Panamax M5100-PM 11 Outlet Clean Power Level 3 - Black

In June `08, I stepped up and purchased a "big boy" home theater system. I went a little crazy and probably spent more than I needed to, but, when it comes to boys and their toys, there really is no limit!

Several factors made me get a power line conditioner like this. Here in Florida, we're subject to lightning strikes nearly every day from May-October, and the occasional brownout and blackout when hurricanes cross the state, so protection from nature's electrical disturbances was extremely important to me. In addition, I wanted to make sure that all of my electronics have as long of a lifespan as possible part of that means making sure the power supply that feeds the theater's components maintains a steady output of 120 volts. I also wanted to have a surge protector that looked great with the rest of my theater, and wasn't just a flat strip or plastic laying flat on the floor behind the entertainment stand. Last, I have a `thing' for gadgets with blue LED lights on them lol So my mind was made up -my purchase had to include a "real" power conditioner/surge protector.

Unfortunately, I didn't buy this product through Amazon, which I should have done because of the price difference, but, instead, I purchased this unit at one of the "Best" electronics retailers, along with the rest of the components for my theater. There were a couple other brands of line conditioners available to purchase (I think Monster had a few models on display), but I didn't like their models simply due to their aesthetics -all of Monster's line conditioners were silver with faux wood grain trim, which would have clashed with my theater's components that are all black. Nevertheless, this Panamax line conditioner has done exactly what it's built to do it regulates the power flow to my LCD TV, my receiver , my speakers, my Wii, and my PS3.

The back of the power bank even has enough outlets (eleven in total) with enough space to comfortably fit several AC adapters side-by-side. In addition to the components mentioned above, I've even plugged in the recharger for my PS3 remote controls, the recharger for the home theater's universal remote control, and my cordless telephone.

The Panamax has inputs and outputs for telephone and cable TV connections. Since lightning can travel through telephone and cable TV lines, I took full advantage of this and plugged in my cordless phone and my cable box into these outputs to shield my components from any bit of nature's electricity.

For convenience, Panamax designed a USB port on the front of the unit to recharge your iPod, PS3 controllers, or whatever else you have that's powered or recharged by a USB plug. There's also a separate AC outlet on the front, so you can plug in whatever else you need in a pinch instead of having to go behind the unit and plug it in (for example, I use that AC outlet all the time to plug in my Mac laptop's adapter).

So far, power supply has been extremely steady. I haven't had any screen flickering in the TV or noise popping in the speaker or receiver when lightning strikes close-by. The unit's even got a built-in display that indicates the strength of the voltage that's coming into the unit from your wall outlet. That's where that cool blue light comes into play :)

Overall, I'm very happy with purchasing this Panamax unit. It provides peace of mind for my new electronic toys, convenient power outlets on the front, plenty of outlets on the back, plus it looks great together with the rest of my theater components. I would highly recommend protecting your pricey electronic investments with this unit!

I have owned a Panamax 5100 for 5 months now and am completely satisfied with the performance. We have had no power surges, brown-outs or outages in our area during this time (my computer's UPS software monitors this) so the 5100 has not been put to any test in this way, although I don't doubt that it would work. However, the BIG change was in the sound of my mid-level audiophile 2-channel music system (Primare, Bryston & Vienna Acoustics equipment) and the quality of the picture on my Sharp Aquos LCD television. The sound was immediately more rich, detailed and musical and with a much quieter background. The TV picture became clearer with deeper color. I bought this device on the advice of an audiophile friend, but was VERY skeptical beforehand and frankly thought these claims of improvement were BS. I can now attest to the benefit to music and picture. Please note that, in my opinion, this nor any other power conditioner will make that much of a difference to low priced audio systems or tube TVs.

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In my living room I have an audio rack set up, that has a pre-amp, 3 amps, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, CD/DVD, Tape Deck, AppleTV, Tivo, and an HTPC. I've been trying to figure out how to eliminate my phantom draw and had been using a Smart Strip. But, I was tired of pushing my rack back against the wall, only to have the power strip between the wall and the rack, preventing me from pushing things more "flush".

