Monster Cable MP AV 800 PowerCenter AV 800 with Surge Protection – Customer Reviews
Ok, but there are better ones out there
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I bought two surge protectors at the same time. One was the Monster AV 800, the other was APC Performance SurgeArrest 11 (PF11VT3).
The Monster is fine. Most importantly, it should do a good job of what it is designed for: extension cord + surge protection. It does NOT have a phone line protection, just for coax cables. But if your only criteria is whether it does it's job, it gets an A in that area.
But, I'm more picky, so here are additional items for consideration:
It has a right angle plug allowing it to be plugged easily to a wall behind a desk or other tight spots. The plug is angled towards the right hand side, so it's better if you're going to keep the surge protector on the right hand side of the wall outlet. My equipment was on the left side of the outlet on the wall, so the plug looks a little weird for me; the APC unit has a left angle, so that was a better fit. Obviously this is purely cosmetic.
I also have mixed feelings about the color-coded outlets. They also come with stickers so that you can tag the power cords, so that you know which cord belongs to which unit. That certainly makes things easy when you need to unplug just one of the items. On the other hand, since each plug is titled with a specific equipment name (TV, VCR, DVD Player), if you are plugging something else, you are stuck with using one of the existing tags so you have to sub-optimize.Again, just a cosmetic complaint.
But, overall, the main reason I'm not as passionate about the AV800 is that it is not as good a value as APC Performance SurgeArrest model is. I bought both at the same price (About $30 on Amazon). But:
a) APC comes with phone line protection, Monster doesn't (and in fact, you can connect two equipments to the same phone line on APC, so it also acts as a phone-line splitter)
b) APC has safety shutters on its outlets, Monster doesn't (Although they do make it slightly more difficult to plug things in and out of the APC unit, and some complain about this. I find it as a useful feature)
c) APC has 11 outlets, Monster has 8.
d) On APC, 2 of the outlets are "always on", while the remaining 8 can be swtiched on and off using the switch on the unit. This is useful, if you are going on vacation and want to leave only your VCR or DVR on for recording, but want to cut power off from your amplifier, your TV, and any other equipment. When you initially set it up, just make sure to put your VCR on the always on plugs. Then you can flip the switch to off and leave. Monster AV800 does not have such a feature, so the switch turns all outlets off.
e) Cord Guide - APC also has a cord guide, so you can group all cords together and guide them from one end of the surge protector, making it look a little tidier. It's not perfect, but better than nothing (which is what Monster has).
Finally, if you are obsessed about the joule rating (I'm not), the APC also has a higher joule rating at 2030 joules.
They both get the basic job done, but the APC comes with more bells and whistles, making life just a little easier, but for the same price.8/31/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
no, "a. e. f." it does NOT have a phone jack
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SUJO 99 (December 17, 2000) was correct. I have a Monster Power AV 800 (made by Monster Cable) in front of me at this moment. The package says 1480 joules, but no mention of phone jack(s). After opening the plastic package with the help of an oxyacetylene torch, a chain saw and half a stick of dynamite, I see no phone jack on the top, sides or bottom. Perhaps the phone jack is hidden in another dimension? Anyone for string theory? Just to make sure we're all talking about the same device, mine has a label that says "Monster Power Audio Video Power Center AV800" on the top and "MONSTER CABLE MONSTER POWER" on the bottom. I plan on using it in my bedroom, where nothing wiil be plugged into the phone jack. But my wonderful Grado SR-80 headphones will be plugged into an equally great used Adcom preamplifier, and that deserves surge protection. (May I say PLUG, PLUG at this point? For Grado and Adcom, I mean. Yeah. OK. Sorry.)If you need phone line protection, might I suggest the Belkin SurgeMaster, 9 socket unit? It's rated at 2655 joules, with both coaxial cable AND phone line protection. It's about the same price as the AV800. Just search for surge protection here at Amazon.
8/18/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
Pricey...
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...for a surge protector.But as far as I can tell, it's doing its job.Plus it looks kind of neat.
7/3/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
Monster Cable MP AV 800 PowerCenter AV 800 with Surge Protection
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Good looking, fairly priced, does the job.
2/24/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
Best Clean power/Surge protector for under $100
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This is a great value for a power cleaner/surge protector under $100. This will clean dirty electricity better than pieces in the hundreds of dollars in other brands, for a better picture and better sound. It also protects against cable spikes with it's coax protection. Not only are the color coded outlets nice to look at, they also help to correctly unplug the home theatre component you were looking for. Try and find something like this with an 1850 Joule rating, that has a lifetime replacement warranty. When your tv blows up from a lightning hit, don't say I didn't warn you. I bought 4 of these for all my tv's!! I recommend these to all!
8/4/2003 12:00 AM | Rating:
