Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136

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Wig

Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« on: 9 Dec 2020, 09:21 pm »
Over the past 7 years I have owned at least 8 power conditioners and all of them made improvements in my system but NO where near the performance of Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136!

For the first time I’m hearing so much more information that has been buried by the barrage of ground noise; detail, ambiance, sound stage width/depth and note sustainment is remarkable by just adding this Puritan.

I have also bought their ground master device that is said to remove the noise from your audio system ground to the supplemental rod that has to be installed. This modification has been completed and I’m waiting on the device to arrive to discern any notable improvement but I’m quite happy with the results of this unit!

After listening to the youtube video, go to the 15:30 minute mark and see how much noise is removed even on dedicated lines...

Wig  :thumb:

http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/master-purifiers/psm136/
http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/ground-master/
https://theaudiophileman.com/ground-master-puritan-review/
https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/puritan/
https://www.11stereo.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VX4buciMLM




« Last Edit: 9 Dec 2020, 11:11 pm by Wig »

Randy

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #1 on: 10 Dec 2020, 12:05 am »
Over the past 7 years I have owned at least 8 power conditioners and all of them made improvements in my system but NO where near the performance of Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136!

For the first time I’m hearing so much more information that has been buried by the barrage of ground noise; detail, ambiance, sound stage width/depth and note sustainment is remarkable by just adding this Puritan.

I have also bought their ground master device that is said to remove the noise from your audio system ground to the supplemental rod that has to be installed. This modification has been completed and I’m waiting on the device to arrive to discern any notable improvement but I’m quite happy with the results of this unit!

After listening to the youtube video, go to the 15:30 minute mark and see how much noise is removed even on dedicated lines...

Wig  :thumb:

http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/master-purifiers/psm136/
http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/ground-master/
https://theaudiophileman.com/ground-master-puritan-review/
https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/puritan/
https://www.11stereo.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VX4buciMLM

I've had many power conditioners including several "power regenerators," but none helped much with the noise in my system after dark. During the day I get pristine sound, but soon as sundown arrives it all goes in the toilet.  Hope springs eternal. Where'd you get this unit and at what cost in $?  Thanks.

Wig

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #2 on: 10 Dec 2020, 12:41 am »
I've had many power conditioners including several "power regenerators," but none helped much with the noise in my system after dark. During the day I get pristine sound, but soon as sundown arrives it all goes in the toilet.  Hope springs eternal. Where'd you get this unit and at what cost in $?  Thanks.

Randy,

I bought mines for $1.6K from 11 stereo.com; Mike Powell

Wig

Big Red Machine

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #3 on: 10 Dec 2020, 01:34 am »
Just had mine arrive today.

TomS

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #4 on: 10 Dec 2020, 02:08 am »
Just had mine arrive today.
PSM156 or PSM136?

I've had a PSM156 for a couple weeks. Purchased from Albert at Precision Audio Video in Chicago https://www.pavchicago.com/brands-we-offer

There has been a periodic faint buzz ~3-4 seconds long in my speakers, that happens maybe once a day. It sounds like a heating element or something like that kicking on/off, very much periodic. I can hear it in both my HT and 2CH systems upstairs, even heard it downstairs today on my computer speakers. I've never been able to track this one down, drives me crazy. NONE of the power conditioning/surge products I've had in house seemed to faze it, DIY double Felix, Uber, Furman, Zero Surge, SurgeX, Panamax, you name it.

With the Puritan, I have not heard the noise a single time, killed it dead, zip  :o

Big Red Machine

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #5 on: 10 Dec 2020, 02:54 am »
56

jtwrace

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Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #6 on: 10 Dec 2020, 03:02 pm »

RPM123

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Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #7 on: 10 Dec 2020, 06:08 pm »
Another Puritan Audio fan here, purchased from Audio Archon. I have had the 1512 for months now and it is the best power line conditioner i have ever owned! It has filtering to remove DC (among other things) which makes anything with a transformer sound much quieter. All receptacles are independent of each other, so no cross contamination from different components. Also, I thought my previous conditioner did not limit current...that is until I tried the Puritan. My amp sounds like it is on steroids with much better clarity and  dynamics. Mine came with a very flexible 20 amp power cord and according to Mike from Audio Archon, the cord is excellent.  The owner/engineer of Puritan formerly worked on British nuclear subs, so I guess he knows a thing or two about noise reduction.

