More Than a Line Conditioner, This Filter's As Good As Gold

No one thinks much about power when they plug something into the wall-
either it works, or it doesn’t. But when it comes to electronics,
especially audio, nothing could be further from the truth.
Unfortunately, your wall socket rarely provides pristine, clean power.
Furman Sound, however, has a new product (actually an older one,
packaged in a new rack-mount design) that every musician, producer,
editor and engineer should consider giving a second and third look.
Furman Sound’s Power Factor Pro-R delivers that pure power to all
computer displays, audio amplifiers, computer power supplies, mixing
consoles, audio effects and other tools. The Power Factor Pro-R is like
your favorite water purifier; it strains out the gunk and
inconsistencies in the flow of power, providing your equipment with a
fresh, consistent flow of juice.
What It Does
The Power Factor Pro-R is a 19-inch rack-mount device with a serious
power cord, power display, nine power outlets (eight in back, one in
front) and a rear lamp option with a BNC connector (the lamp isn’t
included).
Different than a typical line conditioner, this device protects against
brownouts and power surges. It also provides for a 12-amp capacity,
which is a pretty serious throughput for most small home studios and
computer rigs in today’s motor-less world. More importantly, it
purifies power before it gets to the audio device or computer. It also
stabilizes fluctuating power so electronics, particularly amplifiers,
can operate at peak performance.
Our studio in Utah is in an area far from the nearest power substation,
and power lines are not buried. Wind, snow, rain and other factors
create a poor environment for power. So, we’ve invested several
thousand dollars into power conditioning hardware. We disconnected our
power conditioners and plugged our Mackie HR626 surround system into
the wall directly. Playing a variety of music ranging from Kiss to
Brahms, we then tested the music with the Mackie system plugged into
the Pro-R. The highs came to life, the music had depth and width and
there was a marked difference in the tightness of the bottom end.
On the computer and video side of the room, we connected our NTSC
monitor and computer displays, along with the computer system to the
Pro-R. While we didn’t see any difference in our video display quality
on the NTSC monitor, we did see a reduction in flicker on our CRT
paired displays. Moreover, our sound significantly improved with our
Echo Audio Layla 3G and Genelec 1029A monitors.
The upshot of this device is that it will tell you whether power
is safe to plug in your equipment before you plug it in and turn it on,
saving you grief in those remote locations. Additionally, the Pro-R
will shut down before overloads hit your system.
Consider the Furman Power Factor Pro-R as an additional insurance
policy to go along with what you already have for your home or
business. It definitely delivers power that’s as good as gold.