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Power Supplies & Performance

Howdy, folks. I’ve read in some posts here-and-there that a power supply can affect the performance of a system, and I was hoping to get some feedback from those of you ’in-the-know’.

My system equipment is below. Can any of you comment about how much, and what sort of, improvement (if any), I might have by removing the Panamax conditioner? My worry is that we have a fair number of power outages in my area, so I don’t want to place the equipment at risk. But if it’s going to make a dramatic improvement, it might be worth considering.

  • Bryston 4B-ST
  • Krell KRC-3
  • HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro
  • Panamax M4300PM
  • Martin Logan ReQuest (2nd Gen)
  • Polk PSW650 Sub
  • Cables: Acoustic Zen all around - Satori to speakers, Matrix Reference to Subwoofer, Matrix Reference XLR to amp, Matrix Reference 2 from DAC to Krell. Experimenting also with Silver Reference 1 and 2 between DAC and Krell to see what I like.
Thanks in advance!
parabolic

Showing 3 responses by gdhal

gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
I have a Panamax MR4300.  Not sure how that differs from a M4300PM. 

I know first hand the Panamax is very accurate in that it will shut down if over/under voltage is detected. Offhand I think the threshold is 130/100 respectively. 

In my case all equipment I have connected to it does not draw more than its rated capacity. But as others have pointed out, if your Bryston alone needs better than 15 amps, you may want to consider a separate solution just for that.



gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
@williewonka 

Just pointing out that Panamax and Furman are manufactured by the same company, Core Brands. 
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
@williewonka 

I'm not sure if the merger was recent, but Core Brands has been the parent company for at least 18 months, which was the time I had "checked" into this and bought my Panamax. I spoke to a Panamax rep (tech support) at that time and he basically told me both brands are good performers but that Furman would be better in the case of voltage regulation. Voltage regulation isn't/wasn't something I was looking for so I went with the less expensive option (Panamax). Both Panamax and Furman have many models from which to choose and that too can govern which product is best for your particular needs.

Also, the owner of a local electronics ma-and-pa repair shop where I bought the Panamax from told me he personally had an MR4300 on an oscilloscope and other measuring devices in order to test Panamax's claims of power filtration and over/under voltage shut down. He advised me it did pass as they advertise. He didn't check the surge protection aspect of the device as he told me that's a one-and-done deal (i.e. the unit sacrifices itself by blowing mosfets and perhaps other components).  I think Furman is the same in that regard. 

Admittedly, I would tend to agree with you that Furman appears to be more professionally oriented as opposed to Panamax which appears to target "the masses". But I recall a comparable (to my MR4300) Furman costing at least twice what I paid ($229) and I just didn't want to go that route. 

Moreover, I am using a dedicated (separate breaker) 20 AMP wall outlet >>> Emotiva CMX-2 >>> Panamax MR4300 >>> all audio and video equipment. The CMX-2 provided a DC filter, and I don't think Panamax or Furman offer that functionality. 
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