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PS Audio PP300 works great, but......

Seasons greetings. I hooked up my brand new PP300 last night. If I listen critically and technically, I can clearly state that it does EVERYTHING they say it does. Much blacker background, Much tighter bass, Much greater detail and instrument space. However, even though all of these things are done better than I ever imagined, I find the music to be less involving. Has anybody else had this experience? Will it get better with break-in? I don't want to give up all of these benefits, but I want my musicality back. FYI: Sonic Frontiers T3/P3, BAT VK5i, BAT VK500, Dynaudio Confidence 5.
metaphysics
kira
83 posts
 
Metaphysics: Do you have your BAT VK-5i plugged into the 300? I tried plugging in my 5i and the 300 shut down. I immediately called PS Audio and was informed that the 5i drew too much power and could not be plugged into the 300. Anybody else have problems similar to this? I do love the sound of my system with the 300 and I think the music is very involving.
metaphysics OP
192 posts
 
Kira: When I first turned everything on, the 300 would shut down. However, I think the VK5i takes too much power only from a cold start, i.e. fresh plug in. If I turn on the 5i first with the SF t3 off and the p3 on standby, it all start fine. I think there must be capacitors that need to charge up. This means that I leave the 300 on all the time. Only slightly warm with only the p3 in standby. Also, I notice that in the sine wave mode, the three components draw ~280W while in the multiwave modes, they draw only 180-210W. Not sure why, but it works. Cheers.
rcprince
3,073 posts
 
I have not had the experience you report with my P300. Not sure this will help, but try plugging the BAT into the wall and only the digital components into the P300. I have found benefits from isolating your digital source components from the rest of the system. The BAT, I believe, has a well-designed and regulated power supply, so plugging it into the wall should not have a big effect on its sound, particularly if you have a reasonably good power cord for it. Good luck!
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,227 posts
 
I'm a big fan of the PS product and have used it in two different systems with excellent (and consistent) results. In a high resolution system the PS has the ability to seemingly deconstruct the sound. A friend noticed the change in my system immediately and her initial reaction was similar to yours. I believe the the PS is simply showing what's really on the disc, blemishes and all. It can be a little disconcerting, but I've had mine for six months and consider the PS an essential part of my system.
jcbtubes
400 posts
 
Meta- I had a similar experience with the PS300. In my case, the PS didn't have as profound an effect- noticeable but not profound. However, the system sounded best after I got FIM cables throughout and when I removed the PS. I kept hearing what I associate with solid state audio, clean to the point of being sterile. Though the FIM cables are as expensive as a PS300, I did free up one cable that fed the PS. If at all possible, give the FIM Gold a try and see if you don't experience the same improvement. Goodluck.
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