Big Picture Big Sound

Power to the People!

We've told our readers about good deals on Monster Power conditioning products before. There's currently a great deal running on Monster's HTS-3500 Mk. II rack mount power center. But for those who want to spend even less, or who want a smaller power conditioner that sits on the floor, while still protecting their high-end electronics investment, there's hope for you too with this closeout deal on Monster's HTS-1000 power center.

The regular price of the HTS1000 is $149.99 but for a limited time, Amazon.com has it for just $45.99 plus shipping with no rebate form required. That's 69% off list. It's also available for $49.99 on buy.com including shipping in case amazon runs out of stock. Pricing/availability is current as of April 13, but these deals won't last forever since the item is on close-out.

Update: Amazon and buy.com are both currently sold out and I would not expect stock to be replenished since they're selling the Mark II version for nearly $150. The best deal currently from an authorized Monster dealer is OneCall at $68.88:

Here are the links:

° HTS-1000 on OneCall.com
° Monster Cable MP-HTS1000 on Buy.com
° HTS-1000 on Amazon.com

Product Features:
° Handles current surges up to 1,665 joules
° 8 AC power outlets, 3 pair coax, 1 pair phone
° Clean Power™ Stage 2 filters
° 24k gold-plated grounded plug
° Lifetime product warranty
° $100,000 connected equipment warranty
° Includes Monster coax cable

---

Details from the Manufacturer:

Maximize your system's performance and protection with Monster's HTS-1000 featuring CleanPower™ circuitry.

Monster's Home Theatre PowerCenters meet the high performance demands of today's discriminating audiophile and home theater hobbyist. SurgeGuard protects components from harmful surges and spikes, which can travel up the AC power line and damage connected equipment. Lightning, automatic garage doors, power tools, refrigerators and fluorescent lights all cause power surges and voltage spikes that affect power lines, phone lines and coax cables. Monster's SurgeGuard detects harmful power surges and voltage spikes before they reach components.

"Polluted" AC power can degrade the audiophile performance you expect from your home theatre components. Unless you live directly behind Hoover Dam, your AC power is most likely "polluted" by appliances sharing the same power line with your home theatre components. Electrical power tools, refrigerators, air conditioners, radio transmitter, cellular phones, microwave ovens, even your neighbor's freezer, all generate electromagnetic interference and radio frequency noise which pollutes the AC power and degrades audio and video performance. Even your other home theater components generate noise interference, adding more noise to your AC power. As a result, you may hear a loss of dynamic range and resolution with a compressed soundstage and imprecise imaging.

On the video side, you may see less color detail and sharpness in your image. And you'll never know how much of the essential drama is gone in the high performance picture and sound your home theatre was designed to deliver. Monster's Clean Power ™ Circuitry filters noise on the AC power line for improved sonic performance and picture resolution. Designed by world-renowned AC power expert Richard Marsh, Monster's Clean Power Circuitry employs special non-resonant filters to reduce RF, EMI and other distortion on your AC power line. The results give you dramatic improvements in sonic performance and picture resolution. Your music and sound will seem to emerge from a "blacker" background, rather than a "gray area." Midrange textures become more liquid and balanced. A sweeter and brighter treble sweeps the high end without harshness or a metallic character. Sound staging improves with greater transparency, tighter image focus and a well-rendered soundstage depth. Your picture resolution will be sharper with less color shift. In the end, you'll get all the performances you paid for...and isn't that what it's all about?

The PowerCenter HTS-1000 features special surge protection for phone lines and coax cables used for DSS, DIVX /DVD and cable TV connections. Other surge protectors can result in as much as 20 to 30dB of signal loss, which ultimately affects the output performance of coax connections. Monster's ultra-low loss RF circuitry provides virtually no signal loss to maintain peak performance.

An audible surge alarm and visual surge indicator warn you of harmful surges and let you know you're getting the most advanced protection available. Monster also makes the management of all your power connections easier with eight color-coded outlets and corresponding cord labels. Switched and unswitched outlets provide convenience, and allow you to personalize how you "manage" your audio system.

The HTS1000 even has specific outlets designed to maximize the Monster Clean Power "AC noise filtering" based on the type of current (high or low) used by each component. And finally, Monster gives you a generous eight-foot power cord, long enough to reach most AC power outlets from just about anywhere.