[DAYTA]

So I've been thinking about getting a Monster PowerCenter (the HTS 3600 MKII, specifically), and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this unit, or any other similiar unit. I want to improve the audio/video clarity of my system, but I don't know if the benefits of a line conditioner will outweigh the cost. I should note that I live in a decent house with minimal appliance use, NO dedicated internal power line to my system, and low to mid-fi equipment (Denon 3802, HK DVD32, B&W AV1000 sub, Hitachi RP-CRT).

I'm not expecting miracles here, but do you guys think it would improve my system noticeably...or would I simply be buying an overpriced, glorified surge protector???

 

[Illah]

Monster makes good power units, but I tend to think along the lines that there's a rapid dropoff in cost/benefit with power gear. Maybe start with a HTS-1000 MKII from ebay for less than $100. I got one of those for $75 on eBay and it's a nice unit - costs $150-$199 at Best Buy.

--Illah

 

[markl]

IMO, you are better off with a lower-end unit like the PB1100 which can be had on the web for $120 or so. It has fewre stages of filtration, so will have less negative impact on the sound than others higher up in their line. I've found that there is no difference between having the PB1100 in-line and going straight to the wall, and to me that's pretty high praise as many conditioners can choke the sound.

I look at the Monsters as cheap insurance for my gear, its chief use is to protect it from surges, any filtration is just an added plus (so long as it has no negative impact).

If you want to really solve the dirty power problem, you are better off with a power *regenerator*, but those get extremely expensive, they start at around $700 and go up.

 

[Whitehall]

You can get units that do what Monster does for a lot less money at Newark or Mouser. Of course, you don't get all the bells and whistles but they come mighty expensive as the delta over a plain Jane industrial piece.

 

[DAYTA]

So I picked up a 3600 MKII to demo from a store with a return policy, just to see what type of visual and/or audible improvements (you never know until you try, and I've been aching to try for a while now). My initial impressions are somewhat mixed. On the one hand, I noticed that the bass is definitely tighter than before (A/Bed plugging my sub via a Monster Surge Protector vs. via the Powercenter). The overall sound (for music) is a little smoother than before, though that could just be placebo effect. However, with respect to any video improvements, I can't really see any (if there are some, they're negligible).

To anyone out there who knows how to use this thing, do you know if you can use the current voltage digital display to determine the quality of the power flowing through your house? I monitored it last night for several hours, both with everything in my system running and with everything turned off (including lights). During that time, it fluctuated between a range of 120-125. Does that mean I have clean power or dirty power???

 

[tennisets]

How clean or dirty your power is isn't a function of the voltage fluctuation (some voltage fluctuation is normal). Although stable voltage is a benefit, it's not really atainable without a unit dedicated to the task, usually a power regenerator.

What makes your power dirty is "noise" coming into the line either from other things plugged into the circuit or from outside your house, usually RF noise, which is bad for audio reproduction. Usually a power conditioner just filters that (and other noise, if necessary) out of the power. The Monster unit does not tell you how much noise is in the line or how much it's filtering out.

 

[Illah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl IMO, you are better off with a lower-end unit like the PB1100 which can be had on the web for $120 or so. It has fewre stages of filtration, so will have less negative impact on the sound than others higher up in their line. I've found that there is no difference between having the PB1100 in-line and going straight to the wall, and to me that's pretty high praise as many conditioners can choke the sound.

Cool - I have the 1000 MKII, not the 1100, but they're almost the same thing - good to know I got a good one! I'm actully using for home theater though, and I have a cheap Acoustic Research power filter with a Monster AV200 stacked on top of it, but am thinking of getting another Monster HTS-1000 for the computer. I actually have a little studio going on so I could actually use it for than just my DAC, but my mic preamp, tape deck, etc.

--Illah

 

[cconnaker]

I am sold on Richard Gray's Power Company gear. I'd look at their stuff before Monster.

 

[Mize]

I have the HTS 3600 MKII because I got a great price on it when I bought the rest of my gear.

I honestly don't think you will notice a difference between plugging your gear into a lower end model or even the wall. I got it for protection from surges and needed to push my gear against the wall which eliminated the larger power strip options.

I will say that it is the first unit that I have owned that I do not notice any signal degradation when I connect my satellite coax cables through it.

Mize

 

[tennisets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cconnaker I am sold on Richard Gray's Power Company gear. I'd look at their stuff before Monster.

Yeah, the Richard Gray stuff is great, but it's also a lot more expensive, starting at $795 for the base model (you can find them for about $500 used, $400 for the older models). In that price range it's probably one of the first things I'd recommend if buying new (used I'd go for a PS Audio Power Plant).