PS Audio Ultimate outlet


Have thought about one to protect amp from surges but do not want to affect the sound. Anybody have one?
no_money

Showing 3 responses by estrnad

I just got one. It's going back. Dark, dark, dark with my VTL-225's. It muddies up the sound, sucks out all harmonics, 12-hour break-in didn't help. Better pc didn't matter.
The P300 Power Plant is a definite improvement, the Ultimate Outlet isn't, especially for the price, and the fact that you need to use a premium cord instead of the wimpy AC pc that comes with it. Can't recommend it. Monster HTS2000 power conditioner strip is much better, only $130. Your system may yield a different result, but I'd tell tubed amp owners to forget it. I'm pretty disappointed, after waiting a month or so for it.
BTW, the Outlet's choke radiates a significant amount of EMI, which can't be good for your system. I heard a spitty edge on highs that sounds like an EMI artifact. Locate it far, far, away from components and ic's, unshielded pc's.
DO NOT sit it on top of PS-300.
Spoke to PS Audio, they advise 100 hrs burn-in(!). But I have their Lab cable--which uses the same wiring--on my P-300, and it only took 6-8 hours to sound "right." I'm dubious. Will let it burn over weekend and will report. Stay tuned...
Sorry guys, it's a thumbs down. The UO is a UFO--U Flunked Out. I was trying to give it a fair trial by burning it in for 2 days now. The last straw was when just the turn-on impulse from one amp blew the damn thing's fuse. (If your amp dims the lights when you turn it on, the Ultimate Outlet isn't gonna like it! It's a ballun, after all--an inductor--a quite pricey one at that ($300). Current can't change instantaneously through an inductor, no matter what PS Audio says in the marketing literature. It still darkened the audio pallette, subtracted delicate details and harmonics, reduced air, and flattened the soundstage depth. It did bump up the bass, but it was a bloated, boomy kind that some might enjoy. IMO, the UO is just unmusical. It's a subtractive device. It seems (at least in my system) to rob the life from the music; of course your mileage may vary.
But hey, there's a 30-day return (you'll be out some heavy duty return postage though) offer, so give it a shot in your system. Remember to position it at least 3 feet away from any other component--the farther, the better (it spews RFI/EMI). Also, the thing's extremely sensitive to the input AC cord used--the flimsy stock cord sounds bright compared to a good premium cord, like Synergistic Research or Silver Audio Power Burst, which sound dark and flat powering the UO. It's probably designed to only sound good with a PS Audio Lab Cable ($$$), natch.
For $300, go buy your kid a good bicycle. You'll still have about a hundred bucks left over. And the money will go to much better use. -Ed