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Today's electronic demands often exceed the typical number of outlets. Plus, power surges can wipe out valuable information and systems putting your home theater, computer, and other electronics at risk. This S15 Power Conditioner with back-up battery has 900 Watts / 1500 VA capacity will ensure you have the protection you need.
Also Available In Silver
Home electronics cost a lot of money, so it's smart to protect that investment with an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). The very real danger of power surges can wipe out valuable information and systems, which means your home theater, computer, and other electronics are at risk. And, power cords aren't the only components that need protection — your Ethernet cables, video cables, and audio cables are vulnerable to surges and corruption as well. APC addresses this issue with their reliable power center products that are as varied as your needs. This S15 UPS power conditioner with back-up battery has 900 Watts / 1500 VA capacity. The battery modules ship installed, and you get a Cat6 Ethernet Cable, a CD with software, a country-specific detachable power cord, Rack-Mounting brackets and support rails, USB cable and a user manual.
One blip in your power can cause very costly situation. If there is a surge or even momentary outage, you could lose practically your entire home theater set-up. Your onscreen TV Guide can disappear, your DVR hard drive can be lost, and because the fan stops running to cool them, front projection bulbs can overheat and blow out. This applies to rear-projection lamps as well, such as DLP, LCD and LED projectors. Plus, all that invaluable programming the installer did will get wiped out, and send you back to the factory presets, requiring another install. Besides, not only is home theater at risk, but so are music systems and computer hard drives.
Thankfully, the APC UPS power conditioner stays on long enough to cover such outages, giving you time to shut everything down properly. The transformer in the unit automatically regulates power, allowing the S-type to correct brownouts and over voltages between 90-144 volts to within 5% of 120 volts. If the power goes outside this range the battery back-up will kick in to keep your system safely up and running.
We live in the Information Age where countless data is created, transmitted, and stored. Numerous electric-powered machines aid in business and household tasks, as well as entertain and inform us. The reality of living in this time of technological innovation is that the power to run these machines can't keep up (at least not yet). In many locations around the world, electricity generation, transmission and distribution have not evolved at the same pace as computer and communications equipment. What was built years ago for powering factories producing manufactured goods is struggling to adapt to provide continuous, sufficient-grade power to sensitive electronics processing valuable information.
Sags, surges, noise, spikes, blackouts. . . what really happens to connected devices when they experience a power anomaly? A lightning strike is a frequent example, although it is just one of countless problems that can strike your equipment. Imagine lightning has just struck a nearby transformer. If the surge was powerful enough, it traveled instantaneously through wiring (AC, network, serial, phone lines and more) with the electrical equivalent force of a tidal wave. For PC users, the surge could have traveled into your computer via the AC outlet or phone lines. The first casualty is usually a modem or motherboard. Chips go next, and data is lost. Thankfully, you can prevent all that with one device.
The APC S15 features an output capacity of 1500VA (900W) with battery backup and adjustable voltage sensitivity. The batteries are tool-less, hot-swapable and the unit has resettable circuit breakers. It is UL approved and the VFD display and LED status and display indicators gives all necessary information to ensure that the system is running at optimal settings. Additional features include pure sinewave backup, sequential turn on/off, USB connectivity, isolated filter banks and dataline surge protection. Additional batteries can be added to extend backup time. The S15 is especially recommended for receivers and subwoofers.
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Reviewed By: timotjy - machesney park, IL
When I first found out about this unit in Stereophiles review I had my eye on its protection capabilities as well as the pure sinewave output, which with my Plinius SA 102 pure class a amplifiers, at 83 lbs each and Ive got three of these along with theyre preamp the m8 and a p8. Amp for my centre channel. You can log into audioasylum and go to reviews then click on tuners and scroll down to magnum dynalab 102 click on my monicker timothywas1@comcast.net ,it should take you to a picture camera on the right side in the yellow box with system pictures and details. Needless to say this unit has exceeded my expectations, I would consider it a good deal at vanns listed price of $$$, yet when I found they were offering the silver units for !!! with free shipping my hands couldnt dial fast enough, I mean, thats tax and shipping at full retail!! Okay,placed my order and told myself if this unit measured up with the rest of my gear,IM ordering another ASAP. Turns out both Vanns and the unit exceeded my high expectations, the tracking was first rate as I tracked both units without a hitch. Now folks you dont have to have a high dollar system like mine to warrant one of these units, anyone looking to get the best performance from theyre equipments powersupplies or audio-sound, video-picture will benefit as the puresinewave feature as well as voltage regulation along with the batterybackup will make sure your equipment is operating at peak performance. Both my picture in bluray and sattelite programming as well as dvd,the colours are richer, it caught me by surprise in the first few days as other family members where confirming what I was already observing, its a subtle yet definite improvement. Also worth noting is the very silent, black backgrounds in music listening, really allowing me to hear deep into recordings, ambient detail no longer hidden with line noise, weather listening to vinyl, movies, sacd, dvd audio or cds through my kora hermes tubed dac, its all improved, and its not a placebo effect, this is my third time with line conditioners, some are good and some are outstanding, these fall in the latter. One final note about the battery backup, we had a bad series of storms here in the midwest, and one night while watching a movie its literally raining cats and dogs outside with lightning so fierce we didnt know weather to watch the show inside or the one outside!! Well at one point someone got up to get a snack and noted the power had been out to the rest of the house for some time, amazing not one person noticed the system so much as a blink, flawless backup, I was stunned! Also make sure to plug things in accordingly on back panel as initially I bad plugged some digital components into the analog with subsequent humming or noise, once corrected it became
dead silent. Anyhow great product at a blowout price and a great product at current price, from a terrific place I look forward to puchasing from ,and have since! Thanks Vanns...
