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RE: Power Plant VS. Premier. Question for Paul

Posted by PaulMC (M) on June 8, 2007 at 10:48:28

In Reply to: Power Plant VS. Premier. Question for Paul posted by RomyTheCat on June 8, 2007 at 06:11:47:

Hey, sorry for my late reply. Been in meetings all day.

Sorry you're having problems with the website.

In answer to your questions:


1) What technical (design, circuitry, topological, generator) differences between PowerPlants and Premier that you feel should have SONIC IMPACT?

There isn't a giant difference, technically, between the two units. Both are regenerators, both convert AC to DC then back again, both have a sine wave generator built inside, both use a class AB amplifier to produce the AC power, etc. The main difference is in the power supply for the regenerator that tracks up and down with the signal: hence the unit's efficiency. As far as sonically, I find the Premier better and I believe one of the reasons is the increased linearity of the amplification scheme I just described.

Because the amplifier in the Premier has a power supply that essentially keeps the amp in the "middle" of the power supply all the time - relative to the older Power Plants whose signal went up and down reaching the extremes of the power supply - the Premier approach takes advantage of and amplifier's linearity curve which is typically better in the middle of the power supply and worse when it reaches the edges of the power supply.

2) What you personally feel is the subjective difference between the sonic performance of PowerPlants and Premier?

That's a bit tough because there are two issues: the sound between the two when compared with a single piece of equipment - relative to the sound of the entire system vs. only a few items within a system.

The beauty of the Premier, vs. the Power Plant of old is the Premier's ability to power the entire system efficiently: something one couldn't do with the older Power Plants. This has an enormous sonic impact IMHO.

More specifically, if you take two pieces of equipment - let's say a power amp - and you compare one vs. the other, then the Premier is a bit better IMHO. It sounds more open to me with less dynamic restriction.

3) When electricity is very good and you run playback from Premier vs. in bypass mode then what differences in Sound you might name?

It really depends on what you are driving. Electricity very good doesn't exist when we're talking about power hungry equipment since these pieces respond in a significant manner to line impedance. Line impedance is high, relative to a Power Plant's output, so on power amps, I find that driven with a Premier they are much more solid sounding with greater impact and better bass.

On a preamp or source equiopment, I hear always a blacker presentation to the soundstage and better intrument placement.


4) What you feel differentiate performance of your Premier from your competitor (who do full regeneration) or from $7K-$9K commercial regenerator units?


I didn't know we had any competitors and I am not familiar with any $7K commercial regenerators. The only products I am familiar with are the large UPS devices. There is one Audiophile company buying an off-the-shelf UPS sine wave device - placing a nice front panel on it and calling it high end. I do not consider them a competitor.

For the record, if you are referring to them or their counterparts in the commercial field, I don't think much of their technology. These are all PWM Class D based products that are less than optimal when it comes to driving a tough load.

The problem with building a regenerator is current. Our Power Plants need to deliver peak currents of over 50 amps at the peak of the sine wave when driving a low power factor load like that of a power amplifier. The UPS type "regenerators" we have measured all fail pretty badly at this and their distortion actually increases higher than that of the wall. A rather large divot in the top of the sine wave appears causing this distortion. Not recommended.

The Premier, on the other hand, provides the needed current and actually lowers distortion under low power factor loads.

Hope that helps.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

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