Power distribution in today's audio and home theater systems require more power outlets than what is usually available on your walls. In addition, concerns about running clean power to your expensive components take a high priority when you've shelled out thousands of dollars on equipment. Another problem is dealing with large power amplifiers that have huge capacitors in their power supplies. Turning them on usually takes a bite out of the wall power initially, due to the in-rush current. Too many components kicking on at once can cause circuit breakers to trip in the house. Panamax implements a set of delayed power outlets on the MAX® 1000+ to help remedy this problem. Once the MAX® 1000+ turns on, the switched outlets power-up. Approximately 10 seconds later, the delayed outlets power-up. This not only helps relieve the initial power needs from the wall, but also gives the preamps time to settle out before turning on the amplifiers. In some cases, not delaying power to the amplifiers will result in a "thump" on the speakers, which can cause damage.
Features:
The MAX® 1000+ is designed to protect over and under voltage conditions from the incoming wall power. When the line voltage
drops below 90V or rises above 134V, the unit will automatically turn off power to your equipment. Once this occurs, the
unit will automatically restore power after a brief period of time when the line voltage has returned to a safe operating
level. The MAX® 1000+ also protects between Line/Neutral, Neutral/Ground and Line/Ground. Panamax has implemented EMI/RFI
Noise Filtration at 50dB (99.7%). This prevents high frequency noise from entering your components. A nice feature on the
MAX® 1000+ that was missing from the earlier MAX® 1000 is the ability to dim the LED display. This is a must for many home
theater installations since no one wants to see distracting lights when they're watching a movie.
The front panel has four LEDs for "Ground OK", "Line Fault", "Power", and "Over/Under Voltage". There is also a row of LEDs for voltage monitoring. The MAX® 1000+ has eight outlets on the back of the unit. 2 are always powered on. Four are controlled by relays when the unit senses a device such as a preamp or receiver powering up. The remaining 2 outlets are delayed approximately 10 seconds for power amplifiers. The MAX® 1000+ also includes a coax input and output to protect equipment from damaging voltages produced by an antenna or cable. This input is not designed for satellite signals because the clamping voltage is quite low (0.7V).
Panamax is so confident that their product will protect your hardware they are offering a Lifetime $5,000,000 Connected Equipment Warranty. The warranty says they will protect your equipment or will repair or replace it up to $5,000,000. With a guarantee like this, it difficult not to feel good about your equipment being connected to their unit.
Performance:
I've had a Panamax MAX® 1000 installed for the past 5 years with flawless performance. However, recently a problem developed
in my old MAX® 1000 that required sending the unit in for repair. Fortunately, Panamax has a number that easily directs you to
the service folks. Support has been excellent on this product and I commend Panamax for the good service I received. Basically
for a fee of $25, Panamax replaced my old MAX® 1000 with a MAX® 1000+ since the old unit is no longer available. It's been several
months now since I replaced my ailing MAX® 1000 with the MAX® 1000+ and fortunately the MAX® 1000+ is everything the old
unit was and more. The new brightness control for the LEDs on the front panel of the MAX® 1000+ was a smart addition since
most of my movie viewing is in a darkened environment. Good job Panamax!
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Although most of my experience with Panamax has been with their MAX® 1000 and MAX® 1000+, they do offer two other units that I had a chance to review. The MAX® 500 is similar to the MAX® 1000+, but lacks the detailed voltage monitoring LEDS and the delayed outlets. Both over-voltage and under-voltage are still featured in this unit with individual LEDs for fault conditions. The advantage of the MAX® 500 is the protection it offers for DirecTV and Dish Network satellite boxes. Since both systems require phone lines for pay-per-view movies and other data retrieval, a protected phone jack is also included. There is also protection for two sets of standard antenna/cable connections on the MAX® 500 DBS.
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If you are looking for a step up from the MAX® 1000+, Panamax offers the MAX® 1500. This unit features all the benefits of the MAX® 1000+ as well as the satellite protection found in the MAX® 500. There are two additional always-on outlets available on this unit for those with greater needs for clean power. This unit also features an AllPath connection on the rear of the unit. AllPath enables users the ability to expand power protection using compatible modules.
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The MAX® 1500 is about twice the height of the MAX® 1000+ and has a nice brushed aluminum front panel. Whatever your needs are, Panamax appears to have all bases covered.
The Final Word:
Panamax offers a great product with an incredible warranty. Any audio or home theater system that needs several outlets
should consider a Panamax MAX® 1000+ unit. My equipment has been connected to the Panamax MAX® 1000 Power Conditioner for
years and I've always felt confident about this product. Now that it has been replaced with the MAX® 1000+, I should have
many more years of trouble free protection. Product quality along with Panamax's customer service makes them one of the
best companies I've had to deal with.
- Kevin Nakano
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Pioneer Elite PRO-610HD HD-Ready TV
Yamaha DSP-A1 Dolby Digital and DTS Amplifier
Adcom GFA555II 2-Channel Amplifier
Adcom GFA5800 2-Channel Amplifier
Panasonic DVD-RV65
Pioneer Elite CLD-99 Laserdisc Player
Silicon Image DVDO iScan Pro Line Doubler