A non-subjective recommendation for the Puritan PSM156


I have tried a few pre-owned power conditioners (Shunyata) and regenerators  (PS Audio) around the £2,000 / $ 3,000 level and always ended up parting company with them after a few days.


A month ago I bought a new power conditioner called the PSM 156 by Puritan Audio in the UK (£1,450 including a 2m Puritan power cord) and I am keeping it, but with one caveat...


...but first here are the the mistakes which i made:


(1) because i had a dedicated 20 amp supply, and I live in a quiet leafy neighbourhood, I though my power was relatively clean.

(2) because I had fairly high end components I thought they would have pretty good noise rejection (pl see my virtual system if you wish)

(3) my power amp is a bit of a beast driving WWP 6’s which have highly variable impedances so I thought I needed to spend big on a re-generator when i could afford it.


All wrong.


rather than provide a list of subjective superlatives, I will explain some of the SQ improvements with real world examples.


With sound stage it is easy to hear the difference with added width, height and depth but it also brings some sounds much further forward, which isn’t easy. 


The WWP’s 6’s have sometimes been criticised for being harsh or bright and I have experienced that too, previously, on some tracks, but not any more. 


An example would be a really well produced track, by Edwin Star called Easin’ in. It has a solid finger click during the intro and it was always much too forward for my ears on my system. I foolishly wondered if it was a recording engineers mistake? :) nope! The PSM has removed the 3,000/4,000 Hz bump that I was previously correcting using EQ in Roon.


A final, non subjective, example is that complex pieces of music now present so much more easily that I keep hearing lyrics of songs I have known for years and think “ oh that’s what the lyrics are!”


no doubt there are other conditioners in the market place which can produce these results but, perhaps, not at this price?


The caveat referred to at the start  is that I did start adding several wall-wart plugs to the PSM and the SQ dropped off.  I currently only have my preamp/DAC/Streamer and power amp plugged in to the PSM and then I run the nasty plugs for ethernet switches and routers off a separate spur.


ps. I found out about Puritan Audio from another ‘goner in a thread several weeks ago but now cannot find or remember who it was...but thank you! 


pps. all you naysayers about Wilson’s Watt Puppy’s - are wrong! 😊




soma70

I've used them standing up. A vertical stand sold by Puritan, retail $100, provides much more stability. I've used them upside-down when using ifi iPowerX power supplies.

Mechanical isolation of your choice always results in a small improvement in sound quality.

I wondered if ....jacks facing up would work...sounds like it does..especially with some dampening underneath.

I have one sitting face down on a BDR Shelf for Source on carpet. Never a/b’d it.

My other is on NobSound springs, mdf platform, rubber/cork feet

I have my PSM 156 sitting with the jacks facing up. For 2 years like this. Yesterday I placed vibration controls under what is the front of the unit (facing floor). Big improvement!

Just changed my Niagara 3000 (running a Hurricane cable!) for the PSM156 (with its supplied cable), Puritan is much better, highly recommended

Post removed 
Thank you, you are right and I am happy to be corrected.:)

that's going to bug me now!

have a great weekend.
 


Guys,

If you want to remove more noise from your components, I recommend attaching a scrap piece of wire from a chassis screw on your components and run that wire to the star ground on your PSM136/156; I did each component separately to discern any differences and it was quite obvious on each component.

Amazing results that will cost you Nothing!  

Wig
You need to look up the definition of subjective. Everything you claim is subjective opinion, nothing more.
PS Audio Current Regenerator is nowhere near bright, natural, bass improves, highs extend, but not forward, and the distortion is lowered and a BIG thing never mentioned is keeping the ac voltage at 120V. With their units you can raise the voltage also, so every time I match it to what is coming in, say 122-124 volts, the sound takes a huge step backwards, and this is what we hear normally, and why our gear in the past sounded better on some days than others, AQ units cannot do this, I've owned them, Balanced units cannot do this, so what PS Audio as done is really several improvements in one unit which is a bargain. 
I've been wondering what a dedicated DC blocker by Puritan would bring to the mix, with my 156?

The Puritan is the first audiophile grade conditioner I have used, so I can’t make comparisons to other offerings.

I connected the Puritan last Saturday and ran it for 127 hours straight.  What it has done for the SQ of my system has far exceeded my expectations even though I read about others’ great experiences and had two AG members highly recommended it to me directly.

