Panamax Power Conditioner: Keep or Upgrade

power conditioning is very situation and system specific

really no way to know other than get something else, and try it

Tripp Lite Isobar Ultra or Furman with LiFT and SMP are in the same price range. I like them because they use big coils to slow down a surge, letting the circuit have time to act.

Since all of these have components that will eventually wear out replacing every 15-20 years is not a terrible idea.

I use Furman for audio and Tripp Lite for PC and other sensitive electronics.

Of course, Brickwall and Zerosurge have a fantastic rep, but also about 3-4x as expensive.

If it`s sacrificial, or has MOV`s( which degrade over time depending on how many instances they protect from surges or spikes ), it may be best to replace it.

Furman, or Brickwall, would be excellent replacements.

Thanks for the responses so far.
Wondering if I haven’t had any issues with the Panamax, Ishould just leave well alone, despite its age?
Anyone had any experience with the iFi Powerstation?
Not cheap (about $500) but seems interesting.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/powerstation/

I like the PowerStation; IMHO the best option in its price range. I have several in secondary systems and in the recording studio.

For my main stereo where I don't have cost constraints, I use the Puritan Audio Labs PSM156.

I had a Panamax M5100 for several years. Replaced it with an Audioquest Niagara 1200. Furman is also a good option.

I am sorry that I cannot provide any information of a suitable product in a very inexpensive price range.

If you have the budget, the Puritan PSM156 works very well, and is one of the cheaper solutions that deliver at it’s level of performance (that I have encountered). Go online and look at internal photos, you will see individual isolation between each outlet, compare that to others, though it may not promise to be the best, it sure shows the engineering intent.

Maybe someone can direct you to a free trial, I think the importer offered a money back period - mine sure didn’t go back.

As you’ve not discussed your system, and yeah I understand where you’re coming from, but my digital has much lower noise floor.

Generally, I would never suggest an over the budget solution, however if you were to stretch it - this is one buy that might be worthy of such a lack of discipline.

Other than MOVs it's likely fine. Replace the MOVs

PI Audio's Uberbuss is a great power conditioner for a reasonable price.

I think it's half the price of the Puritan but has no surge protection. I got a Seimens FS140 whole house surge suppressor by the breaker box.

I had the 1500 panamax for years and when i sold it for $50 on offer up I got myself a Furman 20 , 20A is a little better has better filtering , its a rock solid piece I picked it up used on eBay for 400 , The Furman 20 has a capacitor bank inside Power factor is what they call it it also gives you a work light on the front so you can mount it high in your rack and beam light down. Ive spoke to the tech department at Furman/panamax Same company Furman is better and whatever you do stay away from the Panamax 5400 the tech department advised me it has a voltage regulator its there flagship model and all voltage regulators induce noise so stay away unless you need it it what they told me , pay a little more and get a Furman. None of these things are going to blow your skirt up but the panamax 1500 had a fixed power cord and the firman you can change out the cord so if your a tweaker and want to change the cord out there you go. My panamax took hits over the years and always did it's job , every time you have a power outage there is a surge of some kind when the power is restored , its a must have . 

I have a Panamax M5100 myself - have had it for 18 years now. It supports a 9.2 channel 3-zone Network AV Receiver based system. No noise, no problems. Don't remember original cost. Got a Panamax MR4300 about 2 years ago for a second system that is strictly 2-channel audio. Got it for something like $225 on line. It supports a flat panel TV, CD Transport, CD Player, Power Amp, and 3 Integrated Amps, with still two A/C outlets available. Also has a front face USB for smart phone charging.  No noise, no problems. Panamaxes are easily lowest cost pieces in my systems.  See no reason to spend more. Happy listening.

I worked at a store near the NE coastline when our buyers brought in Panamax, and later, Monster Power, with incentives (carrots and sticks) to “attach” these profitable items to our sales, and to serve the best interests of our customers. Anecdotally, over years of observation I saw little change in the frequency of customers coming in with damaged gear after T-storms, Panamax or not.  Where I work now we offer SurgeX, Audioquest, and Transparent. I think there is a real difference between the MOV based products and these and other brands that are “non-sacrificial”.  

