Apparently out of some design necessity, PS Audo used to make regenerators that actually output balanced AC. When was that, and how would those compare to modern ones?
I’m very intrigued by balanced power and regenerators, so having them in one package sounds very appealing.
i Too would be interested in that, namely using an old pp500 ,obviously generating balanced AC, which - years ago- I did not replace with the premier as that appliance earned a bad reputation here regarding reliability. so how does it compare with say a p12 oer p 15 would be nice to know.
Not really adding much value, but I had a Premier and it was not very reliable. There’s no comparison between the PPP and the P5 in that regard. My P5 has been rock solid for 7? Years, running 24/7 with no issues at all.
Sorry for the late response but just saw this. PS Audio’s first regenerator, the P300 (I got mine around 1999, I think) and its larger siblings, the P600 and P1200, output balanced power. I think the P500 and P1000 did as well. I believe the PPP was the first unit that was not balanced out. The early models also let the user set the output frequency, up to 120 Hz as I recall, with a setting that would let a turntable with an AC synchronous motor play 45’s without changing the belt position. The downside was they were much less efficient (maybe 50%). Also less reliable, in my experience, than the last couple generations, perhaps because they generated more heat.
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Would be extremely interested in a sound quality comparison between the balanced old models and the newer line.
My P600, which was recapped not so long ago, is a stellar performer and in sine, runs <=0.1 THD. In comparison to the PPP, it outperforms it. In comparison to the P10, while it doesn’t have as much head room, it certainly sounds as good.
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I’ve still got an old P300 that PS Audio re-built for me in 2010, but it’s not in my main system. I replaced it with a P10 a few years ago. I honestly preferred the P300 to the P10, but only slightly… The obvious issue with the P300 was capacity…it didn’t have much, and you really couldn’t use very much of it before it started to show strain. About all it could handle was a DAC and a preamp, or maybe a small integrated amp.
I’m almost afraid to open up the P300 right now, because it’s been 10 years since it was serviced, and it’s been in almost constant operation since. My understanding is that PS Audio can no longer repair them, so when it goes, it becomes a large doorstop (or small boat anchor).
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My pp 500 served me well for about ten years but the p15 I bought last year is imho better by all means.
I have a PSA P300 that Cullen Circuits rebuilt for me. My PSA Stellar P3 sounds much, much better than the P300 powering my BHK preamp, Luxman D08u, and RCM Sensor phono stage. Pretty much every audio parameter you can list is better with the Stellar P3 vs. the P300. The P300 is still a great device for providing power for a turntable motors if they don’t have built in regeneration.