Stellar Power Plant 3 Owners Opinions

Power Components
1

I have always been interested in owning a Power Regenerator. Since the Stellar Power Plant 3 went on sale I ordered one on Friday night. It will not ship until Monday. I’m debating if I should cancel the order.

If anyone owns a Stellar Power Plant, is it really as miraculous as reviews make it out to be? How good is it really? Tell me exactly how it improves your system and to what degree. My system consists of a 100 watt Mcintosh MA5300 integrated amplifier, a PS Audio Directstream Dac, Marantz CD Player/streamer, VPI Prime turntable and I own lots of speakers. Currently I’m using the Klipsch Heresy 3 but sometimes switch to the Martin Logan ESL X. On a system like mine will this power regenerator make a MAJOR…very MAJOR improvement? Because if the improvement is only subtle or simply “polishes” the sound some then I might cancel it. I’m expecting a drastic overhaul by adding this power plant like reviews I read online suggest.

Please help me understand an honest, realistic expectation for what a Stellar Power Regenerator will do for my system. Are my expectations unrealistic? I would rather not go through the hassle of returning it if it turns out to be a minor improvement.

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Well nobody knows for sure how it’ll play out with your system and room and power grid but there’s a pretty easy way to find out - receive it and try it!

If you went to the effort of ordering it why would you cancel now?

Receive it, test it, and then post the results here! That’ll answer your questions and provide additional info to others too, especially from someone who perhaps already feeling buyers remorse. If it wins you over, that’d be a really good sign.

And if it doesn’t, well that’s what the return policy is for, right? Relax and enjoy the music!

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3

You have 30 days to audition it. My prediction is that you will not return it.

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Keep us posted on how well it improves your system.

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Cannot wait to hear your review. I mean that sincerely.

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7

Just hooked it up and it blows away the Dectet.

Not Hyperbole. SGCD/S300 and Goldenear Triton 3+’s. Already have 2 dedicated lines.

Noticeable difference in instrument separation, not a little difference, a big one. Heck even TV sounds like a new stereo.

System sounds cleaner at all volumes and cranks higher while sounding good.

More texture all over the place! I listen to rock music mostly for reference and there is a big improvement.

Electric guitar I’m hearing a ton more harmonics. I hear space around instruments where before there was none. Music has both energy and ease. Electronic effects have way more texture. Bass improved quite a bit. Can’t imagine not having it in the system.

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8

None of us know. Every component, of course, has a different impact in varying systems.

While I expect you will hear an improvement, I doubt you will find it to be a “very MAJOR improvement” equivalent to a significant component upgrade especially, as you note, you likely have quite good power already.

A good part of the problem is the hyperbole in which enthusiasts engage when describing differences, “It brings the performers into my living room.” No, it does not. But a Power Plant does allow your system to better reproduce what is on a recording.

Another issue is a Power Plant does not change the fundamental sound of your system as does a new component or speakers. It will still sound like your system, but better. Thus, it is not a “My socks were knocked off into another room” type of change. Rather, you relax into the differences. Everything is better, cleaner, quieter, subtleties of transient attacks revealed, ambient information more detailed and fade into blackness instead of noise, etc.

For many of this, these changes are significant and well worth the expense. But for others I can easily accept they find this to be snake oil as this is not how they hear/listen to their system.

I, too, live in an area with few homes, no businesses, have my own power transformer, with already stable relatively clean power. Yet the Power Plants still make a significant difference.

I also will find your review interesting.

I suggest introducing it into your system, listen to music as you always do without trying to notices differences, and let the sound wash over you. I expect after a couple of days you will find yourself impressed. Then, after a couple of weeks, take it out and see if you miss it. If not send it back.

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9

As others have said. Hook it up and listen you will notice a difference or you won’t.

After plugging my system into my SPP I say it’s the foundation to build a system from. I wish I had bought a P12 to start. It’s on my very very short upgrade list. Another crazy thing is my best PC ended up going from the wall to the SPP.

I’m also in an area with incredibly bad power the voltage swings alone make the SPP worth it for me. 228-240+ Voltage swings regularly. Every 3-6 weeks it will go into over voltage protection. Knowing that I have it front of my expensive gear makes me feel better too.

