[n2djazz]

All,
I am considering the PurePower APS Power Regenerator. For those unfamiliar with the product, it converts the wall AC to DC then feeds it to an inverter which generates AC. The DC conversion is used as a buffer between the commerical AC and the AC output of the Regenerator as well as to charge an intermediate battery which supplies DC to the inverter during periods of anomalous commerical AC conditions...brownouts, overvoltage conditions, surge noises and the like. Does anyone have ownership experience with the PurePower? Any skeptics about the use of such a product? Thanks. n2djazz

[RPM123]

Hi,

I owned the model 1050 for about a year. It completely eliminated the occasional transformer hum in my amp. It also provided better dynamics... made my amp sound more powerful! It also kept running when the power went out at my house. Way cool! That said, there were power surge problems upon turning on on the amp... it sent the APS into some kind of overload state. I "solved" the issue by leaving the amp on all the time. The main reason why I sold it was that I was bugged by the continual fan noise, even when I was not playing music, the fan kept running. Perhaps I am more sensitive to that type of noise than others. The guy I sold it to thought that it made a huge improvement in his system. YMMV.

Glenn

[n2djazz]

Thanks Glenn, that was my concern too...the fan noise. What did you replace it with, if anything?

[jbtrio]

I have mine a few years now with zero problems. Where I live there is constant brown-outs. Now, when I lose power even with
music playing it goes to DC power seamlessly. IMS it doesn't restrict dynamics and it gives a quieter background. I leave my amp (Spectron Musician III SE) on, so I don't worry about the overload of turning on the amp with the caps discharged.

 I sit about 14 ft. from unit so fan noise isn't an issue. I am very happy with it's performance.

[Randy]

I have had several PurePower units, but not now. I couldn't get past the sound of the noisy fan running all the time, and returned it. I'd had one the year before, but also had sent it back. The refund check bounced (a complication about Canadian/U.S. bank transfer,) so I was told that if I ever wanted to try one again they'd give me a thousand dollar discount on a new unit. A year later, I took them up on it, but asked to return it again. I did, and the refund check not coming very quickly, I was told they'd developed a "Randy special" unit that was much quieter and would I like to try it instead of the refund. Turned them down, and eventually received the refund. The previous year, I had also tried a 700 unit which was DOA, another complicating factor. The newest PS audio premier power plant, runs quietly, and puts out no heat to speak of, but now I am attempting to get off the grid completely, so will be trying to sell it soon. The APS did clean up my power pretty well, but was just too noisy for me. BTW, in the past I tried several other brands of power conditioners, all of which proved fairly worthless, except one, a Running Springs Haley which did help to quiet the AC some.

[pardales]

I owned one of these about 2 years ago. I thought it made an improvement in the sound of my system. Though, as I made some observations of my AC I began to realize that I have pretty clean AC in  my home/neighborhood. So, I abandoned such elaborate strategies and then eventually went with battery power. If you have AC issues I think it can help. See if you can get a trial period.

[n2djazz]

It sounds to me if PurePower can conquer the fan noise, no one would return them. And I know eliminating the fan will either not be easy or will significantly add to the cost of the unit.

[kyrill]

maybe not. This fight between cooling and noisy has been "resolved" in the PC PWS domain. Me and many others who have a (very) powerful PC with two hungry video cards for playing the newest generations of games, dont want a noisy PC. SO the industry went for the solution the bigger the fan, the slower it can run, the stiller it will be. I assume the fan is  small placed in the back plane of the unit. This can be replaced with a 9-12cm diameter fan in the top or bottom plane. It will make the total price 50 dollar more expensive although the price difference with the original fan will be much less

[n2djazz]

Wow, I hadn't thought of that but it makes sense. The objective is to move a sufficient amount of air to cool the unit. A larger fan running at lower RPM would reduce the noise and provide sufficient cooling. Thanks for the post.

[RPM123]

I replaced the APS with a RSA JACO and there is absolutely no noise from the unit and I really appreciate this when I am not listening to my system. Unfortunately, the periodic transformer hum (from my amp) is back and   I have been told  that it is likely from DC in my AC line. It's strange, sometimes everything is dead quiet, then later, the hum returns.  I have a dedicated line for my system.

The RSA seems to bring out more microdynamics and detail which makes recordings sound more "real", compared to the APS. This was quite apparent from the first time that I hooked it up. It also makes music a bit more compelling by holding my attention more. The APS excelled in eliminating DC transformer hum and allowing my amp to sound like it had more power... during loud passages. However, this is much less of an "issue", since I have a new amp. Also, my system kept running during a power outage, with the APS.

G

[woodsyi]

Like any power conditioner/generator, your local situation will dictate what works for you.  When I look at the incoming voltage meter, I see fluctuations during the evening heavy usage period.  Since that is when I listen the most, it is worth having it for me.  I hear an improvement with it that not.  It also keeps my tube amps on rock steady bias.  I too was having surge issues on start-ups.  I have to turn one amp (200w tube mono block) at a time to make sure it didn't blow out the output Mosfets after blowing it out once.  They told me that the design that does not limit current at brief peaks is what makes it susceptible to initial power rush.  APS guys picked up the shipping charge on return and replacement.  BTW, the fan noise is really not an issue when I am listening to music even at a low level from my listening position 8ft away.  I have the 1050 but I understand that they are coming out with a bigger unit that will address the initial surge and fan noise (bigger fan and less relative load) issues.

[transam]

I'm very pleased with my APC-15 , i think rotel made it or designed. Only one issue , if you use high end power cables you can't put them next to one another. You have to skip an outlet in between them. One more thing it's fu****** huge and weighs alot.