Panamax M5400-PM 11-Outlet Home Theater Power Conditioner

Went to some local brick and mortar stores and found they a lot of them had Monster Power voltage regulators and surge protectors. While they looked cool they also had high prices. I first saw the Panamax surge protector at Best Buy and the black finish and LED lighting got my attention. Did some research on the 5400-PM and decided that this is the one I will get. Bought it at a popular auction site and saved hundreds of dollars.

What I like about the 5400-PM model is that it has a high clean power level, 11 outlets, and high current outlets for my sub and receiver. I currently have 7 audio/video and gaming devices hooked up to the 5400-PM.

The black finish also looks great on my black wood TV stand and HDTV.

What I don't like is that there's is a very faint hum coming from the unit. I think it's the fan though. You can only hear this when it is dead silent in the room. The blue lighting on it's highest setting can be annoying so I set it an the lowest one.

I mainly got this unit to ensure none of my expensive HT equipment gets damage from surges etc.

Note: I have a PS3, Xbox 360 Elite, HD-DVD, Onkyo A/V receiver, Samsung 58in HDTV, 500w subwoofer, and cable box are all hooked up to the Panamax 5400-PM.

I've only had this unit for a couple of weeks, but I'd like to put in a good word for Panamax and their products.

I now have this model due to a lightning strike and the destruction of a 12 year old Panamax 1000+ surge protector. The unit did its job, thereby saving my electronics, but it no longer functioned properly. .

What I'm most pleased about was the immediate improvement in the quality of sound coming from my stereo equipment. I'd been plagued by buzzing ever since installing a DVR, and this is now completely gone. Outside of this, the overall sound has improved...bass impact, very black backgrounds, etc... Even with a outboard power supply on my turntable, the improvement in sound of with my vinyl has been shocking. I'd have upgraded long ago if only I'd known.

A definite five star rating, especially for those who value their sound quality and expect good customer support.

Buy Panamax M5400-PM 11-Outlet Home Theater Power Conditioner Now

1/2/13 Update: Protection confirmed again! And, again, no simple surge protector would have done this. We experienced a very strange power outage. It appeared to begin with a surge followed by voltage dropping from 120V to 60V (where it remained for about an hour). The Panamax immediately cut the power to everything plugged into it and did not pass the 60V of power through to any of the devices during the outage. Low voltage (below 108V) can also harm electronics! For the rest of my devices (refrigerator, dishwasher, etc.) I had to manually trip the breakers so as to avoid damage to those devices. In the end (other than one CFL bulb), everything seemed to work normally (whether plugged into the Panamax or not). But, this sort of damage is cumulative and not always immediately evident. So, I'd say it is safe to assume that -at a minimum -the devices plugged into the Panamax had their life expectancy extended.

7/26/10 Update: The voltage anomaly occurred! This weekend, my electric company -with no apparent external factors involved -pushed 125 to 127 volts into my home for the entire weekend (122 to 124 is normal for them). At 127 volts, the Buck stage kicked in and reduced the voltage to 117. The Buck stage continued to supply reduced voltage until the input voltage dropped to 123. The CBEMA curve suggests that computer equipment (and, presumably, other electronic equipment) is designed to function properly at plus or minus 10% of 120 volts. However, functioning properly is one thing and sustaining damage over time is another. This Panamax product is designed to keep the voltage within plus or minus 5% of 120 volts. This weekend, the product performed as advertised. In doing so, it might have prolonged the life of my home theater equipment. No simple surge protector could do that.

Original review follows:

Until a voltage anomaly occurs, it is hard to know how this unit performs. But, I have no reason to doubt the listed specifications. Based upon those specifications, this unit should provide far, FAR better protection than a simple surge protector. And, it appears to be a far better value than even the entry level voltage regulator from Monster, inc (the AVS 2000). The online manual for the AVS 2000 -unlike this Panamax -offers very few specifics on voltage regulation.

Here in the wild, wild west, various critters tend to find their way into our electrical grid, thereby shorting things out in sometimes spectacular ways and creating all sorts of havoc, voltage anomalies and blackouts. The damage suffered by my previous A/V system -then protected by a high quality surge protector -may well have been caused by these errant critters. My hope and expectation is that this unit will substantially prolong the useful life of my new A/V system.

Subjectively speaking, this unit does seem to have improved the picture and sound quality. But, I did not do any side-by-side testing.

Read Best Reviews of Panamax M5400-PM 11-Outlet Home Theater Power Conditioner Here

i purchased 2 of these units and both presented the same problems within hours of beginning operation. both units presented a very audible and annoying hum. the hum was being produced by the unit, not equipment connected to it. additionally, periodically the voltage in and voltage out would display the same level indicating that the voltage regulation was not working and during these periods the hum being produced by the unit would disappear entirely, only to return when the voltage regulation would kick in again. the hum would be very audible from the listeners position during the silent period between tracks on a cd or even during low volume moments when watching a movie. it is apparrent to me that panamax has been unsuccessful in providing reliable voltage regulation in a unit of this price. since i was satisfied with all other aspects of the unit, i have ordered a panamax m5300pm to provide protection to my home theater. it does not provide voltage regulation so i do not anticipate that it will produce the obnoxious hum and is essentially the same product as the 5400 in all other respects.

Want Panamax M5400-PM 11-Outlet Home Theater Power Conditioner Discount?

Great looking power conditioner. Dimmable display is a nice feature. I have it rack mounted protecting my Bluray player, surround processor, and more than 1000 watts of amplification. Sequenced startup feature doesn't 'pop' my speakers, the voltage regulator gets a bit of a workout from my not too smooth ac power, and the filtration circuitry eliminated a tenacious ground loop-ish hum that my Monster HT 2500ii (which I retired because its 5 year connected equipment guarantee expired) could not. Bonus!

The Panamax has a lifetime connected equipment guarantee which is a HUGE plus for me, as I won't have to upgrade every few years. Build quality seems robust, Panamax/Furman is THE name in commercial and consumer power equipment, and I trust a product that's guaranteed soup to nuts.

I spoke with an engineer at the company when I had an installation question, and he was responsive and thorough.

My main complaint, for which I cannot deduct a star really because every power conditioner I've seen lacks the same feature, is the unit could use more high current outlets. It has two. I've got three amplifiers, and It'd be nice to know they all had the current headroom they needed. This hasn't been a problem, just a minor disappointment.

I'd highly recommend this unit.