Source gear less resolving with P15?

Power Components
1

So I’ve only had it installed since yesterday afternoon, but as I’ve been listening to the P15 driving my source gear (Pass XP-20, DS DAC, DMP) I’ve been noticing a more colorful, dynamic, spatially wide presentation, with a quieter noise floor, but at the same time feeling that the music is not as finely resolved as what I was hearing when all this stuff was fed by my Running Springs Haley. I’m using Sine output, and did briefly try the various Multiwave settings, but decided to stick with Sinewave for the time being.

I almost feel like I’m hearing the equivalent of color saturation being turned up, at the expense of resolving the finest details in the image. A good piece of music for this is the live cut of Bill Evans “My Foolish Heart”. I seem to be missing some of the smallest subtleties that I know are there (with the Haley they are easily resolved). It’s not like they’re gone, but they seem somewhat suppressed. So some questions - has anyone else had the same reaction, and does the P15 need any sort of burn in time that might resolve what I’m (not) hearing?

2

Very interesting. I recall only people reporting the opposite - greater resolution without etch, more accurate timbre, greater dynamic contrast.

What types of details appear suppressed? Notes, instruments, micro-dynamic expression, etc?

3

I’ve never really heard this before nor heard a customer have this experience. It seems subtle enough that this could be due to needing some more time to break in. I agree with Elk though, we really only hear the opposite.

4

Hmm, well in the Evans tune there are points where Paul Motian seems to microscopically caress the brushes against the drum skins. Right now they seem less apparent. And toward the end there are two very slight taps of a drum stick against the metal band around one of the drum heads. Previously I felt I could almost discern the space around these taps. Now I just hear a rather matter of fact “tap, tap”.

The difference is rather subtle, but I noticed it.

5

For me, those are the kind of details where it is difficult to determine which is more accurate.

It will be fun to learn what you think after a week or so. Perhaps there is a type of burn-in at play.

6

You may be so used to the distortion the P15 has removed you may take some time to get accustomed to music without it

7

Possible, @brett66, but I suspect unlikely. I use this track among others when I go to shows like Axpona and RMAF. On similarly highly resolving systems or better - most being run by either a P15 or P20 - I hear these same subtleties just as easily. :man_shrugging:

8

Perhaps putting the rest of your system on the P15 will help. Perhaps some noise from the P15 back thru the power cable is affecting something else in your system. Just a wild guess.

9

Thanks Ted. I’ll give it a go. It’s my plan anyway. I just did the bare minimum first for an initial test.