Panamax - 11-Outlet Power Conditioner/Surge Protector - Black

Well, waiting for the Niagara 1200 to come back into stock as it appears they've been on a national back order for some time made me think. So I gave a look at the Furman Elite 15i which was a few hundred less expensive and very feature oriented, I thought I might go a little upmarket and checked out the Furman IT Reference 15i which is based on an isolation transformer and is probably the best way to go. At between $2600 and $2800 though I thought to myself I really like records and I like to play them as much as I want which presumes I'll need a phono cartridge again in a year or so there are better things I can do with the cash. There were others I took a passing glance at, McIntosh's Power Controller, the more expensive Audioquest Niargara 3000 and even a Torus. Poking around the internet I ran across Panamax which I've seen displayed at Best Buy but passed them by since I though I wanted to get away from power conditioners that were totally sacrificial. But I've been using an Adcom ACE 515 A/C Enhancer for the last 26 years that uses MOVs and it's never taken a hit big enough to turn it into a doorstop. Also the Panamax' were on sale. I decided to investigate the top two models, the most expensive the M5400-PM included voltage regulation and according to Panamax if you don't have trouble with line voltage fluctuations you don't need it so I focused on the M5300-PM which has all the same features without the regulation. Turns out this unit is well featured, has unfiltered high current outlets (for amps) and individually filtered and switched and un-switched outlets and also some readouts that might be considered superfluous for voltage and amperage. So, for less than $600 including tax I went online and paid for one and then went to pick it up. Though it was very easy to set up it forced me to rearrange some component locations, namely my phono stage and Neo PSU and disconnect and rerun all of my equipment's interconnects and power cords. It was worth it as all the wiring back there was getting out of hand and was creating avenues for noise to potentially get into the system. There may be a lot of controversy around the efficacy of components such as powerline conditioners but I found the results of adding this one quite startling. The first record I put on was an Analog Production 2 x 45 Blue Note Of John Patton's - Here Comes John and the first thing I noticed before I even reached my listening spot was the presence of his Hammond B3 as if it was firmly anchored center stage between the speakers. Fred Jackson's and Harold Vick's saxophones were beautifully resolved and when Ben Dixon's drums came in the shimmer and decay of his cymbal strikes had a delicately metallic ring. Grant Green's guitar was present and clear with each individual note having a very tangible presence. I've listened to some very beautiful records since I brought this powerline conditioner home and I continue to be impressed. Yesterday I listened to a CD remaster of Joni Michell's - Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and as totally enthralled, today it was the Pure Pleasure double LP of The Clifford Jordan Quartet's Glass Bead Games. Each record I'm listening to the soundstage is wider, the imaging is more vivid and the presentation is more atmospheric.

I bought this to replace a 15 year old monster cable balance power conditioner that bit the dust after years of heavy use. This power conditioner/surge protector does the job well and looks decent doing it. This has many built in features that are easily built in to suit most die hard audio video enthusiasts needs. This panamax unit has my 4ktv, Avr, sub, bluray player, PS5, & 2 sonos amps plugged into it for surge protection. I like that this not only show the volt coming into the unit, but also the amperage draw from equipment hooked up to it.

Operation is simple showing available voltage and current loads. My only suggestion would be to allow for remote control of function with either a physical remote or more useful with applications running on smart devices such phones and tablets.

Power conditioner feels solid and well-made. Packing protected unit in shipping. Kept voltage at 117-121 as amps flucuated due to soundtrack. Each outlet is labeled in (5) filtered pairs.

I bought 2 of these for my AV Racks for my home theater. The build quality is great I like the isolated outlets they are rack mountable. I really like the always on feature on some banks but you can switch the other outlets off. The fans in my AV racks don't have an off switch so turning them off while keeping other devices on really comes in handy. The warning is this although they say high current plugins for amps and reciever. DO NOT plug your receivers subwoofers or power amplifiers into them. These type of conditioners restrict or limit current and amps need unrestricted current to work they're best. The consequence of this is it can severely affect the dynamics imaging and soundstage of your home theater. I learned this the hard way. From the moment I plugged it in I heard a huge difference in sound. After I checked in on several av forums I learned from others about this problem. If you have a dedicated 20 amp circuit to your home theater plug all your other gear into these but plug your amps subwoofers and av receivers straight into the wall. If your worried about surges just unplug them when not in use. I like the product but am giving them 3 stars for advertising they can be utilized for all your home theater gear when they clearly are not made for any type of amplifier that needs unrestricted current.

Easy to set up. Easy to use. This is actually the second 5300 I own. Reason why I got a second one is because I needed another pair of high current outlets. Does it’s job without hesitation. I did have a question for the company (which I emailed), but never got a response.

Very good, high quality product. If you have a lot of very high quality home theater products, like I do, this is a must to protect your investment. A typical surge protector just wont do the job. They are fine for many things but not when you have a lot invested in home theater or expensive electrical equipment. I have a Pioneer Elite TV(Pictured), a Sony 3D Projector, Klipsch THX Ultra2 Home Theater System (Photo Attached), Sunfire Amp and Pre-Amp, DirecTv Geanie, Samsung 3D Blue Ray Player, Control 4 remote, and the 4x2 HDMI switcher all hooked up to this and I still have more inputs if I add to this list. Very good product and looks good (even though mine is hidden in a storage room) too.

If you are like me and spent $1000’s on home theater gear you owe it to yourself to protect it! This unit has plenty of inputs for all your gear. I have an Onkyo receiver, SVS sub, Sony 4K tv, AppleTv 4K, router/modem, ect and this powers them all with easy. The dimmer for the front meters is a nice touch.