It seems that "power conditioner" actually describes two separate categories of equipment: line filters to remove spikes and noise from the line, and voltage regulators that regenerate power at a standard voltage.
Is there any way, without making the investment up front, to tell whether voltage regulation is necessary in a home or apartment? It sounds like the case for line filters is pretty easy to make: you look for hiss in the speakers, noise on the TV, fluctuations and noise when turning on the blender on the kitchen while watching TV. The case for voltage regulation seems to be harder; I understand the desire to have a clean 120V (or is it 125V?) output for devices engineered for that input, but the telltale signs of undervoltage seem to be harder to spot.
While there seem to be no shortage of line conditioners in the $100-200 range, are there any multi-socket voltage regulators in the same price range?
Is there any way, without making the investment up front, to tell whether voltage regulation is necessary in a home or apartment? It sounds like the case for line filters is pretty easy to make: you look for hiss in the speakers, noise on the TV, fluctuations and noise when turning on the blender on the kitchen while watching TV. The case for voltage regulation seems to be harder; I understand the desire to have a clean 120V (or is it 125V?) output for devices engineered for that input, but the telltale signs of undervoltage seem to be harder to spot.
While there seem to be no shortage of line conditioners in the $100-200 range, are there any multi-socket voltage regulators in the same price range?
