Thanks, sbayne. I am confused by the turn on procedure in the Giandel 5000 user manual. It says to turn on your electronics first, and then the inverter. But since the electronics are plugged into the inverter, when the latter is still off, the electronics wouldn't turn on. The Giandel has a stepped slow startup, maybe to avoid surges. With my Shunyata Denali conditioner, I keep it on all the time. My EQ (like a preamp) is always on, and I just turn on the CD player and Mytek Brooklyn power amp. The amp has its own safe turn on mechanism, so there are no surges.
So I believe I could turn on the inverter first, wait a minute until it stabllizes, then turn on my CD player and power amp. Essentially, turning on the inverter activates its AC outputs, but there is no current flow until the electronics are turned on. There shouldn't be a need to have the inverter provide 2-3 times your power needs if I am correct.
Ricevs, am I correct? What is the turn on procedure your friend follows with his Giandel 5000?