About.com Rating



What I Liked About the Panamax M5400-PM

1. The M5400-PM is very easy to setup and use.

2. The abundant connections provided can Centralize Power, Coaxial RF, and Ethernet/Lan Connection for your entire home theater system.

3. Provides voltage regulation and amperage output monitoring.

3. Provides Input Voltage Monitoring via AVM (Automatic Voltage Monitor) and Digital Voltmeter Display. A Digital Voltmeter displays the incoming voltage and also warns if the voltage is too high or too low (indicated by a "lightning" icon located just to the right of the actual voltage numbers.

120 volts is optimum, but unsafe voltages would be below 90 or above 142.

4. Circuit isolation removes unwanted electrical line noise and interference from appliances and other components.

5. Convenient front panel indicator displays and connections, including a USB charging connection.

What I Didn't Like About the Panamax M5400-PM

1. No Wattage information is Displayed. It would be nice to able to toggle the AVM display to also check the wattage consumption of your devices.

2. No wireless remote control for front panel functions. This is not a deal-breaker, but it would be nice to be able to toggle the AVM meter brightness, Votage/Amperage output, and on/off functions via wireless remote.

3. No built-in battery backup function.

4. Pricey, but not out of line with similar products. Some consumers may balk at the $699 MSRP.

Final Take

With each component upgrade or addition you to your home theater you have another power cord to plug in. After the number of wall outlet options run out, you probably add a surge protector, then another one, and then you still run out.

One solution to all this mess is to get a centralized power management system, such as the Panamax M5400-PM.

This unit centralizes all of your power cords, RF coaxial, Ethernet/LAN connections, and Dial-up phone line. More importantly the M5400-PM provides central monitoring of voltage level, provides surge and voltage dip protection, and aids in cleaning up power line noise and interference.

The only real misgiving for me is that the M5400-PM doesn't provide a watt meter function. On the other hand, in addition to the voltage readouts, an amperage read out function is accessible on one of the meters by using the same toggle button that raises and dims the LED display lights. Also, the inclusion of voltage regulation is a nice benefit for the long-term health and performance of your home theater components.

The Panamax M5400-PM can be a great addition to your home theater setup. I give it a rating of 4.5 Stars out of Five.

Compare Prices

For more details on the Panamax M5400-PM, also check out my Short Review and Photo Gallery.



Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.