When one thinks of power conditioners and/or surge suppressors, two things come to mind: a typical power strip and a power amp-like component. For the most part, those two descriptions are accurate. However, neither are necessarily good when you need point source isolation and conditioning, say, for instance, behind your wall-mounted LCD or plasma display. With so many of us choosing to mount our displays on the wall to save space and inject a bit of cool into our living rooms, the unsightly cord dangling below just doesn't quite fit the bill. If you're one of the lucky ones who has a power receptacle directly behind your set, good luck fitting a Monster power conditioner behind your display. Enter the PowerBank 2 from Transparent.

The PowerBank 2 is a dual-outlet, ultra-compact power conditioner/surge suppressor. In terms of audio/video components, they don't get much simpler than the PowerBank 2. You plug it into a standard wall outlet and plug your component or display into it and presto, you're good to go. The PowerBank 2 will not only protect your investment from unexpected surges, but will also condition the power, so that your image or sound is as clean and pristine as possible.

High Points
• The PowerBank 2 provides a real-world solution to a growing real-world problem for many home theater and HDTV enthusiasts.
• The PowerBank 2 may look small and unassuming, but it's a true performer through and through, lowering the noise floor and improving saturation and clarity in even high-end displays.

Low Points
• The PowerBank 2 doesn't offer any sort of back-up, but at its size and price, you can't really blame it. If you're looking for something more substantial, there are plenty of products on the market that fit the bill, but most won't fit behind a wall-mounted display.

Conclusion
If you're looking to supply your beloved HDTV with a bit of protection and conditioning, but don't want to use a traditional power conditioner or see any unsightly power cords, then the PowerBank 2 is for you. Don't have an HDTV, but want to give a simple two-channel system a bit of a boost without adding to your system or rack's clutter? The PowerBank 2 is for you. Seriously, unless you need multiple outlets, say, more than four in a single area, the PowerBank 2 should fulfill all your power needs nicely.