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Pro-Audio Question: High Powered Amplifiers on Power Conditioners.
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Pro-Audio Question: High Powered Amplifiers on Power Conditioners.

Culprit 3:51 AM - 27 May, 2009
Stupid question, but I thought I would ask. I called my local qsc dealer (which is QSC in costa mesa) and asked them what they would recommend for a power conditioner for my QSC PLX1802's and PLX3602's. They flat out told me "plugging these amplifiers into power conditioners is like bubblerapping road cases, defenitly not needed". I bought two of these conditioners for two setup's, but I am currently using two for one setup. Its a [www.guitarcenter.com] Furman PL-Plus C Power Conditioner that runs two of my 3602's. I noticed also on the back of those units it has a 1,800 watt maximum restriction =[ The other powers my 24 channel mixer, dod eq, dod crossover and two 1802's.

QSC told me to plug these amplifiers directly into the ac outlet, which will give me the best response. I like having my amplifiers on my power conditioner on my rack, more convenient and more organized.

Just curious as to how fellow djs have theirs setup. Thanks in advance.
DJMark 10:12 AM - 27 May, 2009
QSC gave you very good advice.

Nothing more to say, really.
agentorange 4:58 PM - 27 May, 2009
if an electrical outage were to occur, and then suddenly come back, you will through a surge into your amp which may cause it to short-circuit; in turn destroying your amp. the power conditioners are used in order to prevent that. check 'joule' ratings.

similar to flat screen/hdtvs. they DO NOT recommend you plug straight in to a wall. rather, you shuold invest in a "power conditioner".
agentorange 4:58 PM - 27 May, 2009
*throw ... no through. sorry
DJMark 9:24 PM - 27 May, 2009
Any well-designed power amp (and most of QSC's offerings fit that description) already have "power-conditioning" built into the power-supply.

"bubblewrapping road cases" was an apt description. "Installing two roofs on your house to keep the rain out" would be another.

Probably the single most important thing relating to AC wiring for power amps is to make sure the AC service is actually grounded.
agentorange 9:33 PM - 27 May, 2009
-power conditioners are usually used anyway.
DJMark 9:39 PM - 27 May, 2009
Quote:
-power conditioners are usually used anyway.


By people who like to uselessly throw away money, apparently.

I rank "power-conditioners" right there with Monster Cable: snake-oil that's sold mostly to generate a lot of profit with little benefit to the end user.

If you want the convenience of switching on and off gear with a single switch, any decent power-strip should serve the purpose. (I would still plug high-powered gear, such as amplifiers, directly to an AC outlet if possible to minimize power-losses).
Culprit 12:10 AM - 28 May, 2009
Thanks for the feedback guys.
SiRocket 12:14 AM - 28 May, 2009
it won't hurt if you are using the conditioner for "organization"... but if you don't have a conditioner already then don't waste the money on it basically... thats all they are saying as the product already has a conditioner type of unit inside.
Culprit 12:14 AM - 28 May, 2009
i have two, and I mainly got them for organizing my power for my racks =]
agentorange 1:12 PM - 28 May, 2009
^^ that's what im saying. but people think im wasting my money. duh.

they line up on a rack...
DJMark 12:10 AM - 29 May, 2009
Quote:
^^ that's what im saying. but people think im wasting my money. duh.

they line up on a rack...


If that's your reason, then I wouldn't say you're wasting money. Furman makes reasonably-priced units that mount in a rack.

Spending extra on "power conditioning" is what I would call a waste, unless perhaps you're using very poorly-designed gear with inadequate power-supply filtering. If that's the case, replacing the shitty gear would be a much better solution than trying to "band-aid" a problem with a "power conditioner" (something that may not be effective anyway).
DJKelly 6:45 AM - 9 June, 2009
Speaking of Furman... a much better investment is a sequenced power supply.. in which the individual outlets are turned on a second or so apart. This avoids a high inrush (turn-on transients) on the circuit. As it happens most such devices usually are also conditioners. Ballpark average for such a unit is about $250.