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Reviewed By: James - Sterling Heights, MI
I built a new system with an Active PFC PS that would cause my old Belkin UPS simulated SINE wave to shut off. In my search for a UPS that output a true SINE wave I discovered the S15. It incorporates updated technology used in the workhorse Smart UPS 1500 SMT1500. I had been looking at the SMT1500 but reviews of a new, noisy fan while offline turned me off. I discovered the silvers discounted price on the S15 here and it was too good of a deal to pass on. The batteries are from 2005, unfortunately, but still do give an estimated 3 hour runtime with loads less than 45 watts. From reading a previous review, new batteries may give up to 5 hours with similar loads. I didnt have any problems with the delayed outputs. The feedback on wattage load, input and ouput voltage is great. The unit tells you when AVR kicks in because of correction needed. Of course it is obvious when the unit goes to battery because the voltage exceeds the capacity of the the AVR. You can also calibrate the unit to compensate for aging batteries or new loads to get more accurate estimated run times. I ended up getting a second unit for my Plasma, HTPC and entertainment center which was using another Belkin simulated SINE unit. I wish the black had been discounted too, but you can purchase a black VFD faceplate online if you desire. Pretty decent unit and technology for the price. I'll echo that the unit is heavy and the footprint large. Be prepared for that. Don't forget to register the unit online with APC for the 2 year warranty coverage.
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Reviewed By: Matthew C Milligan - Orlando, FL
I attached the front panel to the unit and also the power cord. When I plugged it in it passed all selftests immediately with no problems at all. This makes me happy!!!
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Reviewed By: Douglas B. - Asheville, NC
Have not had it long enough to give a proper review but like what I have seen so far. I think I should be very satisfied with this unit.
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Reviewed By: Franco L. - Bronx, NY
This piece of equipment is much larger than I was prepared for! That being said, set up was straight forward. I am using an Emotiva XPA-5, Emotiva UMC-1, PS3, 52 Samsung LCD, and a BIC PL-200 subwoofer. My power draw with all in use is only 32 percent. This power conditioner includes every accessory I will ever need - DC trigger wire, phone wiring, ethernet, mounting equipment, coaxial cables, and a few other accessories that do not apply to me yet. For $299, this is a compelling buy! I dare anyone, to find any power conditioner with UPS, and the functionality of this piece of equipment for a better price!
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Reviewed By: Paul H. - Boulder, CO
This is a very big and very heavy item, so be careful when unpacking it and setting it up. I had to set mine on a higher shelf than I had planned because it was simply too big for the bottom shelf. It rather dominates things there, esp. as it is silver and not black like most home theater components. However, I think it has made a noticeable difference with my system--not night and day, but the colors seem a touch richer and the picture seems a little more detailed. All in all, I am happy, but I don't want to move it around again any time soon!
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Reviewed By: Jonathan L. - Upland, CA
APC S15 is built like a tank and a huge bargain at Vanns prices. While one can certainly use S15 for home theater, its reason for being is for improved audio sound quality IME. Although S15 is not a double-conversion on-line power conditioner, its power filtration circuit and the battery buffer? perform at a very high level for audio quality, which will become even more obvious as ones audio system becomes more high-end and revealing.
