I did not realize how old this unt was until I read a few of the reviews in here. I picked this up off Ebay for $50 and put it to use in my 2ch setup in the livingroom. The setup in the livingroom shares off the same circuit as the kitchen on the other side of the wall, so when the icemaker kicks on or the microwave is used I would get a poping sound outputted through the system. I have read over the years about line conditioners and always felt its propose was for people that lived in older homes (pre 80's builds) so I had no real interest in the subject.

When I turn my system back on and starting playing some of the music I normally listen to, I had to admit I have been wrong and missing out on some better sounding music. The improvement was not life changing, but noticable to those that consider themselves critcal listeners. First off it did take away the poping/surges I was getting from the kitchen appliances, but the sound from my setup was improved in the midrange area along with others. I am looking forward to adding another one (Panamax 5300-EX) to my HT setup and see if I will get improvements in video as well.

Fits and looks perfect next to most av gear. Big improvement in picture quality, haven't heard much audio improvement but that could be due to my lack of any digital sources to listen through.

I'd like it to be deeper. I have a very deep H/K amp and this unit is hard to get to because I have to fit my hands under the amp and I don't want to put anything above the amp because it blocks the heat from dissipating.

Just recently had a thunderstorm here. I am using a panamax for my AV gear and a Belkin for my pc. I was at the pc when the power started fluctuating and it must've turned the pc on and off about 5 times before I managed to reach under the desk to unplug it. I glanced out of the room at my HT to see if everything was ok, and the panamax had a red light on(as opposed to 2 green ones which mean everything is ok). My tv and amp were all turned off (disconnected) by the panamax and remained off during the surge unlike the pc connected to the belkin. I'm not an expert but I can't imagine how 5 quick surges of electricity could affect an amp, so apart from being a nice line conditioner which othes have mentioned, I feel VERY safe hooking anything up to this surge protector or at least safer than using a belkin.

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Belkin, Furmans & Rack Riders(amazing improvement after hooking these up to bass and guitar amps, power conditioning is an important asset, and it is obvious after hearing the difference in the studio

Good protection and excellent rejection of interference.

Excellent value, performs as well as the $800 power conditioners...definitely helps with regulating current also for high powered amps/subs. Only wish it had more outlets now so I could plug everything in my room into it, not just my precious AV gear.

Surge protection and automatic shutdown on undervoltages. Also up to $5,000,000 insurance on your gear if any is destroyed by power surges when they are properly hooked up to the Panamax 500DBS.

Only 7 outlets available and only 2 of them are always on. Difference is video quality is hard to detect possibly depends on the video equipment.

This line conditioner/surge suppressor is great in that it also stops surges from any coaxial source, such as an antenna, satellite system, cable television, etc. The difference in sound quality is subtle, but can be satisfying; there seems to be less noise. With DVD video sources, I did not notice any increased performance, such as increased vibrancy of color, nor fewer artifacts, but it could be a reflection on the quality of the Sony DVP-S7700. It's a good value, considering a quantum leap in performance is thousands of dollars more, such as the Cinepro PowerPro series with balanced AC.

does what it claims to do

price, construction could be better

I have to say I was cynical when paying $150 for what basically is a power strip. However, I figured if I don't hear a significant improvement out of my system, I can always return it. Well, the first thing I found out was the outlet that I had been using had a ground fault. So I plugged the Panamax unit to a different outlet and connected all my equipment to it. A BIG DIFFERENCE. The bass is more pronounced than it was, the treble more rounded, and most of all, I can hear the rears much clearer when playing a movie. On the negative side, the unit enclosures seem to be made of the same material of my cheapo Panasonic vcr. For the price, it should be built a lot more rugged.

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generic power strip

Works as advertised. Very slim.

None really. Do not see much inprovement with video. Audio sounds a little cleaner.

Good for a mid-range AV set up.

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Cheaper $30.00 suppressors.

Includes connections for DSS cable and telephone.

No voltage level indicator lites.

I originally chose this model to go in my son's room because it is the least expensive rack mountable unit from Panamax. When I received it, I noticed it had connections for DSS cable and the telephone, which the Max 1000+ does not. Since then, we have switched over to DirecTV and these outlets have come in handy.

One of the pieces of equipment connected to this unit is an old Compaq computer my in-laws gave to my son. We couldn't believe the improvement in the picture on the monitor! It looked like a new machine.

Since then, we have added a Sony Wega TV, VCR, and RCA DSS receiver. The picture quality is excellent but, since these have not been connnected to any other power source, I don't have anything to compare it to.

The 500 DBS doesn't have the voltage indicator lites or trigger for remote shut-off that the more expensive units do. I like the indicator lites, but you have to upgrade to the more expensive Max 1500 to get them and the DSS cable and telephone connections. I don't use the trigger on the other units anyway, so that is not an issue.

For the money, I would rather have the 500 DBS with the DSS cable and phone connections than the more expensive 1000+ that does not.

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Max 1000+, Max1500

I have the MAX500 model.A very good unit,never had any problems,the front cover could have been a little more solidly attached,feels alittle weak.Complements my home theatre very well and looks like a piece of equipement,in fact is the same width like my centre channel PSB.

Other than the front plate ,everything else is rock solid,even thou is been moved around never ever broke.

Very good products,i would trust Panamax any time to protect my valuables,there are some new players in this field but they can't beat PANAMAX's reputation,in fact i even recomended Panamax to my friends or anyone that wants the best.

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I also have two more Panamax PowerMax DBS+3.I use one to run my high speed cable for my DELL,and the other for telephones,vhs rewinder etc.

Expanded, more accurate frequency response from system

Only 7 outlets

I recently added the MAX500DBS to my system consisting of a Rotel 965, Atl Tech 350THX with 1 sub, Infinity SSW212 Sub, Toshiba 2108 DVD and Toshiba 55h60 TV. The difference is AMAZING. First of all, the Infinity sub was picking up RFI from a local radion station, which has now been eliminated, as has a ground loop hum. Both these problems could only be detected by being 6 inches from the sub previously. There is also an occaisonal "pop" from the sub when I turn on my ceiling fan, which the line conditioner did not remove.
Most importantly, the sound. The high frequency reproduction is much sharper with improved imaging. I'm not kidding--it's a huge difference. The bass now has both better output as well as less distortion, so much so that I've had to turn down the subwoofer level on the receiver (from +6 to +2) for fear breaking my wife's china!
For example, the soundtrack on "Lost In Space" (I got it free, OK?) is an outstanding demo, particularly the explosions during the climax. The CD "Hell Freezes Over" by the Eagles, in particular, "Hotel California" is another great reference.
The video also improved. There were three or four channels through the cable which were a little fuzzy and now are clear. I've been told my cable signal if very high (maybe too high). The MAX500 seems to temper this. On DVDs, the colors seemed more enhanced (I had already done the Video essentials thing).

What are you waiting for? Buy this thing. It's only $180 (over the 'net)! You get lifetime surge protection from Panamax as well as first rate line conditioning. I'll give it 5 stars for value and would like to give it 4.75 for performance because of the "pop", fully realizing that it is the subwoofer's fault. Overall 5 Stars.

Many features for the price

None that I have encountered

I recently purchased the Panamax 500DBS for my system and have had excellent results. The previous problems I had with AC line noise have been eliminated. This seems to be a better deal for sat system owners than the more expensive MAX 1000, as it has DBS protection and phone line protection as well. It does have one less outlet, but I think the compromise is well worth it. Highly recommended!