Furman Elite-15 DM i 13-Outlet Linear Filtering AC Power Source

Finally assembled my home AV system (Sony 55' 240 htz flat screen, DefTech STS towers and surrounds in a 7.1 configuration, Denon 4311 processor and matching Denon Bluray player, high-speed HDMI cable, and stock power cords and inter-connects).This system was initially assembled using a Monster HTS 1650 power conditioner that was thrown in by Best Buy when purchasing my Sony. I am currently using an Elite 15 DMi conditioner in a two-channel stereo music system and have been very satisfied with the audio and the Linear Filtering Technology of the DMi.There are many very expensive conditioners on the market and choosing one can be intimidating if one does not have lots of experience in electronics (like me). You want a conditioner to do two things: (1) protect against AC power surges and dips, while (2) enhancing the video/audio signal AND not detracting from the signal while it's protecting your gear. While the Monster did protect my system, I felt the A/V signal might be being compromised in some fashion by the Monster.I first considered the Furman Elite 15 PFi power conditioner. Compared to the Furman Elite 15 DMi conditioner (under review here) it is identical except that it contains some type of capacitor to allow for a reserve of power for a sudden really high current draw. It also requires a separate power cable and has two pull-out rack lights for use when the light is low in your room. It does not have front digital readouts like the DMi. It's considerably more expensive than the DMi and requires extra funds for a separate power cable. Since my system never makes a large draw on current and because it's considerably more expensive than the DMi I chose the DMi. Plus the DMi has two neat digital readouts that look good in my set-up, a voltage in readout and a current voltage use readout. These can be dimmed if one chooses. The attached power cord on the DMi is 14 awg and is sufficient for my system. I add that I have dedicated 12 awg 20 watt fuse wiring connected directly to the breaker box (a must for all sensitive electronics including computers). Another plus for the DMi is that it is built like a tank with a non-descript industrial-like matte black finish.Performance. I do not think the word "dramatic" is an overstatement for the improvement in the video using the DMi. The improvement in picture quality was amazing with blacker blacks, crisper colors, and a cleaner overall picture. This must be the Linear Filtering Technology at work. A tremendous upgrade for a reasonable price. Perhaps the improvement in video quality with the DMi is more an indictment of the Monster conditioner than a plus for the DMi. The Monster HTS 1650 is not an expensive conditioner and it's probably not unfair to say that it's equivalent to an inexpensive power strip from Home Depot. In my opinion the HTS protects but does little else. I could not perceive any difference in audio quality using the DMi relative to the Monster.Downsides of the DMi: The downsides are related to my lack of tech knowledge about power conditioners. The unit comes with switched and unswitched outlets on the back (eight switched and four unswitched plus one courtesy outlet on the front which is unswitched). These terms drew a blank during set-up and with a little help from Google and a lot of help from Furman's tech guys I was able to figure it out and get the plugs in the appropriate outlets. Switched outlets turn on and off with the unit's main front toggle switch; unswitched outlets are always on even if the main toggle is off. Frankly I'm not sure why this outlet configuration is needed but it's got something to do with a triggering device which, according to the Furman tech guy, was irrelevant in my system. I wanted to leave the TV, processor, Bluray, and speaker subs in standby for quick turn-on and so I wanted all rear DMi plugs to be in the unswitched mode by leaving the DMi's front toggle switch in the "on" position all the time. Since there were not enough unswitched plugs on the back of the DMi to accommodate my needs I was able override this constraint (i.e., make them all unswitched) by depressing a convenient by-pass button on the rear of the unit. Doing this still leaves the gear protected from AC power surges or dips while in standby with the DMi front toggle switch in the "on" position. As usual the user's manual is not clearly-written (for the inexperienced). Furman's tech department really helped me. A final downside is that Furman should provide a way to turn off all front digital readouts if desired. But not a big deal as the very faint blue front readouts don't distract.Highly recommended !

After acquiring a solar PV system with storage batteries, we noticed a distinct degradation in our audio system sound quality. After some research, we concluded the noise resulted from our solid state (VERY high efficiency) inverter. The Furman brought back every nuance of our audio system - and perhaps more. Not an inexpensive solution, but a reasonable investment for even modest audiophile sound. Absolutely a great addition to our system!

