I received my two P20s (in black) about a month ago, and I’m extremely happy about their performance. However, there are some hardware and software implementations which can be tweaked for better performance - whether UI or otherwise - as a process of continual improvement. Please feel free to pitch in your ideas and suggestions!
Request: duration of front panel display in the OFF mode - seven (7) seconds is much too brief !
Currently, when the capacitive touch-sensitive display/screen on the P20 is set to the darkened “off” mode, it illuminates only very briefly (when touched) and it’s nearly impossible to read what’s displayed. Using a stopwatch, the display darkens again after about seven (7) seconds after being touched. Please lengthen the time the display is lit before it darkens automatically. I would suggest 30 seconds, which would allow the user to cycle through the different pages and stop where needed to have enough time to digest the information on the more complex pages which have lots of data.
This is a great example of differences in perception and use. For me, 30 seconds would be annoyingly long. I trigger a display only to look briefly at what I know is cued up on the screen.
I just use the remote to turn the display on, then dim it again when I’m done.
I do not like that the page I am trying to look at goes away in 20 seconds.
It defaults back to the “analog” meter screen.
I find this “analog” meter screen of little value anyway. Don’t force me to look at it.
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I posted the following months ago on another thread:
——————————————————————————————-
I think the default screen is almost useless.
If it were me, I would take advantage of this large screen to show the following in digital format:
Upper left corner- Voltage in
Upper right corner- Voltage out
Lower left corner- Distortion in
Lower right corner- Distortion out
Center of screen - Power
Make the fonts as large as possible so that at a glance I can tell the status of my P20
Elk, why would 30 seconds be annoying? It will dim automatically…
Would 20 seconds be acceptable for you, as a compromise?
15 seconds?
The “Status” page containing eight blocks of information, four pairs side-by-side, is the most useful page for me; there is no way for me to absorb all of the information in one glance when the screen turns off in just seven (7) seconds.
As the information on the screen is illegible unless one is within one foot, I would prefer to simply let my fingers do the walking.
Otherwise, the remote needs to be found, picked up, its “On” button aimed/pressed, and the sequence repeated for the “Dim” button. Why bother, when the finger can be used to navigate around on the screen itself?
st50maint,
Well said - I COMPLETELY agree with you !!!
Why the heck does the display default to this (please excuse my language) ugly and illegible “Analog” combo screen?
- Improvement
Why does this occupy so much real estate on the screen?
What does “Improvement Factor” even mean? - Distortion Out
These values are assumed to be going to be pegged to the far left; a VU style meter is useless because the values are not going to be dynamic, changing over a short time period - Distortion In
These values may drift in the medium term, but again, non-dynamic. So why the analog meter? - Power
For those who have music playing extremely LOUDLY on very dynamic content, this “needle” might be moving. But what’s the point of this display when it’s not legible from the typical listening seat located 10-15 feet away? Does the P20 come with a pair of binoculars too?
For me, the “Status” screen is the most useful one. Can the default screen behavior be changed, PLEASE, to make other screens sticky, instead of all of them reverting back to the (very useless) “Analog” combo screen after just twenty (20) seconds?
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st50maint,
I think your request is absolutely brilliant.
Firstly, the data should be legible from the listening position.
Next, the data should be useful, and these five pieces of information are what I would be happy reading from my listening chair while the screen is illuminated !
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Thirty seconds is annoying as it is vastly longer than I need and I dislike lit displays, extraneous lights ,etc. as visually distracting.
While I’m no P20 owner, besides the handles, I also recognized the big analog display as „non design“ compared to the imo nicer previous digital displays and assumed it had a similar reason as the analog meters on McIntosh and d‘Agostino amps: bling for those who like it.
Elk,
What’s there to check since the display defaults to the Analog Meter screen anyway? Chances are 100% that you’ll just see the display with the same rectangles with the needles that don’t move, and the words which you can’t read.
I an responding only to the question of timing.
Whether you like the display is a different matter.
Not a big deal but if it’s a wish list, I’d like to be able to set my default screen to the status page.
It appears that more readable numbers were considered at one time.
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-ps-audio-p20-power-plant/
Please bring back the large, easy-to-read, display of data!
And not default to the quad-analog-VU meter page, by allowing other pages to be “sticky”.
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Request:
Please eliminate the disparity in specifications by clarifying which of the following is correct (for the international 230V model):
*silkscreened on the back panel of the P20:
230V~ 50-60Hz
10A (2300VA) Max
45W Idle
*from the website and the User’s Manual:
230V 20A 50/60Hz
2000 VA
30W Standby power consumption
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Hi John_H,
Thanks for letting us know about this.
You are correct that the manual is in error.
The standby power consumption is actually 45 watts.
As well it should say 8.7 Amp, not 20 Amp.
We’ll get those fixed right away.
To some extent, both are right though:
10A (2300VA) Max is the input power rating
8.7A (2000VA) Max is the output power rating
This information is on the silkscreen on the back panel.
Let us know if you needed anything else,
Thanks,
- Jeremy
Dear Jeremy,
Thanks for your reply, and for (presumably) clarifying and amending the discrepancies on both the User’s Manual and your website.
John