Customer Reviews

Panamax MFP-400 2 Outlet HD Ready Surge Protect - Black

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This unusual surge protector is meant to safeguard your flat panel TV and maybe one other component and that's all. Panamax intends this unit to mount behind your flat panel display, either on the wall or the back of the TV itself. All the connections are made around the edge of the unit to keep the profile slim. Still, the unit is fat enough that it would not fit between a wall mounted TV and the wall so I guess we're only talking about displays standing on a cabinet.

If that's what you're looking for, then here's what the MFP-400 offers:

-Surge Protection that blocks spikes that happen all the time, especially in summer with air conditioners cycling on and off. There's also surge protection for the coax connections.

-Noise suppression that blocks stray signals hiding in the AC line voltage.

-Over/Under voltage protection. This is protection that most other surge protectors don't offer. If the line voltage strays too far away from 120v, the MFP-400 will cut power to your TV. Over voltages are pretty rare, but if you get brownouts where you live, this might be a great feature for you. The MFP-400 can not correct over and under voltage conditions like many units in its price range can. It can only shut things down if the voltage gets too far out of whack.

There are a lot of odd things about the Panamax MFP-400. It comes with two power cords. Both have three prong plugs on one end and big IEC connecters on the other. According to the instructions, one of these is to connect your TV to the MFP-400 (instead of the power cord that came with the TV). I know of no consumer TVs that use these connectors. They're quite bulky, and with the market demanding ever thinner displays, I doubt they ever will use them. Odd.

(Please read S. Wendler's comment below. Thanks, S. Wendler!)

The other cable has a flat plug and is intended to connect the MFP-400 to the wall outlet, yet it is only 3' long. I hope your wall outlet is directly below the TV or you'll be making a trip to Radio Shack to buy a longer cable. Strange.

This Panamax has three indicator lights to show that your outlet is wired correctly, that the unit is filtering out noise and spikes, and to show whether the voltage is within range. But if you mount the unit as directed, these lights end up on the bottom edge of the unit facing down so you can't see them. Bizarre.

The MFP-400 comes with a bracket you can bolt to an accessory bracket on the back of your TV. Does your TV have an accessory bracket on the back? Mine doesn't either. Queer.

The Panamax comes with a little bag of mounting hardware including hollow wall anchors, screws with spacers so they mate perfectly with the lugs on the MFP-400, and even adhesive velcro strips. Also included is a wire strain relief and screws for the main power cord. It's a nice touch but it's not mentioned anywhere in the instructions or packaging. I recognize it from all the years I spent working in television. I doubt if one in a hundred people will know what it is. Weird.

One of the two outlets on the MFP-400 is labeled "always on." Power to both outlets is cut in the event of over or under voltage, so I guess "always on" refers to the fact that the MFP-400 doesn't have a power switch. And that means both outlets are "always on." Peculiar.

This is a pretty specialized unit. I think it might be a good choice for owners of Bose's new VideoWave all-in-one system. It might also be good for owners of "home theater in a box" systems. With only two power outlets, owners of traditional home theaters will find no love for the MFP-400.

If you only want to protect your TV and maybe one other component, and if your TV is sitting on a stand and not wall mounted, I can tell you that the Panamax MFP-400 is a solidly built unit that offers good protection from surges. I'm taking away one star for the ridiculously short power cord and hard-to-see indicator lights.

In my opinion, this is a niche product that isn't the best solution for most people. It's not right for me, but it might be for you. There are a lot of surge protectors and line conditioners on the market from respected companies, in several different form factors and with various inputs/outputs. My biggest recommendations are to shop around to know what's out there, look for sales, and don't expect miracles from line conditioners.

To give some perspective on my review, I've been using a Belkin PF31D power conditioner (11 outlets, three coax inputs, phone line and ethernet protection) that I bought at Amazon back in early 2007 for under $140. Prior to that, I used a Panamax Max DBS+ (six outlets, three coax inputs, phone line protection) that cost even less. For about the same cost as this Panamax, those have more outlets, more cable/antenna inputs, phone line protection, and (in the Belkin) ethernet protection. The major differences - the Belkin is significantly larger in size and is not meant to mount behind a wall-mounted TV, and the Max DBS+ does not claim to do line conditioning. So, to me, it comes down to whether or not you are part of the niche market that this product is aimed at.

First, some quick thoughts on line conditioning:
Snake oil to some people and the Holy Grail to others, line conditioning to me is one of those things to try for yourself. My opinion is that you can always try it out and return a product if you see/hear no improvements. When I bought my Belkin, I wasn't expecting any improvement in audio or video - and I don't think that I got any. I didn't buy it for the line conditioning, though, so I wasn't disappointed. I bought it for surge protection and, honestly, I was geeky enough to want to see the current and voltage displayed on the front panel. I hooked this Panamax up to see if the line conditioning was better and to test if the coax line losses from my over-the-air antenna would be any less. I couldn't see any differences, and the signal strength readings on my TV were identical between the Belkin and this Panamax.

