Thoughts on balanced power

I agree ptss, I want one too!

I've been using balanced power for over 15 years now with my first unit being a Cine-Pro power pro 10 which was really a Furman just rebadged as Cine-Pro. It was a major step up from what I had been using which was an Adcom ACE-15. Much improved bass depth and articulation along with soundstage solidity were its main attributes however it was limited to 10 amps max and I was utilizing 70-80 % of that. I used it for about 3 years and I then upgraded to a PS Audio Power Plant P600 which as many know outputs balanced power. The P600 lasted about 6 years before it died and it was a revelation to say the least at the time and after visiting my local dealer, he mentioned a then new company called Platinum Power which utilizes a 2500VA balanced transformer. I took the PP-1 beast home where it handily out performed the P600 hands down in every audiophile/perfomance attribute you can name! It is fed from a 15 amp dedicated circuit but only drawing about 8 amps max from it so there is more than ample headroom. 

I repaired the P600 and dropped it into the HT system where it was happy for about 5 years until it died again. As luck would have it, I was looking thru my local Craigslist and lo and behold a PP-1 was listed for sale for dirt cheap so I snagged it up as soon as I could and again, it improved the whole HT system especially my Plasma display which was surprising given that it had been powered with regenerated power. It too is powered by a 15 amp dedicated circuit and the system draws about 7 amps max. 

One of these days I plan on running 20 amp dedicated lines to both the main rig and the HT rig just to remove that small bottleneck even though I am not utilizing anywhere near the 2500VA transformers capacity. Bottom line is I will be using balanced power for the foreseeable future.

As a side note, the new AudioQuest Niagra 7000 with its DBS transformer looks very interesting, I'm going to track one down this weekend at Newport and give it a listen.

Since my last posting I ran across a BPT unit here and couldn't pass it up. At one third the price of the new Furman I figured it would be a good way to try balanced power with less investment. I haven't put it into my system yet but that will hopefully happen this next week. I will share my impressions.

Ok, I have been living with the BPT since June and I must say, my system is extremely quiet. I decided to plug my amp directly into this unit to see how it performs and I don't notice any issues. The bass is tight and well defined and the system seems to have all of the power it needs. My only concern is that the BPT does not provide the surge protection of the Furman so I may move up to one in the future. Right now I am very satisfied with balanced power.

Equi=Tech is the oldest and most respected company in this field. All others are simply sniffing the vapors