PS Audio Power Plant p15

I would have never guessed.

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Here are some measurements

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Long time ago I had a P5 and last 10+ years using P10 (now upgraded with top Mundorf caps). Sound quality gain they make is immediately noticeable to such level I consider it together with room acoustics as solid foundation for the rest of the audio chain - making it possible to hear what your gear can really deliver. In my case it’s powering whole audio chain beginning with sources up to monoblocks.

It does not make much sense to try discuss this kind of things on this forum, as the same group of people who has actually never heard what it can do will be very keen to tell you it can’t work because ASR found it flawed :wink:

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Are you saying, that without the P3 your system emits audible noise, and with it that’s remedied?

If so, you’d better identify and replace sub-par noisy components instead.

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I noticed that the background is quieter or blacker when listening to certain passages of music

Any decent amplifier should have the noise floor well below normal listening levels, and certainly with my two amplifiers, I can’t hear any unwanted noise with volume at maximum–ear pressed against speaker and there is the slightest hiss.

If you noticed something during normal playback before adding the conditioner, it may may ground loop or DC offset, which are both relatively easy to fix.

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Exactly. In such case we talk about some electrical issue, not about improving sound quality like e.g. better bass, better soundstage or more detailed voices.

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didnt have any issues with noise or hum or DC offset or anything. This power plant improved the sound from where it was. It’s a regenerator not just a conditioner. Nothing more to add.

Saying that doesn’t add anything to begin with, unless you care to explain the difference and the benefits. You can go ahead and use technical terms, I’m an engineer too. In particular, I’d like to understand how the THD of the output line voltage improves the output of the LPSUs or SMPSs inside devices that are plugged into this.

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Mighty heavy, but still falls short of the alternators used in actual power plants.

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IOW, a purely subjective assessment. There’s no issue from me if you’re happy with this, but it certainly does not follow that the device improves sound quality.

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Voltage regulation is applied at various stages of any network to ensure quality meets the required targets at the point of delivery. But that quality varies depending on local standards and conditions. There are places where hardware like this might be a good idea and places where it is an indulgence. And as an aside, I used to do calibration in a tier two establishment a few years ago and was privy to the power conditioning of the electricity supply into that building. We did not rely on raw mains even in the relatively stable environment of the U.K. And in my present role all mission critical mains powered gear is fed by synthesised power. A UPS is typically a synthesised waveform that is powered from mains voltage and switches to battery fed power when that mains fails. Thus it is uninterrupted.

In short, these types of devices are everywhere and do a lot to ensure the continuation of our services. Are they needed in a domestic audio environment? I’m not convinced (short for I don’t need one). But they are in the broadcast and pro arenas so why not at home? And why not built to cosmetic standards that match your other kit?

Makes perfect sense. I’m not rejecting the idea of conditioning power for critical applications, whether it’s filtered, surge-protected or generated. Power inverters are everywhere now (even my car has AC outlets), and we’ll probably see a lot more, as we transition to clean energy. What I’m challenging are the unsubstantiated claims that they improve sound quality and the price tag they put on them.

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Yeah, but they are not made by Hi-Fi manufacturers in the setting you describe. And, similarly, they wouldn’t improve the accuracy of the measurement equipment you used.

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UPSes are in broadcast and pro environments because they cannot afford a power interruption. If someone wants the same reliability at home and can afford it, then sure, why not. But that’s not at all the same thing as claiming that it improves SQ, and the PS Audio Power Plant p15 is not a UPS.

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I have a 1325va UPS connected between the grid and my P12 power plant. It does resolve short term power interruptions. I had an unexpected power failure that lasted several hours this past week. The UPS kept things powered until I could disconnect power at the Power Plant.

Not sure what you are saying. Yes, a UPS is a UPS but the PS Audio Power Plant p15 isn’t?

Agreed separate devices. Separate uses.

That’s exactly what I was saying in the post you replied to

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