Amps and DACs being plugged into surge protectors
Feb 17, 2015 at 4:39 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

Joeybgood

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So I read a review by someone  stating  that having his amp and/or DAC plugged into a surge protector was causing noise/interference and , of course, degraded the sound quality. Is this a universal truth? Should amps/DACs always be plugged directly into an a/c outlet to avoid adverse effects caused by surge protector strips?
 
Feb 17, 2015 at 4:45 PM Post #2 of 4
Some say that surge protectors will not interfere with the signal in any way that would reduce sound quality. Others (including a former Sennheiser engineer I talked to) insist upon fancy audiophile power strips or simply plugging into the wall. I haven't seen any scientific evidence to prove or disprove much of anything concerning this matter. To get an idea of whether it will affect your system, you'll have to try them all yourself.
 
I just use a cheap surge protector for the time being. No obvious problems on my end.
 
Feb 17, 2015 at 5:05 PM Post #3 of 4
  So I read a review by someone  stating  that having his amp and/or DAC plugged into a surge protector was causing noise/interference and , of course, degraded the sound quality. Is this a universal truth? Should amps/DACs always be plugged directly into an a/c outlet to avoid adverse effects caused by surge protector strips?

Sometimes the neon lamp in the switch will get noisy. I had one once and it created havoc until it finally failed altogether. Baring that problem there is no reason not to use one if you need one.  Always remember, safety first.
 
Feb 17, 2015 at 6:05 PM Post #4 of 4
Thanks for the quick response guys! I will try it directly into the outlet and compare. I have a fairly nice Monster surge protector. I think I should be good. Again..tks!
 

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