Anyone who thinks anything will handle a direct lightning strike is dreaming..

If you can, Unplug when a thunderstorm is close and getting closer.

IMO, sources and preamps can be filtered, power amps should not. If sources & pre's have 3 pin power cords, this can cause loop issues. Balanced gear may solve loop issues as will 2 in power devices.

Did you guys know, that Panamax bought Furman in 2006 and it seems that now there are Nortek Security & Control, so hard to tell which one between these two are better

Hello,
I second the Puritan PSM 156 or 136. Puritan outdid themselves on these two products. They take about 12 days to fully break in. I call it the 12 days of Christmas. This store in the Chicagoland area lets you try in your home before you buy.they have them already broken in for demoing. You will notice instantly. Twelve hours after all your caps fully charge you will want to listen to your entire music collection. What else do you have to do. 
https://holmaudio.com/
 And you will buy. Each of the plugs is isolated from one another unlike the Audio Quest line that has banks of four. So instead of three banks on the AQ line you have six separate banks. No crosstalk between outlets. If you can afford it you will not be disappointed. It also comes with a power cord to go from the wall to the Puritan. AQ does not come with a power cord. You can upgrade that power cord to a better Puritan model called the Ultimate XX. It is a thicker gauge, more filtering, and even better dissipation due to the carbon fiber and thicker outer cover. I have had Monster, Panamax, and Furman. They did not hold a candle to the Puritan and the models I had of those other brands were in the same price range. I think every audiophile should have a Puritan in their system. 

Again, many thanks to everyone for reading my post and offering their input. Think I will probably research and shop around on several of the options mentioned. Based primarily on age and the upgrades on a couple of my other components, think it’s time for a change.
Will keep the Panamax for a secondary system I am also pulling together.
Maybe I’ll start with a dedicated power line off the mains box too?!
It never ends……….

Maybe I’ll start with a dedicated power line off the mains box too?!

Wise choice. Consider installing an Environmental Potentials EP-2050 whole house surge protector and noise filter at the service panel as part of the installation.

Environmental Potentials EP-2050

@tvad - it doesn't shunt to ground? Interesting, I've been installing lightening protection on oilfield devices recently, and they use heat from a surge to open a circuit to shunt to ground, using pretty heavy gauge wire.

This uses 14AWG, still reasonable amp and voltage handling, but doesn't shunt energy to ground (not even a distinct ground with different potential?). If it's not redirecting it, is it converting the energy?
Okay, you got me fascinated.

Anyone who thinks anything will handle a direct lightning strike is dreaming..

Unless your nuts enough to try this bad boy out >
https://inhabitat.com/lightning-proof-bolt-tents-will-keep-you-safe-in-a-storm/

@ieales - kidding, I'm with you regarding lightening. And no, I don't have that crazy tent.

I tried the iFi Ac Purifier and didn't like it. It had a negative effect on the dynamics of my system so I gave it away. I never tried the power station. I know it has an AC Purifier built in so I  think it would have the same effect. However. it might work in some systems, just not in mine. If you decide to try it, you would want to check out the return policy.

Anyone who thinks anything will handle a direct lightning strike is dreaming..

Very few surge damages are caused by direct lightning strikes. In this case you probably have a fire on the side of your house, and losing an amp is the least of your concerns.

There's a lot of damaging surges, caused by lightning or accidents or power company switching, which can be dealt with by surge suppressors pretty effectively.  Around here it is simply impossible to unplug things when lightning might be near by.  Storms can roll in suddenly when I am away from home and a lot of my equipment isn't audio but work related.  The usual network and computer infrastructure a remote worker needs.

From a personal perspective a couple of times when I've had my Furman with LiFT and SMP out of the loop I noticed it.  Things were better with it in.