Panamax M5400-PM 11-Outlet Home Theater Power Conditioner

I'll start with the surprising good news about this unit - after plugging my HT system components into this device, the picture got brighter on the high-end Sony TV. This was an unexpected shock to the two people who witnessed it because we both spontaneously noticed the picture quality change at the same time, and both of us are very suspicious of snake oil related claims. The power outlet I'm forced to use for our system is on the far end of a GFCI device, so that might be related (for one thing, I can't run ethernet over powerline with this outlet).We run the unit as always-on and control power to the components individually, so I can't speak to the timed shutdown and startup features. We don't have tube equipment or anything that needs to warm up. Our OLED TV prefers to have power at all times even when "off" so it can do panel self-maintenance and download firmware updates, and it controls the soundbar and subwoofer and rear speakers so there's no need for sequencing there. The streaming boxes (Roku, Apple) take little power, and the DVD player is turned on only when being used. So the Panamax is always on.I like the front meters that show both volts and amps, but the quality of the blue LEDs that light the meters is questionable - they are a bit cheap looking and the brightness adjustments are not sufficiently adjustable.This is in contrast to the rest of the unit which feels very solid and well built.The utility value of including protection for phone (landlines) and ethernet is questionable - if you can't provide protection at the point of entry into your house then they are mostly useless. Most HT systems are not located at the same place in the house as the point of entry for the phone lines and primary internet connection. The days of these kinds of things being useful are waning - I'd rather have another pair of outlets. Ditto for the USB port on the front - I've already got plenty of ways to charge my phone. When contemplating this box, I'm most of all interested solely in 120VAC power conditioning.There has been no transformer buzzing or any other kind of noise from the unit I got - it has been utterly silent at all times.We've had no power problems so far that would trip the over- or under-voltage reactions so I can't address how this unit behaves when something like that happens. And I hope I never have to. But the cost of this unit was about 10% of the cost of the electronic components it is protecting, so it feels like worthwhile insurance.*Update 03/05/2024* This product now costs $750, which is $300 more than when I bought it less than 3 months ago.

I was concerned about a couple of reports of a "Loud Buzzing" coming from the unit but mine had no loud buzzing. Having an electrical generator featured on the 5400 vs the 5300 I wanted that extra protection during surges. I put my ear against the unit itself and heard a minimal hum (Normal) and if I turned off all items (tv, frig, furnace, etc) I could barely hear a low hum at 1' but nothing beyond that and certainly nothing noticeable. Plugged everything in and still quiet. I sit 8' feet away and nothing at all so I'm not sure what people are referring to. This replaced my 22-year-old Panamax 5500-ex (Their flagship unit back in 2002) which finally gave out saving all of my very expensive components 65" Sony Bravia tv, Sony sacd player, Panasonic UHDTV & Denon S950H receiver. Served me very well so sticking with their flagship unit. Peace of mind and 4 dimmable options down to a few tiny blue led lights just the perfect ambience no distraction. Oh... great price too for what it does and features you get. No brainer.

After 15 years of faithful service and a lightning strike the cooked my Preamp and (at the time) 2 year old Powerbar (followed by Monster covering the cost of repair and sending me a new power bar), my Monster Powerbar Surge protector/line conditioner needed to be replaced.Having since moved from upper entry level equipment to much higher end equipment, I decided a step up in protection was also warranted. After much research I finally decided on the Panamax M5400 based on "expert" and consumer reviews, and company listed specs. Shy of a full UPS system, this seemed like one of the best choices. I was a little concerned about the unit making noise after reading some customer reviews, but my unit is silent. The displayed voltages not being accurate was brought up in reviews a few times as well, but after taking voltage (in and out) measurement on my own, my unit is spot on.Having just bought a 4k Q series Samsung tv, I can't vouch for any picture improvement, as I thought it was pretty amazing when it was hooked up to the Monster. The sub amp does seem to have a little more punch than before, though that may just be my imagination.No protector is perfect and given a large enough surge, could theoretically make it though to attached equipment. That's why the $$ recovery warranty was important to me as well, and Panamax offers one of the better ones that I saw. The fact that some people suffered loss due to a spike getting through was less important to me than the company standing behind their product and their warranty. Needless to say, I haven't dealt with them yet in this respect, but have seen where they are very good about it. I just hope that when/if I ever need them in that regard, that they are as easy to deal with as Monster was.As a bonus, the front design with the (adjustable dimming) blue lighted circles around the voltage/amperage display matches my Marantz equipment pretty flawlessly.

Had to replace an older model that finally died after tons of power surges over the years. It took one storm too many but my entertainment center still runs great! This newer model seems like it will protect my system for years to come.