@Excelgam @jamesh ASR recommends the Stellar S300 Power Amplifier
I browsed thru it. I absolutely loved when he concluded that those who hear an improvement in sound quality from the P12, do so only because we’re simple and we’ve been led to hear things that aren’t there. What a putz.
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A tree fell in the woods and it didn’t make a sound because he couldn’t measure it.
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Some feel the need to force their way into a leadership role of some kind (made up or not) and some feel the need to follow those forced leaders. The rest of us can watch and wonder.
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Even more reason I’m glad you helped steer me to the M700s.
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And they are some of my favorite amps we make.
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I’m going to send him my new power cord to test. The In-Visa-Cable 9000. Measures perfect. Makes no sound.
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I ignore ASR.
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I almost regret having posted this thread due to the fact that I allowed ASR to gain more visibility.
However I believe the risk of discrediting the name of PS Audio brand must be addressed and most of all, as an hifi family member, I had an irreprensibile impulse to counterattack this ignobile provocation.
Do you know what I think now? These must not be the days of resentments but of relaxation, dialogue and unity. I would like to invite you all to do as Dante said in the Divine Comedy: “look and pass”!
Our world today has many other problems to think about and tears to shed for very different sufferings and worries.
That music and brotherhood can bring relief and awareness to all those who need it, today more than ever!
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No worries. Most of us familiar with ASR are just simply nonplussed, that’s all.
Cheers.
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Most of their reviews are topsy turvy!
So what doesn’t he say?
Well, Paul has always said one of the main reasons for having a regenerator is lower impedance AC so as not to restrict peak power demand and dynamics. There is no mention of impedance in the entire review. So he missed the main point.
Now look at some of what he said.
He tests a wall wart switch mode power supply and draws the conclusion, which even I could have done without testing, that all the noise comes from the SMPS. Genius!
He concludes:
There are countless people who buy these products and swear by them. How is that possible seeing that measurements don’t remotely back them? Simple: improper testing. P12 is inserted in the system, listener pays more attention and now has a different impression of music. He hears more detail, more air, etc. He then decided that the theory of the power regen is proven. When taking it out of the system, expectation is that it will sound worse and it will. This is all part of being human.
That may be the case for some humans, but not this human. I used a regenerator with conventional amplification for several years and there seemed to be an audible benefit. When I moved to an amplifier with a SMPS, there was no audible benefit, so I removed it. Of course the fundamental quality of an amplifier using a SMPS is the power supply itself, and it is only because of the quality of modern SMPS that Class D had become commonplace. (Class D amplifiers have been around since the 1960s.)
So it’s the old story, horses for courses.
His prejudice then shines out like a beacon:
The rest of the tests show why none of these power devices are capable of improving the output of our audio devices. They do nothing about noise generated by the power supply which is easily filtered in the audio device.
So he tests one device and applies his conclusion to all such devices feeding all audio components.
Disclosure of interest: I joined ASR to say how much I liked the sound of Harbeth speakers and after a few posts I was banned inside 24 hours. I reckon I’d last longer in Moscow with an anti-war placard. Draw your own conclusions.
General gripe: An ASR member sent in an old Devialet, about 6 years old. I remember him saying he didn’t know how to programme it, or test it, and very quickly blew it up by feeding something into the RCA inputs (which need to be programmed). He then trashed it. Notwithstanding, Devialet agreed to repair it, even though it had been abused and was out of warranty - for free - which would have included paying the shipping (as they do that). ASR then complained Devialet wouldn’t tell them the diagnosis.
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One positive thing - because of the limited number of sockets on my regenerator, all my wall wart supplies (router, server DC supply, phone/remote charger, etc.) were powered from a $20 mains block.
I would add that my home AC was never more than ±0.5v and the impedance was measured recently at 0.19ohms, which is less than Mr Fremer’s 0.44ohms, and he had the entire resources of New Jersey, AudioQuest and a few others to fix his mains supply.
Anyone watch this guys video:
He calls out ASR (I think he says that yellow site) for their reviews. Pretty funny. He does bash some magazines which everyone has always asked that question: “how can you be bias if you take advertising money from them”. You just have to read and pick those you trust, but ASR does have this cult like following and unfortunately has major influence on people. Crazy.
The weird thing about the video is he talked about how if you want to make money, make an amp with tubes, put cool lights on it, give it an Italian name, and have beautiful woman sell it. The next page I went to was a video on the Florida audio expo, and guess what was the first thing I saw…you got it, fit the description to a “T”. Forgot the name of the amp, never heard of it before.
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Seems to be a common trend for hifi-related Youtube content lately. Most of the people making these types of videos are doing so in an attempt to establish credibility and position themselves morally above their peers.
…this guy’s also not helping high-end audio’s huge xenophobia problem.
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Haha, he is actually a dealer of many brands that he owns, and sells to clients. He doesn’t hide that fact, but clearly that has potential to bring bias into reviews just like mags w advertising dollars
Yeah the funny thing is he kind of shot himself in the foot too. Talking about the bad reviewers. He is a bit much for me, I just watched that and tied to this thread. For the most part most of the Youtube reviewers are worse than the magazines ever were. Many are dealers. of course what they sell is the best. I hope they think that as they sell it.
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I think it would be nice if ASR started reporting real useful results that could help me determine if a product would sound good in my setup like drag coefficient, weight, melting temperature, and tensile strength of the equipment.
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Basically defines placebo effect for audio, then assigns it to users of product X. Lol…kind of one trick pony stuff. Isn’t it? If one is never guilty of this, they might not be trying hard enough in this hobby. I say it with some humility…I mean, we make many changes to improve the experience.
I understand his reference to the “yellow” website to mean the Audiogon Discussion Forum, not ASR.
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