I find it confusing that the display of the Power Plants shows
Power (Watts) and Load % (VA).
But I suppose once you know the metrics are not equivalent, it’s less confusing.
FYI. I have P12 plugged into an APC conditioner.
Right now, P12 shows 90W, and the APC conditioner shows a power draw of 240VA. I don’t know the PF value and I am also not sure the “85%” efficiency on P12 applies to lower power draw or not.
If I take 85% on P12, and back calculates the PF, I get 0.43, seems too low. If I take 50% on P12, I get PF about 0.75.
The good news is…you’re not alone in being confused… 
Electrical fundamentals aren’t particularly intuitive for the majority of people, especially Alternating Current (AC). Everyone at my university was required to take (and pass) a minimum of 2 semesters of Electrical Engineering in order to graduate, and I know some very smart people who never really understood that 
…they just memorized the equations and definitions to get through the exams.
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I don’t think the displayed load value on the Powerplants includes what the PP itself is drawing…I think it’s just output power. In that case, the 240 VA to the input of the PP would be the sum of the 90W load on the PP, plus whatever the PP is consuming to drive that 90 W load.
In this case, I am confused by what this 85% efficiency described in P12 website means.
PowerPlants are indeed 85% efficient so merely add another 15% to the output load. Thus, 850 watts to the load draws a total of 1,000 watts from the wall.
Thanks Paul. And is this correct for the continuous load:
P5/P12 = 1000VA
P20 (15A) = 1500VA
P20 (20A) = 2000VA
In the Stereophile(?) review of the P20, the author got the above wrong, saying the P20 on 15A is the same as the P12 at 1000VA.
Doh!
Yes, what you have listed is correct.
Hi @Paul and @jamesh following this old thread I was wondering if in my home (EU 16A circuit 230V) is so big the difference between P15 vs P20 European model as US model.
Or if using 2 P15 would, in this EU world current circuits, be beneficial in some ways (separating digital from analog rig for instance).
I’m actually using 2 P12 feeding all PS Audio system (M1200s, BHK Preamp, DS SR DAC, PST, SPP and TT with Olympica Nova III Sonus faber speaker) and rack room is a problem for big gear…
I do not understand the real difference, in your opinion, about improvements in SQ upgrading in EU models from 2 P12 to 2 P15 vs from 2 P12 to 1 P20.
Thank you.
As you go up the line with the regens, the two major improvements that Bob was able to get out of the designs was better, more stable voltage regulation along with lower output impedance. These two factors can have a pretty significant and noticeable improvement on any system. This is one of the major reasons Paul always recommends a P20, regardless the size of the system plugging into it.
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Thank you James, so there is no difference in P20 models (EU vs US) even if here we use 16A 230V sockets wall? And again is there a gap if we consider the difference between EU models P20 vs P15 compared to difference between US models P20 vs P15?
I mean: living in EU a P20 is worth more weight/cost vs a P15 in the same way it does in US? Due to 16A circuit max in EU (both P20 and P15) compared to 20A in US for P20?
P12 EU (16A) = 1200 VA max 3800 VA
P15 EU (16A) = 1500 VA max 3600 VA
P20 EU (16A) = 2000 VA max 3600 VA
Are these values correct in EU models? It seems that the difference between P12/P15 (300 VA) is subtle compared to the difference between P12/P20 (800 VA) if this value plays a role in SQ.
On the contrary I was wondering if the entire system is fed by 1 P20 (2000 VA) why is 1 P20 better than using 2 P12s (2400 VA) or 2 P15s (3000 VA), adding also the chance to keep separate digital from analog components between 2 different powerplants. Does low impedance count more than power and load/headroom?
I had a customer recently in the US that needed to use 2 P12s because his fully class A monos were pulling too much for a single P15 or single P20. He wasn’t able to install a 20A line into his room. In cases like his, it makes more sense to have 2 P12s and distribute everything between them. For the most case though, the power is better with stronger regulation in the bigger units. So unless you have a reason to distribute everything into 2 P12s, I’d always try to go with a P20.
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Perfect, now have Paul have a good sale and Im in. lol
Heck, I’m game! I’ll try to push for this to happen by the end of the year.
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The top reason for me to go for a P15 over a P12 is that the P15 is fanless. I steer away from devices with fans in the hi-fi rack.
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