EDIT: 6/5/2023: It is $334.00, WOW! Get it, I paid over 600 bucks for it a year ago.Original review:I have dirty electricity in my house, or spikes of it randomly to be exact, even though my outlets stay anywhere 50-70 mvp while nothing is plugged in, the problem starts when stuff is being used. I have odd clipping in my studio monitors, and they are quality speakers. Older Yamaha studio monitors, MSP5 to be exact. I had them for around 13 years now.Suddenly started getting clicks that were constant when AC unit would be on, or even off. Speakers would pop when AC unit came on.So I grabbed the Trifield EMI tester, excellent unit for testing eletromagnetic interference. Found that out of the wall I was getting about 45 mvp, but when plugged into a Furman SB8 it dropped to 22 mvp, but the issues were when stuff was actually on. Outlets would hover around 350 mvp when stuff was on. Milivolts raise substantially when stuff is on, but you could hear the electricity buzzing unevenly through EMI tester.Plugged gaming monitor into Video output outlets on Furman Elite, and gaming monitor was using DC adapter, so now I can see that there is not fuzziness in the video signal. Plugged speakers to Audio outlets on Furman Elite.Now mvps dropped to about 220, which is substantial from 350-370 mvp I was getting when stuff was on.What raised my eye brow was the fact that mvp with Trifield was showing higher when unit was not used, and nothing was on. It showed higher mvp than straight from the wall or when using Furman SB8.The trick is the cleansiness in the end, which yielded next to no white noise in my speakers when nothing is playing. I never heard such silence out of my speakers. Ever.I don't believe in lower cost Furman conditioners, because people measure more mvps, but maybe that's not enough to tell a full story, because my Furman Elite had higher mvp, but less mvp emi interference when everything is on.If you are into Audio Engineering as I was at one point, or you love clean sound, and you are okay with this price, definitely go ahead and buy this. At the worst case scenario return it, if it doesn't work as good as my case.What I saw was more consistent gaming performance as well, as I overclock my PC, I saw less stutters, and even less coil noise out of my graphics card.What took me by surprise is how punchy my bass has become, I never heard my speakers output clean bass like this. Almost as though I tightened the bass up using compressor.At first I thought it was a placebo effect, but I don't think so anymore based on my measurements of EMI and such.Unit is silent, it doesn't buzz like a transformer. It should be dead silent by itself.It barely heats up during my gaming. I have Saffire Pro 40, two Yamaha MSP5 speakers, PC that holds i9-9900k, RTX 3070, water cooling radiator of 360mm, and 7 solid state/nvme drives in my system.Furman Elite provided cleanest performance in gaming and in audio I had ever.I am putting this as 4 stars, as I am sure you can buy even better unit from Furman, or go for something in 3 thousand dollar range that will completely mute any white noise.Mind you I can barely hear it when I put my ear to the speaker.I can hear db difference of even .1 db, so I can hear the difference SUBSTANTIALLY from before. Easily twice, but closer to 3 times of being more silent than running through Furman SB8 strip or directly from the wall.You will get cleaner output throughout, when things are actually ON.Don't be too discouraged when testing EMI when nothing is used in the unit.I would test initial delta of your wall socket, and see how much higher Furman Elite is when things are off. Then run a test using just the outlet and things are on, plug EMI tester in spare outlet on your power strip (not the Elite) and see how high EMI is. Then turn off your devices, and plug them into Furman Elite, then turn things on using Furman Elite, and plug EMI tester in spare outlet of the Furman Elite, even front one will work.As long as mvps are way less on the Furman Elite when things are on, then you are good.You will get a clean sound during actual use, versus looking at no usage mvps, which will be higher than the outlet. Seems to be a pattern with Power Conditioners. My Furman SB8 at times shows more mvps than the wall outlet, but is still cleaner when things are on.Furman Elite is a true Voltage Regulator, this is the reason I bought this unit personally, after doing massive amount of research. Furman is a great brand, but don't expect night and day difference when buying their cheaper MDX-8 and such units.I am sure it will make a difference, but I wonder if it's worth it.Furman Elite is game changer difference in sound and for overclocking your PCBecause clean power delivered to your motherboard, means that you get exact or near exact milivolts you set in your overclocking profile, potentially requiring less voltage, as you are getting stable voltage to your motherboard and graphics card.Anyway, the unit is a sleeper. Because price is way high, way higher than I ever expected to pay for a Power Conditioner/Voltage Regulator.But then again, once you start having issues in your audio, and it sounds like your speaker is about to pop every time your AC comes on, you will be thinking of a solution as me.It's very sturdy, but HUGE, I would not put it in the rackmount that hangs sideways, it will snap somewhere. Only use this unit in 90 degree positioned rackmount, where things are sitting side by side completely horizontally, or have shelving type of shoulders, that will support the huge weight.Otherwise the rackmount ears on your Furman Elite will bend or snap.So far, I am impressed, will update if anything changes.4 out 5 stars, because sky is the limit for EXCELLENT voltage regulators.

This Furman DMi is the third power line filter/surge protector I have used in 24 years. Average life is 12 years for the 2 previous Monster Power units.Prior to that, I never used power filtering/surge protection and the audio I have still works and is in use without it. But....it is all restored analog gear from the late 70s.In the late 90s, digital circuits were more prevalent. In 2000, I picked my first home theater receiver. It failed after 1 month. Because of the newer digital circuits in that receiver, it was recommended that I add power filtering. I added a Monster Power filter/surge protector. The receiver was covered under warranty, so it was replaced. The power filtering/protection seemed to be very beneficial and it lasted 12 years and was replaced with a newer Monster Power filtering/protection version. The receiver still works, but was recently replaced after 22 years with newer technology.This Furman unit does a much better job of filtering out power line noise from switches and dimmers than the previous Monster units. No clicking noise from switches and buzzing from a dimmer. Furman is also a familiar name I have used for live sound. So, when I saw this unit, it was a no brainer. This is the one.Kudos to Electronics Expo for fast shipping and product description. Also for the great price!