300B SET tube integrated (~7W / ch)
Streamer
CD player
Turntable
Phono Pre
I like everything about the P12, except the active cooling fan that I can hear at the listening chair from time to time (small 10’x10’, 100 sq ft listening room). The P15 is on sale and it’s really tempting to upgrade because the P12 is more expensive now at MSRP. I may be able to sell P12 at minimal loss. Am I going to hear reasonable improvement in SQ or it’s an overkill? The load on P12 is only 15%. I’m not even close to taxing the P12. Thoughts? Thanks.
Perhaps I am reading your post incorrectly. Does it say that you’re using an amp rated at about 7 watts per channel? If so the P15 is overkill for sure. My apologies if I have interpreted this incorrectly.
I cannot answer for sound quality differences, but I have a P12, and it also runs at maybe 10-20% of full capacity. Our summers are warm in South Africa, and I run a 300W per channel hybrid integrated amp on it, along with a valve phono stage, streamer and turntable. And when I used it in the setup, I also ran a 400W-powered sub.
My point is, I never ever heard the fan go on, other than occassionally when starting it from complete cold (we often have to power down for thunderstorms).
So it would be interesting to understand why the fan is working so much when you are basically (like me) idling the P12? Mine is in a well-ventilated rack, not sure if that has anything to do with it?
I don’t think anyone outside of PSA knows the answer to that question yet.
Some have surmised that the P15 is not selling in sufficient quantities because the P12 and the P20 might be of most interest to the “average” PSA customer.
“Overkill” is a myth, a social construct nefariously conceived to deprive us audiophiles of reaching our particular state of bliss.
And as I moved up from a P12 to a P20, with no other changes to my system, the sound improvement equaled the expenditure. Get the P15.
I’m with Ron. I went from a PPP to a P5 to a P10 to now a P15. Same load for the most part, way overkill now by some estimation–but the sound made wonderful improvement with each move upward over the years.
You’re right! I love this forum partially because I learn so much here from my fellow forum members. On the other hand, it has encouraged me to spend money that I previously would have kept …
I used to own P15, and I loved it. I would have kept it for HT system, but the Dish network remote would trigger a shutdown on P15. Too bad and it was sold just a month ago.
That’s nice to hear. Sometimes when I’ve ordered something that was a wee stretch to afford, I think “Oh God what have I done.” I’m sure I’m not alone in this. It is nice to hear endorsements such as yours during the nail-biting phase (not really, but you know what I mean).
