Ordered a PS Audio P20 Monday; might see it by the end of next week

jeffreybehr · « **on:** 23 Apr 2019, 09:03 am »

After deciding to return the AQ Niagara 7000 to AQ, I ordered a PS Audio P20. I had considered a used audience aR-6 with Teflon caps but without all the fancier, expensive evolutions that audience loves. But I decided I wanted a more-active approach to supplying clean AC power to my equipment. PSA is building the P20s to order, so mine might ship to me by the end of next week.

(Foto by PS Audio.) With eight duplex outlets, it surely will have enough for my middling bunch plus some Noise Harvesters. For the input cable, I'm already using a premium, Neotec/Furutech 20-amp from a 20-amp branch circuit, but I'll have Sonic Craft build a new one using their new 6-times-11g. cable and AQ's heavy-silver-over-copper Mistral ends. It will be wired as 3-times-8g. and uses multiple-gage, complex-geometry construction and 6-nines-copper; it sounds mighty fine in long lengths feeding my poweramps.

Have slightly modified my 'new' equipment stand to accommodate the P20's 11" height.

Still have some finishing to do on that project.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 11:51 am »

Wow... Yeah...

I am still paying off last year's madness of upgrading... But a PS Audio P20 would be on my list of wished for items.
Good luck.

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 02:07 pm »

Do you really have that noisy of an AC supply? I rung my hands for years trying to eliminate all line noise. No matter what I couldn't eliminate it entirely.

I've tried every technology out there and in the end in my house I found no conditioner was best. Years ago I built a box with ribbon copper and plain Porter outlets. As a distribution box it mates well with my power cables (Stealth, DCCA, and Verastarr). So I abandoned all the efforts to 'fix' the problem and went with a plain passive box.

I know I have noise on the line but with a very quiet preamp and amp I don't get tweeter hiss now and that makes me happy.

I'm interested in how your activities work out and hope you can nail it. I gave up going around and around. All the best in your endeavors.

Regenerators
Magnets
Filters
Isolation trannies
DC blockers
Crystals
Single point grounding
Voodoo

jtwrace · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 02:11 pm »

Agreed BRM. I bought a P15 which I sold soon after as it didn't yield a positive result in my home which had very low THD. I have heard it make a change subjectively however in other homes. I just use a zerosurge.com unit to protect all the equipment and that's it. Works perfectly for my needs here in FL.

RDavidson · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 03:14 pm »

I think you mean THD+N.

I had a P10 for awhile. I think it's a great unit, but like jtwrace, my AC is both consistent and apparently not too dirty. From there, I decided the main thing I needed was the best protection with as little harm as possible. I now use a modded SurgeX by ZenWave and am happy with the results.

I suspect the P20 will offer the most improvement of all the PS Audio offerings, simply because it has the largest transformer of them all. The bigger the transformer, the closer to isolation one will get. Plus you get the benefits of regeneration, of course.

Early B. · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 03:28 pm »

Quote from: RDavidson on 23 Apr 2019, 03:14 pm

I decided the main thing I needed was the best protection with as little harm as possible. I now use a modded SurgeX by ZenWave and am happy with the results.

Yeah, me, too, after trying a lot of stuff, including BPT. I realized that the better built my components became, the less I needed a big-ass power conditioner. Nevertheless, I'm still curious about the benefits of a regenerator, so I'm interested in hearing about your experience with the P20.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 05:22 pm »

Make sure you try plugging the amp in the wall. Many amps sound better that way.

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 11:06 pm »

Quote from: OzarkTom on 23 Apr 2019, 05:22 pm

Make sure you try plugging the amp in the wall. Many amps sound better that way.

There's no 'the amp'. In stereo-only, there are four poweramps--two Atma-Sphere M-60s and two Rythmik plateamps for the open-baffle woofers--and in multichannel-music and movie modes, there are seven... I've never heard the system sound better with poweramps plugged into a wall outlet rather than into the system's p-con.

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Apr 2019, 11:29 pm »

Quote from: Elizabeth on 23 Apr 2019, 11:51 am

Wow... Yeah...

