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Panamax Power Conditioner: Keep or Upgrade

I have a Panamax Max 1500 Surge Protector/Power Line Conditioner which I have had in my system for approx. 15 years.
Recently I began the process of upgrading parts of my system. Wondering if I should replace the Panamax due to its age and the advancement in technologies over the time period?
Any recommendations on this?
I am looking for thoughts and feedback on whether the Panamax is still serviceable, especially from those that have experience of this model, or maybe look at other parts of my system?
Thoughts on the Panamax and if majority feel it’s time for an updated model, please let me have some recommendations. Budget to mid-range price ranges. Would like to keep it, as we all would, the best bang for the buck!
Not going to outline the rest of my system, so I get feedback just on this power conditioner question. Especially because it is the oldest piece in my system.
Thanks for all comments and thoughts!
Big E
ianhorseman

Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,930 posts
 
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.
erik_squires
15,930 posts
 
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.
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