Power
strategy
March
9, 2021
Marc,
What
do you make of these things like Stromtanks (battery), PS Audio Power Plants (regenerator)
or the Bryston BIT (isolation transformer)?
I
appreciate that these things are different from something like Torus circuit boards/boxes,
in that they purport to stop variations in line voltage and various AC artifacts reaching
the audio equipment. But how might they differ from the products offered by Shunyata or
AudioQuest?
Would
using a Stromtank, PS Audio or Bryston product negate the need for the Torus circuit panel
or Shunyata or AudioQuest products? When does this start to become redundant and where is
one’s money best spent?
Larry
Phillips
Your
question about AC power is a good one and really boils down to two broad approaches. For
purposes of an analogy, if you think of AC as water, there is, on the one hand, a process
like distilling, which uses water to create a new and different kind of water. On the
other hand, there is filtering, which simply removes stuff from the water that we don't
want in it. The active AC approach espoused by PS Audio, Stromtank and Torus, is more like
distilling. The approach that Shunyata uses (I'm not sure about AudioQuest, because I have
no experience with their power products) is like filtering. Both approaches can work well.
I have lots of experience with Shunyata products and pretty much think they are the best
available. However, I've also had good experience with PS Audio power regenerators; I
actually bought two older models for a good price and have used them with certain products
to good effect. (The earliest Power Plants are, twenty years after their debut, prone to
breaking down, because their capacitors go bad. They are the only Power Plants that have
balanced AC output, however.) The PS Audio products have strict output limitations, while
the Shunyata products do not. I've used the Shunyata products even with class-A amps and
never thought they were limiting power or current. The PS Audio products also maintain
strict voltage, which can be adjusted, and offer multiple waveforms that may improve the
sound of certain electronics.
Which
is best? I think that depends on your needs and budget. If you can afford a Shunyata Everest 8000, it will handle even complex systems
with powerful amps. With PS Audio products, and I assume the Stromtanks as well, you will
have to ensure that the AC demands of your electronics do not push them beyond their
limitations. However, used Power Plants are easy to find for little money, and in terms of
bang for the buck, they are hard to beat (unless they have to be serviced). -Marc
Mickelson
"Add
me"
March
1, 2021
Marc,
Please
add me to the list.
Phillip
Procter
You
have been added. To join TAB's e-mail list and find out about new articles first,
send e-mail to rl@theaudiobeat.com.
-Marc Mickelson
