PS Audio power plants are probably the biggest selling name out there. I'm sure they have been returned.
In other hobbies I've noticed a tendency of people to get confused when the widest selling item has a few issues documented on the internet. Indeed, if there are 10x as many of these out there and they've been out there longer than the competition, there will be stories.
Jerry
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I know they are popular and successful. Just wanted to know in which situations they may not be beneficial. Regenerators and conditioners are very system dependent. Hope to get some insight before I try a home demo of each.
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If you already have clean power it may not be beneficial....one way to find out. Summer in the US is a good time to try one with all the HVACs running - my power is dirty at 4% THD. I love my PP15 - bit of fried gold, that.
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I’ve toyed with getting a Power Plant, but haven’t. Even when the lights flicker from changes in the power grid or dim, like when the AC goes on, I have never noticed any changes in the sound in my system. The last few weeks have been really hot here,( especially for it being only June) so the AC has been running a lot!
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I have a 20 on my main system for my sources and pre. I currently have my Pass amps also connected but I found little to no difference from direct to wall. Second system I have a smaller (12) also for sources and tube pre, not hte amp (Levinson 23.5) as again I found it signifient with sources, not so much with amp.
Got them both during X-Mass deals, but they currently have recon sale going on. My firt 20 have a defective board for the remote. Tech was very helpful in trying to trouble shoot it before I had to return. They shipped replacement prior to mine going back.
First class service as far as I am concerned,
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I’ve not used Power Plants before but from Paul McGowan of PS Audio’s videos, the Power Plants do not reduce AC Noise. In fact, he even corroborated Audio Science Review’s finding that Power Plants actually increase noise!
Paul describes the benefit of Power Plants being that the sine wave of the AC power remains stable despite the transient current demand from an amplifier connected to it - in short, it lowers impedance of the power supply, which he argues is more important than dealing with noise. The AC sine wave remains perfect even if the amplifier is demanding a lot of current.
In this manner, Power Plants do something entirely different than conditioners or isolation transformers (Torus etc). Paul argues that such devices succeed at removing noise, but at the expense of increasing impedance rather than decreasing it.
Paul’s explanation does make me wonder if Power Plants make any difference for connected source components, given that they won’t be drawing dynamic and transient current like the amplifier. Maybe someone that knows more than me can explain. I’m simply summarizing Paul’s explanation.
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Thought I lucked out finding one on auction. Turned out to be a very expensive doorstop.
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I tried a PS20 in my system for 3 weeks ( brand new) from a friend who was moving her system so I “broke in “ for her. I didn’t feel any “darker” nor “quieter” background as anticipated, but I felt the sound stage (left/right) was slightly compressed and less airy.
I eventually tried an Audience aR6 T4 with my same set up ( from a friend who had the unit broken in for over 1000 hours) and I found no such compression but also no audible improvement. I think my electricity from mains is clean and stable so it’s not much of benefits in my case
However I do hear significant difference if I swop my power cables (from stock to a $300 cable , and from a $300 to a $1500 Siltech or Transparent Ref) so I would recommend to invest in power cables before buying a conditioner / regen
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Alpha Labs just did a video on them and yes they do a lot of good things.
Whether they help in any particular situation of course is up to the owner to decide.
I have several of them and like what they bring to the experience. For me they are much better used on source components than large amplifiers but all of the PS audio gear runs good on the Power Plants as you would expect.
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I have my source components on an older Powerplant and it effectively lowers the noise floor and it’s great for power management / system protection. On the other hand, NOT good, for amps & subs. It will restrict dynamics and shrink soundstage. I run those directly into the wall.
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Need a higher quality revealing system for these things to be even noticeable. I’m troubled when people say they noticed differences when that’s really difficult.
Most peoples power systems are just fine.
Even when not in use this thing burns a lot of energy. I recall it being 50 to 100 W by merely plugging it into the wall which is obscene.
It takes up a hell of a lot of space. And it’s kind of ugly.
