PS Audio PowerPlant 12 Review (AC Regenerator)

Not only did the author offer zero impressions of how plugging gear into the regenerator actually impacted the sound (get it now?)

What would his impression tell you? 

 This will give you information you can use to make an informed decision. 

I don’t mind educating you guys 😊.

**** I’m sure it has good PRAT ****

No, IT would not have good PRAT. Instead, it might improve, or perhaps make worse some components’ PRAT.

**** What would his impression tell you? ****

It would tell me that his “review” is, in fact, thorough and complete (it is not); and that his comments are, in fact, worth considering. Worth considering, because he understands, like all audiophiles should, the old truism that measurements alone tell only part of the story.

Btw, I don’t own this regenerator and my experience with others has been as described above.

Listening to anything connected to a power regenerator would tell you as much about  sound like drinking orange juice from a refrigerator connected to one would tell you about  taste.  Why would anyone think this thing can change the sound of an amplifier? The AC is converted to DC in the amp and the amps capacitors keep the voltage constant. 

PS Audio wasn’t given an opportunity to respond.

I agree with this point. I have reached out to Paul McGowan so if he wasn't aware of PowerPlant 12 being measured and the resulting discussions on audio forums, he is now. 

Here is part 2 of the testing.  

PS Audio P12 Review Part 2: Power Testing

And here is copy and paste of Amir's conclusion. 

Conclusions
It is clear from the above tests that using the P12 degrades available power to an amplifier, not increase it. Both continues and dynamic power are limited, as they should. You are inserting another cable and box (power regenerator) which has its own losses. Burst capability in power amps is provided by its internal power supply capacitors that have a very low impedance path to the amp being inside it. Trying to do that with AC is like pulling the end of a wet noodle and expecting the other side to move with it.

The data here is the reason a number of power amp manufacturers recommend to power their units directly from the wall and not through a AC regenerator. You want the least impedance path to the AC outlet and that is a simple power cord.

While with low current devices we could hardly find a harm caused by the PS Audio P12 (other than to your bank account), with power amps we are seeing a distinct degradation of power. In this regard, I think any marketing material without proper objective back up to the contrary is irresponsible here. Please heed the advice from me and many amp designers that you don't want to use these regenerators for power amplifiers.