Which Power conditioner? Monster or Panamax?

[sarge1976]

Hi guys,I am looking for a new power conditioner and I narrowed it down to these- Panamax 5300 and Monster Power- EP3650 or HDP2500.(sorry i don't know how to include links) Please give me some opinions and feedback on these units,I want to buy one tomorrow. Thanks

[Hawk]

Originally Posted by sarge1976

Hi guys,I am looking for a new power conditioner and I narrowed it down to these- Panamax 5300 and Monster Power- EP3650 or HDP2500.(sorry i don't know how to include links) Please give me some opinions and feedback on these units,I want to buy one tomorrow. Thanks

I have been very happy with the Panamax and had no issues.

[sarge1976]

thats the one I'm kinda leaning towards but then I saw the new models Monster has out and now I am torn.

[DBlackGT]

The Panamax in my opinion. I bought the Monster 2500 from Best Buy the day it came out returned it very shortly after. The unit IMHO felt cheap, plasticy (if thats even a word haha), and it just didn't seem as well built and solid as the Panamax. And the Panamax displays Voltage and Amps being drawn.

[sarge1976]

what does IMHO mean?(sorry ) Did the Panamax help your PQ on your tv at all?

[BACsader]

In my honest opinion. IMHO. Now I have a question. How big of a difference does a power conditioner make on a home theater, what exactly does it do.

[sarge1976]

I was told it protects your equipment from power spikes and gives you "clean" power to your HT,and can improve your tv,cable,satelite signal. I like the piece of mind it gives me because everything is insured through the company.

[Pelican170]

Dont expect much of an improvement if any really in PQ, I noticed a tiny increase in AQ with the 5300... but none really for PQ..

[DBlackGT]

I use it in the context of In My Humble Opinion but In My Honest Opinion works too haha. and yes I noticed quite a big difference in picture. for example I used to watch the office and when they would interview the people they would sit in front of blinds in the window. on their faces you could see the lines of the blinds continueing through their face. after I got the panamax all the lines were gone and video noise was significantly reduced. colors were also improved and stands out more now.

what a power conditioner does is monitor the incoming power and will shut down in case of a huge spike or surge. it also cleans up the picture by reducing video noise and other interferences caused by ''dirty power''. for example when you have all your power cords tangled up together your likely to get video and audio noise, so power conditioners will do their best to clean up that noise.

hope all this helps.

[sarge1976]

would you recommend the 5300?

[sarge1976]

the 5300 is also a pretty cool looking component to add to my rack,(looks wise) , not that looks will improve the quality of the 5300.

[DBlackGT]

Originally Posted by sarge1976

the 5300 is also a pretty cool looking component to add to my rack,(looks wise) , not that looks will improve the quality of the 5300.

ya it does look pretty cool. the monster almost looks like a toy with the siver plastic in the front in my opinion. but if you run your cable/satellite connection and all the power cords into it you should hear and see a diiference. but must importantly its a piece of mind knowing all your stuff is protected.

[sarge1976]

Hey DBlackgt, I was looking at the pics of you and your dad's HT, The Panamax looks awesome when its lit up ,Damn your Dad has two 5300's ,Anyway's both of you have awesome setups

[DBlackGT]

Originally Posted by sarge1976

Hey DBlackgt, I was looking at the pics of you and your dad's HT, The Panamax looks awesome when its lit up ,Damn your Dad has two 5300's ,Anyway's both of you have awesome setups

Well thank you. And yesthey do look cool. Everytime people come over to either of our houses the first thing they always ask is: "whats the cool looking thing with the blue lights?" haha

[sarge1976]

Thats it! after seeing your pics I am gonna go with the Panamax

[Bluedevilfan]

Don't rule out the Furman line. I've heard good things about them and Home Theater Magazine likes them. Elite 15 or Elite 20 series are popular for modest consumers. Elite 15 if your system is on a 15 amp breaker, Elite 20 for a 20 amp breaker. My 2cents

[turbodslbeetle]

Why is the Belkin line never mentioned when talking about power conditioners? I have the Belkin PureAV Home Theater Battery Backup with AVR on my system. Since my house is on a surge protector from the power company, much stronger than anything built into these AVR units, I didn't see the need for the strongest of surge protection in my AVR unit. On the other hand I do like being able to save my game and shut my system down in the event of a power failure. I can also continue to watch my movie while the power flicks off and on during a storm.

Side note: I did see an improvement with PQ and AQ after installing this in my H/T setup.

Bobby

[Lucy Diamond]

Furman is the only power conditioner.

[JJ]

APC series make solid conditioners, whether the H10 or H15. I would go with Panamax second. I am unknowledgeable about the Furman line,

[HeManster03]

i wish you guys came into my store. haha. every customer i talk about power to looks at me like i ride the short bus everyday. lol. "wont the surge protector i got from walmart that i also happen to hook up my xmas lights with work just fine?" god i want to smack those people in the face.

ill agree with previous posters that regardless of which unit you have, it will definately help with aq and pq, but most importantly give you that piece of mind. I have the Monster hts1600 on mine, but im not real sure i like the look of the newer ones. i might pick up the 3600 as a prerequsite for my new system that ill be building before it gets discontinuned, but either unit will be great for you, as i have had nothing but good things to say about both companys in my past dealings with them