So, I looked at the various rackmounted options. Some for computers, some for AV equipment. I've used the Tripp Lite Home Theater and PC rackmounted power distribution systems, and they had pluses and minuses. I had looked at Monster, but they get really expensive...and I'm not entirely convinced that I get "cleaner sound" or "picture". What I can tell you is that I do run a dedicated outlet for my audio equipment, but I don't buy an $80 plug for that outlet. So, that's who I am, crazy, but not crazy, crazy.

I found the Panamax units to be well priced, well featured and rackmountable. I use the 12v trigger to turn on the switchable outlets, this eliminates the phantom draw concern. I also found that the dreaded ground loop hum was nullified by hooking up the coax cable through the Panamax. So, that was a nice surprise.

Now, I've owned and use the Panamax 5100, the 5300 and Tripp Lite's HT1210 Tripp Lite HT1210ISOCTR 12-Outlet Home Theater Isobar A/V Power Center (5700 Joules, Tel/Ethernet/Coax) (http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-HT1210ISOCTR-12-Outlet-Ethernet/dp/B000MOS8GW/ref=cm_cr-mr-title). The Tripp Lite has a remote control, which I've had trouble using consistently (sync issues, not very good line of sight control, etc.) but the trigger plug on the back is not a trigger plug, it's a remote control repeater plug. So, you can't use a 12v mic plug to have it switch on from your receiver/amp. Also, the Tripp Lite has no dimming capability for the front LED. The Panamax does.

In a bedroom setting, the ability to dim those lights, is key.

So, I can't say that my audio sounded better/cleaner. I can say that I've eliminated my phantom power draw on my components. I turn on my preamp, and everything else turns on in sequence. Things I need on all the time (like TIVO) are always on...as is my TV. So, I don't have to turn on my stereo to watch Tivo. I prefer the Panamax to the Tripp Lite and you can find the Panamax refurbished at comparable prices. I also like being able to dim the LED's on the Panamax.

I do think it's important to have some sort of surge/power protection. I also think the power cleaning circuity can't hurt and, in the case of my coax cable ground loop problem, it improved things.

Overall, I think Panamax is a better deal than Monster's variants....and I can rest assured that my equipment is as well protected as it can be. Even if I had all the money in the world, I'm not so sure I'd spend $1k on a surge protector....But under $300, and I figure it's a good investment, that will get me more outlets, more control, and clean up my wiring mess behind my rack.

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provides plenty of power outlets. I walked across the carpet picking up static electricity and touched the unit. A small static arc happened and it detected it and shut everything down. I can't say that the audio has improved highs and all that vodo everyone else talks about. This company also manufactures equipment with the Furman name which has been protecting pro audio for years. Great unit for the price.

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The Panamax M5100-PM power conditioner is a very good product for a small to mid size home theater system.

I picked the 5100-PM over the 5300-PM on price alone. One weekend the 5100-PM was at about $250.00 versus the 5300-PM at around $499.00. I have since found the 5300-PM on sale at around $300.00 from authorized re-sellers. The main difference is the 5300-PM has 2 more isloated banks. So, if you have a more complex set-up the 5300-PM is the way to go.

I found this unit straight forward in terms of set-up and performance. The unit is very strudy, well built and seems to work just fine. Of course you only know the unit is working after a power failure and surge event. I decided to purchase the 5100-PM and the MIW-XT extension system after a power interrupt event in my area. We just purchased a new 50" Plamsa and I nearly freaked out at the thought of a power intrrupt taking my new $2k plus plasma out. The MIW-XT (I rated the Panamax MIW-XT seperately) helps extend the 5100-PM capabilities to my remotely located plasma and sub-woofer.

Some other reviewer report a difference in picture and sound quality however, I have not....yet. It provides peace of mind knowing my whole system is protected if a power surge event happens.

All in all I very satisfied with the order (From OneCall on Amazon), the delivery, the set-up and performance. I hope that I never have to find out about the protection.