I considered getting one but the price you pay here is more than if you bought it directly, which I don't know if you can as there's a stateside dealer.
I went for the Audioquest Niagara 1200 and couldn't be happier, at what would amount to around half the price.
Amazing conditioner. Dead quiet, neutral sounding, with excellent current delivery. Powers my 5 channel VK-6200 for HT/2channel with no stifling or shrinking of the Soundstage in any dimension.
I have 2 in my system. Puritanlabs have since come out with a 12 outlet model, the 1512, which = 2×156 in 1 chassi.
Chazzy007, Thats what started this whole power conditioning thing. I was able to purchase a Phillips 5R4GYS from someone on Ebay. The day I installed it into the Modwright power supply for the Oppo 205, I was blown away by how quiet and amazing the sound was coming out of the speakers. Really blown away. I could not believe that this tube was able to do this. Well, it lasted for that listening period. Ever since then it has gone back to where it was before installing this tube. Don’t get me wrong, still very good, but not like that. I have since checked the tube with my tube tester and it tests great. I can only assume that this great sound was due to a lack of noise, perhaps AC noise. Maybe even the time of day. So that one short period of time started me on this AC noise journey. I am currently using a Furman, I believe its a 20 PFI.
Typically tube break in can take 200 hours or more. During that time you will have periods of good sound/better sound/back to worse/better again/back to worse and all sorts of in between until it’s finally broken in.
Typically tube break in can take 200 hours or more. During that time you will have periods of good sound/better sound/back to worse/better again/back to worse and all sorts of in between until it’s finally broken in.
I know tubes need a break in, I did not know they can sound better, worse then better. I thought they just get progressively where they are going. I have only 20 hours on the tube. Maybe I will leave it on during the weekend to see what happens. Thanks for the heads up.
I can't speak to the ups and downs with the Puritan, but with the Niagara 1200, the top end wasn't as resolving of the faintest swirls of air in the high end until about 4-5 days of use. After that, going directly into the wall proved no difference in that respect.
My test track for that is the Main Theme music for The Revenant, where between the mass strings, the ghost like winds that blow and swirl between them are a great test for that.
Everything else improved as well, exposing more and more detail and nuance. I really can't detect anything else since.
I know tubes need a break in, I did not know they can sound better, worse then better. I thought they just get progressively where they are going. I have only 20 hours on the tube. Maybe I will leave it on during the weekend to see what happens. Thanks for the heads up.
Andy
You have a long way till broken in completely. When it's finally done, it will sound better than your first listen which you loved. Every tube is different and goes through different periods of worse/better.
As an example... My Reflektors sounded great on 1st play, got better at 50 hours, again between 75-100 hours, slight improvement at 150 hours, and opened up 1 last time at about 200 hours. YMMV. :)
I bought a 156 after getting a "best bang for the buck recommendation" from an Audio shop owner. We went over Audioquest, PS Audio power plant...etc.
It was no better or at least noticeably better than my Furman 15 pfi power conditioner for both audio and video tests (plugged and unplugged equipment which is not the best way; best method is to have an a/b switch to see/hear right away.)
I provided feedback to the US Distributor, Brian Tucker/Pro Audio, who did not care. His response, "well, you have your opinion and I have mine...I’m trying to sell this...." He came off as a jerk, quite frankly.
Bottom line, despite all the positive pro reviews, I do not recommend because it was not better than something 1/3 its price.
Equipment used: Audio - Focal 1027 Be speakers, Rotel RSX-1067 receiver, Marantz 6006 CD player, 2 Veloyne Optimum 10 subwoofers, Kimber Kable Monocle XL cables and Audioquest interconnects. Video - Vizio P65-F1, Paradigm Soundscape sound bar
@merlin66 Thanks for your first post on this site.
I overlooked this thread when I created a similar thread about the Puritan 156, which I had found transformative. For further opinions, I suggest you consult the Puritan 136 thread over on Audio Circle.
It's regrettable if you had a bad experience with the US distributor. I know of one other member on Audiogon who very recently had good and very speedy service from Pro Audio.
I forgot to put in my post how indifferent Brian Tucker was to my feedback as he told me I was welcomed to post my opinion on Audiogon's forum which I did today.
Receivers aren’t exactly known for being audiophile level cleanness of signal, no matter what the brand. What’s your amp @merlin66? Your systems components, as good as they are in their lane, just arent inherently clean enough to show the difference, as there are many users with much more $$/cleaner-signaled systems that are very happy with this product.. You’re probably audio and video in one system, and video is another big source of noise for clean and quiet hifi. Try separating a pathway for stereo music listening only with a good quality, quiet 2ch preamp (tubed if your so inclined) with HT bypass function and a separate stereo amp for front L & R... But the Puritan 156 is fitting into 50k+ systems.
I concur, that perhaps merlin66's system is not resolving enough for the Puritan 156 to yield results. I am using it in my system with rhe new Puritan XXS power cord and the results are quite good!
