The Puritan PSM156
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After receiving the PCM156 this week, I can say definitively it works well with Grimm MU2 which honestly I did not expect. Really good. Immediately cleans up a layer of grunge you didn’t know was there. Makes performers more present. Allows you to hear musicians individual parts more clearly. The imaging gets more distinct and solid. Bass gets more textured tight and resolved. 3D localization is more than i’ve ever had in any system. Now you can track precisely imaging in space with the electronic music I like to listen to and hear vertical and depth detail. Stuff like Chocolate Chip Trip from Tool was revelatory - they put a lot more in there than I ever knew! Contemplating the upgrade to statement PC and ground city but things are so good right now I honestly don't see the point. Curious how it will do with the M10X and my Synergisic Research switch now For reference, I've owned Denali V2 and Everest conditioners as well.
The Ultimate power cable is a definite step up over the classic, although the Classic is no slouch compared to other expensive brand cables
If one uses a isolation transformer such as an Equi-Tech or a Torus, and then one plugs a Puritan into the Equi-Tech or the Torus, what noise is left for the Puritan to operate upon?
I've replaced the generic wall outlet which the Puritan 156 connected to with a FURUTECH FT-SWS NCF,
and if I'm not imaging things there's a noticeable improvement!
I'm still with the basic power cable and thinking to upgrade to the puritan ultimate,
but I'm seeing people got great results with high-end stealth audio, Shunyata cables.
Could it be just an overkill and the ultimate cable should suffice?
and if I'm not imaging things there's a noticeable improvement!
I'm still with the basic power cable and thinking to upgrade to the puritan ultimate,
but I'm seeing people got great results with high-end stealth audio, Shunyata cables.
Could it be just an overkill and the ultimate cable should suffice?
One possible explanation. In some environments, It can be difficult to hear the inherent background noise until you insert another noise reduction device resulting in further noise floor drop. Can be very challenging to quantify until it is gone.
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A recent review (URL below) of the passive Puritan 156, including objective measurements.
Apparently, there's measurable leakage between the purportedly "isolated" outlets, plus it doesn't handle stray DC well.
www.alpha-audio.net
Separately, this objective test (see YouTube video) on the PS Audio PowerPlant 12 is a great comparison.
Apparently, there's measurable leakage between the purportedly "isolated" outlets, plus it doesn't handle stray DC well.
Review Puritan PSM 156 power conditioner
The Puritan PSM 156 is a tricky one to review. There are several reasons for this. Measurement-wise and sound-wise, we see varying results.
www.alpha-audio.net
Separately, this objective test (see YouTube video) on the PS Audio PowerPlant 12 is a great comparison.
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I've been demoing the Puritan 156 for a few days so I presume break-in is not complete. I must admit that at this point it's probably a non-keeper. It giveth, but it also taketh away. I provides a pleasant smoothness to the sound at the expense of transparency, especially the bass. Plugging my Soulution 727 into it vs the wall is no contest. I thought the Ultimate PC may have partly been the culprit but even with 2 different power cords, I don't think the addition of the Puritan offers a clear advantage. Evaluation shall continue.
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Thank you for this interesting report, Marty!
The Puritan 156 is a popular product. At least two out of the six members of the Orange County Audiophile Posse love their 156s.
My personal view on all varieties of power devices continues to be that individual AC mains power and electrical infrastructures and grounding systems and combinations of components and subjective sonic preferences all conspire to make the sonic effects of power devices extremely idiosyncratic and unpredictable in any particular audiophile system. There are no sonic rules or predictors of general applicability.
The Puritan 156 is a popular product. At least two out of the six members of the Orange County Audiophile Posse love their 156s.
My personal view on all varieties of power devices continues to be that individual AC mains power and electrical infrastructures and grounding systems and combinations of components and subjective sonic preferences all conspire to make the sonic effects of power devices extremely idiosyncratic and unpredictable in any particular audiophile system. There are no sonic rules or predictors of general applicability.