One real benefit that I got from my Belkin, and that Maggie Mae mentioned in her review of this Panamax, was the elimination of hum associated with a TV signal. I think it's due to having a common ground for the coax line, TV, and amplifier - and has nothing to do with "line conditioning" - but I can't say for certain. I just know it works.

Now, for my recommendations:
For flat-out performance for the price, I would not recommend this product. There are other units from respected companies (e.g. Belkin, APC, even Panamax) that offer more electrical outlets and more coax inputs/outputs, and even include protection for phone and ethernet lines - all for similar or less money. As with anything, watch for sales. The MSRP on most line conditioners (like a lot of things) is ridiculous. I think that the MSRP on my Belkin was listed at $399, but Amazon had it for about a third of that. If you just want surge protection in a small package, you can find that for a lot less cash and smaller packaging in other products.

For protection/line conditioning in a package that is meant to mount to the back of a TV, this may not be a bad product assuming that you are only using one coax input on your TV and aren't using an ethernet connection. If you are getting a lot of video noise on your TV, perhaps a line conditioner might do some good. Again, you can always return it if it doesn't work for you. If you're concerned that the three-foot power cords aren't long enough (and they aren't for my set up), you can always get longer ones if you don't already have some. This product uses standard detachable power cords (the supplied cords are 14AWG), the same as used on many computers (so you might have some extras around the house). As one example, you can get six-foot 14AWG power cords from Monoprice for under three dollars and ten-footers for under four dollars.

Seeing as how the price of this outlet has fallen from $200 to $110, my guess is that the people at Panamax have realized that customer's aren't willing to exhibit such a high willingness to pay for a glorified surge protector. While the options that other reviewers have done a great job going into detail on are nice, they are nowhere near enough to justify a $200 price tag. With the prices of televisions drastically falling, this seems to be a product that is late to the game. Perhaps ten years ago when most televisions cost thousands of dollars, someone would have been willing to pay $200 for this item, but nowadays, that is much less likely. Solid product, just not worth the price.

Most folks here got this for their flat-screen, and I'm not sure if it does enough for that use to justify its price, well above most good surge protectors. But if like me you never really got into cds and have been listening to vinyl on a quality turntable since the '70s, this might be a wonderful purchase.

I plugged my beat-up (but still kickin') old Ariston into it and immediately enjoyed less hum and current noise at major volume than ever before. This stabilized the soundstage as well as simply making everything a little clearer, and listening became an even sweeter experience. If you are a turntable fan and have picky ears, you will quickly see and hear the value of this unit.

But as a flat-screen owner, you may find better value elsewhere. The power cords with this Panamax are only three feet---obviously to minimize interference---so be aware of that when setting it up. It need not be wall-mounted if you can find a spot for it on the floor away from other power cords; this will also help you see the operating lights on it more clearly. Our flat-screen has never had issues so I couldn't see much improvement while using this, but it's always nice to have protection in case of storms and other power surges; the unit is solidly-made and seems ready for years of use.

All in all, I'd say this is not worth the money merely for a flat screen, unless you have very shaky power coming from your local power plant, or if you use a generator or other wobbly juice maker. BUT...if you have an audiophile sound set-up using a 20-lb turntable and like to crank that puppy to hear every nuance of Von Karajan's 6th in sublime analog imperfection, including the bassoonist breathing during his break, and especially if you also live in Hurricane Alley and get lightning storms every week, then this will be a godsend. Your music will become smoothly freer of noise and hum and your ears will love you for it.

I thought this would be a fun experiment to use my new meter to measure the voltage coming into my LCD TV and to see if the voltage varience would be tighter with the Panamax MFP 400. I still used my original surge protector to the wall outlet when testing with and without the Panamax in between the surge protector and my TV. I also took measurements with the TV on versus off, and space heater (which draws a fair amount of power) on versus off. We did not have any power interruptions, though at one point I did have some power hiccups, but could not get to the TV fast enough to read the P3 meter. Well, after writing down a bunch of numbers (gee, I didn't know voltage varied so much over course of the day), I did not see much difference in using the Panamax MFP 400. Maybe I was expecting tighter voltage control than is necessary for good performance, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed. It's probably most useful in a place where frequent brownouts roll through in the summer (like CA).

As for picture quality, I honestly could not tell any difference in quality with my over the air antenna (in the attic) coaxial feed through and bypassing the Panamax.

The surge protection rating is pretty good, but you can also get that with a good Belkin surge protector.

I agree with other reviewers that the build of the unit is solid.

Overall, I personally did not see much difference at all when using this item, but maybe I have a good set of circumstances for clean power feeding my electronics.

I started running into an issue with my plasma tv where it would make sounds like it was switching on even when it was turned off. The TV would never actually turn on but the it was a little creepy when it would start doing it on its own. I decided to review this Panamax item to see if it would make a difference and got a crash course in power conditioners along the way.