It’s very possible it will be very subtle for you.

It’s a rough road sometimes when we get lots of negative feedback from friends and family.

Good luck and report back.

Edit: cleaned up a sentence for clarity.

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I suspect the improved clarity is due to running Word through the SPP ; )

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12

I guess it all boils down to deciding how much hassle it is worth to drive to the Fed Ex store. Would it be worth the drive to know for sure that the SPP3 won’t make your system sound better? If you cancel your order, you may always wonder whether it would have helped. If you go ahead with the order, you will know for sure, however it turns out.

Either way, you can make your dad happy. If it doesn’t help your system, you can prove he was right and make him feel good. If it does improve your system (and he can also hear the difference), he can feel good about learning something new even at his age. So what is risking a possible trip to Fed Ex worth to you?

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If your SQ didn’t improve putting the Directstream DAC into your system something is woefully wrong in the chain. Either the source, amps, or speakers are not up to the level of the DSD. I went from a nice 3300 Denon AVR to a Directstream Jr. and M700’s and it was night and day different using the same Tekton Electron speakers.

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I second @Baldy

That is one of the biggest signs there is a problem.

Maybe the amplifier is not resolving, speakers are not resolving, speaker placement? Something is crapping over everything.

For instance I’ve ran into bad router noise, something plugged in the same conditioner or power strip could be a noise generator and ruining things. Remember, a power conditioner filters the line but doesn’t filter between components all the time, TV + router + cable box = recipe for bad sound.

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I also agree. Last year when I traded my SGCD up for the DSD it was certainly an Aha moment. I was really skeptical about the improvements a regenerator would make since my power is directly from a transformer and only two other houses on it. Also my system has a dedicated 20 amp circuit just for the stereo. So, six months ago I ordered the stellar power plant. I knew I was keeping it within 20 minutes of installation. The improvements are certainly not as big as adding the DSD but well worth the $$ to me!

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17

This thread illustrates one of the inherent flaws of discussing audio. We have no way to scientifically measure improved sound. We are left to the impressions and conclusions of our largely unreliable minds and emotions that are very easily deceived by itself. And it’s this unreliable mechanism that we must rely upon for determinations.

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Assuming this isn’t some troll baiting and without being to flippant, My suggestion is a new hobby. As for power regenerators there are many engineers on the forum who understand electrical topology and are pleased wth the contribution of their regenerators. A trip to an audiologist is also advised.

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19

I am not convinced that lack of hearing differences comes from frequency response alone. There are some that listen into a mix of music effortlessly and some that do not for possibly a multitude of reasons.

For instance I have a friend that I have tried to break down individual parts down in music we both like but for the life of him he can’t separate a bass guitar from an electric guitar or a snare drum from a kick drum. How can he hear the differences in audio quality if he can’t separate anything in his mind?

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Plus not everyone hears the same. My wife can’t tell the difference in sound quality when I stream Tidal thru my reference system versus thru the home theater AVR, and my daughter thinks her echo dot sounds just as good. So yeah, high level audio isn’t for everyone, sigh… Much cheaper that way, haha

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21

Just like evaluating the quality of any artistic endeavor, be it music, sculpture, dance, theater, . . .

I am perfectly comfortable with this.

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22

Your father is, unfortunately, incorrect and if you like, send him over to me and I’ll help him understand how a regenerator works, how lowering impedance is better, how regulating the AC voltage matters, how capacitors in power supplies charge, etc. His view is a very common one and I have no doubt I won’t change his mind. I wouldn’t even try to. But, at least we can get his facts straight.

However, if you tried a DirectStream and heard no difference compared to another DAC, then there’s something likely not right in your system or its resolving power is such that you just don’t hear differences. That happens.

If that is the case, I would agree with you. Cancel the order and save yourself the hassle of returning it.

Thanks for thinking of us in the first place.

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23

The thought crossed my mind several times. The decision to cancel because it is too inconvenient to pick up a box at the FedEx center (are their places where FedEx won’t drive out to your home?) and not to go ahead with a trial now that the kit had been ordered just did not all add up to me. Not how I would have acted under the circumstances… To each his own. [IF the posts were disingenuous, so long as no one takes the bait, so to speak, no harm done.]