For my part I found the old “sonic rule” and “Predictor Of General Applicability” where mains power conditioners are concerned , to be applicable with regard to the Puritan :
Source Components Yup , Pre amplification Hmmmm Maybe ?!?!? , Power amplification Nope … as always YMMV IMHO etc.
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Interesting. I found similar with my 2 isolation transformers, even though they are rated at 1000 W each. I use them for my source components:
Transformer 1, CD transport and reclocker; transformer 2, DAC. Load on the transformers is about 35 W each.
Preamp loses some energy when plugged in, so it isn't.
I use ZenWave power cords successfully for all components, including preamp and power amp.
Agree with you Ron. Having 2 Puritans in my system I found them useful only for digital sources, DAC in particular.
Following @marty @Argonaut @Ron Resnick posts,
I've unplugged my Kondo Overture pm-2i from the Puritan psm156 and plugged it directly to the wall without any conditioning.
Leaving all the other components plugged into the psm156,
I find the Overture to be more "Natural" sounding.
Maybe with less crisp and sparkle but a more musical flow/smoothness, and overall enjoyable sound.
I've unplugged my Kondo Overture pm-2i from the Puritan psm156 and plugged it directly to the wall without any conditioning.
Leaving all the other components plugged into the psm156,
I find the Overture to be more "Natural" sounding.
Maybe with less crisp and sparkle but a more musical flow/smoothness, and overall enjoyable sound.
You guys have me now thinking about mine. I think it's time for me to try some experimenting.....
Thanks for sharing your experience guys.
Thanks for sharing your experience guys.
I'm now realizing that I never truly heard the Overture, with it now plugged directly into the wall.
Before the psm156 i had an isol-8 and before that i had different amps and preamps.
Always plugged to some sort of power conditioning and never directly to the wall as i live in a rental apartment with an old electric infrastructure.
Tidal radio randomly picked "O Helga natt" and I've ended up listening to the whole album.
It was just perfect, exactly as Kondo advertised:
Switching between Tidal and my turntable,
Everything sounds just 'right'.
Before the psm156 i had an isol-8 and before that i had different amps and preamps.
Always plugged to some sort of power conditioning and never directly to the wall as i live in a rental apartment with an old electric infrastructure.
Tidal radio randomly picked "O Helga natt" and I've ended up listening to the whole album.
It was just perfect, exactly as Kondo advertised:
Switching between Tidal and my turntable,
Everything sounds just 'right'.
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This is exactly my experience and applies to any mains filtering, re-gen or conditioning.
Is it worth testing your amp with such a device, absolutely as everyone’s environment is different, but don’t be surprised if it squashes dynamics or base quality.
Regarding Puritan PSM156 and grounding devices, there was a lot of noise earlier in the thread, ha, but don’t be deterred they offer great improvement if your power quality is detrimental. Also, the Ground Master application notes clearly describe safe use.
I replaced the IEC inlet on the PSM156 with a Furutech NCF part, didn’t notice any improvement. Cable (power, interconnect or speaker)/fuse changes are clearly discernible.
My suspicion that power conditioners squash power amp dynamics is that they alter the phase angle between voltage and current for the worse. Some power conditioners compensate this with built in power factor correction. One such conditioner is Gigawatt.
This is absolutely true!
Nothing beats listening tests and trial & error, because sometimes even when things look good on paper, in practice there appear to be great deviations due to the idiosyncratic nature of equipment and unpredictable interaction between different set-ups.
I was using an LTA amplifier plugged into the Puritan and the bass performance was just incredible (BTW, I miss that amp...).
After switching to my current amp, which normally has lower power consumption than the LTA and should be "a piece of cake" for the Puritan to handle (actually, that may still be the case) the bass became ever so slightly rounded.
Plugging directly into the wall however, was not so good.
So, I removed the amp from the Puritan and plugged only my amp into my "old" Plixir isolation transformer, which I had relegated to my modem setup, and bingo, everything was just dandy once again...
You have very good power from your service to your audio subpanel. (One of my all copper NQ panels) and to your rack. Clean up the power and some of these condutioners or not needed.
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