Exact Power EP15A/SP15A vs. PS Audio Power Plants

I have been intrigued by the operating principle of the ExactPower unit. The Power Plant really does seem like overkill, very inefficient and bulky. Unfortunately, almost no one carries these things from what I can tell - they seem to be primarily sold direct. Now that they've paired it with a balanced power transformer, I am thinking of trying a home audition. But I've never heard it yet. Ligi, let us know what you find, will you?

DTM, Ljgj emailed me (and I apologized for getting his username wrong - my vision is good, so it must be my brain!) and was very enthusiastic about the early going. He indicated he was loaning the units to a friend for about a week, and would be doing more in-depth auditioning as soon as he gets them back in his system. I'm sure he'll post here about it soon.

A_hayman, what about the sound, with vs. without? Did you compare it to any other PLC's?

I can sympathize (can't we all?). But don't make the potential mistake of 'misunderestimating' the possible benefits of a BPT. For source components, it can make a bigger difference than upgraded PC's (not a rule with everything, just many). Running the AC power into components as balanced lines effectively reduces susceptibility to and transmission of EM interference much like better cords can, but also optimizes the operation of components' power supplies, from what I understand. If it were me, I'd probably try to audition the BPT before evaluating PC's, as use of the BPT might have an impact on PC selection/synergy.

Thanks A_hayman for your additional input on the EP. I will make an untested-by-me suggestion, based on experience with my own API Power Wedge Ultra, that you might want to check into auditioning EP's new matching BPT (balanced power transformer) add-on unit in your system. With my Ultra's switchable balanced AC feature, I have found that this can make at least as big a difference for the better as filtering the line, especially it seems with solid-state front end components (of course that's without power-factor correction as on the EP and PSA units - the PWU is strictly passive). The difference can be subtle at first, but once you've gotten used to it, running without balanced AC can make your system sound 'subtly' broken! In my rig, balanced AC fleshes out images more in three dimensions, with less grit and more juice, and hones transients to a knife-edge fineness with much less background veiling and more impact. Switch it off, and what you get is flat, drained, and mushy by comparision. Your EP doesn't give you this feature by itself (unlike the PSA PP's), and what I'm describing doesn't even include running my power amps balanced - something the PWU can't accomodate, unlike the EP BPT. Just something that's probably worth a listen...