@justjames72 McIntosh separates are certainly considered more ‘hi-fi’ than a HT receiver. And over $10k in separates would generally be though of to out perform a $2k all-in-one, so class and price-point would say yes, but I don’t know. All I know is the 156 is beating out a few of the top $5k+ conditioners for more than a few owners with over $50k systems... Its just not fair to bash a distributor when/if a piece doesn’t work well in your system, when there are to many other variables to consider.
@jriggy I had asked my dealer for advice on a power conditioner and he had a used AQ Niagara 5000 which I was considering, but he said the Puritan would be better. He said he can't keep them in stock they are selling so fast. I shouldn't have an issue reselling if I don't notice much a difference
I went from a Audioquest Niagara 1000 to a Puritian 136 and the difference was night and day. With the Puritian 136 my system really opened up I didn't realize the degree the Niagra was chocking my system.
Heard this unit and it sounds like any other "Balanced Conditioner", clean sound, with loss of body and weight and naturalness. Yes, it did sound different but it ends there. I've owned many balanced conditioners for over 20 plus years and all have the same sonics results, what I failed to understand that I do understand now is our gear was not designed for balanced power it was designed to use the AC that comes into our home, these units screw up the power supplies in units and you are left with stripped music of much of the midrange down, thus bring forth the upper midrange and highs, in other words, you're throwing the balanced of the reproduction off, but if you like that sound then it is a great addition to your system. The only units that I've heard that do not do more harm than good is the PS Audio current and the generation before regenerators.
@phillyb how long did you try the 156(?) and was it with the Puritan power cord? As you are describing exactly what I heard at first also. But after 2 weeks it was apparent that my sound was much more pure. What I came away thinking/realizing is some midrange warmth is actually distortion. Bass and mids are not as rounded and warm but now more true to the real tone of a note (less colored) and I have no loss of harmonic textures, bass weight or emotional/musical aspects. Also made a bigger sonic difference between my DACs and different cables I employ..
Depending on your tastes and depending on your level of gear —which may benefit from a certain level of that warm-haze mask— you may just like that, or more so are used to that type of coloration.
My gear seems to be singing more true. Bricasti or Lampizator > Vinnie Rossi L2 preamp > Wells Innamorata Signature > Harbeth 40.2 anniversaries. So no chance here of realizing my gear is lacking in something I thought it had…
I also employed another Puritan PC in the system a little later on and it was thin and unnatural sounding at first. Cleared up that time, too. So the PC settling for a time is definitely part of the equation. This power product indeed does show you what you have…and like you’ve said, that might not be a welcome change. It did cause me to upgrade ICs.
I have been using a puritan 156 with their upgraded power cord for about 6 months and am impressed by the improvement in sound, especially the clarity of the bass, the articulation and separation in the midrange and lack of harshness in the treble and timbre. After experimentation, I have both my preamp and mono block amps in the 156 along with the DAC and my SoundSmith Strain Gauge. In fact, with the 156 I could clearly hear the difference between the Rogue Audio Stereo100 and Apollo Dark amps, a DAVE vs a Rossini vs a Briscati DAC etc. (I guess you could quip that being able to hear the difference was a "downside" since I ended up trading by Stereo 100 for the Apollos and my DAVE for the Rossini. ) There is a "break-in" period. My system also consists of Nordost Valhalla cables and Sonus faber Amati tradition speakers so is fairly revealing. Whether the 156 is beneficial also depends on the quality of your electrical service. I do have a dedicated 20A circuit and prior to the power company replacing a transformer near my house, I did not seem to have significant noise. But, about 8 months ago, when the transformer was replaced, I could clearly hear a difference despite the dedicated circuit. The 156 "fixed" the problem.
Given my budget - and the demands of my current system (somewhat modest, by audiophile standards) - I opted for the Puritan PSM136 and couldn't be happier. Granted, this is after going from NO power conditioner, but I really try to restrict my purchases to things that will make a positive, appreciable (audible) difference. Not all have. This one did.
FWIW, I run a small SET tube amp, Belle Klipsch horn speakers, and Sennheiser HD650 cans - nothing exotic or extraordinary.
As a side note, I found Mike Kay at Audio Archon to be professional, responsive, and easy to to deal with. (No affiliation - just a past customer).
Had the 156 on demo and my SR Galileo SX sat In the corner and cracked up laughing at it. What a POS. Really dead next to my SR Powercell SX. On a scale of 1-10 a 1.
Balance conditioners have an impact on the sound and you will hear a difference but all I've to own is a stripping effect, clean yes, but a loss of body weight and tone. I owned a Furman 20i and loved the HC outlet section for front-end gear, but not on the balanced ones that were using the balanced network, you can easily hear the impact and change from the HC outlets that were not balanced. I had that unit for several years, I later read about PS Audio units and my dealer let me take one home for a weekend, and after that weekend I ordered one, the P-12 for my front end gear, there was no contest, everything improved, from top to bottom, no losses but only more of what my gear sounded like in my system but now in total noise-free, blackest background, more weight tone, and color and this just took a noticeable step up like my system was on the quietest power grid. Dynamics better, mico details due to lack of noise, and rock-solid 120V at all times, the old my system sounds better some days or times is gone it is consistent, and I did n experiment, you can adjust the outgoing voltage on the unit so I matched the incoming wall voltage of 123V and the sound took noise dive, set it back to 120V and all was right again, so this proved how outgoing wall voltage impacts our system, some days my incoming wall voltage is 124V, so in my experience now if you buy a unit that does not give you high regulated 120V you really are missing out. I moved the Furman to my video system and it good enough for that use, but the PS Audio is just flat out better in a high-end audio system. Now of course we all like what we like, so if the newest hot thing is marketed as the best ever and you like it then your money was well spent. But voltage stabilization really does impact your sound big time.
