have to take them out...
biggrin.gif

My manufacturers take care of me (or else I buy elsewhere), and this company sure has... and I like to give them the same consideration they have given me. Anyway, take a look at my amps... you've got a 50-50 chance at picking the right company.
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Take Care,
merc
 

Todd Hochard

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Something to keep in mind...
Typically, in order for you to collect on the "guarantee" that goes with the surge protector, ALL of the equipment that is connected together must be on that surge protector. In other words, if your preamp is protected, and the amp is not, and you get a surge, which backs up through the amp and destroys the preamp, the surge protector company will not pay for the damage to the preamp.
Todd
P.S. Thought for the day- if an amp manufacturer has to build in line conditioning to their amp, doesn't that imply that they've created a deficient power supply design in said amp?
 

Kevin Magee

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I have a California Audio Labs MCA 2500 and it has built in line conditioning and some surge protection. Cal audio also does not recommend a surge protector. I called and asked further and was told that I could use a surge protector but only one with a true 20 amp output.
 

Stacy Huff

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Jul 13, 1999
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Most surge protectors I've seen have that small print about lightning, but I actually bought one many years ago because it had large print on the front proclaiming, "Guaranteed to Protect Against Lightning." So I bought it. I've never had to take advantage of that guarantee, and I hope I never do. Seems like it also touted the $250,000.00 worth of coverage for equipment hooked up to the protector.
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"Are you a pothead, Focker?"
 

Rachael B

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I have been hit by lightening twice. Both times the surge came in via the cable TV line. I was protected by a pair of Panamax 1000+ units both times. The first time Panamax gave me two new 1000+ units since the video section was nuked on both. The other time only one of the 1000+ units was affected and my Pioneer C-72 pre was minorly damaged. Panamax paid for the C-72's repair bill promptly.
Back then, I had smaller amps that would plug into and could be triggered by the Panamax. Now that I have a bigger, more current hungry amp, I can't plug it into a panamax 1000+. I'm waiting for the PS Audio 20 amp Ultimate outlet to ship, soon I hope. I have my two Panamax units running off 15 amp Ultimate Outlets already. So, I feel as protected as is practical, I believe. The biggest threat IMO is satelite and cable TV lines.
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Rachael, the big disc cat! Remember, actual mileage may vary....
AFI Film Challenge, hey I've only got 3 to go!
 

Thomas_A

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Phone lines are deadly also... when my house got hit by lightning years ago..my cheap surge protectors did not do the job... but everything tied into a phone line was destroyed also! I now have everything on quality surge protectors that specificly say the warranty against lightning! call me paranoid. Most surge protectors will protect against normal power spikes... unless they are the realy cheap 7-10 dollar ones
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So far, So good, So what
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[Edited last by Thomas_A on July 14, 2001 at 09:24 AM]
 

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