power conditioner

J135
"does Furman have a recommendation? And yes, nothing stops a lightning strike..."

Good idea. I should have done that first.  DOH!

So for you Furman users out there,,,,  I called Furman and spoke to Michael, a very helpful service tech.  According to Michael, Furman power conditioners protect equipment against surges regardless of whether or not they are turned on.  They don't consume much power so you can either leave them on 24/7, or turn them off when you're not listening to music. The line core melting equipment works whether the unit is on or off.  This advise works for the PL8 series as well as their most expensive conditioners.
Michael did say if a storm is heading your way and your house is susceptible to lightning strikes, for the best safety unplug the Furman.  I'm fairly well protected from lightning so the hard-to-reach Furman will stay on while my other Furmans will be switched off during non-listening times.
Also, as to the placement of the Furman units, just above or below other units, Michael recommended a 1/2 rack space between it and signal processor devices and 2 to 3 rack spaces just above or below pre-amps or amps.

Thanks to everyone for all the input.

Greetings

I can categorically say he** yes clean power will make a difference in your sound system

I learned this several decades ago when I started replacing most of my original cords with Essential Sound Products cords and later their power distributor. Here's a telling fact: I got the distributor for a 'song' because the seller had just paid for the electricity provider to install a transformer just for his home. Once he did this, the ESP distributor no longer made a difference. Apparently, having a dedicated transformer serving just your home, is the only way to make sure you are getting the cleanest power for your gear... 

I have since moved on from the distributor to an API Ultra Power Wedge 116 which can operate as a converter to deliver fully balanced power. I kept the ESP Essence power cords though...

You can find API and ESP products in the secondary market for very reasonable prices. There's no denying it, you will appreciate the 'value' of clean power more and more easily if you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it!

toolbox,
I have the p2400ar and its always plugged in (except for epic storms)and off until about an hr or more before .

         Like i posted  earlier, I keep mine down low and away from everything (it rides below my rack under my amps power supply ..raised off the carpet on audiooints.
Best of luck

Audience. Would hate to be without it. Have never heard a complaint. Great company as well. Call and discuss merits if you want their viewpoint. 

Excellent suggestions- All.