Much better way to spend your money in my opininion.
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I considered one and then realized: I have no evidence that my line is dirty. I don't hear a lot of issues but without a more precise technological tool to test my line, there are other ways to spend big $$s.
In some situations, the Powerplant may be a godsend.
In other situations, the Powerplant may be an expensive solution looking for a problem.
Without a reliable way to know which one you have, there is a fair chance you can waste a bunch of money.
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My close friend did not return it but sold it after couple of months he bought it used because he couldn’t hear any SQ upgrade from his system. It was PS Audio Power Plant P600.
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I ordered a Power Plant 3 yesterday. So will have it for the next severe heat wave. Will post my experience. Plan to use it for my Streamer, DAC and Network Switch. The Streamer and DAC appear to be the most sensitive to power issues.
since it cooled off my system is back to nothing but I know one temperatures get above 90 for days the power will suck and my system will not sound as good.
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Great question. Sure not getting many folks jumping in who have returned them.
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I didn't return my P12, but after having to send it in for warranty repair for the second time, I decided to try an AQ Niagara 5000 conditioner. Immediately loved the AQ. My highs had returned and everything was much, much more dynamic. It was like going from a modern Led Zep I remaster to an early 70s Piro pressing. Or a LZ II modern remaster vs an OG RL pressing. I could not sell the P12 fast enough. IME, power plants (had a Stellar PP3 briefly before the P12) definitely truncate the upper treble frequency range and compress everything. I just didn't know it until I heard what a high quality power conditioner could do. I know Paul is proud (as are many other members of the PSA forums) that his stuff sounds 'more analog' but IME, it's not the good type of analog (ie. rolled off highs like many MC cartridges are guilty of).
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I found a good deal on the smallest Power Plant model and used it in my headphone rig. With so much electrically noisy gear in my home office, computers, monitors, routers, switches, printer, etc - a P3 sounded like good insurance.
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I have a power plant 20 I am running all my gear plugged into it however most people here are saying the Amps should be plugged directly into the wall. Are people suggesting they should go into an AQ 3000 if so why? Thanks for your time
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I had one and had to send it back to PS Audio for service, and it was probably around 10 years old at the time, but I really don’t remember for certain. The problem it had was something pretty common to older units from what I do remember. Something to do with the display and something else I just don't recall. Anyway, they brought it back to as-new shape with warranty for a reasonable cost. No complaints.
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I have a Shunyata Denali 6000S V.2 .. System uses all Shunyata power cords too.
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@nyev
Take everything you hear from ASR with at least a pound of salt!
All the best.
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@curiousjim
I didn’t hear anything from ASR, loll….
It was Paul of PS Audio who agreed that Power Plants increase noise (“this is absolutely true”), in one of his videos. He then explained that Power Plants offer a benefit not by decreasing noise, but by reducing impedance which allows for a stable sine wave when your amp is drawing current. He makes the case that we shouldn’t be concerned about noise.
Paul’s YT Video
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I tried a PSA Stellar PowerPlant 3, but eventually sold it. I actually had an entire PSA Stellar stack.
Anyway, I was looking for AC mains noise reduction, which the PP3 did not provide (as already mentioned by others here), so I let it go. What really helped me with noise reduction was a Puritan PSM156 power conditioner. I checked results with a simple EMI noise meter, and the difference using the Puritan conditioner was measurable. The Puritan also touts blocking DC, but I think you have to have quite a bit of DC present in order to notice a measurable difference.
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Tried a PowerPlant 3. Did nothing for my system. Returned it. In fact it made my soundstage slightly darker and less wide. Depth was good. I actually think my power is pretty good from the wall. Can’t detect noise, hum etc. My system when on and not playing anything is dead silent. Total blackness. Don’t think I need anything. I did notice some harshness in the lower treble during the last heatwave when power was in high demand but since I upgraded my sources both DAC and Streamer’s power cords to 10 gauge that solved the problem.
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OP,
Thanks for sharing your experience.
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