I guess it’s just different when you hear the benefits for yourself on your rig and also underscores the insufficiency of using words to convey the quality and quantity of SQ gains in hifi.

For background:  I put in two dedicated 10g lines and hifi duplex outlets about 2 years ago. Not sure I really heard much from adding those.  But the Puritan:  I almost can’t believe how much it cleans things up. It’s a “What the deuce?” “No-way I’m getting this much improvement”  Improvement. 

The noise floor dropped immediately, but after 12 hours the top end and upper mids smoothed out, confirming what I thought I had noticed: those areas were quite forward at first.  I can only use words to generalize and say it continues to sound cleaner/quieter, more balanced in frequency response and soundstage, freed from the speaker as a source and just more transparent/relaxed—aka, real?  I listen at low spl’s but last nite I was listening lower than usual and it sounded great.  Noise removed, dynamics present at lower spl, I suspect.  Other variables can account for that, so I will see if that repeats.  On the other hand, I have confirmed that when I do go louder, it is a bit more acceptable to my ears with the noise removed.  It really is just something you have to experience.  Echoing a post made earlier:  Everything gets better when noise is reduced.  Using an office equipment-grad surge protector once, I've heard dynamics clipped.  To me, the 156 appears to be a product of a meticulous engineer, right down to the packing materials and literature enclosed.  “Built like a tank” was said to me by my dealer and now I see why.

I’ve not even looked into what the upgraded cord costs, but If anyone tries it, I’d love to hear what that might do.  My dealer intends to try it and report his findings to me.



I just ordered PSM156 today. I am currently using AQ Thunder AC cord with Niagara 1000. Will come back with impression!

If this device works, I am willing to go all out and order PSM Ultimate power cables!!

@soma70 Thank you. Helpful addition. My amps are 60w tubes, so not "high powered" by a long stretch.
The PS regenerator was an older version and i bought it preowned so I would not add much weight to my comments below.

I found the sound became edgy and metallic.

The conclusion i would reach is that if you cannot afford a high power regenerator to support a high power and dynamic amp, then the Puritan 156 is a very affordable and effective alternative. 
Really good to hear these experiences. Every time I listen to Paul at P.S. Audio I think, "Why wouldn't you want to regnerate perfect power and how can any conditioner be better?" Then I read about Puritan and some others and just get so confused that I just bury the whole topic.

And I know the PSA regenerator has its fans. But, OP, can you tell me what was lacking in the regenerator? 
+1.  Exactly.  This is what I posted before.

"I've had a number of brands of power conditioner in the house over the years, but this one is something special. Inserting it cold into a cold system, the improvement was perceptible within the first bar of music. The sound was somehow more present, the relaxed passages more relaxed, the more forceful passages more forceful. I ended up turning down the volume a little from where I normally listen. Sound is definitely superior with the monoblocs plugged into this rather than straight into the wall, as is preamp and CDP."

You don't need any time for it to "settle", "break in", "burn in", or whatever; the improvement is immediately perceptible.
My 156 arrived Thursday.

It replaced Hydra 8 daisy-chained to a 6 and a Akiko Audio Triple AC Enhancer. This is on my dedicated line feeding my front end components.

Upon first listen, the sonic benefits are easily heard.

When noise is removed from an audio system, every aspect is drastically improved.

BTW, I checked with my Alpha Labs EMI noise meter before the introduction of the Puritan and after. Before, the measurements was hovering at 359 mv,
after 115mv.

This is a drastic difference folks. One that makes an easily heard difference in SQ.
I just took the plunge and have a Puritan 156 arriving today. Dealer in Chicago said he's selling 4/5 a week..
Yes I can vouch for them as well. We use the Puritan 156 in our demo room with Cube Nenuphar’s and Nenuphar Mini’s driven by Bakoon 13R and Fidata server, in the U.K. The 156 is an excellent addition to the system.
Thanks TLE. I will check out AudioCircle. 

When i spoke to the owner at Puritan, Mike, he said he was selling them as fast as he could make them. 

There are also video reviews on youtube showing improvements in serious high-end systems. 

I suspect it was you who made me aware of this magic box in another thread, so thank you and have a great weekend.


The Puritan products have received a warmer welcome over on AudioCircle.  But people are missing out; they are seriously good and undercut the price of comparable products by a significant amount.