When installing a surge suppressor on outdoor speaker wires, the goal isn’t to absorb a full-on direct lightning strike. It’s for the much more common situation where lightning strikes the earth nearby. Actually, the claim is that strikes up to a quarter mile away can induce high enough voltages in outdoor wires to cause serious damage to electronics. This induced current courses through speaker wires, into the house and to the speaker.
In these rare occasions, chances are the speaker’s a goner but that’s not the whole story. As the voltage reaches the head end of the electronics it will quite possibly blow out the power amp and source components further “upstream”. It can actually take out the entire rack depending upon how it’s wired, grounded and protected.
The surge suppressors detailed below are a few that we’ve found designed to offer at least some level of protection to the system electronics. Some claim to protect the attached speaker too, though keep in mind that this may not be possible depending upon the level of the surge. We strongly recommend that you install these on every outdoor sound installation you are involved with.
We’ve had some conversations about this topic with industry professionals and we’ve gotten a few installers who have reacted to this advice by saying, “I wouldn’t waste my time or my client’s money on this.” Yet they’ll also tell you how much better they are than the installer/designers who work for their competition. Well, if they really are better, the added insurance this kind of design offers clients is fundamental to what should separate them from the average installation company (who are likely ignorant of these considerations).
Please note that we have no connection with any of the following companies and are only listing the below information as a service for our professional installation customers. All information was found on the listed company websites.
Panamax – MOD-SPKP [$49.95]
- Designed to protect outdoor speakers, keypads, control and security system wires (8 wires or 4 pairs). Equipment lines that lead outside the building are pathways for surges (sometimes called backdoor surges) to enter the equipment.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Mounting Hardware Included Yes
- Lightning Protection Yes
- Wires Protected 8
- Wire Size 12 AEG Max.
- Screw Terminals Compatible w/ 12 Gauge Wire
- Power Handling Capacity 225 Watts per Channel for 4 Ohm Speakers
450 Watts per Channel for 8 Ohm Speakers - Per Wire Capacity 7 Amp
- Modes Protected All Terminals to Ground
- Connectors 8 Wire Screw Terminals
- Clamping Level 47V
L-COM – AL-D2-AW 4/8 Ohm outdoor lightning protector [$57.15 direct]
- Weatherproof ABS enclosure
- Gasketed cover and concealed mounting holes
- Screw terminals
- Ground clamp provided on outside of enclosure
Transient Protection Design TPD-AmPro2 speaker 100/70 volt surge suppressor [Price unavailable through search]
Find it online here.
- Maximum Input Power: 250Watt Max RMS/Channel
- Applications: 4/8 ohm Audio Systems Design
- Design: Multistage hybrid fail-safe design
- Primary: 7 Amp Fuse
- Secondary: 100 Volt Varistor Array
- Warranty: 3-Year Unlimited Free Replacement
- Strength: 3000 amps/pair
Juice Goose – LA series 4/8 Ohm and 70 volt models
Price: $92.00
- Peak Surge Current: (10 times) 8×20 us 5kA
- Life Expectancy; 8x20us (2kA) 50 Occurrences
- Typical Response Time: <1ns
- Resistance: .02 Ohm (typ)
- Series Inductance: 136uh per pair
- Terminal Wire Size: 26 – 10 AWG