Now how does that sound?
Contents
A regenerator sounds like the egg of Columbus. Fresh, new power without distortion! And in a way, of course, it is. The PS Audio is basically an AC to DC to AC converter. A kind of “super power amplifier” that in our case delivers just over 1000 watts. And then at 50 Hz and 230 volts. So it will come down to 5A what this PS Audio can deliver continuously. And that’s enough in a lot of cases.
Insightful
As usual in our power conditioning tests, we mainly connect the Sonnet Pasithea to the conditioner. We easily hear differences with that. Thereby, it is a main component in the chain. We listened both with and without the Pass Labs XP-12 in between. The differences are fairly similar, although it seems a little more obvious with the Pass in between. It is difficult to explain why.
What is noticeable is that the PS Audio PowerPlant 12 does quite a bit with the stereo image. Focus seems a little more forward and it also seems a little more clearly delineated. Perhaps because the midrange is a little more prominent or a little more delineated. Or it could be that the mids are – or they feel a little more – dynamic.
This difference is largest when comparing to the Kemp PowerStrip 8Plus. The latter clearly places more to the back. It is also less dynamic than the PowerPlant 12: which clearly brings more kick and energy to the reproduction. The Yeti Reference falls in between: it is a bit more sweet sounding and projects larger than the PowerPlant, but even with the Yeti the stereo image is a bit more backward. That’s neither good nor bad, by the way. Some people like a stage, others like a bubble. So many people, so many tastes and opionions.
What also stands out is that the whole thing is very easy to follow. The various lines and attack on guitar on Beth Gibbon’s new album – Lives Outgrown (highly recommended!) – are easy to discern. The onset also seems a bit more pointed. Particularly compaired to the Kemp. That one rounds it out a lot more than the PS Audio. What fits better in your system is personal.
Disappear
What PS Audio does a great job of doing is disappearing into the system. A good component has that quality. However, in order to realise that, it is important that nothing irritates. No sharpness, no messyness, no smearing. The PS Audio simply disappears into the system by meeting these conditions. Just as the Sonnet does so beautifully: you forget it’s there. A strength we really appreciate.
Multiwave
Now PS Audio has an option called “MultiWave. This is supposed to provide “more energy” and thus sound better – or different.
The fact is: it is audible. However, we mostly hear it as more warmth. The image also seems to grow a bit (not crazy: bass provides scale), but to say it’s better? No. We miss some pointiness, clarity and perhaps insight.
Anyway: it is all tunable and adjustable to taste. Thereby it can also be turned off, so no criticism here. It’s just not our thing.
Hi — I used to have a P12 (now a P15) and appreciate the review. Will check if I’m using the multiwave setting. You mention 4 outputs. Do you mean 4 sets of 2? The U.S. version has 8 outlets, divided into 4 pairs.
You can see it in the pictures. We have 4 outputs in total.