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Reviewed By: Russell R. - Houston, TX
I was going to buy the APC J model since I had heard that the APC S15 was so much more. Then one of my co-workers said they saw an APC S15 at Vanns for and incredible price on a one day special with free delivery. I had to suspect soemthing with such a deep discount so I read the reviews and saw that several people had discovered the untis where new but had been setting in storage for 5 years. In a few cases the batteries were dead on arrival but still under warranty. I also have an option to replace the battery myself if I have to as long as the APC S15 is still in working condition. Mine arrived in the 3 days promised with no shipping so I really did get the deal promised. I did go through the display screens and quickly saw the battery was 5 and a half years old. The battery would not hold a complete charge which typically seems to be 5 hours of battery time when nothing is hooked up to it. In my case I get an estimated 3 hours of batter time with nothing hooked up to it. Since the battery will not hold a full chage the unit refused to let me do a battery calibration which is accomplished by having the unit run on battery to observe the depletion rate then adjust the expected battery time based on what it actually observed. When I have the TV and the XBOX and DVD running I get about 25 minutes of estimated battery time which on a new battery seems to be something like 58 minutes from other documents I read. I've unplugged the unit from the wall and don't see any glitch with anything hooked up to the unit and nothing shuts down or reboots. I've also had actual outages and the unti performed as designed. I had a fair picture using a cheap TV antena while waiting to get satelite. The sound was not so great and I often had to put volume on 75 out of 100 setting. After plugging the TV, TV antenna, blue ray, Xbox into the APC S15 my son came home and said yeah you got satellite TV. I said your right the picture looks much better having forgot I now was running on the APC S15. Then I had to turn the volume setting down from 75 to about 30 and then remembered I was running the APC S15 and said that did make quite a difference. Then I have the VGA from my desktop plugged into the TV but it is running off APC RS1500 and not the APC S15. I had been viewing screen shots of the AUSUS black diamond router and couldn't read the words no matter how big I enlarged it but now with the APC S15 powering the TV display, I could read the words on the same screen shots without having to enlarge it. I was surprised by this but the APC S15 was what I gave the credit to. I can now see the computer screen and read it from 13 feet away on the couch without having to enlarge the display on my 58 Plasama Panasonic TC-P58VT25 television. My coworker saw the difference and has order a unit for his home system which is in transit. I'm considering ordering one or 2 more my self at the currently low prices at Vanns. I have plans to upgrade 3 of my 4 televisions from old tube TVs to either plasma or LCDLED. Another friend of mine said that APC will give me an upgrade trade-in value that is more than what I paid for the unit at Vanns. I haven't confirmed this since a trade-in isnt in my near term plans. Overall I was happy to pay what I did for something new but setting on the shelf for 5 and a half years that would possibly cost much much more otherwise. I get the functionality I desire with the sine wave ouput that cleans everything up very nicely at a price that made me wonder if the APC S15 would work at all when I received it. Even if it runs a year at the price I paid I did okay. Looking at the condition of the equipment I think the battery might not last but the unit looks like it will keep performing. If I have to replace the battery, I still got the expensive part of the unit that I think has a good chance of holding up over the years for a real steal. Now that I've seen how solid and high end this unit is and how it can improve the viewing and listening experience, I find myself wondering how high a price would I be willing to pay for this unit. I don't think it would be easy for me to settle for anything less once I've seen it in action. The plugs on the back of the unit are desgin for specific things. I already new from other reviews it had no surge only plugs which wasn't all that big of a problem for me. I did have to scratch my head about whether the Xbox was an analog device or a digital device because there was no plug specifically designated for Xbox. I ended up plugging it into the plug marked monitor. There seem to only be 2 analog plugs and I think the remaining 10 plugs are for digital devices specifically. For those with audio equipment it does have plugs desgnated for high wattage comsumption and described an example in the documentation of a 1600 watt power burst for a short time being okay if those plugs are used. It was sort of nice not having to hook up a computer to be able to see the basic information via the LED display on the unit.
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Reviewed By: C L. - Poolesville, MD
Like a previous review, mine showed up with the delayed-switched outlets not energized. Quickly called APC, went through some diagnostics and they shipped out another one delivered in 6 days called Friday evening, shipped on Monday. Any ways, the unit is magnificent. The DC trigger works perfectly, powering on-off the delayed outlets - not the whole unit as the manual would have you believe. The section in the manual describing the DC Trigger jacks has a sentence which needs an additional comma so it is clear to the users. Every feature is customizable. You can turn off all the lights on the unit, except for the power button in the bottom center. It is also enlightening to see how very little current draw there is with everything on and multiple amps hooked up to it. The S15 is very heavy and deep. So be prepared and make sure you have space for it. One thing that helps out is the battery is front loaded. So you can pull it out to put in your rack and hook everything up then put the battery back in. Also, I recommend testing the unit out before using it to make sure you get a good one. I just used a lamp to plug in to the various outlets. I guess APC is clearing out their inventory of older units. Both of them delivered to me were 05. But hey, it has a two year warranty.
