sportsc4's Full Review: Belkin PureAV Home Theater Power Console PF30 (AP2...
With everyone spending a considerable amount of money and purchasing flat panel tvs, protecting your equipment should be important. While this unit is somewhat expensive, it's actually a bargain compared to some others and a quality unit; worth every penny.
[Specs] Here's just the important stuff on the PF30. 1 Hi-current outlet for amplifier 8 Total Outlets 2 Pairs of gold coaxial connections (and telephone protection ports) 165,000-amp max spike current protection Belkin's Purefilter circuitry (ie power conditioning) Belkin's Level 4 Power Protection Slim design!
Dimensions-wise, I can give you some numbers but those numbers didn't help me conceptually in the least bit. It's just as wide as my DVD player (DVP 5982), only 1" deeper than that shallow dvd player, and ~1" taller. If you want numbers: 9" Depth x 1.75" Height x 17.25" Width.
What does this all mean? It hopes to give you a constant flow of electricity (voltage) at the proper levels and characteristics without any hiccups while protecting your equipment from any massive spikes.
[Performance] There are reviews out there that swear they see an improved picture and hear improved audio. I don't necessarily see or hear it. At best I would say ... maybe? But it's not a night and day difference like some reviews say. The unit is quiet and makes no noise, I'm happy with that. As far as protecting my equipment; I've had my power reset 2-3 times since ownership, 1 time because of a nearby lightning strike. So far, all my equipment is working flawlessly without any squealing or new sounds from my equipment. Could I have used a regular surge protector? Maybe. But I wouldn't have been nearly as confident. Back in the day, I had a modem fry when connected to a surge protector during a lightning strike. This product eases my worries. We all can use a little less stress.
[Looks] Now, this is a very subjective subject to rate this on. But unlike a surge protector, people will see this. It's by and far the most attractive surge protector / power filter on the market. I looked at competing versions from Monster and APC; they were really ugly to look at. I'm sure their products work just as awesome but I don't want an eyesore staring back at me when I'm watching TV. The front of the unit has a 4 lights: Power, Ground Check, Wiring Check, and Purefilter Status. The blue light is a little strong but if lights bother you, it's nothing a little electrical tape can't fix. In addition to the 4 lights, it has a flush power button. Simple and Clean.
[Features] In addition to the specs listed above, the 8 outlets are labelled with suggested items to plug into them. These are split into 3 groups, 4 - 3 - 1. The first group is labelled with items you would normally keep on all the time, cable box, dvd player, tv, etc. The 4 outlets are always on. The 2nd group is meant for items that aren't always on. You can turn these off via the front power button to save electricity: CD Player, Tape player, and receiver. There is 1 plug dedicated to power hungry amps.
[Value] Belkin's MSRP is RIDICULOUS on this, 199$. I suspect this is because Belkin has a lawsuit where they will need to give out 50% off coupons in the future. I typically see this selling for around 120$ and purchased mine for 75$. It appears to be expensive but it's not terribly bad compared to the alternatives. For example, go to Target and look at their upper end surge protectors. Their upper end models range mostly around 40-50$. They sit on the ground and you have to find a place to hide it, etc. They don't even have any type of power conditioning. This unit looks beatiful under a dvd player.
But, the biggest negative to this unit is that it will be hard to plug in anything that has those big power plugs (ie, my cable box power plug). Most electronics sold today don't use those fat plugs but it is a concern.
[Overall] I've had this unit for about 8 months now. Knowing what I know now and knowing what's come out since then, would I repurchase this unit today? Yes. It does have a fault of having an insanely high MSRP and it's not friendly to fat/square power plugs. Nevertheless, I feel confident in this item. If I could, I'd give it 4.5 stars but I can only choose between 4 and 5. 5 it is.
The 8-Outlet PureAV Home Theater Power Console PF30 from BelkinŽ improves your home theater experience by eliminating problems before they reach your...More at Dell
Each PureAV Power Console is packed with innovative features designed to remove electrical noise and provide clean and clear power.More at CircuitCity.com
Each PureAV Power Console is packed with innovative features designed to remove electrical noise and provide clean and clear power.More at TigerDirect.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.