Energy savers quite simple help you save energy! They accomplish that by turning off the connected devices once they enter Stand-By mode. Your PC, TV, A/V Receiver, Screen and other devices consume a small but not insignificant ammount of energy while in Stand-By mode. The energy savers can detect when the devices enter Stand-By mode (thanks to their Load-Learning function) and cut the power. You can control the power manually as well, using a table or foot switch or even any remote control (exact function depending on the model)! You won't ever to have to bend down to tap that switch on the trip lying on the floor.

The benefits of using Energy Savers are:

• Power saving that can reach a considerable 30%. That translates to up to 30% money saving on your electricity consumption bill 
• Protection of the connected devices from surges that slip in the mains 
• Reduction in the emmission of CO2 to the atmosphere for environmentally friendly use of electrical appliances

They do that by featuring the ingenious Load Learning function. That means the energy saver can learn the standby power level of the connected devices, and then cut off power to them automatically when they fall into standby mode. Additionally you can manually control the On/Off state of the energy saver using a foot or table switch or even any remote control (exact function depending on the model).

Quite simply, surges are short over-voltages and over-currents that creep into the mains network mainly because of unexpected lightnings, or because of the sudden turning on and off of industrial or even household equipment. These surges can potentially destroy your equipment that is not designed to handle such great amounts of charge even instantaneously. Surge Protectors use special electronic parts (namely MOV - Metal Oxide Varistors) that short-circuit the sudden surges to the earth wire of your outlet once they detect an over-voltage. And they are pretty quick at detecting them (responce time about 1ns; that is 1 billionth of a second!). The surge is safely absorbed by the earth wire while the route to the connected on the Surge Strip devices is cut for protection.

Ideally yes! All your equipment is sensitive to surges and can be destroyed by them. Mostly appliances with high precision electronic circuitry however, like Home Theaters, computers and screens, are prone to over-voltages, so they should at the very least be protected using a high quality surge protection strip.

The Green LED denotes a properly earthed outlet. It should be lit otherwise the Surge Protector is not functioning properly. If a surge spike creeps throught the network, the Metal Oxide Varistors (MOV) of the protector basically direct all the energy to the earth wire. If the outlet is not properly earthed, the extra charge won't be absorbed by the earth but will most likely destroy the surge strip and the connected devices. So, be aware! The Green LED should be lit. If it's not try another outlet and consult a technician.

No. The Crystal Audio Surge Protectors are not stabilising the power. In order to stabilise it you need either a high quality UPS with electronic AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) function, or you need an AVR using a variable tranformer. The latter is the best solution for Home Theater systems although it doesn't have its own batteries so it can only work for a specified range of the input voltage.

Yes it is about protection, but not only about that! The Crystal Audio surge protectors feature filters that drastically reduce the Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Interference (EMI & RFI) by 50dB to 80dB. That results in much improved audio reproduction (without any noise, hum, clicks and pops) and a crispier, free of shadowing and artifacts image.

No. Joules are a metric of the ability of the Surge Protector to dissipate the extra energy of a surge spike, while Watts give the constant power that the connected devices consume under normal operation. Watts are related to the voltage of the mains and the current that the appliances absorb. If you want the maths, it is: Watts = Volts x Amperes (Power = Voltage x Current)

Scart is not a simple cable. It is a complex interconnecting device. It includes 21 wires that transfer audio and video signals, grouped and shielded in such a way as to take out any crosstalk from one wire to the other. So the audio is crystla clear and the video sharp, vivid and without any interference or noise. Again the construction plays a major role in the quality of the audio and video you will get. The shielding, insulation, wire geometry and of course the quality of the connector (sturdy, gold-plated) will define how your expensive equipment will perform.

Yes they are. It is an extra measure of EMI & RFI shielding, as braid and foil are. Basically a ferrite bead has the property of eliminating the broadcast signals. Essentially, it "chokes" the RFI transmission at that point on the cable - this is why you find the beads at the ends of the cables. Instead of traveling down the cable and transmitting, the RFI signals turn into heat in the bead.

EMI stands for ElectroMagnetic Interference and RFI for RadioFrequency Interference. EMI and RFI describe a disturbance that affects an electrical circuit due to either electromagnetic conduction or electromagnetic radiation emitted from an external source. The disturbance may interrupt, obstruct, or otherwise degrade or limit the effective performance of the circuit. Cell phones, FM radio, TV, microwave ovens, wireless routers and even phenomena related to the solar activity are all sources of unwanted Interferences. Special care should be given in the design of cables and all other devices that are directly susceptible to EMI & RFI, otherwise the performance of electronic devices is highly degraded.

No! Not every HDMI cable is the same. There are 6 different versions of the HDMI technology offering a wide range of sophisticated features to the modern Home Theater user. The data rates that the cable should be capable of touch and exceed the 8Gbps. Every aspect of the HDMI cable design should be very carefully addressed if you are to enjoy the full potential of this High Definition format.

Yes, a special cleaner is need to clean the sensitive LCD, TFT and Plasma screens. A special cleaning solution that will not harm the sensitive coatings of these screens but at the same time will remove any stains, dirt, dust, without scratching or corroding the screen. It's a combination of the specially designed formula with the microfiber cloth that can safely clean your expensive equipment.

Yes, the chemical formula is absolutely safe for the user and the enironment. It is chosen so that it is in complete accordance with all the European strict regulations concerning the human health and the environment preservation. It is certified and carries the registration number of the Greek State Chemistry Lab. However you should always keep it away from the reach of children and avoid its contact with your eyes, but that's pretty much common sense, right?

Microfiber is a fiber with less than 1 denier per filament. (Denier is a measure of linear density and is often used to describe of the size of a fiber or filament. Nine thousand meters of a one-denier fiber weighs one gram.) As a result of the ultra thin fibers as well as the knitting pattern used, it can absorb a very big amount of dust, oil and water in it. This renders it perfect for cleaning purposes.

You can wash the microfiber as many times as you want, provided that you do not use any softener, as it would cause the microfiber to clog.