Wig: I am very interested in reading your thoughts on the "ground master".

Early B.

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #8 on: 10 Dec 2020, 08:04 pm »
Has anyone come across a comparison between the 136 and 156?? I'm not sure which one best fits my needs.

Thanks.

RPM123

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Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #9 on: 10 Dec 2020, 09:48 pm »
Has anyone come across a comparison between the 136 and 156?? I'm not sure which one best fits my needs.

Thanks.

Their website mentions more filtering elements as you move up the line.

https://theaudiophileman.com/psm-156/

Wig

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #10 on: 11 Dec 2020, 02:53 am »
Has anyone come across a comparison between the 136 and 156?? I'm not sure which one best fits my needs.

Thanks.

You can't go wrong with either but the 156 has 52 elements of filtering verses the 136 39 elements; the designers says the 136 is all most would need especially at the asking price but imagine more refinement with more filtering. My PSM 136 with the additional Ground Master gives me 51 elements of filtering and a bigger saving over the more expensive 156...

Here's a testimony from Puritan user review section:

PSM156

"I recently upgraded my PSM136 to the new PSM156 and would like to share my experiences for anybody wondering whether to make the same upgrade or a new purchase.

I’ve been using some form of mains conditioning/filtering for over 15 years. Before I owned the PSM 136 I was using a PS Audio Premiere that worked well enough I thought in my system, but one day I saw a very brief piece in the hi-fi press stating that a UK company called Puritan Audio was launching a new mains filtration device. The price looked right so I decided to try it out at home. To cut to the chase my PS Audio Premiere was sold on eBay and I bought the PSM136 in 2016, as it surpassed the PS Audio unit in all aspects, but especially in terms of musical transparency and clarity.

Earlier this year I saw a review by Paul Rigby extolling the virtues of the very new PSM156 and decided to pester Mike at Puritan Audio to let me try one at home. Once he was happy that the performance of the new model was up to his high standards he sent me a unit and I plugged it in expecting a little improvement of what I had been experiencing with the PSM136. How wrong I was!

The first experience that made me sit further back in my listening chair was the marked increase in bass power from my system. Although I’m a classical music fan I have a weakness for 1970-75 Miles Davis’ electric period, and particularly the Sony Japan import versions of the live albums Aghartha and Dark Magus. These albums have some of the meanest electric bass, drums and percussion that I’ve heard on disc and through the PSM156 the bass blew me away. What a beast! I use a REL T9i subwoofer to supplement my Harbeth Monitor 30.1’s and I had to turn down the volume control on the REL two notches as the power was too much for my room. My LFD integrated amp is certainly no multi-watt behemoth but what it does do very well is to give a very accurate rendition of the tone and timbre of instruments. It’s also a very transparent amplifier so that I can hear the result of even the slightest change made in the signal chain.

After this initial favourable impression I began to notice other aspects that had improved noticeably. The size of the musical image became much bigger, wider, higher and deeper. It reached further back behind the speakers and further forward into the room in front of them. Within this larger, lifelike soundstage there was a greater separation between the instruments so that the architecture of the recording venue became much more palpable. Each instrument was clearly picked out spatially and became much fuller and three dimensional. Micro details of guitar fingering, the breathy rasps of Miles Davis’ trumpet playing and the slap of hands and fingers on percussion instruments were now much more vividly present than before, producing a more lifelike image of living breathing musicians on stage.

