For me, it was the PS Power Plant Premiere. Others since I suppose do the job technically better - I’m using the P-20 now - but nothing prepared me for the initial shock of how much the PPP could raise the audio level of my system.
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This sounds like a lovely system and you’ve done well assembling it, especially if you can hear all those changing details with cables. The Hypex are great amplifiers. Send pictures when you can.
Most of my power cords are Verastarr Grand Illusion Statements. They make a very big contribution to the sound of my system. I would not want to be without them. I am sure that your Verastarr GI Sigs make a huge difference in your system.
I should finish work by Sunday. I will send pictures.
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Hello Paul,
Due to some business obligations I had to delay my installation works.
Attached I am sending you pictures showing my installation. I have only one source of sound (DMP), therefore I don’t need any preamplifier. It’s quite possible that if I had a preamp I would have perfect sound with inexpensive signal cables (what I need is: 2 x XLR 1,5 m). Luckily I have a friend who shared to me Tara Labs ISM The 0,8EX and Van den Hull MC- The Platinium Hybrid so I could make the test. I bought VdH with a special price using the sale. These cables enabled me to see the whole potential of PS Audio system.
The loudspeaker box casings were made by a carpenter specializing in this. I have a decrease – 6 dB at 33 Hz, the scope 50 Hz to 20 kHz is being processed with a tolerance of +/- 2 dB. All speakers are controlled by Hypex NC500 amplifiers, supplied with ± 85 V voltage from SMPS1200. Initially, I used the Hypex DLCP for the active crossover. This platform has great technical capabilities, but the SQ is tragic, so I assembled the 3-Way analog crossover – 200 Hz, 2,6 kHz, 24 dB/Oct.
I have about 300 CDs and 110 SACDs. I don’t collect everything, I just want to have what I really like. I’m trying to exchange CDs for SACDs – recently I have bought MoFi Bob Dylan Pat Garet & Billy The Kid and The Eagles Hotel California (Japan).
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It amuses me how small the Hypex Amp boards are in size. Just a little four inch square while the power supplies are always four to six times the size.
The NC 500 amplifiers are very small. They have an efficiency of 93%, they are perfect for active loudspeakers. SMPS 1200 power supplies have a large power reserve.
P5 powers DMP, DSD and 2 active loudspeakers. When I listen to music loudly, the P5 display shows a 23-25% load.
At the beginning I used 2 pieces of Hypex DLCP (Digital Loudspeaker Control Platform) for the active crossover. The NC 500 are excellent, but the DLCP sounded very bad and I assembled an analog crossover on a very good operational amplifier.
All in, I’d have to say that I got the most bang for the buck from my Iconoclast cables–IC’s and spkrs.
The difference was stunning.
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Quite an endorsement…
Glad to hear it.
Regards.
Yup. I’ve thought about the question quite a lot.
My amp and preamp have been phenomenal. But if the question is bang for the buck, the cables.
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Room treatment
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If I have to pick one…without a doubt…the Akiko Audio Corelli ac power conditioner. Superb!!!
Yeah - I have made a whole lot of changes in a year and yeah, the Iconoclast cables is the new most impactful change. I’m in @RonP camp on that one… and that includes getting BHKPRE and BHK300 upgrade. Till then I would say the Nucleus+ cause it opened my eyes to seeing how great streaming can be…
I’m going to also say room treatment. Removing/reducing first reflections, reducing room reverb and absorbing as much bass as possible. Multiple rooms and setups has made an incredible difference for me.
Then second and I cannot believe I’m saying this… DSP, I’ve been converted!
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Which particular software won you over to the dark side, if you don’t mind sharing?
FWIW, Anthem’s ARC made a believer out of me.
Cheers.
Short answer is Roon. I haven’t tried anything else. Once I’m ready to spend some more cash I’ll try HQplayer.
It was a happy necessity.
I moved to a new country and am currently in a studio apartment. ~25sqm ~270sqft back wall is 2.9m 9.5ft
I was getting +20db between 25-65hz. between budget, space and planned move in the future diaphragmatic bass traps or other “high horsepower” bass traps are not an option.
I have a lot of acoustic treatment in the room.
DSP increased my emotional connection to the music. “One more song before I sleep” turns into 5 or 10+ more.
I still recommend treating the room first.
EDIT: forgot to add the tweak. Isoacoustic Gaia footers are the best tweak I’ve experienced it’s a very dramatic change.
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Roon was my short answer, too. Streaming HQ FLAC files either from Tidal or ripped from CD to a computer drive.
But then I did try HQPlayer and there is a NOTICEABLE difference in sound quality. I was pretty amazed.
Kind of a hassle to set up, but worth it. And it plays nice with Roon.
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PS Audio Power Plant!
Easily the Furutech Flux-50 NCF In-Line Filter plugged from the wall receptacle to my PS Audio PPP now P15.
2nd was the PS Audio P15
I had mixed emotions before installing the Flux-50 to my PS Audio PPP. My thinking at first was I already have my Wireworld Silver Electra power cords going from my equipment to the PPP and 5 PS Audio Noise Harvesters scattered around the room. Then reading all the glowing reviews here from everyone that purchased the Flux-50 had me all charged up.
Before installing the Flux-50 I listened to music that was familiar to me for about 1 1/2 hours. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and had to install the Flux-50. The Flux-50 was installed from my Wireworld Silver Electra power cord connected to the outlet to the PS Audio PPP. If I had to say just one word to describe the Flux-50 it would be “astonishing” I really wasn’t prepared with what I now was listening to. There truly is a holographic 3D image with the Flux-50 installed. The soundstage now goes well beyond my speakers, there is now a much more pronounced layered effect from front to back, pinpoint separation. Vocals are now within reach of touching while drums are set back nicely where they should be and boy were they tighter and more lifelike. Bass guitars were more pronounced than before. Songs with multiple acoustic guitars can now be identified across the soundstage. I can pick out who was playing the Martin guitar and who played the Gibson. Wind instruments lost that last bit of sibilance as well.
Everything was just crisper and tighter. All this was consistent from recording after recording, some more than others. If it’s a well recorded album you’ll hear it all in its glory with the Flux-50. Even recordings that were not so great improved dramatically. All this with just one Flux-50 installed.
So do I need another Flux-50? I don’t know but I have another one coming tomorrow. I will connect that one to my McIntosh MC452 feeding the PPP. I’ll report back over the weekend with an update.
One last note: If you don’t already own a Furutech Flux-50 NCF you are truly missing what your system has to offer. It’s better than any upgrade I’ve done so far.
Well it’s starting to look like the component that’s made the biggest difference is my system is the BHK preamp. Roughly a year ago I acquired a DMP, DSD, and BHK 250, which all together was a vast improvement over my previous set up. But adding the BHK pre might be even a bigger leap forward in SQ. I’m sure it’s all a matter of synergy as well. The BHK pre is allowing the full potential of the other PSA products to come through, and it’s not even close to being fully broken in yet.
I’ve tried other preamps in the past, and decided running CD players and dac’s with digital volume controls was the best way to go. That conclusion has been thrown out the window.
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