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Highly Recommended. Voltage all over the place but kept voltage at 120 volts and shut down unit twice during storms when voltage overload occurred. This device works very well. Bad weather here in Texas all week.
Most devices sold today, however, simply don't need it. A Psychiatrist did a study by holding a seminar where 50% of the audience was allowed in FREE, and the other 50% had to pay $50 for the advice, which was just plain common sense. If your house outlet is in the 110-115 VAC range, which most are, then your equipment will perform EXACTLY as intended without the AVS2000. Most every consumer product, including your HDTV, stereo, etc, is designed to handle this normal variation in voltage. For most modern systems it is overkill and not needed. It has lots of impressive looking meters but lacks performance for its pricepoint. I asked them to define "musical" and they couldn't.The AVS 2000 is not a life changing experience, but it does lighten your wallet several hundred dollars, and you naturally will say it's the best power strip you can buy, which is probably true. They are high profit margin items for stereo stores to sell with a system that has a limited profit margin on the main item.
If your equipment can tolerate a wide range of input volatages, and you are not having power problems where you live, then this is NOT the solution for you. Of course you can't setup 2 identical systems in the store to see this for yourself, i.e. "most neighborhoods fluctuate +/- 3 to 4 VOLTS" would be accurate, but not WATTS. The AVS2000 does what it says. Former used car salesman turned stereo experts will tell you how much "more musical" your system investment will be if you spend another $300 in cables or $900 in power strips. Their equipment is aimed at the true audiophile who has money to burn on a $100 cable instead of the cheap one that came in the box with his new DVD player.
But do you need its ability.While the 2000 has some nice bells and whistles, and it does stagger the power on sequence of your equipment to prevent startup current surges, another feature I like, it is overkill for 90+% of all MODERN equipment. I've heard people say that after buying monster cables for $200 their stereo sounded much more musical. This is common human nature to believe you did not get ripped off and a key to marketing high profit stereo equipment. A neighborhood uses thousands of watts. ==UPDATE 9/2008 == When I wrote this it was $860. Their packaging is advertising how important the product is. The AVS 2000 can't do that. Bowman's review but he needs to change the word "watts" to "volts" i.e.
Both groups were then asked to evaluate the seminar after they attended it.Those who got it free felt "it was OK" while those who lost $50 had much more complimentary reviews like "It will be a life changing experience". Now it's $200 more. You'll have a hard time to hear anything more "musical" like the salesman said you would. In the USA most homes get two 120 volt (average) circuits which combined make 240 volts for high power devices. You should not need to be concerned about this to use your stereo or TV. Your HDTV will look better if you spend the money for an AVS2000 on a bigger screen.If you ARE having problems with your power, GET THEM FIXED.
(the APC UPS can make power when there is none, the AVS2000 can not)The AVS2000 is a niche item for people with older equipment that suffers from improper voltage. This only strengthens my view that a quality UPS is a better solution than a home theater product.I liked D. Using a $100 digital voltmeter I could show the utility that the voltage dropped every day at 6PM when people cooked dinner below 100 volts Line-Neutral at the meter. Monster products tend, in general, to be well made overbuilt cables with great strain reliefs built in and oversized conductors. This one is rackmount and will go nicely in a stereo rack, and is less expensive than the AVS2000 while doing more.
a direct A-B comparison like we do in the laboratory.Monster products are very nicely made, and I do own several of them, however I did not pay for mine, they were given to my lab and I was paid to evaluate them against other alternatives, and comparing a $110 monster fiber optic cable against a $10 no-name fiber optic cable showed zero difference in connecting an optical digital output to an amplifier. I had power problems and contacted my utility provider who fixed their transformer on the pole to get rid of them permanently, for free. Your stereo won't be any louder with than without it. UPSs also have surge supression and some simple metering if you want those features. You MIGHT even be able to hear it.On the other hand, If your equipment was made in the past 10 years, take a look at the nameplate data (usually stamped where the power cord goes into the device) and it will likely say "Input Voltage 100-120" or maybe "100-240 volts AC 50-60 Hz" if it is meant for international markets like many products these days. This was outside of their specification and they were required by law to fix it.For the price of the AVS2000 you can buy a comparable computer grade UPSAPC SUA1500RM2U 120V 1500VA USB and Serial RM 2U Smart UPS System with similar voltage regulation and it will prevent your stereo/TV from shutting off and back on 5 seconds later when the power goes out momentarily during a storm.
WATTS is how much power YOU are using like a 100 WATT lightbulb, VOLTS is what is comming into your house and varries a little bit over a day based not only on your neighbors usage but yours as well. Being digital, it either works or it does not work. A $10 voltmeter can tell you what your voltage is.HDTV won't be any better with the AVS2000 than without it. Now onto the AVS2000. If you own a 1970's $20,000 stereo with TUBE amplifiers then you will probably derive a REAL benefit from the 2000's ability to regulate voltage.
But most average neighborhoods fluctuate (+ or -) 3 - 4 volts at all times. The voltage display just tells you what you are feeding your components. In the US our components are designed to run on 120 volts. My favorite part is the big displays. I own one of these and one of the signature series (blue display).
You will reserve the "lowest" shelf for your entertainment system for this bad boy. beast will take up some space and has to be put on a very strong shelf. I find myself just watching the voltage readout it to see what the power rating is. My components are behind dark glass, it is hard to see if items are left on.This 75 lb. So your TV or stereo isn't having to make the adjustments itself, it can just focus on performing without any power stress.As others have noted, make sure to use a good quality surge protector. If you notice a high amp readout, you know something was left on. This bad boy locks everything in at an even 120 volts. My kids are always leaving the DVD player or stereo on.
If you invested a big pile of dough on a home A/V set up, why not feed it correctly. The amp display helps you keep an eye out if you might have left a component on and didn't mean to. Consider it the anchor of your system. On really hot nights where everyone has their A/C on, it can fluctuate up to 8 or 9 volts. I personally use the Monster HTS 3600 MKII.
I plug amps, pre-amp, cd player into it and ground-loop hum is completely removed. I did notice that the low bass got a little more polite and lost some detail.
Highly recommended. but for me it's worth it to have such big improvements in almost all other areas.
I recently added one of these to my high-end(ish) 2 channel stereo system. Better midrange, smoother treble, blacker background, more natural voicing and better dynamics.
Plus it looks cool. The difference it nakes is astonishing.
Also, due to componants operating at correct voltage, sound is quite noticably enhanced.
The AVS 2000 only correct the voltage, nothing more. You must also get a surge protector or a more advanced filter unit to take care of those problems. Please be aware of the following though; You do not get any filtering whatsoever with this unit.
An excellent piece of equipment that works no matter what. With all my home theater equipment hooked up to this baby, there's no more picture flickering or drop in sound level. This is heavy stuff.
Highly recommended. Comes with an 8ft beefy AC cable and must be hooked up to a grounded (3-prong) outlet. The quality of the power in my house is really bad.
Every time the fridge goes on, there is a brown-out.
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