Power filtering – Furutech or Puritan Audio?

I went from the Furutech ref 15i to the Puritan PMS 156.  Enough said.

I think the REF I5i is made by Furman, not Furutech...

Sounds like you are enjoying the PSM 156 (not PMS!).

I'm looking for a modest but effective power filter in a second system, more modest than the Accuphase PS-530 in my main system that replaced a PS Audio PP12 power regenerator. 

I believe this reviewer compared and preferred the Puritan PSM156 to an expensive PS Audio regenerator.

Puritan Audio PSM156 is worth its weight in Gold

Thx - the PSM 156 gets a lot of love!

The Puritan PSM 136 & 156 present the best value in power conditioning. However, do not audition a Shunyata Everest or Denali-Typhon T2 combo. I had a PSM 136 and upgraded to the Denali-Typhon combo. It's easily an improvement equal to a $25K component upgrade. A used Denali can be had for $4K. 

I'm not trying to hijack the post with a recommendation, but I was in the same situation thinking of upgrading to the PSM 156, which is stellar. But, I can easily state that the Shunyata performance elevation to my system was jaw-dropping. No other component, speaker, or cable (even the AQ Dragon) significantly improved my system as to what the Shunyata did. 

I think the REF I5i is made by Furman, not Furutech...

Sounds like you are enjoying the PSM 156 (not PMS!).

🤣

Thx - I will look into Shunyata Research - I was unfamiliar with them until recently.

Thx - I took the plunge and ordered a Puritan Audio PSM 156.

@toronto416 

Congrats on the 156, a great product. Demo a Shunyata if you ever get the chance! The Puritan will be quickly up for sale. 

buy them both with full return privileges.....the only way you'll know.

Here is another reason to go with Puritan: I bought a groundmaster for my PSM156 4 months ago, and finally got around to driving in a 6' ground rod, fishing some solid core copper along the joists, down the wall, etc. and hooked it up. 

Does my PSM156 just sound "twice" as good as it did before? 😯 

I'll do some further assessment, maybe get my daughter to do an A/B, as it is so easy to do compared to cable unhooking, and do a writeup in the near future, but for now I don't want to unplug it :) 

Sound intriguing!

Just to follow up regarding a groundmaster connected to the PSM156, I must have had a really good night sound-wise at that moment in time. Was that the purity of the electricity or my ears, I don't know. Just now going back and forth plugging and unplugging in the ground master I don't notice any difference at all. This is a fun and yet frustrating hobby; reminds me of golf. 

@ mclinnguy,

Give the unit a few days to settle and allow the ground path time to establish.

Wig

you don’t need a power filter or power whatever do not waste money.

never mind if you get paid to promote their power filters

@wig well that is what I was wondering- it didn’t sound any better, noticeably, right after hooking it up, but it may have been 2 days later, and I was quite taken back by how good the system sounded.

A few days later and I get around to A/B’ing it, but once I unplug do you think, or have your read, that that "undoes" what was a decent "settled" ground to earth? I would think, you know the speed of electricity being what it is, once it is plugged in it would instantly ground.

I know Puritan does state that a wet soil will ground better, and more rods would only improve it, but of course it is hard to know whether one has an excellent ground or not, and how this varies day to day.

once I unplug do you think, or have your read, that that "undoes" what was a decent "settled" ground to earth? I would think, you know the speed of electricity being what it is, once it is plugged in it would instantly ground.

Wow I’m deeply impressed with your knowledge and wisdom. BTW sorry i intervened in your team play.

not classi- crock - fan

You really think people want to read your useless posts? Please do us all a favour and go away for good. 

want to read your useless posts?

Something useful as you wish.

Though the ASR review includes a myriad of measurements, it fails to mention how the PSM 156 impacted the sound of music in an audio system.

Surely any assessment of audio equipment should include listening to complex musical passages - actually auditioning the equipment, not just measuring it.

To conclude that "there is no indication or logic that would tell us that it can make an audible improvement" is baffling without actually listening to music on an audio system with and without the unit in the chain.

Being seemingly objective without any subjective assessment is missing the point:  how does it affect the sound of music in an audio system?.

I’ve purchased and kept the Puritan 136 and 156. Both were significant system upgrades. I wonder if some folks who denigrate the use of power filters actually have any first hand experience with these sorts of products. 

