P10 - MultiWave versus load

Hello, here is a small question for my limited understanding. Current situation

  • The P10 drives several class A amps plus digital filter, pre-amp and cd player. It is driven by a 230v source - stable, with 2% THD input. The load is
  • if SINE is active 1043 W, i.e 97%,
  • If MULTI is active and set to
    1 (one) - 1035W 95%
    3 (three) - 997W 91%
    6 (six) - 950W 83%

Reading the manual i (reckon) understand that MULTI would be advisable, especially with a stable supply and 6 would increase the quality of the AC.

Now,

  • why is SINE increasing the load by 15 percentage points ? What is it doing to require such additional power ?
  • it is counter intuitive that lowering the MULTIware increases the load. It looks almost like the MULTI at 1 is similar to SINE, But why ?

Thanks in advance
best

Hey Calabrache…

While I never thought about this particular aspect on
my P15…

The reason may have to do with the multiple regenerated
sine waves that enable a faster recharging of the power
capacitors…

I am not a tech so it is just a thought …a possibility…

Hopefully jamesh or someone else with more accurate
knowledge will reply

Best wishes

Hi David,
Thank you. In the end one question i will need to ask (set aside the understanding part) is if it would be better to trade in for a P15. But reading the specs it looks like the P15 has a max continuous load at 1500VA which as per the P10 manual seem a comparable value (unless i get it wrong). So possibly even the P15 might not be sufficient. On the other side if with 1043W it represents a load of 97%, this means that a 100% load would be around 1075/1100 VA max load roughly. With a 1500VA true max load 1043 would then represent a 70% load which would be ok. But I don’t know if my reasoning is correct.

best wishes

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Yes indeed P10 to P15 is way more than just a sidewise move.

I encountered this when I traded in my P5 for a P12…the tech
differences and improvements in the chip used in the regeneration
of the sine wave is faster and more capable…the output impedance
is much lower something like 3x lower…plus it sports a whole
new analogue amplifier…

The sound quality delta was not a small one…almost as if my
whole system was upgraded considerably…

The same would hold true for a P10 to P15 upgrade.

If you are considering the trade in for upgrade now is the time
to take advantage of the on sale price of the P15…Take a look…
Recommend doing it.

Best wishes

Hey Calabrache…

What gear are you running with your P10…just to get a
better idea of the load your P10 is working with…

Thanks

Hi David,

the P10 currently supplies power to pure class A amplifiers, digital filter (the loudspeakers are 4 ways active amplification) and a pre amp and and cd player. Given the class A the load remains stable regardless the sound level.
Total current load is 1043 W, 6,44A i.e 97% if set in SINE mode or set on MULTI with a MW value of 1. If I set the system on MULTI and MW to 6 the load is 950W, 83%
If not mistaken 6.44A * 230v = 1481 W, which being at 97% seems to indicate the P10 can support 1500VA.
Now my question is about the P15. It seems to be size for a maximum load of 1500VA - then trading the P10 to P15 would indeed possibly increase the quality but the P15 also be driven in the 80% range. Hence making me wonder if the P15 is not a true option.

Thanks

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Upgraded internals through and through P15 over P10
there should be a marked delta in soundquality between the 2.

Don’t sell the P15 short due to power range loading…
As an example to this with P12s I will give a link to an
amazing read of a poster who was running a P12 to
power to 2 Emotiva XPA 1s in Class A mode 60 watts
Class A plus a Plinius Class A power amp and his entire
system of the one P12 …P12 took it all in stride no problems.

With your system I don’t think the P15 will break a sweat…

Here is the link…read through scroll looking at all the pics
of his P12 screen shots and equipment …

Enjoy the read, happy journey
Best wishes

I guess my question is far more simpler (and stupid) and is to understand
In the SINE mode the load on the P10 is 6.44A, i.e under 230v 1481 VA which is close to 98%. So this means under the SINE mode, all connected devices are drawing more.

Now if I switch to MULTI mode and set the MV value to its max (6) the P10 load goes down to 5.56A i.e 1280 VA. What does the MULTI mode does to reduce the load ?

Best

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Calabrache…wish I could but just don’t know the answer…but Whiz Kid
jamesh should be able to answer…

Jamesh…calling jamesh…

Best wishes

The following is from a post I made in 2014. It may or may not explain what you are seeing. It is interesting anyway.

“I measured the B+ on my mono block tube power amps.

With Multiwave off, I measure 424 volts on each amp.
With Multiwave on, I measure 406 volts on each amp.

Is what I am seeing normal? And if so, please explain the electronics involved.

An explanation from Bob Stadtherr:

You are correct that the peak voltage is about 5% lower in order to maintain the same RMS value. However the softer wave shape extends the amount of time that the rectifiers conduct and charge the filter capacitors. This means the peak current from the transformer is lower, and thus the IR drops in the tranformer are lower. This offsets the lower peak voltage, but only under load.
The wave shape was chosen so that in typical equipment (with a constant DC draw) the lower peak voltage and the improved transformer efficiency just cancel out and the dc is about the same.
In a power amplifier, usually we see a slightly lower DC voltage at idle, and about the same with typical loads. When the demand on the amp is high, we usually see much less sagging of the DC voltages than with a sine wave input.
Another benefit of the extended charging time is lower ripple current in the filter capacitors. This reduces the internal heating and extends the life of the parts.”

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