Power regeneration - good idea? PS audio?

I am interested in power quality, not quantity.  If a power amp sounds more dynamic plugged into the wall, but the RF distortion is significant, the overall result is bad.  Anyone with experience with Goal Zero battery/inverters, or the expensive Stromtank similar products?

Atmaspere,

Thanks for all your great comments

Relating to power storage within an amp if you’re voltage coming out of the outlet remain stable, even on very hot days, then I think the only concern is spikes in Power needs to handle Sonic changes therefore it would seem the capacitors within a well designed lamp can more than handle Power needs.

Therefore it would seem the needed power storage reserves of a power regenerator are unnecessary given a stable voltage supply.

I have trouble typing so I dictate and some of the letters may be a little bit off above

Relating to power storage within an amp if you’re voltage coming out of the outlet remain stable, even on very hot days, then I think the only concern is spikes in Power needs to handle Sonic changes therefore it would seem the capacitors within a well designed lamp can more than handle Power needs.

Therefore it would seem the needed power storage reserves of a power regenerator are unnecessary given a stable voltage supply.

@jumia 

This statement is false. A power conditioner is not an additional source of power reserve nor is that what they are for. Spikes are a minor thing that are easily dealt with- you con't need a conditioner for that. Things like sagging voltage and the 5th harmonic are not! You need active circuitry to perform this task properly. Elgar made a power conditioner decades ago that was capable of this (and also regulated line voltage without limiting current) but it was marketed to industrial and commercial applications, not high end audio. The PSAudio conditioner is capable of eliminating a 5th harmonic and to my knowledge is the only high end audio conditioner with this ability.

So you have two choices if you want to do conditioning properly: find an old Elgar and have it refurbished (FWIW if something like that were made today by a high end audio company it would easily be the same pricing as the PSAudio stuff) or get a PSAudio.

Atmasphere,

I am referring to the regenerator from PS audio not a power conditioner. Your reference to me being false is not accurate. If you have a stable voltage from your outlet you don’t need a source of addl power offered by the PS audio 15.

The PS audio 15 product offers unclear value to the consumer. The marketing materials are misleading. You don’t need an additional power source to supplement existing amplifier when power source is stable as most people have these days. PS 15 is very misleading when it says the PS 15 offers additional power when demands from the music require more power. This is a one of their primary selling points and it’s wrong.

Further they don’t discuss the benefit offered when you attach a high end power cable which is what they recommend. Upgraded power cable offers tremendous value and negates much of the need for regenerating AC current. Cheap courtesy cable they furnish clearly needs to be upgraded and when this happens your system will improve even without a PS 15.

I am referring to the regenerator from PS audio not a power conditioner. Your reference to me being false is not accurate. If you have a stable voltage from your outlet you don’t need a source of addl power offered by the PS audio 15.

@jumia 

My prior statement was correct.

The PSAudio is a type of power conditioner. Its called a 'regenerator' since it uses a sine wave oscillator driving an amplifier which in turn drives a power transformer whose output is that of the unit. Literally it builds the AC output from scratch.

So it can run off dirty power and produce clean power of the correct voltage.

It sounds to me as if you've mis-characterized their claims, at least insofar as their website is concerned:

https://www.psaudio.com/products/directstream-power-plant-15/

I don't see anything there that says its an additional power source as you say and nothing misleading- I am certain they can demonstrate their claims. Its intention is to provide clean power, which can be in short supply anywhere in the country. IOW this isn't just about AC line voltage stability.

That big gray cylinder on the power poles, possibly in your back alley is a power transformer, and if loaded past 50% of its rated capacity will make enough 5th harmonic that it can easily mess with audio equipment (and other equipment- motors and the like) in your house. The power company has no concerns if the load goes past 50% as long as it does not exceed 100%. But many audiophiles have noticed their equipment seems to sound better at night- this often corresponds to lower load on those transformers and so the power can be cleaner. Something like the PSAudio allows you to have that better sound all the time.

A power cord can have a beneficial effect (Ohm's Law is why- they can develop voltage drops across them) but they in no way can filter harmonics of the AC line!