My .02.
I would go with either ALL 'on' the conditioner (or a better/ bigger conditioner if necessary) or ALL 'on' the one wall receptacle (if possible)
Pointless conditioning (for filter effect) on sub and ML and leaving Amps (where noise is being multiplied) with raw power.
If you need a conditioner for Voltage protection (swings and surge) then all components should have it (esp your most valuable).
Some good power cabling from a single point source will most likely give you a significantly better sound than spagetti sourcing your power.
It's an easy "try" to see which sounds best..worth the time to have a play. :music: regards, Greg
Thai,
I also agree with what Greg has to say. Connecting all the individual 120V and ground cables anywhere that is convenient is not the way to go. They really should be connected to a central system and then that system should be the only 120V and ground plugged into the wall for the entire system. I don’t know how feasible this is for anyone, but it is what was recommended.
There is more to this than just deciding what to connect to the surge protector and what to plug into an unprotected wall outlet. Here's what I learned by taking to a tech. By connecting some of your equipment to the surge protector and some directly to the wall outlets, not only are you not protecting the equipment to the wall outlets but you are limiting the protection to the equipment that is also connected to the surge protector! If you add surge protection to those other wall outlets you are creating the chance for alternate surge loops (surges through the interconnect cables between equipment) or ground loops.
A surge or spike in a good protector will be suppressed and stopped at the protector. However if you get a surge in the wall outlet without a surge protector, it can travel through the equipment connected there, thru the units line level cables and back through the equipment that is connected to the protector "through the backdoor". I hope you follow what I mean.
I admit that I had some less expensive surge protectors at one time. Each one ran about $150 and they were the smaller 6 outlet Panamax protectors. Somehow a freak lightening storm blew right through one of those protectors and damaged my preamp (among a few other things in that corner of the house). Since the preamp did not work, I decided to call Panamax to file a claim. They analyzed the surge protector and offered to upgrade me to a much better unit which is what I am using today. Although I do not think this is the best I can do, it is what I have for the time being, the Panamax M5300-EX.
I got into a lengthy discussion with one of Panamax’s techs out there and they had a lot to say about the proper way to use surge protection. I don't want to get into the details to deep, you really should speak to them, but I will say that they strongly suggest that all equipment, including grounds, cable, Ethernet and anything else servicing your equipment everywhere should, no must, be connected to one main protector in order to avoid ground loops, hum, and unprotected branches which could affect equipment that is connected to the protector. Even as much as one lone cable not connected to a surge protector can be a potential path for a surge to damage other equipment. Long story short, if a wall outlet sees a damaging surge, not only will that equipment potentially be damaged but the potential for other equipment getting damaged through the line level signals between the wall outlet equipment and the protected equipment can get damaged as well "through the backdoor".
One other thing, Panamax also offers surge protectors specifically for sub-woofers. Whether specific protectors are necessary or not they recommend connecting those (the 120V) to the main surge protector, not to the wall outlet.
My concern for all this is what we should do when we get to the limit of the current of the service. I’m using a 20 amp circuit. My amps and ML ReQuests are located in another room 30 feet away from the Panamax. When there’s a storm, I unplug everything from that room because they are plugged directly into the wall, no surge protector. I just can’t see two heavy duty 30’ extensions running through the house! I suppose a whole house system would be a wise choice or at least a surge protection connected to the branch(es) servicing the equipment.
Seeing that your Power Conditioner is a Panamax M5100-EX (I have a M-5300-EX), I would call Panamax and ask them for advice. Their number is 800 472-5555, they are located on the west coast in California.
Sam