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Reviewed By: Butch P. - Yukon, OK
I currently own a Monster HT3500 power conditioner which has been flawlessly working for the past 3 years. When I saw the sale price of this APC S15 I couldnt resist the upgrade bug and placed my order. It arrived a few days later and I will tell you this get help moving it into your house. This thing weighs almost as much as my 5-channel amplifier. The user manual reads 72lbs. It feels heavier. The fit and finish of this unit appears flawless. Everything has a quality look and feel including the heavy-duty, detachable power cable. Set-up was straight forward and easy to accomplish, consisting of pushing the battery connector into its receiver and attaching the face plate by pressing it into place using 4 snap-in pins built into each of the face plates 4 corners. The face plate appears to be machined from a 1 thick solid piece of satin anodized aluminum which houses the multi-line LED display. After plugging in all my equipment, made easier by the clearly labeled receptacles, I turned the unit on and was greeted by the display announcing that the UPS was performing a self-test. On the left side of the display are 2 buttons labeled Status and Setup. The status button allows one to cycle through several informative statistics about the units current state including battery capacity, estimated run time at current load, voltage inout, total load in watts, and even the 1-800 number for APC tech support. The setup button allows several parameters to be configured. These include the ability to turn the audible low-battery alarm onoff, set low and high input voltage to tell the unit when it should switch to battery power. There are 2 banks of receptacles which can be individually configured to delay applying powering to them so as to avoid voltage spikes when the unit is first turned on. There are several other options for status and setup I didnt mention. Suffice it to say that just about any parameter or status imaginable relating to battery backup is included. Of course the first thing I wanted to do was test this UPSs ability to run my system so I picked up my Harmony remote control and pressed Listen to CDs . I expected to see the CD player and Preamp power up but that was not the case. The player came on but not the preamp. I double checked my connections and tried it again. Same thing. After several tests, I discovered that of the twelve receptacles, two of them labeled Analog were not outputting any voltage. I called the 1-800 number mentioned above and was able to talk with APCs tech support who walked me through some diagnostics tests to verify that indeed, two of the analog receptacles labeled Preamp and Sub woofer were not working. I had a bit of a jolt when the support person informed me that the serial number I gave him was for a unit that was over two years old! He told me not to worry as the warranty period begins on the date of sale, not the date of manufacture. Still, Im a little concerned that a unit which I expected to be new was, in fact, over two years old and in need of firmware updates. APC is sending a replacement free of charge. I was instructed by the technician to use a different receptacle to power the preamp and that the unit was safe to use until the replacement arrives. So after rearranging the plugs, I continued with my audition. This time around everything operated as expected and I was greeted with the familiar sight of the CD, preamp, and amplifiers power indicators. When music appeared from a dead quite background completely void of any hums or hisses, I was taken aback. I had grown accustom to a slight hum which is audible when there is no recorded sound. The absence of this hum was what Ive been looking for and, to my delight, the music sounds more intimate and involving without it. With a 5 channel amp at 180 watts per channel the estimated run time on batteries was 9 minutes. After a few minutes of listening I moved on to watching television. I have a high definition Sony KP57WS10 57 rear projection CRT which uses a lot of energy. I was really interested to see how long the battery would hold it up in the event of a power loss. I live in Oklahoma, also known as tornado alley. Its pretty important to be able to get the weather reports during severe weather. Having the TV on during power outages can be a life saver. The S15 says that the estimated run time is 59 minutes. During severe storms the power will bounce on and off due to lightning strikes and wind. The outages are usually of short duration, 5 to 15 minutes so having an hour of reserve capacity is satisfying. I must add that the picture quality seems improved. Its hard to say how, but it seems like the black level is a little more accurate than before. I could be a victim of the placebo effect, but I swear, it looks better. I will have to do some AB testing with a video calibration disk by changing the plug from wall to S15 and back again. My ratings reflect the sale price I paid for this unit. At MSRP I would probably downgrade its value. If there were a category for manufacturers support I would give it a 5. I was able to quickly get a person on the phone who was helpful and knowledgeable. I gave its performance a 5, although the only comparison I have is with the Monster conditioner which, although a good performer, doesnt include battery backup. Cool factor is a solid 10. This thing just flat out looks good in my equipment rack!
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Reviewed By: Steven S. - Boulder, CO
This is a serious piece of gear! Its quite heavy and deeper than your usual power conditioner. Great for not only room-based stereos and home theaters, but ideal for a computer audio desktop system.
