Wig here on the Gon had both and much preferred the Puritan. Hopefully he will post here.
Puritan PSM156
OK, this component needs a thread of its own.
http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/master-purifiers/psm156/
I've had a number of brands of power conditioner in the house over the years, but this one is something special. Inserting it cold into a cold system, the improvement was perceptible within the first bar of music. The sound was somehow more present, the relaxed passages more relaxed, the more forceful passages more forceful. I ended up turning down the volume a little from where I normally listen. Sound is definitely superior with the monoblocs plugged into this rather than straight into the wall, as is preamp and CDP.
The good news is that this comes in price-wise under the Audioquest Niagara 3000 and everything above that.
I'd love to have a showdown between the Puritan and the Inakustik AC-3500P but getting the two units in the same room together will be a challenge.
Puritan has been flying largely under the radar in the US, but this unit is most definitely worth checking out.
http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/master-purifiers/psm156/
I've had a number of brands of power conditioner in the house over the years, but this one is something special. Inserting it cold into a cold system, the improvement was perceptible within the first bar of music. The sound was somehow more present, the relaxed passages more relaxed, the more forceful passages more forceful. I ended up turning down the volume a little from where I normally listen. Sound is definitely superior with the monoblocs plugged into this rather than straight into the wall, as is preamp and CDP.
The good news is that this comes in price-wise under the Audioquest Niagara 3000 and everything above that.
I'd love to have a showdown between the Puritan and the Inakustik AC-3500P but getting the two units in the same room together will be a challenge.
Puritan has been flying largely under the radar in the US, but this unit is most definitely worth checking out.
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Possibly of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFkzZYya6Wc&ab_channel=OCDHI-FiGuy |
Glad to hear people are getting good results from the Puritan 156. We have been using Puritan power products for sometime now in our demo room and found them to give great results with our top system of Cube Nenuphar’s and Bakoon amplification. We lend out demo units to anyone interested here in the U.K. |
All I can say is "wow". Let me start by saying I am totally new to the HiFi scene. While I've had a few decent receiver and speaker setups in my time, I always pined over a true hifi setup. Well, at age 51 and hitting my stride in my profession, I decided that I'm in a place financially to jump in with both feet. After doing a bunch of research, and with guidance from "Al" out in Chicago, I bought a Luxman 590axii, a Lumin T2, and shortly thereafter, a pair of Franco Serblin Essence speakers from the guys down at Sun Coast Audio. When I finally hooked up the FS speakers, I had a small heart attack. Frankly, they sounded terrible. I nearly cried when I realized that my iMac speakers didn't sound so bad in comparison. I was beside myself with regret that I spent soooooooooo much money, without demo'ing the system, and it appeared that it was a total waste of $. Well, I did some more reading and realized, perhaps I needed to burn in my speakers and electronics. And over the course of the next week or so, they began to improve. The bass began to loosen up and they didn't sound like they were being strangled. But I was still disappointed. They sounded pretty good, but they didn't sound the way I expected that they should. So, I started reading about power conditioners. Obsessively. I saw a PS Audio power conditioner for sale and reached out to "Al from Chicago" to ask him about it. He recommended the Puritan without hesitation, even though it was selling for far less than the PS Audio. I decided to try it out. The day it arrived, someone in my office was shredding files (we're a law firm) and I heard the most horrible thing... popping from my speakers. I was absolutely horrified. I immediately unwrapped the Puritan PSM156, set it up, and plugged in my Luxman and the T2. I went outside of my office and started up the shredder and I heard... silence. Beautiful silence. I couldn't believe it. The popping in my speakers had been eliminated!!! All the back and forth on the internet about whether or not this thing really worked was instantly settled. Yes, it works. But it didn't just clean up the AC. It instantly made the speakers sound like I imagined they would. The sound stage expanded... the bass INCREASED... they didn't sound choked off anymore... and they sounded more powerful. The midrange was better as was the treble. This must be what the critics in whathifi.com was talking about. Now I could actually hear it. And I was (and am) amazed. I'm actually open to the possibility that perhaps AC cables, speaker cables, and interconnects can make a difference, too. I will slowly dip my toe into that arena, one type of interconnect at a time. Oh, and I bought a pair of REL s/510s with the Baseline Blue connections. I would have TOTALLY "poo poo'd" the Baseline Blue connections for the RELs if it wasn't for the Puritan. I figured it was worth a shot. Anyway, for what it's worth from a total noob, the Puritan PMS156 is absolutely worth the investment. It literally transformed my speakers, overnight, from less than ordinary to extraordinary. As an aside and some background, I own a small, boutique law firm with 10 employees. Lots of wifi, computers, iPads, phones, ethernet, shredders (hahahaha), etc, which I assume can affect someone's HiFi audio. I am also a bit skeptical yet curious about what people refer to as "snake oil". I've been on audio science review, audiogon, and other forms to read opinions and articles about everything from speaker cables to power conditioners. Frankly, I still ended up pretty confused. But I really trust "Al from Chicago", who I just now bought a pair of REL s/510s from, and I'm glad I took the plunge with the Puritan. I'm even willing to explore cabling, one component at a time. I sincerely hope this post helps anyone on the fence with buying an audio conditioner. Frankly, I have no idea if there are better audio conditioners out there, but there are certainly more expensive ones; that's for sure. YMMV but I can't imagine you won't be impressed if you try the Puritan.
Bill |
I own a Puritan PSM156 and an Inakustik AC-3500P. IMO: They are interchangeable. Meaning the sonic differences I perceive are minimal to non-existent. At one time I considered putting both up for sale and keeping the one that didn’t sell. Of course as always: My experience and opinion only, YMMV PS. The Inakustik has an on/off switch and a cool blue light. The Puritan has neither. |
@rja No denying that the Inakustik is a good unit, but you failed to mention a price comparison between the two.
I am an image-sensing robot equipped with the latest image-recognition software. |
I owned the 3500 prior to the 136 model. Yes, less money for an improvement so a good value then. I echo many of the comments here and am content to keep the Puritan for quite some time.
I also added the ground block they sell and a few other homemade RFI/EMI emitter for additional reduction in background levels. |
@wtb Now that you have the Puritan you may consider the Puritan ground master city for additional ground improvements. Regarding ASR, measurements are one thing but actually listening is another. One of the only measurements I really care about is speaker impedance. It can cause problems with certain amplifiers that can't handle wild swings or low impedance levels. Einstein said something to the effect "Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted". Trust your ears. |
