Conditioner vs. Surge protector


Looking for a whole house surge protection. 

Siemens seems to be the best company out there but its most recommended item (Siemens FS140 ) is out of stock everywhere. 

Here ia an alternative: 

Siemens FirstSurge Power 60 kA Surge Protector Bundle 

 

What about this product? Looks like a circuit breaker with surge protection. 

20 Amp 6.5 in. Whole House Surge Protected-Circuit Breaker

 

which product makes more sense? Circuit breaker has some MOVs. I understand this can potentially limit current.  

 

Do any of the above limit current to my amp? 

What about a power conditioner that has built in surge protection? 

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Look at the vinylvalet's web site-Bigearstereo.com

He lived overseas where these were mandatory.

He had one for around $1k. Goes in your panel.

No influence on SQ. Just protection.

 

If you have a Siemens panel, the Siemens BoltShield is the preferred kind.

In any other case if your maker has an in-panel, brekerless surge protector it's better.

MOV's do not limit current, BTW, they are used in parallel.

In all cases, the panel surge protectors should be used alongside surge protectors at the devices.  Furman with LiFT and SMP, or Tripp Lite Isobar are my recommendations there. 

Make sure that anything you expect to be a surge protector is actually UL rated.  No big deal for Square-D, Siemens or Furman but some boutique brands never get this.

Unless you need whole-house surge protection, I’d go with one of the better conditioner/surge protectors (Audience, Core Power, Synergistic, Shunyata, etc.) because you get cleaner power that often provides meaningful sonic benefits along with surge protection.  I’ve got an Audience AR1p with a Wiremold 9-outlet power strip that takes care of all my needs and no MOVs that’ll self destruct if they’re ever needed to work.  The only thing I miss is that I can’t put my digital components on an isolated outlet that the larger conditioners offer, but for the low $$$ spent I’m ok with it.  Best of luck in whatever you decide. 

My 2 cents:

Buy and install a whole house surge protector first.

You can always add more protection down the line. 

This way all your electronics have a minimum of protection, not just your stereo.

B