"I once went to an apple pie contest. Judging was performed by a panel of experts, some with 30 years experience in non-related fields. They took samples of each of the pies, put them in a blender, and then tested each sample for colour, lubricity, light transmission, density, ph, and of course percentage of sugar, fat, carbohydrates and fibre. Their conclusion? Within the experimental errors of the measuring devices they were all the same. They gave the blue ribbon to the cheapest pie. 

Not one of the judges tasted any of them. "

Being seemingly objective without any subjective assessment is missing the point:  how does it affect the sound of music in an audio system?.

Yes @toronto416 anyone with a brain would come to the same conclusion. But there are many flat earthers who believe taste and sound can be measured.

The truth is: ASR does not review anything- they run some tests, meaningless tests, and that is it. 

What a hilariously brilliant analogy - thank you!

I finally had a chance to test out my new Puritan Audio PSM 156 in two of my systems.  

The effect of the PSM 156 was very apparent - a silent black background with clearer ambient sounds from the room acoustics in the recording, improved clarity, detail and soundstaging. It felt like a veil had been lifted between me and the musicians. I heard new subtleties in very familiar recordings and greater detail with less smearing of the edges of the high notes of the piano and soprano sax. Certainly a big improvement over no power conditioning or filtration.

I then compared it the PSM 156 to my PS Audio PP3 and PP12.  The PSM 156 clearly bested the PP3, but the PP12 was much closer.  The PSM 156 was a little smoother sounding than the PP12 with slightly cleaner articulation of the high notes of the piano.  I would give the PSM 156 the edge over the PP12.  They both sound good, but the PSM 156 sounds a little better.  It is not really a fair comparison because my PSM 156 is not broken in, and the PP12 is.  The PSM 156 is bound to improve.

The ANSUZ MAINS 8 is a gamechanger....the change in SQ was Dramatic They use Active Tesla Coils to change the electricity flow configuration from your outlet to your equipment. Astonishing , the difference in clarity, deep, deep soundstage...wall to wall horizontally....and only a few bucks more that your old power conditioning technology that is out of date. Best piece of gear I've purchased next to my X-3's.

I bought PSM136 a couple of weeks ago. The improvement made out of the box was striking. All gear appeared in another league. And all for just 1,320 Euro. Of course, for 10x more money I would expect a bit more.improvement. But my experience with the reputaded gear shows it is just audible improvement, but not much. To mention, all my amplifiers are for sure high-end. Enough said.

I don't have experience with either of these products, I use a Shunysta Hydra. However my best solution came after a hear that required all new feed from the city, and a new panel. I had an electrician run the first two breakers from the panel, with 10 gage solid core <20 feet to my outlets, and sink a copper grounding rod, into a dirt and rock salt pool, about 8 feet between the outlets and the ground rod and use this grounding rod only for these outlets. I use isolated ground outlets to ensure nothing comes back though the metal boxes and conduit. This solved all the problems of inconsistent power, dirty power and the frustration of never knowing what my system would sound like at different times of day. I of course live in an old house with easy access. And yes I've had electrical engineers tell me online that this is not safe, creates a different in grounding potential, etc. however my licensed electrician was happy to do it, and my set up passed inspection for code in the city of Chicago, which is know to be a bear to deal with.

Sounds like a wonderful solution for a homeowner, but alas, I live in a condo townhouse...

annalog

I had an electrician run the first two breakers from the panel, with 10 gage solid core <20 feet to my outlets, and sink a copper grounding rod, into a dirt and rock salt pool, about 8 feet between the outlets and the ground rod and use this grounding rod only for these outlets ...  And yes I've had electrical engineers tell me online that this is not safe, creates a different in grounding potential, etc. however my licensed electrician was happy to do it,

This arrangement is perfectly safe provided the outlets are also grounded to the buss bar in the service panel.

Ah yes, Audio Science Review.  The head Fred is from ‘that’ place.  I lived and worked in ‘that’ city for a dozen years.  It carries with it an imbalance of hubris.  Of course not everyone is that way, but certainly a weighted demographic.  Upon that discovery, much was answered about their misguided approach and delivery.

’That’ place is now considered by many a dumpster fire and its relevance wains.

I’ve run two of the PSM 156 for a couple of years with the City Ground and they are brilliant.  There may be better, but at what cost?  Suffice to say they work well.