During the next few days I listened to a wide range of classical material and all of the recordings I played benefited in exactly the same way as the Miles Davis electric albums. Instruments were more clearly delineated spatially and their timbres more lifelike. Everything was much more realistically rendered, from triangles to double basses. There was no way I was going to return the PSM156 to Mike at Puritan Audio and it is now an invaluable component in my system. I would highly recommend that you try it in your system at home, and if you do, I’d be very surprised if you sent it back!

For me the PSM156 is a stone cold bargain for the price, as the effect it has had on my system is by no means subtle. What’s more it means we can support another British hi-fi manufacturer – my amp and speakers are both respected British brands. I know there is a lot of talk about how mains filtering devices can be current limiting, to power amps in particular. Far from doing this in my system the PSM156 has only unleashed more power and in doing so has increased my enjoyment of my music collection enormously."

Wig

Early B.

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #11 on: 11 Dec 2020, 03:17 am »
You can't go wrong with either but the 156 has 52 elements of filtering verses the 136 39 elements; the designers says the 136 is all most would need especially at the asking price but imagine more refinement with more filtering. My PSM 136 with the additional Ground Master gives me 51 elements of filtering and a bigger saving over the more expensive 156...

Here's a testimony from Puritan user review section:

This is very helpful. Thanks!

Wig

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #12 on: 11 Dec 2020, 06:02 pm »
This is very helpful. Thanks!

No problem and glad it was helpful!

Wig 👍

Big Red Machine

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #13 on: 12 Dec 2020, 02:09 pm »
I committed a cardinal sin but had no opportunity to place just one new item in the chain. I had a 156 and a Sachs Model 2 preamp show up at the same time with no other replacement units in house. Right out of the box this is the best sound I have ever had. Of course I cannot delineate which unit is giving me what exactly. I am on my way to 48 hours of run-in time for both used units just to reinstate the components to a burn-in state. Can't wait to roll some tubes. I have plenty of 6SN7's from the Dude preamp days to try in the Sachs. Amp is a VTV stereo unit with PR Sonic Imagery Labs 995FET Pro Opamp.

Cleanest presentation I have ever had. Puts to shame the Luxman, Pass, and Inakustik combo.

AndrewA

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Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #14 on: 12 Dec 2020, 03:15 pm »
Just inserted a Puritan 156 in the system.  Wow!  Everything is somehow more present; the relaxed parts of the music are more relaxed, the forceful parts more forceful.  I had to adjust the volume control down a tad.  My monoblocks also used to give a tiny thud through the speakers when powering on, and that went away too.
This is the real deal.  Made more difference to the system than an Isotek Sigmas EVO.
I also picked up a couple of their power cords at the same time, which are supremely flexible, if you have tight corners.

Wig

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #15 on: 12 Dec 2020, 05:53 pm »
I committed a cardinal sin but had no opportunity to place just one new item in the chain. I had a 156 and a Sachs Model 2 preamp show up at the same time with no other replacement units in house. Right out of the box this is the best sound I have ever had. Of course I cannot delineate which unit is giving me what exactly. I am on my way to 48 hours of run-in time for both used units just to reinstate the components to a burn-in state. Can't wait to roll some tubes. I have plenty of 6SN7's from the Dude preamp days to try in the Sachs. Amp is a VTV stereo unit with PR Sonic Imagery Labs 995FET Pro Opamp.

Cleanest presentation I have ever had. Puts to shame the Luxman, Pass, and Inakustik combo.

@ BRM

It's both that are contributing to the best sound and they both will continue to improve over the next few weeks!

@ AndrewA

Yes, the Puritan is the "Real Deal" and the level of noise that has been removed is shocking compared to All of the other units I owned; No Way to Unhear this... :lol:

Wig  :thumb:

Wig

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #16 on: 13 Dec 2020, 11:45 pm »
Puritan Ground Master (GM) update!

