Furman power conditioners are one of a few versatile power surge protectors I like to compare to “Swiss Army Knives” that a beginning to intermediate musician should own. These things are great for stage and studio alike.
While there are numerous power conditioner brands on the market, the Furman power conditioner stands out to me as one of the best. If you are looking for a digital power conditioner, look no further than Furman power conditioners. (See Amazon’s Furman Power Conditioner Deals and Current prices)
There is certainly differences between power conditioners and surge protectors. For a beginner musician, here’s a short explanation of what you might need to know!
Surge Protectors VS Power Conditioners
First let’s talk about surge protectors vs power conditioners. A surge protector is designed to detect surges that have been caused by lightning or electrical equipment malfunction and then disconnect from the system to prevent further damage from being done.
While a power conditioner goes beyond this and even filters the power coming into your equipment to prevent noise from coming up through your signal chain.
Furman Power Conditioners At A Glance
I have had a Furman power conditioner for my personal recording studio going on a couple of years now. Here is what I like about the Furman power conditioner.
Auto-Switching Technology
What’s cool about this is that if you are using a rack or speaker full of equipment, the surge protector will sense when you have turned on your amp and automatically turn it on! In addition, it also turns off all of your equipment at once.
Noise Filtration For Better Sound Quality
Another cool thing about the Furman power conditioners is that each outlet has a different amount of noise filtration depending on its location.
The outlets located at the front of the unit, closest to your amp and speakers, will give you less filtration than those located closer to the back.
Speaking Of Protection…
No matter the Furman model you choose, they all offer outstanding protection for your equipment. With built-in components that prevent against both over and under-voltage conditions.
Voltage fluctuations can be caused by storms or by running too much equipment off of one circuit. If this happens, you could risk damaging your equipment because it gets more voltage than it can handle.
Voltage fluctuations are more common than you might think. In fact, a research study done by Quality Magazine found that on average voltage fluctuation is 10%. That’s HUGE!
In addition, power surges and spikes can damage your equipment too! Over time this could lead from having to replace a few of your electrical components.
The Furman power conditioner has an amazing three-decade warranty to protect you’re equipment, so I wouldn’t worry too much about this.
So What About The Price?
Furman power conditioners are not cheap, but here’s the thing…they may cost you only once! This is one piece of equipment that I believe is a great investment for any musician- whether you’re recording or playing live.
Overall, the difference between a power conditioner and a power strip with surge protection is this:
A power conditioner filters your “dirty” AC line signal while it changes the voltage to 120v, allowing you the freedom to use high-power gear without having to worry about blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers. A power strip with surge protection does not do these things.
Noise gates are crucial for controlling unwanted noise, especially when your signal chain includes digital effects that use up lots of currents.
The Furman power conditioner completely solves this problem because it has a built-in noise gate, which is customizable to your specific needs.
What You Need To Know About Furman Power Conditioners
While there’s a lot to learn about Furman power conditioners, it’s not that hard. It took me some time to learn, but once I did it was easy!
I found out about noise filters, over-voltage protection and under-voltage protection. I also learned how the outlets are placed in a way that allows for more noise filtration near your equipment, allowing you a better playing experience because of less noise.
See, I have a rack full of equipment that is plugged into one power conditioner in my studio. It has been doing a great job for me and it keeps on going strong!
Now the question is–do YOU need a Furman power conditioner? That depends on what your needs are and how much you’re willing to spend.
If you’re using a lot of equipment, I would for sure say yes.
If you are just starting out with your own gear you may want to use a basic power strip until your equipment grows little by little.
My advice? Keep it simple if that works for you! Just remember what I said about the noise gate. It’s there to filter out your noise, so don’t forget that an extra little bit can make or break your sound!
Is A Furman Power Conditioner Worth It?
Furman power conditioners are worth it! They are primarily used to protect sensitive electronics from the effects of power surges and spikes.
If you are recording or performing live then it is very important that you protect your equipment with a conditioner. The best part? They cost less than other brands but do the same job!
