surge protection (1 Viewer)

[Brad A]

I don't have an elaborate HT system
*36 in Toshiba TV
*Onkyo TX-SR600 receiver
*NSP1 JBL speakers...
*Sony SA-WM40 sub
*and Toshiba SD-2109 DVD player
...my questions are....Should I get a good surge protector for it? I saw some MONSTER ones but they are really high $$ Are they better than other brands??? Any suggestions as to what brands and models to get??? Thanks

 

[Mike Matheson]

Hi Brad,

There are quite a number of previous posts going over surge protectors in general and in some specific applications. Maybe do a quick search on the forum here using keywords "surge protector" and check out some of the links that pop up.

In particular, note the posts by Bill Kane.

Personally, I would recommend a decent surge protector given you're in TN. Bill has a favorite suggestion or two that's inexpensive and works well--should be easy to find in some of his prior posts. I'd probably just default to one of his recommendations.

Regards,

Mike

 

[Bill Kane]

mike, thanks for the ref
Hi Brad, welcome (Back) to the Forum.
You'll likely want a surge protector just in case a huge electrical impulse enters your house, usually from a nearby lightning strike. It also absorbs little ones daily to help keep components lasting longer. Otherwise, the box sits there like a dead dog and does nothing else. It doesnt improve your tv picture and it doesnt really open up the audio. It's insurance. And you dont need to pay more than $150 and down to $60 for my all-around starter box, the metal chassis TrippLite Isobar 6 DBS which comes with a necessary terminal for cabletv coax.
Scroll to the top of this BASICS forum and click on Beginner FAQs. Lotta good learning there, and read my article on Surge Suppressors vs. Power Line Conditioners.
bill

 

[Michael Reuben]

Brad --
Here's a true-life story, if you're still hesitating.
All of my equipment is fully surge-protected, with the exception of my TiVo unit; I forgot (stupidly) that anything connected to a phone line also needs to have that connection routed through a surge protector.
About 2 weeks ago, we had a particularly violent thunderstorm pass through NYC, with a lot of heavy-duty lightning. Guess which one of my components is the only one to exhibit any problems in the aftermath of that storm? Yep, TiVo.
I won't make that mistake again. But I agree with Bill Kane: Don't go crazy and spend a fortune. I use a Panamax surge protector (a much older model, but still very solid), with a few additional components plugged into a basic Monster unit. They protected everything else just fine.
M.

 

[Bill_D]

Same as Michael above. Everything not protected like all 3 of my TIVOs were fried. Insurance is covering everything but it is a hassle explaining what TIVO is and that my boxes have lifetime subs on them and you have to reimburse me for the subd as well if you make me send the damaged boxes in never to be returned and you can't send the boxes back to TIVO for repair because they just provide a service and didn't manufacture the hardware and I was a early adopter of TIVO so my boxes are obsolete or very hard to find and one of my boxes was "upgraded" to 150 hrs and the Series 2 units are out now .............. basically it is just a computer for video storage. "Just a computer?" "We will get check right out."

The stuff that was not fried was successfully protected by a combination of Richard Gray, Monster, Panamax, PSAudio & BPT. Whatever route you take, protect all incoming lines including phone and cable.