Late night listening

Everything Else
1

Paul’s Post today discussed the often-heard late night improvement in system sound. I absolutely hear this with my headphone system. It’s most obvious after about 11:45-12:00 PM Saturday night, and even on Sunday during the day my system sounds better. But it also occurs to a lesser extend most week days after midnight.

I use a PS Audio PowerPlant on my power supply front end. Love it. Great improvement. Would not listen without it.

My question is: Why do I still hear this improvement if I employ the PowerPlant? Is my PowerPlant in some way defective or is it impotent regarding elimination of the non-late night power “noise that rides AC”?

2

Does your Power Plant power your entire system?

3

Unless you have an incredibly isolated (electronically and physically) room, my experience is that ambient noise is so significant during the day that everything sounds better when the world around you has calmed down late at night/early in the morning.

This may be factoring into your experience.

FWI/YMMV.

Cheers

4

Indeed, the house quiets down, the furnace goes to sleep. The dishwasher is done, neighbor hood dogs sleep, traffic dies away.

5

And it’s wine time!

6

Being retired, any time after 12 is wine time. Besides I told my doc that I give up drinking—every evening.

7

Yes, I told my doctor that I cut my drinking in half - I stopped pouring coke in my jack and coke :slight_smile:

8

Yes.

Roon Nucleus One, Matrix X-SPDIF2, DS Dac and Blue Hawaii SE headphone amp all powered through same Stellar Power Plant 3.

9

I guess now I am curious if I am the only Powerplant using listener that has still heard this difference.

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11

No danger of you being alone there.

Oddly, I have a P20 that has been unused in over a year. It’s been unplugged the whole time.

12

And sits on the floor in a storage area. Lol

13

I have a P12 and have found that nights and weekends are more enjoyable. I think it is partly psychoacoustic due to relaxing most in the evening & weekend, but there might be something else to it as well.

14

One thing to keep in mind, while wonderful, Power Plants are not perfect.

15

It’s the darkness.

Once you learn the true power of the Dark Side!

-Dad

16

Wait----WHAT???

17

If you’ve ever heard improvements in sound quality after upgrading the power cord that feeds your PowerPlant, you’ll understand that the PP is affected by the power it’s being fed.

18

Interesting point. One of my rooms is isolated and you’re right I don’t notice much of a difference day or night and I don’t use a power plant in that system.

19

I wonder what Paul’s thoughts would be on this subject. Would he have some insight as to what may still be causing the late night sound improvement even with the PowerPlant?

20

There is no mystery.

A Power Plant takes incoming power and improves it to the extent it is able to do so.

If the incoming power is cleaner at night the output of the Power Plant will be cleaner.

If the incoming power is dirty during the day/early evening, the output of the Power Plant will not be as clean.

In either case the power is improved by the Power Plant. In neither case is the power output perfect.