It sounds bit childish, with the level of seriousness that  some American History Channels pop programs treat history,  but it might be fun and it looks like it is … free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeA3MRtNaX4

It would not surprise for anyone that I do monitor what I going on with power treatment devises out there. Today I was reading Doug Blackburn’s review in Soundstage about Torus Power Conditioner.

http://www.soundstage.com/equipment/toruspower_rm15.htm

The Torus Power Conditioner is a plain-vanilla isolated transformer, similar to Equi=Tech. The Equi=Tech uses Maryland Toroids transformers; Torus uses Plastron transformers – big freaking deal. The Mr. Blackburn fantasies about the “unique transformer design of Torus” are juts his fantasies. The article has a number of factual inaccuracies – (how without them!) but the inaccuracies are not what I would like to talk about.

What I would like to point out is the very positive from my point of view moment: Doug Blackburn “reviewed” the Torus devise and during his tests he discovered that that Torus is inferior to another competitive product - ExactPower EP15A. Doug actually wrote about it despite that it might scare up the products under reviewing - it was a very good sign. The sign might be colored by the fact that the Soundstage’s publisher Doug Schneider I in a virtual payroll of ExactPower but let pretend that we do not know bout it. Let agree that it is very infrequent that a reviewer writhe objectively inferior review. Perhaps Torus Company did not put together attractive enough “stimulation package” or insist Doug Blackburn to return the unit and changed him for back shipping. Oh, no! If they do THAT then I am sure Mr. Blackburn would write that Torus Power Company is founded by Osama Bin Laden family, the Torus’ employee do not stop behind the school basses and Torus owner is requested sex offender. Perhaps it was something minor - like Torus refused to let Doug   to borrow a dozen of unit for next 10 years – I think they call it “the warranty testing”…

Anyhow, leaving the mockery aside, I think it was commendable for Doug Blackburn to write in his review of Torus unit the following:

“The EP15A produced a lower noise floor with a heightened sense of silence between notes and between tracks. It required extremely quiet listening conditions to pick this up, but it was clearly audible. The RM 15 produced a more silent noise floor than wall-outlet power, but it couldn’t equal the inky-black noise floor of the EP15A. Without the direct comparison, I don’t think I ever would have known there was a difference. Both units produced a pleasing musical experience, but the EP15A is a little more dynamic with a larger soundfield, a little more detail and some harmonic richness that’s not present with the Torus Power unit. Finally, the system’s bass reproduction with the EP15A was more controlled and defined -- tighter with less upper-bass fullness. The Torus Power unit’s bass was strong and deep, but a little fuller and warmer. “

I got the last revision of APS Purepower regenerator. This one has all newest Purepower updates and in addition it is more powerful -2000W regenerator. Whoever follow my saga with APS know that is the 7th  APS regenerator I tried. I have a lot of expectations from this devise despise the previous 5 busted in flame and one was not operating properly.

The 2000 Purepower shell be a more powerful version of 1050 unit but it is not. In contrary to what APS suggested the 2000 Purepower behaves differently, regenerates differently and sound differently. During the next few days/weeks I will be posting my observation about the Purepower 2000. I have already a lot of interesting information but I would like it to hatch a bit in my mind. What however is the good sign that it looks like the 2000 is much more reliable unit then the former 1050.  I run it in all possible configuration and applications over the last two days (the home confiding blizzard is certainly helps) and the regenerator operation from the perspective of blow-not-blow was flawless. I have to admit that there was quite a few times when I crossed my fingers and expected the room filed with the famous smell of burned electronics – it did not happen. There was a moment once want I drove one of my Milq from Purepower 2000 and with all perfect operation parameters on Milq and on Purepower the Milq’s transformer were hissing like crazy. I never seen anything like this and shot the amp and shot the amps. Later on I never was able to replicate it and the Purepower operated without problems.

OK, at this point I might say my patience with APS has paid off and this new 2000W unit is something way more civilized – a very cool New Year gift to me. The result that the regenerator produces is VERY interning and I think it would be worth to talk about it a bit.

When my last Purepower 1050 (unit number6) got burned after a few hours of work (and not even being connected!!!) I got very pissed. My friends advised me stop expecting from APS any none-combustible result suggesting that I just wasting my time. In an email that I received a reader of the site asked me why I with my habits to be drop very fast negative judgments give so many chances to APS. I asked myself this question multiple times and I always came with the only one arguments – because the very first APS units that I got in June 2007, after it was plugged in path, in contrary to any other power devises, did not ruin bass. Honesty this memory kept me going over the year and a half.

