Innovolt Surge Suppression and AC Power Line Conditioning Products with CVSS
- HEM-X1000: Innovolt's flagship model for home entertainment systems with 11 AC outlets (15 amps), five coaxial in/out for cable and satellite systems, two RJ11/RJ45 in/out for phone system and Internet router protection and is rack mountable. The HEM-X1000 features two LCD front panel displays that track power grid event history. MSRP: $999.95.
- HEM-X250 (Available 2010): Eight AC outlets (15 amps), two coaxial in/out, one RJ11/RJ45in/out. MSRP: approximately $399.95
- Power Protector: 3 AC outlets, 15 amps, MSRP: $169.95, or 20 amp MSRP: $179.95
- Power Manager: 5 AC outlets, one RJ11 in/out and one RJ45 in/out, 15 amps MSRP: $199.95 or 20 amp, MSRP: $219.95
- Plug In Protector: Lowest cost protection with CVSS technology, and one AC outlet (8 amps). MSRP: $49.95
I have been using an Innovolt HEM-X1000 and have been logging the various power grid disturbances that have occurred. In three weeks, the front panel display on the HEM-X1000 has logged three power outages (for some reason they are frequent in my area) and 40 (!) Voltage Sag events. It is impossible to know if any of the resultant current spikes would have damaged any of my components or appliances, but 40 events is more than 13 per week. No voltage spikes, brownouts or over voltage events have occurred.
AC Power Line Conditioning
Power line conditioners found in some power protection devices are designed to provide 'clean power' for home theater and audio video components. What is 'clean power' compared to 'dirty power'?Dirty power is actually noise in the AC power lines, caused by electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). EMI is caused by electrical interferences from appliances in the home, especially those that use motors (refrigerators, washing machines and vacuum cleaners). RFI is caused by interference from radio devices such as cordless phones, microwave ovens, cell phones and others. The myriad electrical wires in a home are not shielded and are affected by RFI and EMI interference.
The solution is EMI/RFI filtering built into many power protection devices, which filters out noise in the AC power line and provides clean power to connected components. The Innovolt HEM-X1000 has four stages of RFI and EMI filtering to reduce potential AC power line interference.
The topic of AC power line conditioning is clouded with smoke and mirrors and some audiophiles and videophiles claim vastly improved performance with an AC line power conditioner. I have not experienced these benefits and Innovolt does not claim that their products offer and sonic or visual benefits other than surge protection and noise filtering.
For more information, visit Innovolt.