Best kept secret in AC line filtering conditioning

I just got my PS Audio P12 regenerator setup and it has made a dramatic difference, especially to my analog setup. Whereas before the P12, I had a slight amount of audible noise when playing records (easily confirmed by just switching the input) that noise is GONE with the P12.

I've not used a conditioner before as I figured I'd "go big or go home" on AC line filtering. Glad I went big.

The PSM 156 is in my system now. I recently removed a PS Audio P20 and before that had a Niagara 1200 and then 3000. The 156 is the only one that stopped transformer buzzing from a couple of my amps. Taking it in and out is quite dramatic as our power here not only has DC on the line but also quite a bit of noise. The P20 was fantastic but my system with the P20 was warm, rich, wide and deep sounding. With no conditioner or regenerator the sound is quite bad in my system. It goes flat, hard, gets a bit harsh up top and has no emotion or anything about it that sucks you into the performance. The 156 is doing wonders for me and also keeps it sounding at its best 24/7. No more sound fluctuations, no more transformer buzz, and a complete inky black dead silent backdrop for the music to appear. The 156 is the real deal. I am using it with the Puritan Ultimate Power Cable. I really enjoyed the P20 but sold it when I had my wiring redone in my listening room. I assumed the rewire would be all I needed. I was wrong as the days that followed had the system sounding flat and quite hard sounding. No life. I installed a 156 (had it for a week to demo) and knew within an instant it would be staying. It does similar things to the P20 when it comes to noise but is a touch more lively vs the P20. I hear more inner details with the 156. Without question one of my best HiFi purchases. My wife noticed the sound was much flatter and harsher when I removed the P20 (she wasn't aware it was out yet and asked why the system sounded so harsh and flat) and we listened for four hours after we put in the 156 and were so happy that the magic was back. This will only help those with bad quality power, and the 156 made it clear that our power is awful for an audio system. My amp sounds best plugged into the Puritan. When it goes to the wall I get a transformer buzzing from my amp (Luxman 595) and into the puritan, its dead silent thanks to the DC blocking. Well worth the money the 156 even if paying full retail (if you have suspect power). 

PSM156 is very good. All my source components are plugged into it.
With the amp it’s a bit more interesting. I don’t experience the transformer buzz and have my Pass XA30.8 amplifier plugged directly into the wall which results in slightly more dynamic sound and more presence in the bass. Plugging the XA30.8 into Puritan I get lowered noise floor, ever so slightly leaner bass, more relaxed presentation and because of the lowered noise floor the details emerge out of a blacker background which in turn produces slightly better soundstage, wider and deeper. It does sound less punchy though. I don’t use stock puritan cable (bottom of the line model) that was included with the PSM156. Power to Puritan is delivered by the Audioquest Hurricane. 

I’m always very skeptical of any filter that "cleans up" power from your wall. To do this they have to use a circuit that lets the 60hz sine wave through and not the rest of it. Eventaully someone posts "I plugged my amp into the wall and the bass and dynamics came back". they tend to limt current. Sure they supply the nameplate current on the amp but not the short term bursts needed for dynamic response.

I use a PS audio P10 regenerator, 80 lbs of copper etc that rectifies the current and inverts it in a circuit with the abiility to supply the short term, high current needs that an amp needs for dymamic and bass response.  Instead of a focus on filtering, the focus is on supplying.

If someone has one of these filters in socal and wants to bring it over to my home we can do AB tests and see what we think. We could also put the P10 downstream of the filter and see what the built in o-scope says about the power output of the filter. It says my wall current has 4-5% thd.

Jerry

@carlsbad

That would be an interesting experiment, I hope someone takes you up on your generous offer. IME, all power conditioners while effective ‘alters’ the sound of your system. One may like the results but their impact good or bad is unmistakable. For me, I found isolation transformer based Power Conditioning to be most neutral and effective in removing the harshness and noise on AC lines. Dedicated AC lines are always a bonus!