Anyone moving to a PerfectWave P5 or P10 Power Plant from Power Plant Premier?

[jdandy]

Other than all the hoopla in the PS Audio newsletters and on their website, I haven't heard much from anyone about the PerfectWave P10 Power Plant or the PerfectWave P5 Power Plant. Yes, I've read all the claims about better this and that, but how come I haven't heard anything from new P5 and P10 owners? I would expect anyone who went from no AC regenerator to the P5 or P10 to be thrilled with the clean power delivery. I know I am pleased with that very thing from my PPP's. What I am really wondering, has anyone here replaced their PPP with a new P5 or P10, and if so, what differences and/or improvements are being noticed?

[Masterlu]

Me too Dan... I've sold a few to users here, and haven't heard a word back.

[jdandy]

Ivan.......It seems that a part of the redesign was centered on making the P5 and P10 cosmetically equal to PS Audio's line of DACs and transports. When I consider what I am already getting in spades from the four PPP's I own, I can't find a single reason to consider a change, at least not based on PS Audio's advertising claims. Were I interested in putting power regeneration into my sound systems, the P5 and P10 would look attractive, but replacing existing PPP's with them doesn't make much sense to me, unless I am missing something.

Personally, the P10 is so huge I would not be interested in it for that reason alone. I don't want an AC regenerator/power conditioner the size of a large mono block amplifier sitting in my audio rack, but that's just my opinion. The P5 is attractively sized, and matches PS Audio's other components, so I can see where this would make a PS Audio system owner happy.

I hope this thread generates some feedback from PerfectWave P5 and P10 owners. I am curious to hear how the new power plants are performing, especially if they replaced Power Plant Premiers.

[ChrisG]

Dan -
I'm with you, I couldn't think of a reason to upgrade my PPP to one of the new power plants either based upon PSA's claims. Additionally I'd have to get a P10 since the P5 has two less receptacles than the PPP so I would no longer be able to fit it in my rack...it would have to go on the floor.

All that said, I'd be interesting in reading about how new owners feel about the P5 and P10, especially folks who upgraded from the PPP.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by ChrisG

I'm with you, I couldn't think of a reason to upgrade my PPP to one of the new power plants either based upon PSA's claims. Additionally I'd have to get a P10 since the P5 has two less receptacles than the PPP so I would no longer be able to fit it in my rack...it would have to go on the floor.

All that said, I'd be interesting in reading about how new owners feel about the P5 and P10, especially folks who upgraded from the PPP.

Chris.......The P10 delivers essentially the same continuous output as the Power Plant Premier, although the momentary instantaneous current delivery has been raised from 50 amps with the PPP to 70 amps with the P10. I don't see this as a large advantage for me since I rarely get near the performance limits of the two PPP's in my main system.

The $4500 price tag is a major jump over the PPP. I see it as PS Audio's perceived value with all the bells and whistles packed into the P10. For me, the touch screen display is unnecessary, so is the scope capability, and the Ethernet connection capability for "future firmware updates". I don't want or need to program receptacles to be on or off at certain times, and I don't need CATV surge protection on my sound system power supplies, either. Sure, the fancy touchscreen and all the toys are fun and cool, but unnecessary to the delivery of clean regenerated AC power, in my opinion. I don't want to pay a large premium for the design changes that make the P10 look like the rest of PS Audio's line, nor would I want to be challenged trying to integrate the P10's large physical size into my systems. I am not trying to diminish the P10's usefulness, just offering my point of view, while at the same time trying to discover if the P10 actually delivers any true performance advantage over the already wonderful Power Plant Premier.

[Pyro]

Not here......

[j3brow]

I am also extremely happy with the performance of my Power Plant Premier. I was intrigued when I first heard about the P5/P10 power plants. Ultimately, I decided that I didn't want to pay the premium price that applies to the P10 - I don't like all the bells n whistles. The internet capabilities is something I would pay for and not use. Touch display? Big deal...its a power conditioner - how often would you scroll thru the display beyond it's first week of service? My PPP display is usually turned off.

I decided to stick with my PPP and I am awaiting my new-to-me 2nd unit to ship. The 2nd PPP will allow MUCH improved ease of connectivity to my circuits and allow my entire system to benefit from regenerated power - currently the left side REL sub is plugged directly into the wall whereas everything else is plugged into the PPP.

A 2nd PPP is also another stepping stone preparing my system for the inevitable arrival of a 2nd MC2102

[Inuvik]

I'm a satisfied P5 owner (thank you, Ivan!)

Just a quick response for now, then I'm out the door for a bike ride.

I had initially planned to buy a PPP last year, but heard about the P5 / P10 that would soon be coming out and decided to wait a bit.

Previously I had filtration/surge protection on the outlets, but not power regeneration capabilities as offered by the PPP/P5/P10 or Purepower units. So...possibly a somewhat more dramatic incremental improvement for me than someone already invested in a PPP. The battery back up feature of the Purepower units was not a consideration for me.

It would be useful to point out that I enjoy relatively clean reliable power from my local utility. The P5 meters and reports the voltage/wattage/THD coming in and what it is putting out to the equipment connected to it. Voltage in at my residence seems to hold steady in the 122 to 123 range with output from the P5 set to 120 volts. THD input ranges from 3-5 and THD output is .2 - .3 as reported by the P5. One of these days I'll borrow a Fluke meter from an EE friend and take some readings.

Going to the P5 made an audible difference in my system as I could distinctly hear an improvement in sound stage dimensions, positioning and what I perceive as tonal depth and articulation in the sound reaching my ears.

Digital sources > MDA1000 > C220 (with Gold Lions) > MC402 > SF Cremona M's. Siltech cabling through out - power/XLR interconnects/ speaker cable.

Dan: PS claims the P5/P10 to be 85% efficient which I believe (without looking up) is markedly higher than the PPP specs - i.e. cooler operation.


John

[Masterlu]

Hey John, thanks for chiming in!

[jdandy]

John.......Thanks for letting us know how the P5 is working for you. Power regeneration is a marvelous thing for audio systems.

As for the efficiency of the PPP versus the P5, I don't recall ever seeing the specification relating to output efficiency versus input power consumption for the PPP. 85% certainly seems efficient for an AC regeneration product.

PS Audio doesn't print electrical specification in their manuals. They don't even provide dimensions or weight specifications, which I find unusual. Where did you find the efficiency spec?