Would it be right to say that that new Purepower 2000 regenerator is just more powerful and none-combustible version of Purepower 1050. When my last 1050 unit is burned I called to APS people and explicitly told them that I do not want my money back but I want a properly functioning unit. At that time they had some kind of upgrades and engendering revisions and I was proposed to wait a few months, the new upgrades were part of the 2000W unit design. After some consecration I figured out that larger unit would better for me since I found out that 1050 regenerator worked not good with more than 250W load. I shipped back the burned unit #6 and proposed to pay $500 difference and to sight up for Purepower 2000. I had a number of conversations with APS president and he assured me that 2000 unit is the very same as 1050 with exception of location of batteries, size, number of outlet, cooling, sinking and a few other irrelevant thing. The circuit and the operation are very much the same he said. Last week, when we discussed shipping I asked if any of APS current users of the 2000 unit have commented on any differences between 2000 and 1050 regenerators. I was told that there were no comments about it and sonically the units are identical.

Well, for regular readers of my site it would not be surprise that I consider all APS users out there as deaf Morons. I also do not extend a lot of credibility to capacity of APS personnel to assess sonic qualities of their regenerators. They are in business to make them and as far as I was able to see than are clueless about sound. The truth is that there is quite big difference in Operation AND in Sound between Purepower 1050 and Purepower 2000, with very high advantage in the last one. The fact that APS did not acknowledge is just extra evidence that they are ignorant and thier customers who use 2000 after 1050 and did not notice any differences are… what kind word shell I use here? Would the “deaf Morons” work out in this case?

Anyhow, after “spending a night” with Purepower 2000 I would like outline the Operational and Sonic technical moments of the regenerator that I feel worth to mention. The results of those observations might be a bit more far-fetching then it might be expected.  It will be two articles: “Purepower 2000: Operation” and “Purepower 2000: Sound” that will be coming later on. I assure you that it will be, particularly in sound section, very little related to Purepower 1050.

In this section I will brief cover operational parameters of Purepower 2000 regenerator. I do not have a lot of fun to write this section but I feel that for sake of objectivity it is necessary. Also the next section – the sonic observations - might not be understand properly, perhaps even by myself, if some operational parameters will not be considered. So, I will be brief, enumerate just facts, drown necessary alligators, conclusions and proposals and will spent more efforts later on to talk about the Sound of the regenerator. Frankly speaking the regenerator’s Sound, surprisingly much better then it’s measurements…

The new 2000 Purepower is twice taller, heavier but to my surprise is feels better. It has better mass distribution and even visually more proportional as it use to be very deep for it’s height. If you know that ugly feeling of HP’s ProLiant DL360 severs then you know what I mean. The new PurePower has 10 receptacles spread across the whole unit width – very convenient. It still has old coax, telephone, networks receptacles and the rest legacy crap on the unit – I have no idea why APS still maintains it.

The front panel is the very same garbage as it used to be. I call it garbage because the front panel display still show absolutely abstract numbers. The measured and displayed voltages are incorrect and the measured load is incorrect. It is a shame that they did it as it would cost just a few bucks to address this problem for good. What I would like to see in there is not the flimsy, mistakably operating and not visible from 2 feet of distance LDS display but a normal contemporary multi-meter that would show A, V_in, V_out, VA, W, PF and F. Those large, sexy and very comfortable meters cost $70-100 retail and $20 wholesale. For an extra $20-$30 APS might through a board was a few multipliers and to show output distortions numbers in real time. The 2000 Purepower cost $3K. Would I be paying $4K if the unit has a whole set of properly working operation controls on it’s board? Yes, I would. Saying it I have to admit the my Purepower 2000 is installed in a closet with it’s display facing to a wall and its receptacles facing entrance. This brings an interesting view: shell a regenerator like this to be sexy looking shelf-suitable?  I feel not. The Purepower regenerator is an impulse machine, sort of a nuclear device, and in shell not be placed right with the rest of audio aliments. So, I do not mind the Purepower to be an ugly duckling sitting in dark corner of the room and doing its job. I would like to see an optional sexy-looking placed-on the rack remote power-monitoring module that will talk with regenerator (by air of by cable) showing all necessary parameters. Did I say that the remote power monitoring module shell have a bypass switch that would kill all regeneration and let the system to be driven straight by power lines?

