[donor]

I was trying to ask this power in the mini power distro thread, but didn't get any responses so here goes..

I don't really know anything about this power stuff.

I need a solution for plugging all my gear into and I feel like I'm losing out on something by purchasing a $5 power strip at my local supermarket. If I have $75, is there something better I can go with? Would getting a $75 powerstrip be an improvement in sound quality / LCD TV picture over a $5 power strip? Is there another option besides a power strip? Like a power conditioner of some sort?

Basically, this is what I want to hook up:

*Powerbook
*External Hard Drive
*Tube Preamp
*Small Speaker Amp (trends t-amp)
*DAC
*Active Subwoofer
*Small LCD TV

I remember along time ago I plugged a bunch of stuff in to a power strip and all my power went out. I really don't want this to happen so do I need specific type of powerstrip here?

Can somebody recommend me something around $50 - $75? I live in Italy, so it has to have the 220v round prong things.

Another question, I have alot of gear from the US. I have to use these cheap adaptor tips in order to plug into the wall (the gear in question all supports 220v though), are these adaptors "clean", another word's do they have any effect on the power, which could ultimately effect my equipment?

 

[Zorander]

Be true to your nick and donate it.

 

[donor]

I'll donate it to you if you donate me your speakers.

 

[infinitesymphony]

I'm not sure you'll find many people with 220v experience around here... I've also wondered about the possibility of signal loss through an voltage conversion adapter (I have a European PCDP). My guess is that the power will be close enough that it doesn't matter.

Do you want surge protection? If not, the Wiremold strip is recommended (by me).

Otherwise, any cheap power strip probably will be equivalent to or better than something more expensive, at least in the sub-$100 range. IMO, power filters and conditioners are only recommended for rooms with measurably horrible power coming from the wall (ex. huge spikes, noise, etc.), which isn't the case for most people, at least in the U.S.

Here's a free tweak: separate your audio components from non-audio equipment. Don't plug your computer, hard drive, or TV into the same power strip as the audio stuff. Better yet, don't even plug the two power strips (TV and audio) into the same outlet. Better still, run audio devices on their own circuit.