The power running into your valuable equipment is crucial.
Today, we would like to thank the manufacturers for all the hard work and dedication they have applied to these products developed for the audio/video industry. Anyone who is reading this knows how important it is to protect your gear and to condition the power running to your gear on a consistent level.
We have run our tests using a regular budget brand power surge bar for 40$ found at many electronic stores. We also used a gem sound power strip that runs about $99, and we also tested a Furman pl8c and Monster power 2 stage clean power center.
The results:
The budget brand power surge bar introduced a loud buzz sound in the signal path of the device connected to it, and its only purpose was surge protection. We would only use this on simple stuff like a TV, radio, or computer for personal use, never for professional use.
The gem sound power bar was decently quiet but had some added color to the noise floor, and it only has surge and RF filters. It would get quiet and dip back in with some added noise again and again. Something on this level might be good for powering your LCD monitors, HDD, and/or playback speakers, or for a live sound application like a live DJ gig at a bar. We would not recommend connecting any recording devices, pre-amps, amplifiers, mixers, or studio computers to the basic power bars.
Now that we have all the basics behind us let’s focus on Monster and Furman. We were extremely anxious to test the Furman technology against the Monster Clean Power. We researched them both, and we wanted to know what would be best for my personal studio application. The test we applied to the units was a mere noise snifter device. The Furman had a lower reading than the Monster power unit. We would say Furman is more geared to professional audio/video applications, and Monster is a more consumer level.
Final Thoughts:
So in retrospect, the Furman will clean your power more efficient than the Monster power we tested. Also, we have read Monster power has had some issues addressing the timed delay in the studio models of their conditioners. Monster has more standard features packed into the unit than Furman, but I have also read that the voltage readouts are not accurate. We use the Furman Pl8 c, and it’s the same build as the plus or DMC models/classic series conditioners, but minus the voltage and amp readout meters. The Monster unit looks beefy and is constructed well, and it also offers a ground prong clamp for ungrounded things like turntables. We wish Furman offered one more front plug like Monster Power for a total of 10 outlets.
All in all, Furman is the best for pro audio in this particular model review. They should consider adding one more outlet on the front panel, and the pot switch for the light is a little scratchy and not smooth turning on my unit, but we don’t use those much any how. We hope this review helps you out in the process of finding your next power conditioner.
