I posted my inital thoughts on another forum and also wanted to share here.
I have owned several Power Plants in the past and they have served me well. The new DSP 20 is very good and it “walks the talk”...I have a ASR Emitter ii amp, that has shut down just about every power conditioner or regenerator (sometimes even just on start up). And when it didn’t send them to protection mode, it taxed them considerably. I resorted to going straight into the wall via my dedicated 20amp circuits and forgot about power conditioning or regeneration for a long time....save for MIT’s Z-dulex outlets.
Enter the DSP20.... it seems unmoved by the Emitter ii... I sense no struggle or strain at all...Turning the volume higher and higher reveals zero weakness...only strengths. Images remain rock solid, voices sound very natural and smooth, and spatial cues are very easy to hear. When I try to think of its initial performance , the word “finesse” comes to mind.
The unit is only 3 days old and I know once it settles in there will be more magic to be revealed. This is one purchase (in this never-ending hobby) that I can truly say I am blessed to have the ability to afford and I have no regrets. i don’t have to keenly listen for the improvements. The benefits/improvements are rendered in spades!
Here it is in action and trying to earn its spot on my audio team.
And what’s your opinion on the aesthetic of the P20 handles?
And just on your installation…it’s generally held that you shouldn’t have any stuff filling the space between your main speakers, and you’ve got plenty of stuff there. I’m curious to know if you’ve tried moving your speakers forward, or otherwise experimented with speaker positioning?
My instinct tells me that moving the speakers forward, and closer together, might yield more sonic bliss than what the P20 alone brings with the speakers where they presently are.
The P20 is sitting on a granite/marble base that i vinyl wrapped with carbon-fiber vinyl from amazon. The silver boxes at the back of my speakers are MIT Oracle Matrix SHD Bi-wire Speaker cables,that i scored used.
Brodric, from looking at the pics it looks like the speakers are close to the wall but they shy of 3ft from the rear wall with plenty of space in the back for extra movement. Even Roomba can move around there and do her cleaning
I have experimented thoroughly with speaker placements, to the point where i bought a DEQX just to very my speaker positioning and place the ASC traps where the actually yielded the best results as opposed to generic placements as advised online. So in conjunction with my ears and DEQX i achieved excellent results. The sound is sublime filling the entire room and producing like you say “sonic bliss”
The handles on the P20 are fine by me. I have no issues with the aesthetic’s. They haven’t taken away anything from the look. The P20 is so much bigger than the P10 and the handles add “character” to what would have been a large naked facial front.
The only thing i am trying to adjust to, is the "new’ home screen. I still prefer the older screen with the digital display showing all the info as opposed to the meters. i wish we had the option of a home screen like previous P/Plants. Maybe this can be achieved via a software update.
I’m not familiar with those speakers. Are they sealed or ported?
I haven’t seen a new model PP in the flesh. From photos I’ve seen, the graphical meter presentation is not something I like. So I’m with you on that. I’m sure they could change it via software if there was a ground-swell of support for it. Or maybe they could offer the option, one or the other style via the configuration GUI.
The speakers come ported from the factory. I sometimes plug the ports when following Barry Ober’s subwoofer setup (sound doctor). It is how i have them now and the bass has improved and blended really well with the JL Audio subs.
I find the debates between those who prefer analog (or analog appearing) and those who like digital numeric readouts continually fascinating. These discussions occur between pilots, high-performance motorcycle enthusiasts/racers, etc. Some prefer a picture; others, a number.
In particular, many become quite emotional when arguing for an analog swept needle for engine RPM. Even a precise picture of a moving needle, an elegant bar graph, a multi-colored hockey stick graph is anathema to them.
I have yet to discern whether it is the experience/background/tradition of the user, differences in mental processing, or what which determines preference - a preference which is often strong.
I tend to gravitate toward whatever provides me with the most information in a single look, regardless of format.
I agree this discussion is everywhere! Good reason to provide both options if possible.
For my part I prefer analog in mechanical form and digital in digital form. When we speak of „most“ information in a single look, digital nearly always wins, when we speak of the „essential“ information with a short look, then often analog wins (like on a watch).
I.e. I don’t like analog replicas on digital watch screens. For the same reason I’d prefer a digital format on such a digital display like on the P20.
I think the default screen is almost useless.
If it were me, I would take advantage of this large screen to show the following in digital format:
Upper left corner- Voltage in
Upper right corner- Voltage out
Lower left corner- Distortion in
Lower right corner- Distortion out
Center of screen - Power
Make the fonts as large as possible so that at a glance I can tell the status of my P20.
My Boxster has traditional analog tach and speedo plus a digital speedo mounted between them. The analog speedo design is beautiful but I never look at it. Your bike layout makes perfect sense to me.
Elk, we build Audi’s virtual cockpit for you! Let’s put you in a 2018 RS5. 0-60 in 3.5 - 3.7 seconds (depending on who you believe), 174 mph (speed limited) top speed and 40/60 sport Quattro ensures it performs rain or shine!
Oh, and did I mention it comes in either a coupe or 5 door sportback.
