Some people with home theaters never bother to use a power conditioner and some even seem to think they make the sound worse, but I completely disagree. My Panamax M5300-EX has cleared up the sound of my system and has made the overall quality much better.

In case you don’t know much about power conditioners, they are just a component you add to your home theater system that acts like a surge protector. But, it goes further than just protecting your equipment from power surges. It also helps maintain a continual voltage feed to your system. Therefore, temporary voltage reductions don’t impact your sound system at all. Another perk of power conditioners is that they can help filter out EMI and can smooth out the rhythmic cycle created from alternating current and my Panamax does just that.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use a power conditioner. Some of my buddies swore up and down to me that power conditioners cause some loss of high end, which I didn’t want to have happen with my system. So, I shied away from power conditioners for years. After a terrible storm knocked out my system and had me worried some of it had been fried, I decided to start looking into power conditioners. Luckily, none of my equipment was destroyed, but I didn’t want to take the chance.

I did quite a bit of research before settling on the Panamax M5300-EX. I couldn’t really find any reviews, so I had to depend on the specs. I liked that the system offered level 4 power cleaning and filtration, which helps to eliminate all types of sounds like pops, hums, hisses, visual artifacts, and even loss of detail. In addition, this unit offered a special new kind of AVM circuitry that continuously monitors the incoming power and it is displayed with a digital meter. I liked that I could actually see the power with the meter, which makes it easier for me to monitor.

I also liked the design of the Panamax. It has a simple indicator light that flashes whenever the power goes under or over voltage. And it can hold 11 outlets, with 4 being capable of being always on, 4 being switched outlets, and 6 being delayed outlets. It also has a nice and long 10 foot cord, which makes it easier for me to move around or place in an area away from the rest of my equipment. The fact that the unit was backed by a 3 year warranty and lightning protection didn’t hurt either.

So far, my Panamax has definitely done its job. During major storms when my lights are flickering, I have experienced no interference with my home theater. Even when the weather is fine, I have notice a much clearer sound as the power conditioner has removed those annoying pops I used to hear. To make it better, there was no sacrifice to any of the sound.