I have upgraded my system & now I am thinking about adding a power conditioner to really get the best performance; I have been reading up on PS Audio is offerings but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there.
I have got a stereo system with a tube amp, a DAC & a couple of high efficiency speakers. I mostly listen to vinyl but I stream music as well. My question is what kind of power conditioner should I be looking at?? Do I need something that filters noise or provides surge protection??
As well, I found these resources when doing research on this; https://forum.psaudio.com/t/information-about-the-ps-audio-powerplay-8000-8500-power-conditionerstableau & I want to hear what you guys are using and any suggestion on what would suit my system.
Hello Gwenn and welcome! The PowerPlay units are a bit old, and were “only” power conditioners, unlike the PowerPlants which regenerate the incoming AC to lower distortion, highly regulated AC. There are newer power conditioners out there that might provide better performance than the older PowerPlays, if you should want to look in that direction.
What may help is a bit more info about your system - a listing of your active electronics (that will help estimate power needs), whether they are all located in one location or in different parts of the room, and finally what sort of budget you’d like to consider for power management. It’s typically a safe bet to say that improving your incoming power should benefit an audio system.
Knowing your budget, objectives and component specifics will yield the most meaningful recommendations. Having had the following Puritan PSM 156, currently for sale, PS Audio P15 (sold), and Gryphon Power Zone 3.10 I can say each has its benefits and detractors. The Puritan is a bit of a bargain for what it does if you wish to remove noise riding on the incoming AC voltage and block DC voltage offset on the incoming AC line voltage. The Power Plants in general offer voltage recovery minimizing THD and providing for vice like voltage regulation, the Gryphon provides the magic. If you have the means go for the Gryphon and do not look back.
One of the benefits of a PS Audio powerplant with a tube amp is the ability to make sure that in case of a quick power interruption, of say 1 to 2 seconds, a powerplant can be set to NOT put power immediately back to the tubes. The delay can be set to enough time to manually power down the tube amp and make sure that all other components are powered on first.
My Conrad Johnson tube amp, when connected, does sound better with the P12 powerplant.
I don’t see where you’re from or what the mains voltage is in your country.
The power supply and problems that need to be solved in a house can be of a different nature.
If it’s just a matter of problems that need to be fixed, the Puritan psm156 would probably be the best choice in terms of price. Because despite its low price, it offers the best performance for the money compared to competitors.
A Synergistic Research UHF 8 SE, which is now available as a discontinued model including cable for about half the price, could also be worth considering.
Or the new UHF 8 SX. According to Synergistic Research, it is currently their most powerful product.
It is worth testing these components in your own home to see if they suit your taste.