Top positive review
11 people found this helpful
Perfect For Powering Studios and Home Theater
By Don M. on Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2017
This rack/table mount power supply switching module is top notch. I didn't realize just how versatile this was until I purchased it and ran it through its' paces. The module comes securely packaged and has an instruction manual that details all of the configuration options and settings. There are 7 outlets that can be configured for delayed power-on functions, and 3 always-on outlets. This allows you to set the delay power-up time for each item powered by the module. There is an option to set the contrast level of the front display, though I found that keeping it at the default setting works best in a normally lit room. On the face of the unit, are LED indicators that provide information about whether the module is grounded properly, if there is an overloaded condition, number of Amps the equipment is drawing, the line Voltage supplied to the module, and of course there is also a power button. The delay time you set for turning power on to each of the switch outlets, is also applied to the power down of those outlets. I use the module to supply power to my tube amplifiers, footswitches and whatever other audio equipment I may be using in my digital audio workstation. I've found this module to be dead silent, not introducing any noise, interference or cross-talk into my system. The module is also over-current protected so you can be certain that lightning or any other power surge will not damage your valuable equipment. All in all I would highly recommend this for anyone powering a home theater, home recording studio or any other situation requiring clean, safe power to your equipment. Great product and great value! Edit: 10/21/19 This unit is still simply awesome. I've purchased several thousand dollars worth of studio equipment since I've purchased this power conditioner, so now I need another G5BLK for rack-mount gear. No hesitation whatsoever. I ordered another one of these units to accommodate and protect the equipment in my ever-growing studio. I came upon a comparison recently between this APC and a Furman unit where both were opened to show the difference between them. The APC is a much, much higher quality unit, with completely isolated outlets and associated components. That's why this unit is heavy. All of the case space is used for integral components. The Furman honestly looked "cheap" and fairly empty, and it was more expensive. For my investment, I need quality. This is simply the best you can get under $400. Edit: 11/23/21 Both of my power conditioners are still going strong. I have added an RME ADI-2 Pro FS BE AD/DA to my studio for extremely high quality mixing and mastering. To enjoy the sonic benefits of such audio perfection, you indeed need power supplies and conditioners that keep noise levels null. Again, I cant stress enough how fantastic these units are for that purpose. I honestly feel like I found the proverbial diamond in the rough with these. You can easily spend 5 times more and not get better quality nor performance. I have relatively poor electrical in my 58 year old house. But I can literally see bit for bit performance in the software for my UFX+ and I’ve never had a lost bit of information, a crackle or pop in my recordings, or any other anomalies since I started using these power conditioners. I have a lot of faith in APC. Enough to protect more than $20k of gear in my small but ever growing studio.
Top critical review
15 people found this helpful
Nice machine, but does not solve our problem completely.
By Jack and Frances on Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2016
This is a very nice machine and I think I am glad to have it, but it comes with a catch-22. We are gig musicians with a small portable sound system of various different components. I naively thought that since we routinely play in venues with marginal AC power - overloaded, underwired, badly wired etc., - that we should protect our system with something better than a common surge protector multibox. However, although this machine will and does run regardless of the following issue, here's the deal: it has an indicator light marked "Wiring OK" which does NOT light up in those problem venues where we know the power supply is substandard. If the "Wiring OK" indicator does not light up, then neither does the "Protection Working" light. These two indicator lights only come on in the one venue where there is never a problem and where we didn't think we should be needing this protection anyway. In the venues where we thought we needed "protection", the "Protection Working" indicator does not light. The manual says, "call a qualified electrician". Yeah, right. So, in those venues where the wiring is good, the unit protects against acts of God, and where the wiring is substandard, which is where we thought it might be useful, it claims to do nothing. It serves, then, primarily as a means of telling whether the wiring is OK or not, which could be done with a multi tester. Nevertheless, I am continuing to use it for the time being, under the fuzzy theory that it might be doing something. If the "Wiring OK" and "Protection Working" indicators do not light up, the unit still functions as long as the "Line OK" light is on, which indicates that the voltage is within the acceptable range (about 95 - 130 v). Just turn it on and it goes, regardless of whether "protection is working", firing up its sequenced outlets (a very nice feature). Exactly what it is doing when we run it in this mode, since the "protection" is "not working", is anybody's guess. It MAY be protecting the system in some way... you would think... maybe better than a cheap multi-box ... but without any guarantee. When the line voltage is outside of the acceptable range - which has happened once in a place where the whole electrical system was obviously overloaded - the G5BLK simply doesn't do anything and might as well be dead. The manual says this is what it does when the voltage is too low or high. I submit that it could have a readout on the LED screen that would give information on the reason why it won't turn on: too high, too low, and / or what the actual voltage is - but it doesn't. An apparent plus is the central ground terminal to which all peripherals which also have ground screws may be attached. The female 3-prong plugs are very well made and quite stiff, so it requires some effort from both hands to insert a power plug, (that is, you can't push a plug in one-handed because you will just push the rack around) and you can bet they will never jiggle loose. The unit also weights ten pounds. Since we move our sound system several times a week, this is not negligible. (I had earlier tried another naive solution: a UPS uninterruptible power supply, from the same outfit APC. Unfortunately, with the UPS, when the voltage drops it has a shrill alarm - a time bomb to ruin the musical moment, believe me.) Update: After a few months we decided to quit carrying this thing around and went back to a cheap multibox.
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