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Reviewed By: Joseph S. - Huntington Beach, CA
I wanted to buy a power conditioner for my Home Theater HT setup. After looking at much more expensive units from other manufacturers, I happened to see that APC made HT power conditioners as well. Upon taking a closer look, I found that the value on this piece was too good to be true. It originally listed for $1500 when it first came out & it had great professional reviews. The silver version that I bought was only $299! Seemed like a steal.
The 2 features that are unheard of at this price level are the voltage regulation and the battery backup with pure sine wave output. Right now, i have my 55 flat screen TV, computer, stereo components and DVD player plugged into it. The informationsetup screens are easy to use and very intuitive. I loaded the Powerchute software onto my computer which will power the computer down automatically if the power goes out and the battery goes low. I did a test by shutting off the circuit breaker simulating a power failure. My TV and stereo didnt even blink. You wouldnt even know the power dropped out. For the $299 price, this product cant be beat. From what I found, similar HT units with battery backup are going for over $2000. I highly recommend it.
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Reviewed By: Eugene P. - Rockvale, TN
First of all, the black ones sell for $580 refurbished, $750 and up new, therefore a new silver with a shorter warranty is hard to beat!!! I researched the J10, J15 S15, I own a Monster 3500, I researched the Monster 3600, 2 higher end Panamax models. Most of the models do not have battery back up, this one does. The Panamaxs are excellent but alas, quite expensive. While I like the Monster 3500 it is not in the same class, that leaves the 3600 as the only real competitor in this price class, its build quality is slightly inferior and of course does not have battery back up. The only flaw is the front panel attaches to the front, and you have to be fairly precise with the battery alignmentand battery power cable. This panel is an easy potential failure piece if it receives any abuse. Love the unit!
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Reviewed By: Brian C. - Easton, PA
The S15 exceeded my expectations by providing pure sine wave regulated-protected ac power to my home stereo components. Using the pure power of the S15 resulted in more music detail being retrieved from my CD collection due to the quiet background presented by the line ac to battery to pure ac chain. Get help carrying the S15 into your home...82lbs!!!! What a home run for APC and Vanns. Thank You!
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Reviewed By: Gordon H. - Baldwin, NY
I bought this product to replace a Belkin Pure AV battery backup which performed ok but emitted a costant low hum. The APC was noticably better built and installed easily. It has been installed for the past 6 days and to date has performed flawlessly and is whisper quiet. I have also owned products from Monster but to date I have to rate this as the best protection I have ever had for my equipment. And at this price its a steal.
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Reviewed By: Steve L. - White Plains, NY
Ive been protecting my home electronics for over 15 years with APC UPSs. I had a J15 also a good unit on my home theater setup, but the S15 has much better conditioning, it has sine wave output, and great on-battery runtime. Power in my area constantly fluctuates.... but I no longer worry about brownouts, spikes or surges damaging my equipment.
This unit is definitely recommended. And the price is unbeatable.
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Reviewed By: michael p galbraith - cincinnati, OH
great deal on an excellent product. have not yet tried it on battery backup. only downside is the weight. should pay for itself if it protects the bulb on my projector in the event of a power failure.
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Reviewed By: Ronald S. - Leesburg, VA
This thing is awesome. Noticeable improvements in sound quality and picture quality of the components connected through. I didnt realize how bad the power quality was do my home. As a bonus we recently had a snow storm that knocked out power but we still had about an hour of entertainment.
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Reviewed By: Scot B. - tulia, TX
I just hooked up electronics to the APC one week ago. So far it is working without problems.
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Reviewed By: Robert D. - Hopkinton, MA
Unfortunately, the unit arrived DOA. I called Vanns and they offered to take it back, but suggested that I call APC to see if it could be fixed. Reasonable suggestion, which I intend to take. Nevertheless, disappointing. The unit is quite heavy, but seemed to be packed adequately. However, when tilting it on its side, it sounded like there was something heavy that was loose and rolling around inside. Probably not good. The outer packing box was damaged on receipt -- I wasnt present when it was delivered. Perhaps UPS dropped or otherwise damaged it. I dont think I can fault Vanns for this. Hopefully, things can be taken care of with minimal fuss and bother although returning this unit will be a pain given its size and weight. I will be glad to revise this review if or when I get a functioning unit or am able to fix the one I have.