My experience using the Puritan 136 conditioner with grounding box both purchased as a package deal I was thrilled how it drastically reduced Ac hash and noise measuring it using an old Entech noise meter, it was amazing.
We just had a major electrical upgrade and update to our 45 year old home right down to every single light switch and receptacle replaced . Measuring Ac noise using Entech device prior to the electrical work it was awful , using the Puritan 136 it worked as advertised however ,….Having never used a power conditioner before in the past ive used transformer and psaudio power regeneration until it developed some odd problems.
I had a couple dedicated lines installed and it was interesting experimenting with plugging my front end components one by one first directly into a standard wall receptacle, gave it a good long listen then directly into a dedicated line then into the Puritan with my preamplifier, separate out board power supplies of my server and my dac .
My dac was effected most noticeable plugged into the Puritan . I now use a Furutech GTO 3 with my front end components directly comparing the Puritan with the Furutech it was very difficult to detect what was robbed from preamplifier and server however most definitely my Holo Audio May KTE dac was effected the most robbing it of its true performance.
My experience using the Puritan 136 conditioner with grounding box both purchased as a package deal I was thrilled how it drastically reduced Ac hash and noise measuring it using an old Entech noise meter, it was amazing.
We just had a major electrical upgrade and update to our 45 year old home right down to every single light switch and receptacle replaced . Measuring Ac noise using Entech device prior to the electrical work it was awful , using the Puritan 136 it worked as advertised however ,….Having never used a power conditioner before in the past ive used transformer and psaudio power regeneration until it developed some odd problems.
I had a couple dedicated lines installed and it was interesting experimenting with plugging my front end components one by one first directly into a standard wall receptacle, gave it a good long listen then directly into a dedicated line then into the Puritan with my preamplifier, separate out board power supplies of my server and my dac .
My dac was effected most noticeable plugged into the Puritan . I now use a Furutech GTO 3 with my front end components directly comparing the Puritan with the Furutech it was very difficult to detect what was robbed from preamplifier and server however most definitely my Holo Audio May KTE dac was effected the most robbing it of its true performance.
Your weak spot is your equipment trust me it's not the Puritan. Rotel is glorified Onkyo.
I can say without a doubt after auditioning, A/Bing Shunyata, AQ etc the Puritan makes an audible difference that none of the others did. I let my ear decide the end of the day, but what I know is the equipment used also has something to do with it.
There are technical differences in terms of the amount and nature of the filtering in the Puritan vs. other devices like AQ. AQ has a unique grounding system and is at its best when everything in the system is AQ. This is not the case with puritan and it is cable agnostic though their Ultimate XX PCs are excellent for the money.
I like the PSM156 in general, its price makes it even more appealing. I like that it is available and in-stock domestically. The one unit I think I might like better is the Inakustik but at that point it is a matter of taste.
I would be shocked if you are not happy with it.
Full disclosure, I am a Puritan and AQ dealer and am planning to buy into Inakustik so I certainly am biased toward all these brands. A Niagara 3000 with thunder and/or tornado PCs through the system will beat it but that is a lot pricier.
I find my system sounds the best with everything plugged into the 156. Tried removing my amp and the sound was nowhere as good. I also use the Groundmaster.
When I installed the 156 in the system (including monoblocks plugged into it) I immediately noticed an improvement, something that I had not experienced with any other unit. The one that I never tried but would have liked to, is the Inakustik.
the PSM156 is a critical device now in my setup. I tried plugging it in and out many times over and overall always prefered it with the PSM156 installed. The Soundstage clears up, feels more locked in and smoother overall.
Same thing can be said of EVs (200 components) Vs ICEs (1400 components). And also a 1960 computer technology (room size) Vs modern laptops (don't have to explain that, do I?).
I know folks who replaced the Inakustik with Puritans. But there are also folks who sold the Puritan and kept the Inakustik. I love what it does in my system.
I find it very interesting that people can have such a strong preference for either one of them, if I were to guess, I would have guessed that they are pretty "similar" in performance.
I wonder how much of this is just bias as to what they have themselves, but then again most people who tried both did at end of the day try both...
Or it could easily be based on what type of “dirty electricity” someone has. Maybe each unit works stronger with differing harmonic distortion frequencies? One could even clean the electrical harmonics more than someone is used to and that ends up perceiving the sound as ‘not as good’ (not preferred). We’re all dealing with different harmonic profiles and we all have different preferences within these distortions that make up part of the character of our systems sonics.
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