Voltage Regulators & Sound Quality

Jayarr: I'm not familiar with those devices at all. Having said that, I will only add that a toroidal based product will always perform to a lower level than an old "iron core" I-E type transformer based product IF built with "top quality" in mind. This does not mean that a toroidal based product isn't a step in the right direction or wouldn't be beneficial to one's system, but that using such a device might be a bit of a trade-off compared to if one were looking for "the ultimate in performance". Then again, most all of audio and life in general is about "trade-offs" and "compromises". Learning to do the best that you can with what you can afford is a trick all to itself : ) Sean
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Sean,
Have you had any experience with the Exactpower voltage regulators? What's your thinking on it's design?

i am beginning to look into powerplants. There is quite an Audiogon consensus that the PS Audio equipment is really good.

I am not quite ready to buy yet but at this point someone will have to talk me out of getting one of the PS Audio units and into buying another.

All i will say is that voltage regulation is VERY tricky to say the least. If you want to run the entire system from a device such as this, the circuit must be capable of MASSIVE amounts of current i.e. rated for well above what you'll ever pull out of it. That, or use a smaller regulator and assume that it is only good for about 50%-60% of its' rating. On top of the brute force required to achieve such a task, the circuitry has to be very fast to respond to voltage changes / current demands. As such, you'll not get good performance out of one of these units unless they are quite hefty in terms of weight and capable of dissipating a good amount of heat. Sean
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Buy a PS Audio Powerplant.

Every person that I've A/B'd my system (or theirs) with and without the powerplant has been totally dumbfounded!

Hand down, I will never go without one in my system again...

Best single upgrade you can do because it makes ALL of the pieces sound better...

I know this sounds a bit over the edge, but it really is that good... And no, I don't work for PS Audio or sell the Powerplants...

Go to www.psaudio.com and take advantage of their 30 day in home trial. If you don't like it in your system, you just send it back to them and they refund your money no questions asked... Decide for yourself in your system - don't take my or anyone else's word for it... My hunch is you will be blown away...

Lastly, the P300 is fine for all of the front-end components. With everything in my system on (5 pieces), the draw is about 175 watts. Unless you run a tube amp, you won't be able to plug your amp into the P300 because it doesn't make enough power; you'll need a larger model for that... Even then, I'd just use an ultimate outlet for the amp so there is not any current limiting...

Steve