Power conditioner/UPS?

[Solid Fro]

Is there such a product that is both a power (line) conditioner and a uninterruptible power supply? I would like to protect my gear more than just an APC power strip would. An alarm to alert me when there is a power outage would be nice as well. Am I just day-dreaming or is there a product like this?

 

[Jordan]

Yes, there certainly is! This was a little project for me last summer... I've always been a fan of APC products, and they actually make their own line of home theater equipment called APCAV. I finally chose an APC J15 for the family's home theater, which is almost identical to the more-expensive APC S15. It's hooked to our HTPC via USB for logging events, and it jumps to battery for a few seconds about once a month. It also filters electrical noise sometimes generated by our dishwashing machine. We have terrible power here with random brown-outs and black-outs, and I think it has really been a great tool to protect our investment.

I should also note that one of the most respected companies in this field is Panamax. I've heard a lot of great things about their products, but ultimately went with the APC J15 because it better suited the particular needs for our home theater configuration.

 

[Solid Fro]

That APC J15 looks great. Thank you, Jordan. Every time someone uses the pencil sharpener, I get spikes in my speakers. Plus, California is notorious for power problems.

Does the J15 have an audible alarm when the battery kicks in, Jordan?