"Rotel RSX-1067 receiver" *facepalm*
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@bluethinker in my system the Ultimate Power Cable was a must. There is a level of noise/grunge that disappears when going from Classic to Ultimate PC. |
I have the Puritan 136, which I found made an immediate positive impact on my system. I am planning, at some point, upgrading to the 156 in my main system and using my 136 in my secondary one. I am curious about the ultimate cable versus the classic one which I currently have. I’m interested in making that upgrade too. Can anyone share their experience with Ultimate cable? |
anyone gone from psm156 to niagara 3000/5000? I've read differing opinions; some prefer the Puritan whereas others say the Puritan makes music sound thin/bright and prefer the niagara 5000. I'm currently using Lab12 Gordian and Niagara 1200, both of which I quite like, but am curious of the benefits/bump in sq of going to Puritan or 5000. |
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Or it could easily be based on what type of “dirty electricity” someone has. Maybe each unit works stronger with differing harmonic distortion frequencies? One could even clean the electrical harmonics more than someone is used to and that ends up perceiving the sound as ‘not as good’ (not preferred). We’re all dealing with different harmonic profiles and we all have different preferences within these distortions that make up part of the character of our systems sonics. |
I find it very interesting that people can have such a strong preference for either one of them, if I were to guess, I would have guessed that they are pretty "similar" in performance.
I wonder how much of this is just bias as to what they have themselves, but then again most people who tried both did at end of the day try both...
Very interesting. |
Same thing can be said of EVs (200 components) Vs ICEs (1400 components). And also a 1960 computer technology (room size) Vs modern laptops (don't have to explain that, do I?). I know folks who replaced the Inakustik with Puritans. But there are also folks who sold the Puritan and kept the Inakustik. I love what it does in my system. |
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There are technical differences in terms of the amount and nature of the filtering in the Puritan vs. other devices like AQ. AQ has a unique grounding system and is at its best when everything in the system is AQ. This is not the case with puritan and it is cable agnostic though their Ultimate XX PCs are excellent for the money. I like the PSM156 in general, its price makes it even more appealing. I like that it is available and in-stock domestically. The one unit I think I might like better is the Inakustik but at that point it is a matter of taste. I would be shocked if you are not happy with it. Full disclosure, I am a Puritan and AQ dealer and am planning to buy into Inakustik so I certainly am biased toward all these brands. A Niagara 3000 with thunder and/or tornado PCs through the system will beat it but that is a lot pricier. |
Your weak spot is your equipment trust me it's not the Puritan. Rotel is glorified Onkyo. I can say without a doubt after auditioning, A/Bing Shunyata, AQ etc the Puritan makes an audible difference that none of the others did. I let my ear decide the end of the day, but what I know is the equipment used also has something to do with it. |
My experience using the Puritan 136 conditioner with grounding box both purchased as a package deal I was thrilled how it drastically reduced Ac hash and noise measuring it using an old Entech noise meter, it was amazing. We just had a major electrical upgrade and update to our 45 year old home right down to every single light switch and receptacle replaced . Measuring Ac noise using Entech device prior to the electrical work it was awful , using the Puritan 136 it worked as advertised however ,….Having never used a power conditioner before in the past ive used transformer and psaudio power regeneration until it developed some odd problems. I had a couple dedicated lines installed and it was interesting experimenting with plugging my front end components one by one first directly into a standard wall receptacle, gave it a good long listen then directly into a dedicated line then into the Puritan with my preamplifier, separate out board power supplies of my server and my dac . My dac was effected most noticeable plugged into the Puritan . I now use a Furutech GTO 3 with my front end components directly comparing the Puritan with the Furutech it was very difficult to detect what was robbed from preamplifier and server however most definitely my Holo Audio May KTE dac was effected the most robbing it of its true performance. |
My experience using the Puritan 136 conditioner with grounding box both purchased as a package deal I was thrilled how it drastically reduced Ac hash and noise measuring it using an old Entech noise meter, it was amazing. We just had a major electrical upgrade and update to our 45 year old home right down to every single light switch and receptacle replaced . Measuring Ac noise using Entech device prior to the electrical work it was awful , using the Puritan 136 it worked as advertised however ,….Having never used a power conditioner before in the past ive used transformer and psaudio power regeneration until it developed some odd problems. I had a couple dedicated lines installed and it was interesting experimenting with plugging my front end components one by one first directly into a standard wall receptacle, gave it a good long listen then directly into a dedicated line then into the Puritan with my preamplifier, separate out board power supplies of my server and my dac . My dac was effected most noticeable plugged into the Puritan . I now use a Furutech GTO 3 with my front end components directly comparing the Puritan with the Furutech it was very difficult to detect what was robbed from preamplifier and server however most definitely my Holo Audio May KTE dac was effected the most robbing it of its true performance. |