The first and most glaring item of note is that this model contains only two outlets. With everything from TV's to receivers to gaming consoles filling living rooms nowadays, a mere two outlets seems woefully lacking. The purpose of this unit is to monitor the voltage levels and disconnect the power if the voltage falls above and below a certain range. It also contains a power conditioner that will filter and reduce noise on the incoming AC power by using isolated filter banks that eliminate electromagnetic and radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) as a source of audio-video signal degradation. In English, this means a power conditioner just cleans up the AC power before it gets to any of your connected equipment.

Having lived out west most of my life, power seemed stable and always on. In the southeast it seems everything from thunderstorms to someone sneezing will cause the lights to flicker. Surge protectors alone seem rather useless, check out the video here for a hilarious demonstration of that. Still, this product seems incomplete. While it's a better surge protector, it's still disconnecting your equipment. Not fun when it happens during the Super Bowl. It may clean up "dirty" power but you still need a voltage regulator and/or battery backup to take care of power fluctuations. There may be people out there who need only a power conditioner but I can't imagine it's very many.

To protect my more expensive equipment I use a solution consisting of a power conditioner, voltage regulator, and battery backup. As you can imagine it's more expensive but I don't lose all the work I did on this review simply because the power is unreliable. In case you were wondering, this Panamax unit didn't solve the issue of TV clicking on by itself. A voltage regulator didn't work either. The TV still works fine, though. I guess it's just a ghost in the machine.

Purchased this for my bedroom plasma 50" because i wanted surge protection, clean power and the ability to hide it all behind the tv (on the wall). Only having 2 plugs is slightly detrimental but works for me because i have only the TV, blu ray player, apple TV and sound bar hooked up. The TV and an extension-splitter cord are in the second plug so everything is protected. Clean power shows slightly noticeable improvement on the color/saturation and decrease of snow.

Overall, a good value for $40 (gold box deal). Has 2 plugs, and in/out to filter the RG-6 (coax) as well. Love the fact that it sits comfortably behind the TV, and fits between the set and the wall (on the wall mount). It's about 1.5" thick, so i do not believe this would work well with on-wall mounts for LED tv's.

I like this product, it does what it's intended to do, it protects your equipment in the event of an over/under voltage. Setup was easy and instructions were very detailed, comes with everything you need to install it on your TV stand (back of TV) to keep your home theater system looking clean. The only down side on all this is the price, in my own opinion, it should be priced at around $75, but hey, even at $100 it's still cheaper than having to buy a new TV.

Highly recommended product for anyone who loves their TV system.

For years I've had a sort of hum from my vintage Yamaha Amplifer when I played my Sony Bravia through it. You can't hear it when you have the volume up, but I know it's there and to add to my digital/analog woes, sometimes my Amplifier picks up a stray radio station when I'm listening to iTunes (I've got a Mac Mini plugged into the back of the Amp as well, so that I can watch Netflix and Hulu). That too, you can't hear when the volume is up. In fact, without the headphones, like the hum I get from the TV, you can hardly hear it. But it's there and it bugs me.

I've been to Radio Shack and I've checked online and I've found no cure. I've tried different surge protectors and eventually I've learned to live with the problem. But now it's gone, thanks to this Power Conditioner. Hard to believe, even though they advertise this product saying it'll get rid of pops, hisses and hums.

I didn't set it up the way they wanted me to. I've got my power strip/surge protector plugged into this and my Amp, TV and computer plugged into the surge protector and it's working. No hum, no unwanted radio station, so I'm a happy user, because this product worked wonders for me.

This is basically a souped-up surge protector. It's compact - measures about 3.5 wide, 8.5 long (10" including the mounting tabs) and about 1.5" deep. It comes with a variety of mounting options including velcro and an aluminum plate so you can stash it behind a wall-mounted flat screen and keep the cord jungle to a minimum. For most wall mounts it should work well, but it may be too thick for some of the ultra slim LCD TVs that are now available.

I elected to use it on the floor rather than try to wrestle a 90+ pound plasma off the wall. The included cords are beefy and well-made, but very short. It worked out OK for me since the outlet is right there, but given the price, I would think a longer cord should be included. It seems that the cords are mainly designed for those who want to stash the unit behind the TV.

There are coax attachments on the side to protect against surges/spikes transmitted via coax.

According to the manufacturer this not only offers surge protection but also filters out electrical noise so as to improve the picture and sound. That point is debatable. I didn't notice any difference in the picture with or without this. However, others in the house said they did see a slight improvement. Is that real or imaginary? Can't say for sure since the only way to truly test it is to have two of the same TVs running the same inputs, with one protected with the Panamax and the other not protected. I don't have the ability to run that test, so the only statement I can make regarding picture improvement is "maybe."

The build quality at first glance seems decent, but the unit I received had something rattling on the inside, like a small loose screw or perhaps a remnant of plastic. Not what I was expecting given the price of this unit. I would be hard pressed to recommend this over a standard, good quality surge protector that, while a bit more bulky, offers more outlets and a longer cord at a much lower price point.

While I like the compact size, the rattling makes me concerned about the long-term reliability of the unit. That, plus the short cord and only 2 outlets makes me rate this at only 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3).