power consumption

For those of us in California with Class A amps (my Pass X150 idles at 200W), don't forget that plugging it into a PS Audio Power Plant causes approximately double the power usage! And for those of you with air conditioning, don't forget that the air conditioner has to compensate for all the heat that's generated!! Since I don't have air conditioning, I've actually unplugged the Pass from the PP600 due to the heat (doh!). Maybe if I'd stop buying audio gear I could afford central air (and the electricity bill).

The Power Plant does draw extra power. But contrary to common belief, it does not double consumption, at least not in my system and by my measurements.

Drubin, I've searched the forums for the results of your measurements but can't find anything. What did you find?

Mrowlands, ...only 200w? My damned Aleph 2 monos idle at 600w!! Mounting under the floor joists in the basement helped with the heat, but there's still that energy-gulping guilt to shoulder! At least I power 'em down (didn't we used to just say "shut 'em off"?) when not in use. The one-hour warmup subtly precludes sponataneous use though, so I probably don't listen as often as I would if they were left on continuously. Oh well....

According to the Wattsup readings, The Power Plant 300 draws about 40 watts with nothing connected to it, about 43 in multiwave mode. My Pass Aleph 3 draws around 200 watts at idle (196 acutally, although I think the PAss docs say 250). Plugged into the PS Audio, the total draw is just under 300 watts. Which suggests that there is some additional overhead in there somewhere (more than 200 + 40), but not a doubling. I'll move some equipment around later and check a few other components (including my Pass X-150 ). --Dan