P.S. Audio Quintet? Worthwhile?

Love it on my TV/Video system. On my plasma it really made a positive impact.

My quintet went out after a double brown-out/surge courtesy of Hurricane Irene. A quick call to PS Audio got me a replacement module in two days! PS Audio didn't even ask about warranty status (it wasn't). Now that's what I call "above and beyond" customer service!

But, to answer the question, the Quintet made an immediate positive aural improvement to my system. It replaced a Chang 6400 which has a more "midrangy" sound. I am not knocking the Chang in any way; it's just different.

I use two quintets: one for my audio system and another for the video section of my rig. Also, have a Duet in the bedroom for my headphone system.

My DUET just burnt out. It's only two years old.

One of my power line conditioners is a Quintet; the other is an Audio Magic Stealth. Imho, it's a matter of synergy. For me, the Stealth is, basically, better in every way, but a bit brighter. The sound of both is extremely dependent on the power cord used with them. I have had good results using a DCCA Musical Essence, which is very warm and has a rolled off top octave, with the Quintet. I use it for most of my digital gear. Also, the Quintet should be off the floor, on footers. I use a set of Aurios.
It is worth noting that the Quintet, unlike the Stealth, has power line protection.
Also, the Quintet is relatively inexpensive for a power line conditioner. So, it's a question of you get what you pay for. And a case of ymmv.

One of my power line conditioners is a Quintet; the other is an Audio Magic Stealth. Imho, it's a matter of synergy. For me, the Stealth is, basically, better in every way, but a bit brighter. The sound of both is extremely dependent on the power cord used with them. I have had good results using a DCCA Musical Essence, which is very warm and has a rolled off top octave, with the Quintet. I use it for most of my digital gear. Also, the Quintet should be off the floor, on footers. I use a set of Aurios.
It is worth noting that the Quintet, unlike the Stealth, has power line protection.
Also, the Quintet is relatively inexpensive for a power line conditioner. So, it's a question of you get what you pay for. And a case of ymmv.

I also have the duet and have to say it made a notable improvement in my system. If I have to describe the change, it made the silence between the notes quieter. I live in an old house and I also changed out my audio receptacles with the porter port cryo outlets. It was a pretty cheap upgrade that honestly made a difference.

In my system, it made a very positive diference, it smoothed the sound giving a more refined presentation. I guess that the performance of the quintet depends on whether you have issues with the ac or not. I did.

My Duet did not make much of positive difference until I plugged it using JPS Labs Power AC+. I was using a Signal Cable earlier and I'm sure you just need a bigger cable to back it, no need for an AC+! As a result, it made mids sound bigger, gave depth the stage and somehow made the stage more solid. So, I feel invest in better cords before going the PLC route.

Good to know it's not only me - I found that the Duet boosted the treble as well. I'm demoing one now and, while I like what it does in other respects, I'm not sure I can live with the elevated high frequencies. On some CD's its nice - makes instruments sound more "alive" - but on others it makes the CD unlistenable!

Can others comment as to whether the Shunyata Hydra 2 is a better option if elevated high frequencies is my issue with the Duet?

Mrtennis wrote that the Duets enhance resolution by placing a bit more emphasis on the treble. This is what I heard from the Quintet too - and it drove me crazy. I thought it over-emphasized treble - making it somewhat etched sounding - while also de-emphasizing the midrange. I think some might consider it an improvement as it gives the impression of greater resolution. It did not last more than a few minutes in my main system because I thought it screwed the treble up too badly. I connected it to my home theater system to see if it would be more to my liking there and attempted to watch TV. Boy was that a painful experience. Voices sounded very grating. I got halfway through watching a football game before ripping it out.

I think it would be better to go with something that does less harm. Like maybe a Cryoparts or B-P-T power strip.

HIFICRITIC found that the Duet was not as good sounding as the Quintet, although they had expected no difference.

Isochronism: I'm hoping for the happy ending - budget is about gone for stereo...by the way, I ended up with 5 Benno CD Towers in blue - you and I had done some research on the Italian designed cd storage options - and found them to be extremely expensive. The Bennos look great and I had some fun putting them together, the five store 1080 cd's, we figure we have space for about 300 left, so we had more cd's than we thought... hopefully you can do a screen from Vismara one day. Interestingly, that whole thread has been erased from the 'gon.

i auditioned the ps audio duet, which has 2 outlets. i assume that sonically it is the same as the quintet , with fewer outlets.

i heard a differnce in frequency response when the duet was in the system. i believe the differnce could be attained by changing power cords. the list price of the duet is $250. so, you could plug the power strip into the duet, listen and see if you liked the combination. my friend uses two duets in his system. i believe the duets enhanced resolution and placed a bit more emphasis upon the treble.

I love a happy ending...or maybe a happy beginning?:)

Update:
We needed a new electrical panel in our home...perfect time to run dedicated lines to the stereo. Electrician ran two dedicated lines and new receptacles so amp is in one and source is in the other. Sat down to listen to a few tunes last night once he finally finished the work....two hours later I was still smiling and listening. Is there a burn in time on this where it gets even better?

Well FedEX delivered the Pangea cords this afternoon. I put them on around 3pm, that 9 gauge is a big one - hard to fit it behind the audio stand, but oh so worth it!
Elizabeth - many, many thanks for this suggestion. I expected to hear a slight improvement at best......I heard a significant upgrade to the bass and overall clarity of the sound, my partner and I were quite flabbergasted and listened to tunes for hours this afternoon and later this evening.
I wasn't able to use one of the 14se's as the Squeezebox doesn't have that kind of cord, so I used it on my Samsung 50" plasma instead. Nice difference here as well, brighter colours, depth. Gotta find one of those wall receptacles now.
I owe you one!

Alright - pulled the plug (pun intended) on the Pangea 9 gauge and 3 of the 14se's.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks Elizabeth. I'll give this a shot soon.

Thanks for the responses. Elizabeth - interesting idea to replace power cords instead, I certainly don't want a lateral move. What differences might I expect to hear from power cord replacements and what order should cords be replaced if not doing them all at once?
Thanks.

I have used the Quintet and thought it made a noticable improvement in the sound of my system. If you can find one, buy a used Quintessence....these usually run $450 to $500 on the used market and it is noticably better than the Quintet. Also, getting a Soloist in-wall is a good start. They usually run $140 or so used and work well too.

I currently run a combination of the Soloist Premier and the Power Plant Premier with very good results.

Happy Listening

You have grasp my position perfectly; nothing is exactly what I want from every component in my system. Just the music and nothing else; the best one is the one that adds or subtracts the least. As I have upgraded my system I find it harder and harder to describe its sonic signature; which is exactly what I am aiming at.

Mine certainly helps; I was using a Balanced Power Technology power strip with a Oyaide GPX PC and the Quintet was a noticeable improvement. Exactly how is a longer cord an improvement? I use a one meter Python Helix from the wall to my Shunyata Hydra 2 for my CJ 350 and it works fine. After all PCs are PASSIVE components and one would suppose that the shorter they were the less they would impose their sonic signature on the current passing through them. Unless , of course, you like what is added. I have seen the same idea expressed about length of Digital Cable and haven't found a difference there either. But I use a considerably higher grade of PCs, most of mine cost as much as the Quintet. I formerly used 2 Quintets before getting the Hydra so I could use 20 amp cables[ the CJ used a 20 amp cord]. A friend now has the other one and he is also very happy with it. The PPP does offer another level of performance but at 3 or 4 times the cost. [ I know, I bought one].