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Reviewed By: david r. - sacramento, CA
Ive been looking and procrastinating, over which power conditioner I was going to buy. Not one of them was under 1000.00$ I happened on this site and saw the APC S15 unit saw the price and spent the next 10 minutes researching this unit, and could not believe what I was getting for the money. I was amazedhow quickly I recieved the unit, Vanns was amazing!. I have had it set up for a week now, and incredibly impressed, some people say you cant tell a difference sonically, I disagree, It cleaned up my soundstage, especially with vocals and bass response. I recommend this unit to anyone who has been looking for a very good conditioner, but afraid to spend the money.
You really cant go wrong, you cant get a half-way decent power strip for this price, GO AHEAD take the plunge and get one of these before they are gone!
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Reviewed By: Thomas H. - West Bend, WI
Very pleased with product quality. Have had no power problems yet so cant comment on performance. Very helpful telephone help during purchase from Vanns and excelent packaging and delivery. Easy setup.
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Reviewed By: Rich - NY, NY
So you just bought $1K-$5K worth of audio gear, and want to make sure it doesnt explode. A good investment is a well designed battery back up power conditioner such as the S15 that will protect against surges, brown outs, and power outages. All three commonly destroy equipment. Also, by having the power conditioner take the strain of electrical fluctuations and providing a more smooth curve to your equipment, you are extending the life of your equipment by removing that additional wear and tear strain.
Will this make your audio sound better and remove artifacts from your tv, highly highly, let me repeat it one more time, highly doubt it! If you are buying this to improve your audio quality, than you are making the wrong purchase. The only way that this should make a difference with your audio quality is if you have a ground loop or humming in the background that is due to poor wiring in your home. Other than that, any perceivable difference is probably in your head. The only other area this could possibly improve sound is if your amps strain your power, but then you have a different issue and Im not sure if a power conditioner is the right choice. Ive been a sound engineer for a long time and put the entire power conditioner better audio thing under the monster cable category. So just to repeat, unless you have an electrical issue such as a ground loop or poor power, then this conditioner will do nothing for your audio quality. How do you know if you have one of the above mentioned issues? If youre not sure, then you dont have it.
Vanns definitely had the best deal Ive ever seen for this product. Not sure if I can mention prices, but at the sale price it was a no brainer to buy, at retail price its a waist of money. Also at the Vanns price, this is hands down the best product with these features by a landslide.
Improvements I wish they had buttons on the front that could turn power on and off for each outlet. That would be awesome. For instance, my subwoofer stays in standby mode which I dont like. If I could turn it off from the S15, that would have been a great feature.
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Reviewed By: Ron F. - Davenport, IA
Arrived in great shape and perfect working order. This is a nice, solid piece of equipment with an all-metal faceplate, unlike the Belkin PF60s I own - which have plastic faceplates. Nice features to deactivate the alarm beep using the front panel and set other parameters. Came with the rack ears and rails to ensure it is mounted securely. I keep thinking I want two, but already have some large Tripp-Lite UPSs. Battery was in great shape although the unit date was 2005 IIRC. Using it for server UPS on four Synology servers with USB connection. When power is cut to the S15, it flawlessy communicates with the Synologys and they go into safe mode to prevent loss of data on the 16TBs of hard drives. Five Stars * * * * * !! If it goes on sale again for $249, I may just buy another.
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Reviewed By: Brian M. - Findlay, OH
Upon opening my brand new, silver, slick APC S15... I read the manual and followed the installation instructions. I connected the battery properly and attached the front face plate panel.
I then connected the main power line to the back of the APC unit and powered it on! ... ONLY TO FIND that I have a WARNING.
The APC S15 thinks that there is NO BATTERY!! This is highly disappointing. So I removed the front panel and disconnected the battery and then reconnected it... powered it on... same thing. WARNING NO BATTERY.
I have contacted Vanns Customer Service and hopefully they will responsibly help me with this problem. I checked the battery install date on my unit and it says 2005!!!! WOW!
I am hoping that the problem is only a bad battery. I do not have the patience, time, or money to send the unit back.
Until further notice... I would not order this product. I am hoping I am an exception and Vanns can send me a new battery for my S15 so I can begin using it in my home theater setup.
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Reviewed By: Stan S. - Nampa, ID
This unit appears to work very well. Handles the receiver, TV, X-box, 2 DVD players and DVR without any problem and still only uses 50 of maximum power.
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Reviewed By: Jim Y. - Greenville, SC
Works great, the lights no longer flicker when the connected equipment powers up.
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Reviewed By: Jonathan L. - santa barbara, CA
I purchased this product from Vanns, the sales associate were very helpful! the product is very nicely built, sturdy, and good looking. The weight of the product to me is a kill.. the device ways almost 50lbs.. and it is very hard to figure out a good place to put the device.
If you got the space and need the amount of outlets then definitely a good purchase.
