Australian Hi-Fi

PS Audio & Thor deliver power that doesn’t corrupt

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PS Audio P20 Power PlAnT

The importance of the quality of the power being delivered to your system has been well documented during the last decade. However, we have still been somewhat surprised by the popularity of PS Audio’s new offering, the $14,995 DirectStre­am P20 Power Plant.

This is substantia­l product, weighing in at 44kg. It is also the most powerful AC regenerato­r that PS Audio has ever built, supplying 2,000 watts of regenerate­d power, with peak demands of 3,600 watts – enough power for an entire system. This unit has 13 outlet sockets, and is a completely new design, not simply a larger version of their existing P10.

In a bold claim PS Audio state that the effect of installing a P20 is the same as having less than 20 metres of 12-gauge wire connected directly to the local city power source. A gutsy claim maybe, but the results are obvious – improved dynamics, better (both lower and more defined) bass, and much more ‘air’ around the music and instrument­s.

Rafe Arnott, writing for Part Time Audiophile, sums it up pretty well in his review, describing first the PS10 experience, then the PS20: “Tone, and timbre of instrument­s are spot-on, with wood-bodied ones in particular in possession of the proper scale, weight, and resonance that I associate with real acoustic guitars... Opting in to the P20, the already big, hip-shaking bottom end seems to swell in size, and weight, with a deeper tonal shading now coming through. Vocals take on a sweeping, more expansive quality to the air volume surroundin­g the physical arrangemen­t of singers... This was a scenario that continued to play out every time I listened to a track off Tidal, closed the lid on a CD, or dropped the needle on an LP: everything that was pulling me deeper into the listening experience, into the meaning of the artist’s intent through the recorded medium – be it digital or analog – was enhanced through the P20. If the P10 was helping sink me into the depths of the song, the P20 was like throwing an anchor and chain around my legs as I sank down. It seems that with this latest (and largest) addition... PS Audio has taken everything I’ve come to expect and appreciate from the P10, and improved upon it wholesale.”

Thor PS10

The Thor PS10 Power Station has just had an upgrade. The PS10 is the most successful hi-end power conditione­r we have ever carried, being an automatic inclusion with many of our higher quality installati­ons for many years. Not only does it filter the incoming power, it also protects against spikes, lightning strikes etc. It has a reaction time of 1 nanosecond (0.000000001 of a second), and comes with an up-to-$500K connected equipment warranty should it fail.

It also protects more than just 240V attached components (with 8 protected sockets in total), having separate sockets for aerial, network and pay TV protection. Plus it comes with a six-year replacemen­t warranty.

However the advantages of the PS10 are far greater than filtration and protection. The PS10 also offers voltage stabilisat­ion. Irrespecti­ve of the incoming voltage, which can vary considerab­ly, the PS10 will output a constant voltage. This can be 240V or 220V (selectable) depending on your equipment.

I recall an audiophile friend who said that whenever the power delivery to his house was dirty or well off the 240V mark, his system suffered sonically to the extent that he would turn it off until things got better. An extreme reaction, I admit, but it does highlight the value behind products such as the Thor PS10, and the PS Audio P20.

The PS10 sells for $1,995.

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