General Asylum: REVIEW: PS Audio Noise Harvester Accessory by Quint General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

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Model:	Noise Harvester
Category:	Accessory
Suggested Retail Price:	$350/set of 5
Description:	Noise-remover
Manufacturer URL:	PS Audio
Manufacturer URL:	PS Audio

Review by Quint ( A ) on June 10, 2006 at 03:41:35 IP Address: 205.188.116.132

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PS Audio obviously needs no introduction here. The company's line of amps, preamps, and, particularly, AC-line devices have generally been well received in audio circles, and the number of awards the company has garnered over the years speaks for itself.

Still, I’ve never met a PS Audio product that I completely cozied to. I owned a 300-series AC “regenerator” some years ago, and while it did produce some positive changes, in my system, the cons—energy consumption, heat, and a constriction of the dynamic envelope—outweighed the benefits. I’ve also heard some of their recent power-cell amps, which left me impressed in some regards and nonplussed in others.

It was with some trepidation, then, that I decided to try out PS Audio’s newest product, the Noise Harvester. However, my dealer has a very fair return policy, so I figured it was worth a try. I’d only be out return shipping if I didn’t like them.

The agriculturally named Noise Harvester is a 2” x 2.5” device that looks vaguely similar to the popular but now sadly discontinued AudioPrism QuietLine. Like the QL, it plugs into unused AC outlets—but that’s where the similarities end. I am admittedly technically challenged, so I won’t even attempt to discuss the differences in any sort of technical depth. As I understand it, though, the QL worked as a shunt filter on the line. The Harvester, on the other hand, works by converting line noise to heat. Not sure how it works beyond that, but work it definitely does.

I picked up 10 Harvesters for audition and plugged them into all unused outlets—including those on my Hydra-8 line conditioner—in my listening room. But before I did that, I listened to a few tracks on one of my favorite pop reference pop discs, Mick Jagger’s solo Wandering Spirit album, with the QuietLines in place. Sounded nice enough. I then removed all the QLs and replaced them with one Harvester. I wasn’t expecting much, because I’ve had a lot of electrical work done on my room, and the state of my electricity is definitely better than average. The level of grit and noise on the line was already very low. But color me absolutely floored when the noise floor plummeted like a Boulder amp from the fifth story of a luxury high-rise. Mick’s voice became smoother and much more natural, as if a layer of grit and grain had been wiped free, and, as I said, the noise floor went down dramatically, revealing little details in the mix in stark relief compared with what the QLs were able to do. Sufficiently intrigued, I plugged in two more Harvesters, and the improvements I noticed above increased, though not to the level of going from the QLs to a single Harvester.

Bottom line: The Noise Harvester works exactly as advertised. It “harvests” noise and grunge from the AC line, and even works on lines that are already very low in noise. I plan to plug the remainder into my main system. If they work half as well there as they did in my second rig, they’ll be staying for a long time.

Drawbacks? Every product has them, and the Harvester is no exception. First, the Harvester comes equipped with a blue light that flashes to indicate noise on the line. Because the light is always flashing, and faces the listener, it can wear a little thin after a while—after a short while, in fact. I was fairly distracted while listening, but I’m sure my brain will tune it out or become acclimated to it after a while. With all the blinking lights, I thought it was Christmas all over again! If PS Audio can remove that damn light, I’m sure they’d sell these things faster than they could build ‘em. But audiophiles are generally willing to put up with a few idiosyncrasies for good sound, so the company should sell a good number even with the light. Second, the way the Harvester works, it generates a very low-level buzz that was only audible if I put my ear within a few inches of the thing. I couldn’t hear it from my chair, even with the music turned off, but that doesn’t mean that especially keen ears won’t be able to pick it up in a quiet room.

In the past year, I’ve had pretty good luck with tweaks, and the PS Audio Noise Harvester continues that streak. I’m definitely keeping them. They aren’t cheap, but they do work extremely well. Even if you have relatively clean AC, like I do, the Harvesters can be of eye-opening benefit. Yeah, they have a couple of aggravating quirks, but once you hear your system with them in place, I’m betting you’ll keep them like I did. Very highly recommended.

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Product Weakness:	Blinking light that wouldn't be out of place as a torture device in a mental asylum; generates a very low-level buzz
Product Strengths:	Removes noise and crud that you didn't even think was there

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Dussun V-8i
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Denon 3910
Speakers:	Von Schweikert VR-4 HSEs
Cables/Interconnects:	Jena Labs
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Pop/rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	24 x 20 x 7
Room Comments/Treatments:	NuCore Technologies, EchoBusters
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 days
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Shunyata Hydra-8
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

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