I am still paying off last year's madness of upgrading... But a PS Audio P20 would be on my list of wished for items. Good luck.

TYVM Elizabeth. I'm fortunate that my retirement funds can cover an occasional piece like the P20.. Actually, sales of surplus equipment have covered the majority of the cost of new stuff last and this year.

To all others concerning system noise, the point of power conditioning, at least as far as I understand it, is NOT necessarity to reduce the noise coming from our speakers but is to reduce the THD+N (that is, EMI) on the AC line to improve the QUALITY of the music.. The quality of my system's music improves with each increase in the quality of the p-con.. At age 75, I'm really hoping this is the LAST p-con I will ever buy.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Apr 2019, 12:11 am »

Last year I went for AC duplex. Bought three Furutech (on sale), Three more, a few more, a few more. 18 all told.
Mae a major improvement in the quality of the sound. And ten of them went into my current power conditioners.

Tyson · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Apr 2019, 12:29 am »

I have a P5 and it does a great job cleaning up my very dirty AC and also (even more importantly) gives me rock steady 118v to my amps. That makes a big difference in tube longevity I've noticed. SS gear doesn't seem to care about voltage fluctuations, but tubed gear sure does.

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Apr 2019, 01:50 am »

The P20 is a beast. I also tried a P5 and with or without the amp through it I felt it held back the sound.

Tyson · « **Reply #12 on:** 24 Apr 2019, 04:29 am »

Quote from: Big Red Machine on 24 Apr 2019, 01:50 am

The P20 is a beast. I also tried a P5 and with or without the amp through it I felt it held back the sound.

I'm running a 7 watt amp

RDavidson · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 Apr 2019, 02:11 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 24 Apr 2019, 12:29 am

I have a P5 and it does a great job cleaning up my very dirty AC and also (even more importantly) gives me rock steady 118v to my amps. That makes a big difference in tube longevity I've noticed. SS gear doesn't seem to care about voltage fluctuations, but tubed gear sure does.

Yup. That mirrors my experience also. It seems that the smaller the power supply, the more sensitive the component is to power fluctuations and noise. So things like source components, preamps, and small amps may be more susceptible.

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Apr 2019, 08:50 am »

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #15 on:** 1 May 2019, 03:34 am »

See https://forum.psaudio.com/t/p20-arrival-and-installation/10680 for details.

Early B. · « **Reply #16 on:** 1 May 2019, 11:37 am »

Looks very impressive. Why are you still using the BPT?

Tyson · « **Reply #17 on:** 1 May 2019, 02:27 pm »

Quote from: jeffreybehr on 1 May 2019, 03:34 am

See https://forum.psaudio.com/t/p20-arrival-and-installation/10680 for details.

If you're running tube equipment, some of it might be set to work best with 115v, while others at 120v. Depends on the circuit and the choices the designer made. I run my Power Plant at 118v output so it's within acceptable range for both possibilities. Oh man, it's crazy, my tube life has extended like crazy since I did this. Even if the Power Plant didn't improve sound quality in my system (it does), it would be worth it as I no longer chew through tubes every 6 to 9 months.

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #18 on:** 1 May 2019, 09:48 pm »

Quote from: Early B. on 1 May 2019, 11:37 am

Looks very impressive. Why are you still using the BPT?

TY.
I'm not. It's still in the stand so that I can compare its musical results v. the P20's without moving either--a large and heavy PITback--when I get to it.. All the p-cords will reach either unit..

Here's a new pic with six ISO-Pucks under the P20 and with the above-three shelves raised.

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #19 on:** 1 May 2019, 09:51 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 1 May 2019, 02:27 pm

If you're running tube equipment, some of it might be set to work best with 115v, while others at 120v. Depends on the circuit and the choices the designer made. I run my Power Plant at 118v output so it's within acceptable range for both possibilities. Oh man, it's crazy, my tube life has extended like crazy since I did this. Even if the Power Plant didn't improve sound quality in my system (it does), it would be worth it as I no longer chew through tubes every 6 to 9 months.

Funny--that's exactly what I set mine at.