Furman Power Conditioner (PST-8)

If you are purchasing this unit for surge protection for valuable electronics gear. You've made the right decision. I am an experienced electronics engineer and the approach Furman has taken is the best I've seen. Yes, it is expensive and rather bulky, but the build quality is superb and the massive inductor and support electronics simply couldn't fit in a much smaller enclosure. Frankly, I think most people will find little advantage to the linear filtering from an audio line noise perspective, especially with modern gear. That said, buy this thing if, as I have, you've spent a ridiculous amount of money on home theatre gear and don't want the next lightning strike or line-cross to cost you big bucks. I live in a rural area, and power distribution here is a bit on the fingers-crossed side, especially during thunderstorm season and I've experienced some long-term overvoltage issues from crossed lines twice. Fortunately only a clothes dryer motor and some light bulbs were fried by those events, but now that I have finished moving in and installed a ton of expensive gear, I am more comfortable having this unit's auto shutdown on overvoltage protectiion for my stupidly expensive AVR and OLED TV. This is something only a few other high end surge protectors offer. This thing wasn't cheap to build, so the price is quite reasonable. Just buy it.

Purchased in 2019, still going strong in 2025. Use it for my computer, monitors, and soundbar

I rarely leave reviews, but this time I had to say something about this surge protector. It is definitely more than just a surge protctor! I had no idea it would improve my Audio signal this much. I'm using it with an audio interface and Windows PC. The sound was noticeably cleaner and clearer. I was using a basic surge protector, but trust me, this one is worth the extra money spent!

Most people know that they should have surge protectors to protect their electronics (TV, home theater, computer) from surges that occur when the power comes back on after a blackout or from lightning strikes and other incidents that cause unwanted bursts of voltage. They usually buy an inexpensive unit for $25 or so, plug their stuff into it, and forget about it.The problem is, these inexpensive surge protectors "sacrifice" their electronics with every surge. One big surge can render them useless; many small surges over a period of time can do the same. Once those sacrificial bits are killed, the unit becomes a simple power strip with no protective ability.Manufacturers recommend replacing surge protectors after any big power event or every two years, which most people－by which I mean ME－don't do.The Furman units like this one absorb surges without sacrificing the electronics, making them a good choice for people like me who want to plug it in and not think about it anymore. It's three or four times more expensive up front, but it should pay for itself over time, especially if it saves my equipment.Then there's the power conditioning aspect. I read opinions about power conditioners varying from how essential it is to clean up the power from your outlet to opinions that conditioners are a waste of money. Some people say it depends on how dirty your power is, that dirty power can result in speaker hiss, and that cleaning up the power can give speakers more clarity and extend the life of your receiver. I don't know who to believe.I have no idea how you're supposed to know how dirty your power is, but I do know that I can walk around my neighborhood and hear the power lines crackling overhead, so I figure it's pretty messed up. I'm happy to have power conditioning built into my surge protector. Can't hurt.Other reviews talk about how BIG this unit is. In some photos it looks as big as a coffee table! It's big compared to cheap surge protectors but it still fits handily under my TV shelf and under my desk. I don't find the size to be a problem at all, and I appreciate the heft of this aluminum-clad unit.Is it working? Heck if I know. I guess I'll find out sooner or later, but for now I'm betting on Furman's reputation and doing what I do best with surge protectors－I'm forgetting about it.

I obviously missed this detail but this very hefty and apparently well engineered piece of equipment does not provide surge protection for ethernet (RJ-45) only telco (RJ-11). I honestly didn't even have occurred to me that it wouldn't. Seems like an odd omission in 2024. Would have given it five stars otherwise.

I was surprised when I received this product. It was heavy, constructed almost completely out of aluminum and had a very solid build. The cable to plug into your outlet is very thick and quite long making it easy to correctly position the device. The plugs are well constructed and you can really feel them grip whatever you plug into them.Furman claims that the device will reduce AC background noise through a linear filtering process. I am using the device to power my audio set-up and I can actually hear the difference. There is more clarity in sound that is coming out of my speakers now.The product is rated to "unlimited joules," so I feel confident that it will protect my equipment from surges.While, $84 seems expensive, this product actually does what it says it will do, is incredibly well-built and a small amount to pay to protect your gear. I recommend this product without hesitation.

Seems to work.

I am an EE with 30 years experience in power engineering. Do not expect miracles. This device allows single point connections, surge suppression, over voltage protection and noise attenuation. The noise frequency attenuated is far above audibility. This is noise is typically far below the power line voltage level, > -80 dB. It will not help with the 5% of THD (99% of all the noise) that are harmonics of the 60 Hz fundamental. The 3rd, 5th, etc., which are moot by the 9th (540 Hz).Buy this for convenience, protection and organizing wiring, it will not solve severe noise issues, it will attenuate, but not eliminate.