Re: [LAU] thunderstorm

Dave, very sorry to hear that! Are surge protectors insufficient to protect sensitive audio equipment?  We have started to use surge protectors to connect all our electronics to outlets, and they seem to have helped immensely.  they have something like $75,000 equipment warranties but i don't want to take chances with replacing or repairing my audio equipment (what a hassle!) if something does happen.  on the other hand, i don't care if my tv gets fried :) ethan Sorry Dave to hear about your trouble! Hope all is well otherwise... In theory, surge protectors should help. However, if a lighting strikes close enough to your home, the sheer strength of the spike usually fuses surge protector's connections before it can actually do its thing. I had my share of fried equipment using surge protectors, some of which were in my opinion quite benign, and can attest that while they help, they are not end-all solutions. I heard somewhere that UPS ought to be able to absorb massive voltage spike but am yet to see that in action (on a second thought, I would rather pass on that experience, particularly given consumer UPSs rep as great home fire-starters). As for the $75,000 insurance. Sure, you can try to claim that, but like most such schemes, by the time you have jumped through all the hoops (usually they require original receipts of items and then pro-rate the equipment value based on their age, etc.) you may realize that the time you spent on filing your claim will end-up being more valuable than the compensation you'll get in return. Still, there is no doubt that having a surge protector is a lot better than having nothing. Best wishes, Ico