Over the last 4 years I've been buying a lot of Alan Maher Designs gear (thousands of $s of it) that is intended to reduce electronic noise, both in the system and in the home. Lots of different pieces to be installed all over the house, near components, etc. This really helps with the sound and is why I've kept adding it. But, it also does 2 other things: purportedly health benefits from reduced airborne EMI/RFI and also some measure of lightning/surge protection. The way he describes it, the lightning usually hits a tree near your house, runs down into the ground and finds the ground rod and gets into the home that way. We don't have to worry about strikes getting in from the service entrance, since the 1950's, b/c your local power co. has used a system of chokes and regulators every so often to prevent that. According to Alan, his stuff ends up working as a system of chokes and regulators inside the home. Probably the key piece I have, in that regard, is his Tricell Chemical Ground that is said to lower resistance on the ground leg in the whole home and buffers spikes and surges. But, in a near-enough strike it is itself sacrificial. But, if it's ever damaged by a strike, all I have to do is send it back to Alan and he will send me a new one free of charge. I use no other power conditioning or surge/spike protection in my house. I've never lost anything of value either before or since the AMD gear, but I do now have the peace of mind to not unplug everything during a storm...despite the fact that I live on "Lightning Drive" in a subdivision named "Stormy Ridge", no kidding!
