Chances are that your computer is plugged into some form of battery backup, which very possibly could be an APC product. In the event the power ever goes out, those extra minutes to hit "save" and to shut your computer down could save you hours of work and/or thousands of dollars you have invested in your PC or Mac. With this kind of prudent behavior going on with your computer rig, do you have battery backup for your much more expensive, more sensitive and more temperamental home theater system? If not, allow me to introduce you to the APC S Type line of products.

Additional Resources
• Read more AC Power Conditioner Reviews on this archive page.
• Learn more about American Power Conversion (APC) here.

APC is a leader in battery backup-oriented AC power products and now has devices designed for home theater and AV applications. No longer do you need to fish an awkward APC batter backup device down the back of your rack just so you can have that peace of mind. Now APC makes a rack-mountable unit called the S Type, priced at $1,899, which can reportedly keep your system going for upwards of 20 minutes if things go wrong with your power.

Read the High Points, Low Points and Conclusion on Page 2

High Points
• Battery backup is something that too many AC power products for home theater simply do not have. APC is a strong leader in the category.
• This product is specifically built for the home theater market and therefore has a meaningful read-out on the front and easy to access receptacles on the back.
• Overall, the build quality of the S Type APC power conditioner is very well done.

Low Points
• There are probably better filters for AC noise on the market from the more audiophile and/or pro audio AC power brands. With that said, they don't come with battery backup and I would take battery backup over filtering any day. Of course, you could also always use both solutions for your system.
• At its price, the S Type should offer full power regeneration technology like PurePower, which for about the same money offers power regeneration and battery back up in the same component.

Conclusion
The time has come for you to get battery backup into your home theater system. The presidential candidates can promise a new electrical grid in the next four years, but let's face it: even if we decide to do such a project as a country, it will take a decade. In the meantime, unless you go solar on your roof, thereby getting completely off the grid, you are likely to be getting dicey power from the local municipality. In the event things go really wrong with the power, a device like the APC S Type could save you from thousands of dollars in repairs. Battery backup is going to be a part of every good home theater from now on.