Power conditioner rating

**Audio_by_Goodwill** · March 11th, 2010, 08:09 PM

I found the local Habitat for Humanity Re-store has 3 GS Sola MCR500 power conditioners dirt cheap.

Looks like this...... Sola Power Line Conditioner Regulator MCR 500,*Used

Here is some info

http://www.solahd.com/products/power...fs/MCRport.pdf

http://www.solahd.com/products/power...R%20manual.PDF

It's a 500 Watt device........ is that too small? I've often heard that power amps shouldn't be plugged into them...... is that simply economics, assuming a power conditioner large enough for an amp would be very expensive? 500 watts would certainly handle my DVD, laserdisc player, and cable box. Maybe the TV, too....... I'd have to check it's draw.

Currently, I'm using an Isobar.

**Audio_by_Goodwill** · March 11th, 2010, 10:09 PM

After a little research on the principle of a ferroresonant transformer it looks like smaller is better. When they're lightly loaded, they become less efficient. I've been doing some reading over at AudioKarma and some people say they're great and others say they're not suited for audio. For less than $10, I think I'll pick at least one up.

**Panomaniac** · March 12th, 2010, 01:40 AM

My experience with Sola products has been very good. Well built stuff.
I don't know this model, tho.

I have my audio gear plugged into a 570VA isolation transformer and am very happy with it. I'm running nowhere near 570VA.

**Audio_by_Goodwill** · March 12th, 2010, 06:34 PM

Well, all three sold to someone else. I went back today and the lady behind the counter said that a guy came in and bought all three of them. They had been there for months, but I had never looked at them, because the way they had been "displayed" made me think they were being used by the store. The electronics room has been rearranged with new shelves and the power conditioners were on a shelf clearly priced rather than on the floor shoved under the old shelving//table. How irritating.