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Reviewed By: Chris K. - Rexburg, ID
Just received my APC S15 tonight. My unit was DOA, just like the previous post said. I am hoping that APC will replace my unit also, but I thought I should warn people looking at this unit, since it makes three dead units between the two of us so far....
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Reviewed By: Brent S. - Great Falls, MT
An excellent product at the best price on the internet that I could find! This unit powers up my 50 plasma, 7.1 x 90 watt receiver, 400watt sub, cabinet cooling fans, Zune dock, blu-ray and cable dvr and has power to spare, display shows around 500watts used when watching a blu-ray movie at reference levels. The only issue was a battery warning the first day of use, APC shipped a replacement the same day and havent had an issue since. Be forewarned the depth of this unit may fit, but I didnt consider the depth of the component cords being plugged in and the bend radius of the power cords connected.
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Reviewed By: George W. - Saint Louis, MO
Bought two of them - neither worked. APC is replacing them, however this has been a major inconvenience. After I gave APC the serial numbers, they told me the units were five years old. I emailed Vanns and gave them this information - they did not respond as of today. An item that is that old should be sold with a caveat. Most of my APC equipment is terrific and they stand behind their products, therefore it would not be fair to give this item a bad rating.
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Reviewed By: Todd A. - Davis Junction, IL
WOW!! This thing is heavy.....and its not all battery either. Plenty of heavy weight capacitors and power regulation components inside. I actually bought it to replace a few years old Monster Cable HTS UPS500 battery back-up. As a plus the APC unit also guarantees stable voltage and protects against surges and spikes. My area experiences a lot of momentary outages and spikesDamn Com-Ed! so this unit is working out great. The only downsides and they arent really downsides are that you will need help setting this in place and a VERY sturdy platform is required. I had to make a base from a 2 inch chopping block. There is no way I would have paid $1500 for this, the original msrp, but $250 was a steal. Also I was unable to get any info from the company as to whether or not the co-ax inputsoutputs are high bandwidth to accomodate HD signals. As of now I have my DirecTV routed through it and dont notice any loss of quality.
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Reviewed By: Joe G. - hershey, PA
Great price, fast shipping for an awesome piece of gear! Vanns does it again .
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Reviewed By: Lewis B. - Forestville, CA
This is my third battery back up unit from APC. The other two are different models J10s also purchased from Vanns. I bought this unit because it generates pure sine wave during battery operation as opposed to stepped sine wave which is what the J10s are generating. This supposed to be better for digital type components, like AVRs, digital Tvs and sorts. I needed a third unit anyway, so I figured I buy this unit instead of a third J10. The units need a little preparation for intalation into your rack. Need to connect the batteries,very simple, and attach the faceplate. I would recommend also to plug it in just by itself, to make sure it does operate as it should.The unit performs a self test, and gives a result in 30seconds or so. If pass, go ahead and install it.. It comes with a very easy to understand manual.Follow it and youll be done in 10 minutes or less to get it going. All the feature that I purchased for being performed as advertised. I live in a rural area, and power is very volatile here. Lots of voltage sags brownouts and during storm power outages as well.The units correct for all these issues without any glitch. When battery operation incept the unit turns on a fan and you can also hear a slight buzzing noise. This is normal. Keep in mind that products like these are not designed to run like power generators, but rather gap very short power outages, or deal with odd voltage problems. If there is a prolonged power outage, you should not run your APC unit to the ground, but rather safely power down all your components, and switch your APC off as well, until power is restored.. The units default window will give an estimate of the time of the battery power depending on the current load. The screen can be dimmed or turned off, and has a screen saver mode too. All in all Ive been very happy with all of my APC units, and for the price of the silver units, you simply cant do better IMO.
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Reviewed By: Wayne S. - Scotia, NY
We recently bought a 3D HDTV and we did not want to take a chance on power problems killing it. We also have a TIVO that takes forever to reboot after every power glitch.
We installed the APC S15 and it is working very well for us, it even has enough reserve capacity to power our wood pellet stove until our generator takes over.
Our power went out a week after we installed this unit and we did not even know it until we heard the generator kicked in.
We have tried other UPS systems, but they are not compatible with our generator output and they click in and out of battery mode.
The S15 was adjustable, allowing it to be able to perform properly even on generator power.
We liked the performance enough to buy a second unit, an APC S10 for use with our computers and network.
If you have to deal with imperfect power in your area, the APC AV power conditioner with battery backup units are an insurance policy worth the investment.
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Reviewed By: Rick O. - Virginia Beach, VA
This is what every audiovideophile should have to protect their systems. The hardware is awesome but the price at which Vanns had it PLUS free shipping? How can you pass it up? I highly recommend it.
