Puritan PSM156 Power Conditioner
jdjohn
Posts: 3,144
false start
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
Comments
-
Do not collect $200Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
fine fine, ill take it- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
-
I got this power conditioner back in May, but wanted to wait awhile before posting about it. Puritan Audio Labs is based in the UK, and they have a plethora of power-conditioning products http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com.
After a lot of research, I decided on the PSM156, with six outlets http://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/master-purifiers/psm156/
The US distributor for Puritan products is Jaguar Audio https://jaguaraudio.com/ For the PSM156 power conditioner, they offer a 45-day trial period, so a low-risk affair. It's been a while, but as I recall, a phone call was required before purchase and shipping. Of course, I complied, and I recall a good conversation with the 'main dude' at Jaguar Audio, discussing specifically how the PSM156 had a DC rejection component.
Anyway, at the end of the conversation, we both agreed that the PSM156 would be a good fit for my system, so we proceeded with the purchase and shipping process.
A few days later, I got the goods.
Here are some closer shots of the actual power conditioner:
And here is a shot of the very flexible power cord for the conditioner (it has a 20-amp plug termination):
As far as measurements, the Puritan unit surpassed my expectations. My previous reference power conditioner was a PS Audio PowerPlant 3 Regenerator. I had hoped the PSA P3 would be the answer to all my prayers of clean AC power, but alas, it was not to be. In fact, I think the PSA P3 merely regenerated the mains AC noise that was already present.
In fact, here is a screenshot of EMI results (from my house) before-and-after various power conditioners from an old thread:
Relative page of the original thread: https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/188609/power-line-emi-meter-alpha-labs-demo-program/p5 Clearly, the PSA P3 did not do a thorough cleaning of the AC line noise.
Relating those results to the Puritan PSM156: EMI readings with the PSM156 were below 20 from every location in my house with the PSM156 in-circuit. I would say the average was 17, with some readings at 15, and a few up to 18.
The difference in measurements is quantifiable, and the difference in sound is discernable. As one might expect, the noise floor is lower, which equates to more dynamic range.
Against better judgement, I plugged my power amp - a Butler TDB 2250 - into the PSM156, and the results have been nothing short of stunning - no restriction, whatsoever. I have basically had all major components plugged into the PSM156 for 6 months now, and I don't.want.to.change.anything.
P.S. If you read reviews on the Puritan power products, you will see that they often displaced AQ and Shunyata products."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
How did you first hear about or discover this product, Jody?
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Tom, I think it started from a search about rejecting DC from audio circuits...or something like that."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
I've been looking into Puritan power for awhile. Read really good things. This was going to be my next purchase, but I decided to bump it for the Pass Labs XA25. I will have a Puritan power conditioner as the next piece in the rig. It's going to take a while as the audio funds account is nearly dry......lol.
I'm glad you reiterated everything I've read about them. Sounds like the product works as designed, and works well.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Trey is a sucker for British-made audio products, so this shouldn't take long...fine fine, ill take it
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
I'm confused. Are you selling it or reporting on it?
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Put down the tequila, Tom. I didn't post this in the 'For Sale' section, nor did I list a sales price.I'm confused. Are you selling it or reporting on it?
Tom
I am reporting my findings."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
No Tequila tonight. Trey through me off. Rat bastage....
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
So, their conditioners have a 20 amp IEC inlet and they also sell 20 amp power cords, but all their conditioners only have 15 amp outlets. HUH???Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Please email them with your design questions, and report back."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Jody's initial post to me led to my post, sounds like a winner!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
-
Please email them with your design questions, and report back.
I'm just pointing out what should be an obvious and baffling inconsistency in their products.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Musical Fidelity does the same thing though, no? My KW-750 has a 20 amp (C-19) connector at the power supply but only has a 15 amp cord/plug. If memory serves, it can pull in 22 amps of current at peak.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
It's ok to have a 15 amp male plug at one end and a 20 amp female end at the other as that arrangement will safely pass 20 amps, providing the proper cord gauge, which a cord would have to use in order to have a 20 amp female end.
My comments are directed as to why have a 20 amp inlet when there are only 15 amp outlets and why offer 20 amp cords that can't be used with their conditioners?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
May be a British thing...for products sold in the US "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Hang on a sec...looking at their power cord page again and looking at the photo of them in detail this time I now see they have 15 amp female ends despite their stating they are 20 amp cords. So, they are actually 15 amp cords.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Darin at Jaguar Audio is very helpful and knowledgeable about the products. One tip he gave me was to burn-in the Ultimate power cable for a couple of days with strong current. I used a space heater plugged into the conditioner to draw some high current through the cable."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Jody have you measured your outlets for DC voltage and does the unit remove it as advertised? Those are pretty impressive results you got on EMI noise reduction.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
I made an attempt at measuring DC, but wasn't confident in the results with my DMM. I guess that's the best way to measure, though...set at something like 2000mV?"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
I made an attempt at measuring DC, but wasn't confident in the results with my DMM. I guess that's the best way to measure, though...set at something like 2000mV?"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Sure, just set the meter to DC volts and the lowest scale if it isn't autoranging. I measured 244mV on my audio outlet and we talked a little about this in this thread:
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/comment/2682960#Comment_2682960George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
So, their conditioners have a 20 amp IEC inlet and they also sell 20 amp power cords, but all their conditioners only have 15 amp outlets. HUH???
My Furman Elite 20 only has 15's
It would require a 50a to accommodate multiple 20's2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
txcoastal1 wrote: »
Nope.the Furman Elite-20 PFi is the missing link between the AC wall socket and your gear. Its twelve rear-panel AC outlets can accommodate 20-amp or standard 15-amp AC plugs.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Ok, I tested my mains for DC (from a few different outlets) with a trusty Craftsman DMM, with a setting of VDC 2000mV. Results fluctuate +/- 190mV max, so not a big issue. The 190mV was at the extreme, testing over several seconds. Most of the time, readings were under +/- 150mV. I don't think I really have a DC mains problem.
Continuing on anyway, I attempted a DC measurement from one of the PSM156 sockets. The conditioner was installed back in the rack at this point, so measuring was difficult due to close quarters, and I'm not confident in the test probe connections and measurements. In order to get good test results, I would have to fully remove the power conditioner, and take fresh measurements."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
