Panamax surge protector

Last Updated on January 11, 2021 by Marc Edwards

From time to time, I have people asking me what is the best form of protection from power spikes and surges for home audio video systems. My reply has always been the same. “Invest in a power management and conditioning system that comes with surge protection”. Panamax MR4300 is high on my list of recommendation should people ask what brand and model they should consider. It is a well-known brand most technology professionals trust.

For over 4 decades, Panamax has been protecting electronics worth $billions from damaging power conditions like surges and spikes.

In this Panamax MR4300 review post, I will highlight the many features and benefits of MR4300.

I will also explain why it is a brand and model we highly recommend to friends and clients.

Core Features and Benefits of Panamax MR4300

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Panamax MR4300 9-Outlet Home Theater Power Management with Surge Protection and Power Conditioning

• 9 protected and filtered outlets featuring exclusive automatic voltage monitoring (avm), protect or disconnect technology and Panamax level 3 noise filtration.
• Industries best protection – specifically designed and engineered to provide protected and filtered power to home theater systems.
• Guards against damaging power spikes and current fluctuations that can harm your AV system components and impact performance.
• $5, 000, 000 Limited Lifetime connected equipment protection policy; lifetime product warranty
• With over 30 years of innovation, millions of units Sold, multiple patents granted and numerous industry awards, Panamax is the recognized leader in AV equipment protection.

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What We Love About It?

Needless to say, Panamax’s patented Automatic Voltage Monitoring (AVM) and Protect or Disconnect™ Technology are the 2 features that I absolutely adore.

The power management and monitoring feature and surge protection ability make Panamax MR4300 a much better investment than most Type 3 surge protection devices.

Minor Flaws – What to Expect?

One customer mentioned that the orientation of the outlets are 90 degree from a standard wall outlet and that makes it difficult to make use of all 8 outlets without blocking adjacent outlets.

In my opinion, this is all subjective to how we orientate the power cord when we plug in to the wall outlet.

Another person mentioned that radio interference might not be filtered properly as he experienced certain static in his system when he turns on his room light.

Personally, I feel that it could have been just an isolated incident. EMI/RFI interference should be properly filtered. MR4300’s Linear Filtration feature eliminates all contaminated power  including loss of details, pops, hisses, hums and visual artifacts.

Who Should Buy It?

You should really check out MR4300 if you have a costly home theater system that you need to protect from power spikes and unexpected lightning strikes.

It’s power management and conditioning features will help shield all your equipment from damaging voltages.

Who Shouldn’t Buy It?

If you are on a budget constraint and do not really have costly home entertainment system at home that needs power monitoring and management, a Point-of-Use surge protector like APC P11U2 should suffices. You should not get MR4300 if you intend to connect mission-critical devices like home surveillance camera or Internet router to it. There are no “Always On” outlets which means there will be disruption to your 7 x 24 devices should unsafe voltages come about.

If you need a power conditioner with “Always On” outlet, we would strongly recommend reading our review on Panamax MR5100.

Is The Price of MR4300 Worth It?

Given the power management, conditioning and surge protection features that it comes with, the asking price of slightly over $200 buck is well worth it in my opinion.

Verdict

If you are someone who values things like sound and image quality when it comes to home entertainment, Panamax MR4300 is definitely a valuable asset you want to invest in. With its Lifetime Warranty and the many raving reviews that it comes with, MR4300 is a serious contender for whatever you have on your shopping list.

Additional Panamax MR4300 Information

Panamax MR4300 Manual

Panamax MR4300 Datasheet

Panamax MR4000 vs MR4300

If you have to make a choice between MR4000 and MR4300, you will need to first know which model is closer to fulfilling your needs for specifications and functionalities. As mentioned earlier, MR4300 comes with2 isolated banks of outlets – one for high current outlets and the other for linear filtration outlets.

If visual and audio experience is of utmost importance to you, you will definitely want to give MR4300 a shot. While both models come with noise filtration capabilities, do note that MR4000 only offers Level 2 Noise Filtration while MR4300 comes with Level 3 Noise Filtration which means better sound and image quality.

If you are into monitoring the amount of incoming voltages, the Digital Volt Meter feature of MR4300 is right up your alley.

Both models may not be for you if there is a need to protect “Always On’ devices at home. If that is the case, you will probably want to check out our review of Panamax MR5100 which comes with “Always On” outlets.

Panamax MR4300 FAQs

Why is there a need for 2 isolated outlet banks?

The isolated outlets banks are there to help provide noise isolation so that any noise created by an A/V component will not be able to contaminate the power going to connected equipment from another outlet bank.

Should I use Panamax MR4300 with network or security devices that need to be turn on 24 x 7?

No. MR4300 will shut off power to connected equipment during unsafe voltage event and that means your 24 x 7 will be turned off.

What are the Auto-resetting Over-voltage and Under-voltage shutoff triggers?

Over-Voltage Shutoff at 142VAC +- 8 VAC | Under-Voltage Shutoff at 86 VAC +- 6VAC

What are the Max Filtration Rating for MR4300?

The filtration rating are as follows:

Max filtration for Bank 1 is at -80dB @ 150kHz

Max filtration for Bank 2 is at -63dB @ 250kHz