If you have not heard of Monster surge protectors before, you may be wondering more why it’s called Monster than what the benefits of owning one of their surge protectors include. Monster’s origin lies in stereo equipment; speaker wiring to be exact. In 1979, engineer Noel Lee, the company’s founder, discovered what a difference was made when using better grade wiring for loudspeakers. From there, he went on to develop what is now the Monster grade cable wiring that has become synonymous with audio and video equipment. He chose the name Monster simply because it sounded durable.
Like most other innovators in their field, Monster began manufacturing surge protectors. A little late to the game, their development didn’t start until 1998 but covers a wide range of home theater systems and protection for other A/V equipment and appliances.
While the company has a reputation of being on the expensive side, you won’t always have to spend a fortune when purchasing a surge protector from the Monster line. I’ve found their cables to be more at controversy in being overpriced than their surge protection devices. Still, the question arises: Are monster surge protectors worth it?
Benefits Of Monster Surge Protection
Monster Power surge protection devices help keep your computer, TV, DVD player and other appliances running properly by protecting them from harmful surges and voltage spikes on your AC power lines.
In addition, Monster protects equipment from damaging line noise with their Clean Power™ EMI and RFI noise filtering systems.
While line noise naturally occurs on every electrical connection, it can be contained to normal levels to maintain an optimal audio and video experience with zero loss to quality.
For those concerned about wasted energy from equipment that sits in standby mode, Monster offers their GreenPower™ line which disables those electronics on idle current through dedicated outlets on the devices that can be shut down when that equipment is not in use.
Of course the benefits broaden within each category giving the consumer a custom fit device for whatever application needing protection. Very few surge protection manufacturers offer this.
The Monster Surge Protector Range
Monster’s line of surge protection devices is prolific, including a full range of compact devices and power bars. To go through the subcategories of each would be a lengthy process, so instead, we’ve decided to list the various protection levels offered in their CleanPower, Power Protection and Green Power technologies.
CleanPower™
Basically, CleanPower is a filtering system that limits noise to normal levels.
– A simple filter for basic EMI/RFI noise reduction on AC lines. This setup is ideal for television with basic peripherals attached.
– Along with AC line noise filtration, Stage 2 includes 2 noise filters specifically designed to separate Audio equipment from Video equipment. This is the ideal setting for a home theater system.
– When you include special analog equipment like receivers, you want separate line protection. Stage 3 includes isolated outlets for high powered receivers and amplifiers. That’s three filters on this system for analog audio, video and digital equipment.
– Jumping to 5 isolated filters, Stage 4 includes two digital filters, analog audio, video and an added overall AC line noise filter for better performance. Basically it’s extra line noise insurance.
– From what I can tell, Stage 5 isn’t much different from Stage 4. It has the same 5 filters but are supposedly of a better grade to provide ultimate noise reduction.
– line conditioning at its peak, Dual Balance eliminates powerline fluctuations.
Power Protection
This is the surge protection mode of Monster products. This is the impressive part of Monster protection for this reviewer.
– While most surge protectors include MOV technology, Monster goes a step further and adds thermal fuses as a backup to disconnect the surge protector outlets from the main power line during a surge. An alarm will let you know when it’s happening and there is an indicator light that signals if any MOVs were damaged in the surge. Read about Metal Oxide Varistors.
– Tri-Mode Protection ™ – Coverage for all three lines (L-N, N-G, L-G), Tri-Mode involves three systems. Along with MOVs and thermal fuses blocking surges, relays jump into action to cut the Line and Neutral during a surge. Once the surge passes, the device will reconnect the lines.
– technology sitting at the helm of selected devices that shuts power down at the source and reconnects once a surge has passed.
Green Power Protection™
– Many electronics stay on even after you’ve turned them off. Turning the power off simply puts them in standby mode, still drawing power and consuming electricity. While it certainly adds up on your electricity bill, it also keeps power companies burning through unnecessary resources.
Monster’s Green Power technology allows you to cut power to isolated outlets that host standby power electronics.
Fireproof MOV Protection
– With some surges, the intensity can cause the plastic on MOVs to melt and ignite a potential fire.
Monster Power MOVs are encased in a protective ceramic for safeguarding against potential fire damage. Now, not only is your equipment safe, your home is safe.
Monster Surge Protector Warranty Info
Monster backs up all their products with a warranty, which means as long as the surge protection device is at fault for any damage done to your equipment, you are covered.
