Which model regenerator

hi -

the amplifiers of my main system are currently using a perfectwave powerplant 10.

the components are a pair of ampzilla 2000 series 2 monoblocks, each rated at 300 wpc, and a pair of ohm f5015 plate-amp powered subs, each rated at 500 wpc.

i’m hoping to move the p10 up to my secondary system, and purchase a new regenerator for the main system. so the question is: which model is optimal?

links for the equipment:

thanks!

Welcome, @bakufu !

Welcome! I myself moved from a P10 to a P15 using the same equipment and I had a nice little bump in sound quality. The P15 has been as reliable and steady as the P10 and I was glad to make the change. I use the P10 in another system now so the upgrade was a win for the main system and the other system.

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is it the case that the ‘15’ in the newer model represents a step up in power-handling capability? i ask because the p10 has proven entirely adequate these last 8 or 9 years - i mean, it’s never been the case that more power was demanded from the regenerator than it was capable of supplying (in that case, as i understand it, the unit would simply shut down.)

oh - and thanks for the ‘welcome’!

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If you can afford it, get the P20. You won’t regret it.
There’s a saying in the racing car world that applies to regenerators: “there’s no substitute for cubic inches”.

P20. Hands down. Not only is there a big upgrade in its ability to regulate the voltage compared to the older models, you’ll also be getting an increase in headroom you didn’t have before with the P10. The P15 is a great upgrade over the P10, but the P20 is a significantly bigger step.

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I think they both handle similar power loads, but thde P15’s newer tech works better. I am using less than 20% of the maximum in my system.

This subject has been discussed extensively in some other threads. Check out
P15 vs P20

thanks to all – this is very useful. perhaps i can impose to ask a follow-on question.

supposing that i do opt for either the 15 or the 20 for my main system (described above), i would move my p10 to my secondary system. that system is much lighter weight: a mac book air as a roon endpoint, a benchmark 300B dac, neither of which draws significant power, and for the amplifier, a line magnetic AS-125 211-based tube amplifier. that beast is rated at 22 wpc, but has both low and high voltage stages. link below. again, i ask: what model is appropriate in this application? i assume that the p10 would work, but if i were selecting from among the existing psaudio regenerators, what would be the right pick?

thanks in advance.

:+1:t2: Given Ampzilla 2000 could draw upto 1500W max (each), definitely the P20 is a safe bet at every level.

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This is a gorgeous looking machine. No expert here, but tubes love well regulated voltage more than anything else which the P10 provides hands down. If I were in your position, I would start by testing the P10 with Line Magnetic integrated, connect the high current output on the P10 to the input that demands higher current on the integrated, and the other one to a different power zone. Upon getting the new power plant I would test it with Line Magnetic Integrated, and decide whether a recent model is worth it. The P20 is reportedly better sounding than the P15 which I love by the way, but use with a much less demanding system. All the best.

thanks serhan - yes, LM makes some very beautiful equipment. i’ve heard from a friend in the industry that reliable distribution of several of their products will soon be available in the US.

for now, i’m following joey fischer’s advice and testing my stellar p3 in this system.

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The P3 will definitely be able to feed it stable voltage. Just keep a close eye on the output indicator. If you’re jumping up into the red, you’ll want to back off a bit.

thanks jamesh. i’ve set the p3 to high-current, then plugged the amp into the high-current outputs and the source equipment into the regenerated outputs. my understanding is that this will feed unregenerated but filtered power to the amp and reserve regeneration for the sources. i think this is fine – the amp has been living happily up til now on direct unfiltered power. it certain spares me the additional expense of a third powerplant. that money i’d rather spend on equipment downstream from the power source.

Yes, this is perfect. This is the exact purpose for the HC switch in the back. Though the amp isn’t getting regen power, the rest of the sources are which is great!

May I ask for some direction in budgeting for power regenerating components and selecting appropriate ones for my system, which was at the “extravagant” level when created ca. 1996?

Besides the newer PSA DS DAC and DMP, the main components are a Spectral preamp and amp, gigantic Thiel loudspeakers, massive MIT reference speaker cables and balanced interconnects. (I can provide more details if useful). Radio and turntable are seldom used now.

For power optimization, a few years after purchase, I found significant improvement by adding three separate MIT Z-Series power components (the “Z Iso-Duo”, the “Z Isolator HC”, and the “Z Stabilizer”). These power components connect to the PSA Power Port recepticals and to the audio components via high-end MIT power cords.

And if that weren’t enough, I had two dedicated 20 Amp circuits created along the most stringent guidelines I could find, down to the silver paste on the circuit breaker connections etc. (Significant improvement with the new circuits).

So, after all that tedious description, I’m wondering as I budget for future improvements to this aging but still wicked good system:

  1. Acknowledging that the three MIT power-refining components (although when obtained, a big asset) are of an ilk that may be antiquated,
  2. That there are many competative avenues for improvement in the system (recap the Spectrals? Upgrade to newest versions of PSA DS MkII and the new PST? Replace the 24 y.o. Thiels?),…and here is finally the real question:
    Should I be considering PSA’s power regenerating components as replacements for the initially pricy MIT Z-stuff?
    And if I should be thinking in that direction, how would I determine which of the Power Plants would be appropriate to my needs?

Thanks for any opinions you might offer. Thought I’d run this by the Esteemed Members of The Forum before torturing Kevin or James.

Great question. If I were in your position now with the older but still great gear, I’d start off with a regenerator. Sounds like you’ve already done a significant amount of work to address power, but even so, regenerators can have a massive improvement in the sound. Based off the gear you listed, I’d definitely go with a P20. I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think you’d need a second regen, specially if you’re running it on a 20A circuit.

If you’re still liking the way the Thiels are sounding, you should be able to get a number of good solid years out of them. I’ve always really like the way Thiels sound. Nice, rich highs that don’t exhaust me accompanied by smooth mids and bass that go surprisingly low.

After the P20, I’d then start putting together the budget for the PST and the new DAC.

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James,
Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions.

The Thiel CS7’s are still great speakers (and the only blown midrange driver was aptly replaced by Rob Gillum a couple years ago). They 201 lb speakers, 55” tall were great in the cavernous spaces I used to inhabit, but now seem somewhat out of place in my current home.

A side thought about the P20: It is such a beast size and weight-wise, unable to fit in my rack and logistically challanging to position. My back hurts even thinking about it.

Since I have two separate 20 Amp circuits for the stereo, it might be easier to have, say, two P12s (one plugged into each 20 Amp circuit) rather than one P20 for the same price. Might that lead to similar sonic results, or is the P20 an entirely different animal in terms of the improvement that it could make?

Let’s say the only components I plug into a PWhatevers are:
PSA DS DAC
PSA DMP or PST
Spectral Power Amp DMA-150, nominally consuming 1600 Watts max
Spectral Pre-Amp DMC-20 MkII nominally consuming 175 Watts max

The turntable and radio reciever (not using at the moment) could probs suffer adequately with wall power from one one of the dedicated circuits.

What do you think?

The P20 is an entirely different animal.

Unfortunate for easy practicality. :slight_smile:

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