 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
71.191.81.92
Following the death of my closest local audiophile friend (for nearly 45 years), I inherited his PS Audio P300 power regenerator. This is their lowest output unit from their very first effort at power regeneration. It sat around here for a while, and then I thought of trying it on the bias supplies of my Sound Lab speakers, which draw very little current and are an easy load. To my pleasant surprise, the P300 made a very worthwhile improvement to overall sonics, but most notably in bass and mid-bass frequencies. "Articulation" went up; noise I didn't know was there before, went down. The P300 subsequently went bad, and I really noticed the loss when I had to go back to using the wall socket as a source to power the bias supplies, albeit my listening room has dedicated AC lines and separate grounds outside. I inquired with PS Audio about repairs, but they won't even look at these early units any longer. My local repair shop punted also. However, PS Audio did offer to sell me a new P3, their latest production with several improvements over the original, at a substantial discount plus the return of my P300 to them. I received it two days ago and hooked it up last night. I immediately heard the difference. This makes some sense, because you don't want any spurious AC noise on the mylar bias voltage which ideally should be pure DC. Any noise on the mylar would modulate the audio signal. If you can borrow a PS Audio regenerator (not just any of the many "conditioners" that don't actually regenerate AC), I highly recommend that you give it a try. If anyone here has already done this experiment, I would be interested to know what you think. I thought this experience was relevant to this site, because OTLs and ESLs go together like love and marriage, or a horse and a carriage, or peanut butter and jelly, or something and something.
Edits: 11/19/21Follow Ups:
I own a P300 bought new about 15 years ago. Been sitting in storage for at least the past 10 years.
I used it for powering sources, never amps.
I would sell it but what a bear to ship! Such a weird shape and not light.
. I judge any sound system by how tiring it is to listen to.
Linkwitz
You'd never use it for most amplifiers, because it does not have sufficient current delivery for most amplifiers. Useful for CDPs, TTs, and some preamplifiers. They do break, however, and when they do, PS Audio no longer fixes them. I gather you do not use an ESL. If you do, give it a try on the bias supplies. The ESL bias supply uses very very little current.
Yeah I only ever used it for source components - dac and preamp.
Last time I powered it up about 3 years ago as a test it worked fine. It is on my list of audio items to put on the bay but it will be a project to pack and ship...
. I judge any sound system by how tiring it is to listen to.
Linkwitz
If I understand correctly the 'regenerator' is to generate balanced AC power.
I have recently purchased an isolation transformer (500VA nominal, 400VA continuous operation) based on a toroidal transformer that produces the AC that my audio components need to operate.
Balanced AC power has theoretically the advantage of canceling a worthwhile amount of noise on the power line.
However I found out a drawback when it is connected to an OTL.
After about 4 hours of continuos operation at high audio level the thermal protection of the unit turns on and it takes half an hour for the transformer core to get back to normal temperature.
OTLs need much higher AC line current peaks than similar conventional tube amplifiers of similar power output.
In other words, in order to power a 15 W OTL you may tentatively need a 1 KVA 'regenerator' to compensate for the copper losses of the internal transformer.
Omnes feriunt, ultima necat.
I wouldn't suggest using a regenerator on an amplifier unless I knew the current capacity of the regenerator was far in excess of the amplifier demands. The Sound Lab bias supplies draw very very little current. I don't think the PS Audio makes balanced AC.
does anyone make a lower power AC regenerator, 1 to 2 amperes for anything on the front end - digital, preamp, whatever?
PS Audio P3 makes 300W. That's roughly 2.5A at 120V. It also has a separate pair of outlets that can be used as a filter only. Those outlets can optionally filter up to 13A.
They WANTED the old unit back? WHY? For their Museum? What do you do in 5 or so years when your 'new P300' is declared obsolete and unfixable?
And Did you get a SCHEMATIC with the new? For me? No deal without it...... I'm tired of companies treating me like an Annuity....
I noticed similar effects when I installed a ($$$) Panamax Power Conditioner with ISO Transformer...
It was Ear Popping and the TV lost ALL the 'snow' which improved the picture dramatically.
Too much is never enough
My P300 was not new. PS Audio hasn't made that original series of power regenerators for years, maybe more than a decade. I inherited mine from the estate of a friend 5 years ago, and he owned it for several years before his passing. They were very helpful in supplying me with schematics etc so I might get it repaired locally, but they don't repair that early series at the factory any longer. When I got a repair estimate from my local shop, I decided to go for the generous trade-in on a new P3. It came with a full factory warranty. I've no beef with PS Audio.
Good they sent off the Sketch-O-Matic.
Now? Are there any PROPRIETARY parts? Stuff made custom for PSAudio?
Those things....maybe custom transformers......should be lifetime.
Caps / resistors / semiconductors / ICs should be nearly commodity and available....
circuit boards? Another issue altogether, so I hope you didn't burn up a trace or 'charcoal' a board.
I've got a few things....like the DAC from Cambridge Audio where the will NOT send of a schematic.
And they want a fixed fee for repair which tells me 'pure profit'.. HSU Reserch also closely guards schematics with all sorts of 'intellectual property' claims. Nonsense..
Too much is never enough
Did you get the part where I said I am not repairing the P300? I traded it for a brand new P3, so none of your concerns apply.
A friend had two early models and one is a boat anchor now and the other, I believe, physically hums so much that you just wouldn't want it in the same room with you. Repairable or not, they do not seem like good investments, so I think you were wise to get a new one.
voolston - audiophile by day, music lover by night
It is a Personal Prejudice of mine that 'good stuff' which is repairable is NOT discarded.
I'd seriously look into repair, depending on failuire mode and degree.....
Smoke and flames? It's a goner. But a simple.....failure.....maybe fixable at little cost.....
Too much is never enough
-in the ESLs? Admittedly that might be a bit of a trick.
I'm using the OEM regulated HV supplies that SL supplies. All I can tell you is that regenerated AC is an improvement. My guess would be that maybe the filtering in the bias supplies is improved by cleaner input AC.
Lew,
This is interesting and makes sense. I'm planning on using Shunyata Venom NR power cords on my Sound Labs (when I get them--they were due to ship in Sept!) plugged into a Shunyata Hydra Triton V2 power conditioner/distributor as I've heard a pretty big improvement in emotional engagement with the use of Shunyata gear (and I was quite a skeptic before trying). It sure makes sense that quiet AC on the mylar bias would really improve sonics.
Evan
The Shunyata is not a regenerator , I don't think, but a good filter may work as well. The current draw is tiny but the cleaner the DC voltage that comes out of the bias supply, the better. I guess perceived benefits would also vary with different speakers.
Lee,
Yes the Shunyata is just a filter—it does not regenerate the sine wave. Will be interesting to hear the impact. Now if I can just GET them...-
I installed the least expensive Shunyata NR power cables (Venom "digital" 14 awg) and there was indeed an improvement in presentation of the Sound Labs. The sound stage got a little bigger, most noticeably moving into the room about a foot. Listening to Joni Mitchell "Blue" Joni sounded like she was 4' from me (the speakers are 9' from the primary listening position). Soundstage changes in depth and width was not noticeable. The only downside is I wish they were 2m instead of 1.75m as the right power cable is more stretched than I'd like with the speakers where I like them.
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