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Reviewed By: Timo T. - Sandy, UT
I bought two of these to power and protect my home theater and computer desktop upstairs. Both units worked flawlessly and were easy to set up. I was not sure if one of these would be enough to handle my whole hometheater setup but my worries seem to have been unfounded. At full load reference levels Im seeing roughly 50 load everything on Pioneer SC-37 Receiver, subwoofer, PS3, Xbox360, PC w XBMC running and HD-DVD player. Couldnt be happier with the purchase, I have gone through a few brownouts since connecting everything to these and S15 kicks into battery mode flawlessly keeping the movie playing - while protecting the system. Awesome.
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Reviewed By: Roland R. - Miami, FL
I havent had any critical power situation since the delivery of my APC S15, thus I cannot say much about its real-life performance, but I know from the APC UPS devices of my computers that they work very well, and this one should be even better. I bought it for my new sound system because I wanted surge protection and voltage conditioning, and the S15 offers this plus full UPS functionality with a true smooth sine signal at the output instead of the stepped approximated sine you get from most cheaper devices, which can be problematic with some equipment and cause audible noise. I also liked the fact that APC offers the S15 in silver color, which fits better to my equipment than black, and I felt like winning the jackpot when I found out that Vanns offers it for an extremely good price. When I ordered my S15, it was on back order, but earlier reviewers indicated that this is more or less normal, and indeed I had the S15 at my house after two weeks. The package had been opened before, but everything inside seemed to be in factory-new condition, thus it seems to be true that you can get a new S15 for this low price from Vanns. And if you are still skeptical, note that Vanns is THE ONLY authorized retailer listed on APCs own audio-video website. Setting up the S15 was very easy - no complicated settings that would require special knowledge or additional equipment to take measurements or so. Now it is sitting in my shelf, and I am happy with it. The only negative remarks I can make are about the styling of the S15. For my taste, that large black oval with the display and buttons looks cheap. Clean rectangular lines would be more adequate for applications with high-end audio equipment nearby. Furthermore, the text display has a dirty blue color, which is clearly different from the more intense blue of the main control LEDs around it. Again, a different color - suggestion white - would look more high-end. Anyway, the display as well as the LEDs can be dimmed or completely deactivated through the menu. The worst problem is the large blue illuminated ring around the main power button, which has the same dirty-blue color as the text display, but cannot be dimmed or deactivated. I can imagine that this will be really annoying for people who want to use the S15 in a home theater environment. One last comment On another website, a reviewer complains about the fact that his S15 will indicate a too low input voltage and switch to battery power every time when his TV picture gets very bright. When this happens, you can hear the click of a relay inside the S15 and some fan noise, and the reviewer thinks it is unacceptable that it happens all the time. In my opinion, his S15 is just acting as it should as a voltage conditioner. Instead of complaining, the reviewer should find out why his voltage is dropping every time he draws some power - this probably indicates that the cables in his house are too thin or that there is some other problem with his main power supply, but not with the S15.
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Reviewed By: Michael M. - Kingston, PA
Very well packaged. But watch out it weighs a ton!! A bit tricky to get plug to seat right, but after that it does everything it claims!! No power outages or brownouts, but I am confident this thing will handle anything thrown at it. Vanns did excellent job with customer service before shipment. At this price I should have got 2!!!!
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Reviewed By: Philip A. - Howell, NJ
First off price was really good. Second It works. You can use it with a computer or tv stereo HTPC gear. The downside is it is heavy due to the batteries in it. It is deep so it does not fit a lot of racks. I had to build a deeper shelf for it. I don't like to pay high prices and I use a lot of rebuilt APC units with my computer work. I have paid the same price for this new APC as I have for a rebuilt APC that works but looks used.. Also the rebuilt has only a 90 day warranty. This new unit has a 2 year warranty. T his is a very good deal if you need the extra power.900 watts is no problem. This runs my MAC Pro from apple along with all the extra bits and pieces. I had to wait for it on backorder but it was well worth the wait. Thanks for a good deal. In fact I was so happy with it I ordered an APC S10 for my stereo gear. I will review it later in the week. Thanks again! Value should be 6 or 7 not 5!
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Reviewed By: Matt J. - St Charles, IL
APC is the way to go for power distrubution, they get the job done and are reliable. The S15 is a must for TVs, recievers, digital electronics with sensitve electronics, they require a pure sine wave of which the S15 produces for battery backup. This unit is looks great in a rack, robust, and reliable, it does everything it is engineered to do and then some! It takes power to make power, so start from your ground up
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