For me, I enjoy using my power conditioner because it reduces the noise to almost zero. It really does make a difference in what you hear and I’m sure it will do the same for you!
So now that you’re informed on what a Furman power conditioner is and how it works, the question still remains: Is a Furman power conditioner worth it?
I say yes! It’s definitely worth it because of the peace of mind that goes along with knowing your equipment is safe.
Do I need a power conditioner for my computer?
As a general guide, power conditioners are a requirement where electronics or computers need protection.
The Furman power conditioners can be installed in a variety of configurations, including online or off-line and with or without ground-lfight isolation.
Generally, investing in a Furman power conditioner is not cheap, but here’s the thing…they may cost you only once! This is one piece of equipment that I believe is a great investment.
The world is a noisy place-with cars, trains, planes, and other sources of noise that can bleed into your recording chain wreaking havoc on your sound.
A noise gate will silence any unwanted noise from your recordings without disturbing the tones you’re capturing from your instruments.
Who needs a power conditioner?
If you have a large rack rig or a small pedalboard, then you need a power conditioner. They come in different varieties such as central units that manage the power cabling and distribution for an entire studio, which is what I use.
If you have a home studio and invest in some gear, make sure to protect your investment by getting yourself a power conditioner.
These power conditioners will help you to organize your rack gear and take the noise out of your recordings so that you can focus on producing great music!
Most people use their Furman Power Conditioner to provide clean AC power for their audio/video systems to ensure that the noise on their line doesn’t interfere with the audio signals.
The key to clean power is how much can be removed before it gets to your electronics, which has a lot to do with the physical placement of the outlet banks, but also has a lot to do with not just how much filtering there is, but what type of filtering is in place.
Do I Need a Power Conditioner?
It’s clear that you need one if you’re using studio gear, but do you really need an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)? It depends on your needs and what your definition of “need” is.
As a general guide, any setup that runs off of a computer or uses studio hardware and recording software needs to have a power conditioner.
The Furman line is good, but there are other companies that also make very efficient and effective power filters with their own claims about what they can do for you.
A typical installation would include a surge protector and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with battery backup .
The surge protector protects your equipment from power spikes and surges; the UPS provides protection from power loss when you experience a brownout or blackout; and the battery backup ensures that you don’t lose any data in the event of a blackout.
Speaker cable is another consideration when it comes to making certain your sound system has clean, reliable electricity, but sound system professionals and car audio installers, for example, might want to look into a model with isolated outputs and long lines that require high-current connections.
I personally use the Furman M8 x power conditioner and absolutely love it. It has made such a huge difference in the quality of my sound as well as saving me from power spikes and outages.
I’ve tried other power conditioners in the past but I’m never going back. The Furman M8 x is by far my favorite for all of my needs, period!
If you are looking for an extremely well-designed power conditioner to be used specifically with your home recording studio, then this professional product may be the right choice for you!
If you are looking for a solution to protect your studio, while also improving its sound quality. This product is great for solving noise problems with amps and mics while playing live or recording. So if that sounds like something that would improve your life then check out the Furman M8-x Power Condition.
Best Place To Install Furman Power Conditioner
For best results, it is recommended that you install your Furman Power Conditioner near your electrical panel so that it is close to the incoming utility line at all times .
The Furman M8x does not come with any rack-mount brackets, but since it is only 1U high, you can easily mount it in an equipment rack or AV cart.
This particular model comes with eight switched outlets so that you can turn off your entire rig at once for convenient power management.
Please note: If you are running any type of laser light show on the Furman, DO NOT plug your light controller into the same power conditioner you are using for your audio equipment. Whenever possible, isolate the two systems on separate power conditioners.
If you’re not sure how much protection your system needs, call a local expert to discuss what’s right for you!
Conclusion:
When it comes to protecting your gear and getting the most out of your recorded sound, a Furman power conditioner is a great investment for any studio or live music stage!
If you’re looking for more information on power conditioners or any other recording equipment, contact me and I will be more than happy to help you out.