How much you are covered for is determined by the product you purchase. To clear up any confusion, the Monster surge protector warranty is different from a store’s purchase warranty.
Many stores offer warrantees on products purchased from their stores, but often these are only enough to cover the loss of the product purchased. You shouldn’t ever have to worry about using it, but it’s there in case you do.
Something else that makes Monster stand out from the competition is clearly coded outlets. Each outlet on a surge protector is color coded to allow you easy differentiation among appliances. This makes it easier to tell which appliance is plugged into an outlet. Everything you need to know about the outlets is covered thoroughly in each manual as well.
A common complaint from users of other commercially available brands of surge protectors is that even if the devices do an adequate job of protecting equipment from power surges, there is usually a noticeable dip in the functionality of any electronics connected to the surge protector, due to less power reaching the devices.
Most surge protectors made by Monster are designed to protect all signal paths coming into the device. This includes AC power, phone lines, coaxial cable lines, satellite dishes, speakers; any device that would allow a surge to travel through to your equipment is blocked. This is done by having a high joules ratings on every unit.
Joules is the standard of measure that tells how much of a surge a device can handle before it is rendered useless. A high Joules rating can usually fend off most household surges several times over.
In addition to a quick response time, if your device does happen to fail at any point, it will set off an alarm. If [you hear your Monster surge protector beeping], this is the alarm letting you know it’s no longer protecting your equipment. If it is a result of the device failing, Monster will replace it. So, if you’re still wondering about any benefits of monster cable surge protector devices, this should have answered your question. Visit Monster for more on their products.
Equipment Monster Cable Protects
Monster surge protectors can be used with audio/video equipment and other devices such as computers, laptops and cellular phones. An additional handy feature included is the addition of color coded outlets for different devices. This way, you don’t have to worry about accidentally unplugging the wrong piece of equipment, such as unplugging your alarm clock and having it revert to 12:00 a.m. so that you have to deal with the hassle of manually resetting it to the correct time. Prices for Monster surge protectors can vary depending on which model you purchase, but generally start at around $30.
All in all, if you’re truly serious about keeping your home electronics safe from unexpected power surges, a Monster Cable surge protector offers a mix of safety and performance that should give you peace of mind.
Do You Need Monster Surge Protector Devices?
Whether or not you need such a device depends in large part on where you live. If you live in an area that never has power fluctuations or blackouts, then you most likely do not need a protector. However, if the area you live in does have occasional power fluctuations, then you may find that purchasing such a device will help you electric appliances to stay in good working order for a longer time than they otherwise would have. Surge protectors that do not have a power backup feature are quite inexpensive to purchase; you can find them at computer stores, supermarkets and online retail websites.
Surge protectors come in different sizes. If you intend to purchase one, it is important to note how many appliances can be plugged into the device and how high a load it can handle. Check the instructions on the box and be sure never to overload the device or you risk ruining your electronic appliances.
How Well Do Monster Surge Protectors Work?
Monster surge protectors are reputable devices. As with any surge protection device the key is to find one with enough joules to cover what you need it for. As was noted above, that depends in large part on what sort of appliances you want to plug into the device and whether or not you need one with power backup. Using several appliances or one with a high power load will require more Joules.
If you are not familiar with electronic appliances of this nature, then you may find purchasing one online a lot easier than relying on a sales person. Many online websites have past customer comments and reviews, both positive and negative; these can be invaluable in helping you to determine whether a particular brand name or model of the device is a good buy or not. This can give you a good idea of a particular brand’s or model’s pros and cons.
In conclusion, the benefits make them worth the cost if you live in an area that has power fluctuations or outages. Seeing that these devices are, generally speaking, not cheap, they are easy to set up and use. When you consider the cost to replace electronics, it is more than worth the cost to have Monster on your side protecting your expensive electric appliances, computer, laptop or home entertainment system.
MONSTEROUS CONTACT
Monster Customer Service and Technical Support Contact Information:
Monster USA
Toll Free Number
1 877 800-8989
Monster Cable Customer Service is open
Monday through Friday from 6:00am to 5:00pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
Review Surge Protector recommends a Joule rating of 300J per outlet for optimal protection on all high-performance, multiple-outlet surge protection devices.
For example, a surge protector with eight outlets for home entertainment equipment should have a Joule rating of at least 2400J.