Guys,

I received my GM on Friday night and was anxious to hear the improvements but knew it was going to be at least another 4-5 hours before the kids were in bed. So, I connected the device to the cabling running to the supplemental grounding rods and connected the supplied cabling to the GM and then into the my PSM 136 Star chassis ground which completed the installation (1 minute).

Turned on the my soundbar to listen with the GM installed and uninstalled and the differences in clarity was even noticeable on my consumer soundbar. After getting the kids in bed, I powered up my system letting my tube components warm up for a bit before doing any casual listening but I was anxious to hear the improvements the GM was having in my system.

It literally took no time to discern the impact of the GM; my sound stage grew another 4-5 feet in width, perception of depth also increased, transparency, clarity and low-level detail was quite stunning but this is the hallmark of having a lower floor noise… Images were rock-solid/tightly focused and tracking multiple performers on the stage were easily discernable within their own three-dimensional space.

This GM is a bargain and does exactly as advertised, “Earth Line Interference Eliminator”. If you already have a 136 or 156, this device will elevate your gear to a level of unimaginable resolve. I understand the concepts of the Puritan but in my mind the PSM deals with all of the pollutants on your line within the unit itself and seems that adding the GM with a supplemental grounding rod, permanently drains ALL of the spurious noises emanating within the unit, your equipment and the main ground... :D

This is a no brainer and Enthusiastically Recommended!

Wig :thumb:

TomS

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #17 on: 14 Dec 2020, 12:16 am »
Puritan Ground Master (GM) update!

Guys,

I received my GM on Friday night and was anxious to hear the improvements but knew it was going to be at least another 4-5 hours before the kids were in bed. So, I connected the device to the cabling running to the supplemental grounding rods and connected the supplied cabling to the GM and then into the my PSM 136 Star chassis ground which completed the installation (1 minute).

Turned on the my soundbar to listen with the GM installed and uninstalled and the differences in clarity was even noticeable on my consumer soundbar. After getting the kids in bed, I powered up my system letting my tube components warm up for a bit before doing any casual listening but I was anxious to hear the improvements the GM was having in my system.

It literally took no time to discern the impact of the GM; my sound stage grew another 4-5 feet in width, perception of depth also increased, transparency, clarity and low-level detail was quite stunning but this is the hallmark of having a lower floor noise… Images were rock-solid/tightly focused and tracking multiple performers on the stage were easily discernable within their own three-dimensional space.

This GM is a bargain and does exactly as advertised, “Earth Line Interference Eliminator”. If you already have a 136 or 156, this device will elevate your gear to a level of unimaginable resolve. I understand the concepts of the Puritan but in my mind the PSM deals with all of the pollutants on your line within the unit itself and seems that adding the GM with a supplemental grounding rod, permanently drains ALL of the spurious noises emanating within the unit, your equipment and the main ground... :D

This is a no brainer and Enthusiastically Recommended!

Wig :thumb:
Thanks for the writeup, need to get mine hooked up. Unfortunately, I have a rather roundabout way to go from where my rig is to where I can pound a copper rod outside.

What type of wire did you use and what length is yours to the rod?
 
I'm assuming there would be minimal current flow through it.

Wig

Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #18 on: 14 Dec 2020, 05:10 am »
@ TomS

I bought a 100 Feet roll of 12 Ga stranded copper that's capable of handling 600 volts and more than capable of handling grounding duties; I used about 50 feet of cabling to complete my installation.

Recommend saturating the ground for at least 30 minutes before pounding your rod into the ground, it will make the job much easier  :)

Wig

jtwrace

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Re: Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM 136
« Reply #19 on: 14 Dec 2020, 01:27 pm »
@ TomS

I bought a 100 Feet roll of 12 Ga stranded copper that's capable of handling 600 volts and more than capable of handling grounding duties; I used about 50 feet of cabling to complete my installation.

Recommend saturating the ground for at least 30 minutes before pounding your rod into the ground, it will make the job much easier  :)

Wig
Did you do a full 8-10' ground rod?  I presume you called utilities too; to have them all marked?