Balance conditioners have an impact on the sound and you will hear a difference but all I've to own is a stripping effect, clean yes, but a loss of body weight and tone. I owned a Furman 20i and loved the HC outlet section for front-end gear, but not on the balanced ones that were using the balanced network, you can easily hear the impact and change from the HC outlets that were not balanced. I had that unit for several years, I later read about PS Audio units and my dealer let me take one home for a weekend, and after that weekend I ordered one, the P-12 for my front end gear, there was no contest, everything improved, from top to bottom, no losses but only more of what my gear sounded like in my system but now in total noise-free, blackest background, more weight tone, and color and this just took a noticeable step up like my system was on the quietest power grid. Dynamics better, mico details due to lack of noise, and rock-solid 120V at all times, the old my system sounds better some days or times is gone it is consistent, and I did n experiment, you can adjust the outgoing voltage on the unit so I matched the incoming wall voltage of 123V and the sound took noise dive, set it back to 120V and all was right again, so this proved how outgoing wall voltage impacts our system, some days my incoming wall voltage is 124V, so in my experience now if you buy a unit that does not give you high regulated 120V you really are missing out. I moved the Furman to my video system and it good enough for that use, but the PS Audio is just flat out better in a high-end audio system. Now of course we all like what we like, so if the newest hot thing is marketed as the best ever and you like it then your money was well spent. But voltage stabilization really does impact your sound big time. |
PowerCell SX specifications:MSRP Bundled with $2,995.00 Atmosphere X Euphoria PowerCell AC Cable (5 ft.)120V - $8,495 230V - $8,995 Bundled with $6,000.00 Galileo SX AC Cable (5 ft.)120V - $10,495 230V - $10,995 Bundled with $10,000.00 SRX AC Cable (6 ft.)120V - $12,995 230V - $13,495 - PSM156 with Puritan Powercord $2,300 |
Given my budget - and the demands of my current system (somewhat modest, by audiophile standards) - I opted for the Puritan PSM136 and couldn't be happier. Granted, this is after going from NO power conditioner, but I really try to restrict my purchases to things that will make a positive, appreciable (audible) difference. Not all have. This one did. FWIW, I run a small SET tube amp, Belle Klipsch horn speakers, and Sennheiser HD650 cans - nothing exotic or extraordinary. As a side note, I found Mike Kay at Audio Archon to be professional, responsive, and easy to to deal with. (No affiliation - just a past customer). My .02. |
I have been using a puritan 156 with their upgraded power cord for about 6 months and am impressed by the improvement in sound, especially the clarity of the bass, the articulation and separation in the midrange and lack of harshness in the treble and timbre. After experimentation, I have both my preamp and mono block amps in the 156 along with the DAC and my SoundSmith Strain Gauge. In fact, with the 156 I could clearly hear the difference between the Rogue Audio Stereo100 and Apollo Dark amps, a DAVE vs a Rossini vs a Briscati DAC etc. (I guess you could quip that being able to hear the difference was a "downside" since I ended up trading by Stereo 100 for the Apollos and my DAVE for the Rossini. ) There is a "break-in" period. My system also consists of Nordost Valhalla cables and Sonus faber Amati tradition speakers so is fairly revealing. Whether the 156 is beneficial also depends on the quality of your electrical service. I do have a dedicated 20A circuit and prior to the power company replacing a transformer near my house, I did not seem to have significant noise. But, about 8 months ago, when the transformer was replaced, I could clearly hear a difference despite the dedicated circuit. The 156 "fixed" the problem. |
@phillyb how long did you try the 156(?) and was it with the Puritan power cord? As you are describing exactly what I heard at first also. But after 2 weeks it was apparent that my sound was much more pure. What I came away thinking/realizing is some midrange warmth is actually distortion. Bass and mids are not as rounded and warm but now more true to the real tone of a note (less colored) and I have no loss of harmonic textures, bass weight or emotional/musical aspects. Also made a bigger sonic difference between my DACs and different cables I employ.. Depending on your tastes and depending on your level of gear —which may benefit from a certain level of that warm-haze mask— you may just like that, or more so are used to that type of coloration. My gear seems to be singing more true. Bricasti or Lampizator > Vinnie Rossi L2 preamp > Wells Innamorata Signature > Harbeth 40.2 anniversaries. So no chance here of realizing my gear is lacking in something I thought it had… I also employed another Puritan PC in the system a little later on and it was thin and unnatural sounding at first. Cleared up that time, too. So the PC settling for a time is definitely part of the equation. This power product indeed does show you what you have…and like you’ve said, that might not be a welcome change. It did cause me to upgrade ICs. |
Heard this unit and it sounds like any other "Balanced Conditioner", clean sound, with loss of body and weight and naturalness. Yes, it did sound different but it ends there. I've owned many balanced conditioners for over 20 plus years and all have the same sonics results, what I failed to understand that I do understand now is our gear was not designed for balanced power it was designed to use the AC that comes into our home, these units screw up the power supplies in units and you are left with stripped music of much of the midrange down, thus bring forth the upper midrange and highs, in other words, you're throwing the balanced of the reproduction off, but if you like that sound then it is a great addition to your system. The only units that I've heard that do not do more harm than good is the PS Audio current and the generation before regenerators. |
