Power conditioners

I recall having a discussion with Roy over lunch about mains regeneration. He was most enthusiastic about it, but conceded that there were some issues - size and cost being the biggest; for it to work effectively you would essentially need your own mains regeneration plant built in the garden (or, due to the size required, perhaps a field), as anything smaller would likely be worse than the regular mains - IIRC something to do with mains impedance?

1 Like

Depends on how well regen maintains low resistance to the end load.

This actually goes back to the reason thick gage mains wiring is recommended. Although an amp might pull <3A and a fairly thin 1.6mm mains cable is rated at 20A, it serves the purpose for current delivery but not transient recovery. The capacitors drain on transients and their recharch requirements can be measured in microseconds, which is really affected by the resistance the transformer sees when drawing current from the Mains.

Most conditioners and regen boxes dramatically increase the resistance (they certainly can’t lower it) and the results may impact the ability of a power amp to maintain dynamics as it is always playing catchup. The results vary of course. It depends on the amp, speakers, how loud you play etc.

Worth noting, you can also asymmetrically implement conditioners to avoid this. For example, connect everything to the conditioner or regen box except the power amp.

2 Likes

I suggest reading reviews of DirectStream Power Plants made by PS Audio in USA. I have a PowerPlant 15 & it does all that the reviewers rave about. Costly ? yes, $NZ 16000.0 but to my system well worth it.
Paul

2 Likes

Just installed my Puritan PSM 156… I’ll report back…

4 Likes

What are you using :thinking:
I’ve heard it suggested that the best performance from the 156 comes from plugging the steamer Dac into it first listen to that first before you put the rest through it. Few options. I might find myself wanting to use it on some music but not in other stuff. Anyway can’t Waite to hear your opinion.

1 Like

The cost is always a factor for some of us :joy: it sounds like the 156 might stand out from the crowd at the price point potentially :thinking: I’ll be trying it soon enough

Just seen what your using :ok_hand:

Great results with Isotek.

3 Likes

What are you using

Initial response to the 156 :thinking:

Basic System: Naim dr 500 Amp And PS ;Naim 552 dr Preamp and PS ; Naim 555 CD player,powered by 2 555 dr PS’s. Orb turntable -Phantom Elite tonearm- Lyra Atlas Cartridge.
All gear power is tru PS 15 power regenerater.
Paul

2 Likes

To my mind there is nothing ‘basic’ about your system :rofl:.

2 Likes

So far positive. Only been running since Thursday so still very early days…

1 Like

Well said that person, the same goes for much talked about of so called ‘network’ noise in my opinion and the obsessive use of linear power supplies. I suspect many terms are used as proxies for something else… and then mistakenly described as a ‘super cure’ … no wonder the non technical audiophile can sometimes get so confused and then expectation / subconscious bias affecting perceived reality of how their audio replay system is actually performing ! (how many times do we say - just trust your ears - but often if trying to be objective and overcome biases and preconceived notions, unless you are trained what to listen for - you often can’t… )

I do think the best bet is to keep things simple and enjoy your audio… sure if you have a clearly identified interference attribute that needs resolving, then investigate, diagnose and fix specifically for your environment… and I suggest that can equally be about using corrective acoustic treatments in your listening environment as well. But other than that I suspect there is a risk of chasing ghosts. Even humidity, temperature and air pressure will affect the performance from a loudspeaker when one gets hyper sensitive.

9 Likes

Forgot the speakers–Franco Serblin Ktemas

2 Likes

Has anyone compared the Puritan PSM156 to a Chord M6?

1 Like

OK, I’ll say it. Is the Puritan run in yet? I’m led to believe it can take quite a bit of time ….

I’ll get my coat, as they say ….

4 Likes

The seemingly widespread adoption of LPS’s to power network components is in a way missing the point. The problem is noise - and there are more effective ways of dealing with it that better target the actual issue. It’s a bit like moving from a house that you love in order to solve the problem of a leak in the roof.

This is an odd statement in that it seems to imply that those with a greater technical understanding of the issues concerned are better placed to know whether or not they prefer the sound of their systems after changing x or y. No technical understanding is required to judge whether something sounds more musical or not.

Exactly what ‘training’ is necessary to know whether you prefer the sound of your system in any circumstances?

An in depth technical understanding of possible issues can be of considerable value in diagnosing problems and in implementing solutions. But I don’t for the life of me see how it can possibly enable someone to make a better judgement of how well their system is performing with regards to musical enjoyment.

1 Like

You might have missed the point - this was not about preference at all. It was about calling out certain causes and effect, and some - and reading this forum, quite a few, feel compelled to justify their preference by some pseudo science that doesn’t face up to much scrutiny.

So I am for people setting up things as they see fit to suit preferences and taste, and on this forum and elsewhere I have been reasonably consistent with my views on that for the last decade - but lI suggest the amateur detective part of technically why alone. Be confident to say that X,Y,Z gives me a sound or performance that I enjoy and leave it that.

It may well be that a preferable outcome in terms of taste actually has more noise, smearing and harmonics than prior to any modification or tweak.

I guess one important thing for new people to the hobby, is that one doesn’t need to often spend much money to tweak the sound to taste… and there is much that can be done in the DIY space. Fancy packaging, marketing and price tags of boutique products shouldn’t put people of experimenting on a very limited budget.

6 Likes

I find that once someone has dropped more money than they can comfortable lose on a punt, psychology prevents them from hearing anything other than a justifying benefit.

You rarely hear, “I spent three grand on X and knew within days it made no difference/sounded worse.

But countless are the times people buy X, and say, “This thing is great. It has improved A, B, and C. I highly recommend it.” And then two years later it silently vanished from their profile and when the topic of X comes up again, their new response is, “Oh I had X for a while and was never really happy with it and eventually got rid of it.

The time such revelations take is directly proportional to how long it takes for the initial expenditure to not hurt anymore.

9 Likes