Home Theater Power Conditioners
Power is what your home theater system needs. Clean power. Power conditioners are designed for just that; to give your home theater system the clean power it needs in order to perform at its best. This clean power not only gives you better video and sound quality, it also protects your home theater system. The power from the wall outlet is full of noise and distortion that will damage your system over time. A power conditioner eliminates this noise, thereby prolonging the life of your equipment.
Power Conditioner Connections
Before deciding on a power conditioner you need to determine then number of components you will be connecting, both inputs and outputs. This includes all cable television, antenna connections, and phone lines into your home theater system. This information will immediately eliminate those with too few connections.Power Status Indicators
Just as with a surge protector, visual and auditory indicators are an important part of your new power conditioner. Ensure that the one you decide on has an indicator detailing your system's protection status. Another indicator should tell you if everything is grounded properly.Voltage Stabilization and Shutoff Response Time
The wall outlet provides 120V AC but the voltage is not constant, it fluctuates. Power conditioners work to stabilize the electricity from the wall outlet and send clean power to your home theater components. The power conditioner also needs to have an over/under voltage cutoff. When the voltage exceeds or falls below acceptable limits, the power conditioner will cut the power to your home theater system. The response time for your power conditioner's cutoff should be less than a nanosecond. A response time of less than a nanosecond should be fast enough disconnect your home theater system from the power source before any damage can be done. Note that the level of protection increases with the quality of the power conditioner.Filtering
Power conditioners come equipped with built-in electromagnetic and radio frequency noise filters. These filters are used to eliminate the noise these two types of interference introduce into your home theater system's power.Warrantee
Many of the quality power conditioners on the market guarantee that your home theater equipment will be protected from power surges. Make sure the power conditioner has a warrantee for not only itself but all equipment connected to it. These warrantees should be written in terms of time and the maximum dollar value that they will reimburse you for your home theater equipment. Power conditioners are too expensive for you not to have an ironclad warrantee.Power conditioners are a great addition to most home theater systems and a necessary one for those with the more expensive components. Not only will a power conditioner provide your system with the clean power it needs to produce quality results, it will also protect your equipment.