Hey JV,

Those are both "MOV" technology surge protection which basically means that performance degrades over time with surges. No one can predict what/if/when/how big future surges will be. I won't pretend to be an EE because I am not. But in that range of price/joule ratings, Panamax pretty much rules. Monster Power is not bad at all, but A/V gurus call it overpriced for what it is. Still, it does what it says. There are some "Series Mode" devices available that are better but cost a bit more. See http://brickwall.thomasnet.com/categ...ge-protectors? That is the stuff that A/V gurus drool over.

Anyhow, in the $ range you are looking in, check out http://www.panamax.com/products.cfm to compare to the MOV Monster Power equipment. They are comparable in surge ratings so it comes own to how much value you put into the 'filtering' capability, which may not be important to you. For example, the ability to clean up a video signal or lower the noise floor on your amplifier. The clamping rate for surge protection is similar on these devices. I have a Monster Power HTS5000 on my big system and Panamax M5300 my living room system with a plasma, they both have been great. My bro, (who is a big wig with Sennheiser and an EE), has metered both of them in various scenarios and says they are very similar. For the Belkin, they really don't list enough specs on the Sony link to know how fast it protects during a huge spike. The joule rating is good in that $ range though. Sorry, I can't comment much more about the Belkin although the products I have had from them have been solid performers. I like that brand.

Bottom line, IMO in that $ range you are looking at you can get good surge protection. It is waaaay better than plugging into an AC outlet directly. Good for you for thinking about these things, so many people ignore power protection and don't realize how important it really is. You would be in good shape with the Monster and probably the Belkin device. But take a look a Panamax too, and series mode Brick Wall products too. Smart of you to take time to get the right power protection for your gear.