Next, noise, heat. Heat I feel was not a problem but noise was. Not even the noise from fans but the impulses nose coming from the internals regenerator coils what the unit cares over 1kW. The former 1050 regenerator was better, not because it was less powerful. The former 1050 regenerator had cover that was internally treated with some kind of damping hard rubber – it was very-very good. The new unit has juts metal cover, think one but without damping treatment. I presume it makes better ventilation but does not help with noise. Anyhow, the noise is not so bad and it might derive from my comment. In my room the 2000 PurePower produces as much noise and my DAW that has a few hard drives, fanless PS and one very low speed “special” CPU fan. If I load the regenerator with more than 1kW then it goes louder in my room…. But it not sits in my room but in closet and I do not use more them 1kW. 

Voltage drifting. Fixed. The former unit had horrible voltage drift to neutral and in some cases it has 70V-0-50V. The sonic consequences for anyone who knows how the AC voltage affect sound were obvious. The new 2000 unit looks like have no such a problem anymore. It is has 1.2V-0-119.6V that is very acceptable. Still, the phase discipline with PurePower shell be extremely high as any screw up with it immediately destroys sound. I spent many hours to play with it and will be talking about it in the next section dedicated to the sound of the unit.

DC component.  To my big surprise the unit pushes out 0.42VDC. It is in a pair of what open power line has but the PurePower is a regenerator, where the DC is coming from it? A big red flag as it had to be tested by APS.

To plug it in. The PurePower 2000, very much as it predecessor, inserts a LOT of very nasty distortions to the line where it plugged in. So, it is absolutely impossible to plug this unit into dedicated audio lines and then to feed from these lines anything else – the line become terminally contaminated with PurePower’s noise.  I was trying to plug PurePower into 3kW isolation transformer, it helps a bit, but still the noise goes back to power lines. I did not look further into the problem and plugged the PurePower into my utility line, keeping my audio lines “clean” and free. Take a look. The first image is my dedicated audio line – welcome to the miserly of downtown Boston! The second one is the same line with a PurePower 2000 plugged in to it.

It is 10V per square and you can see that the loaded APS sinks the line (PurePower was sucking 8A and the line impedance is about .45R). It is a bit un-sharp but it is visible that APS returns a lot HF dirt back to is input socket. I do not think that it is bad as all of the regenerators do it but it need to be known and taken under consideration.

Regeneration. Below 30W of load with low power factor (.4-.7) it has very low stabilization but a perfect sinusoid. Approximately at 50W of load the unit begins to develop distortions atop of the wave’s summit.  Over 100W the distortions are stabilized and cover the whole summit of the wave. The distortions are at ~3V and 1000Hz, that make 2% of cycle. Let call it PurePower “Nervousness Distortions”. The Nervousness Distortions after 100W is less depending from load of the power factor or load amount – it just always there. It is always there bit it has very stable envelop. The Nervousness will run RMS voltmeter will like crazy but on along scope the Nervousness is very stable and firm. Take a look at the image of the PurePower driving 800W of load with power factor 0.94

Yes, I know it is ugly but it is what it is. The good part that it is very stable but the former 1050 unit practically had no such a thing. It had the whole summit shifting but not the Nervousness Distortions. I was investigating where this crap was coming from and I discovered that it was there even when the regenerator drived a regular light bulb of 200W. Sucks! My PurePower has an adjuster that allows playing with regenerator’s feedback and presumably to fix this problem. I did a lot of those experiments with no results. The Nervousness Distortions were always there. This made me pissed and angry. Jumping a bit ahead I have to admit that the Nervousness Distortions regardless how ugly it intellectually looks (3V) but it still not impact sound a lot in negative way. Well, it but in much much much lower scale then it might be expected – probably the firm envelop was the positive key. If so then why it made me pissed and angry? Because the Nervousness Distortions are just some kind of stupid fault of APS engineers who make idiotic mistakes in their design.  Take a look this image:

In the image you see the very same load as above but now the regenerator runs from battery. There is practically no Nervousness Distortions. Put the power cord back brings the Nervousness Distortions back. So, the Nervousness Distortions are not the subject of bad regeneration or the feedback-load synchronization but the just not filtered parasitic noise that comes from buttery charger or from input sage. If so, then it shell not be there and it is clearly some kind of bug – why it was discarded by APS I have no idea.  Perhaps the ASP used the charger from 1050 unit but the new powerful butteries that do not work well together? I do not know, it hard to say anything without knowing how the unit operates but those problems at the level of a second year of electrical degree student. I am sure that with a few extra caps the nose night be killed.

Load. Well, my bluff with more powerful PurePower was right. PurePower still cannot drive input choke filters as the chokes keep sucking current from wall when there is no voltage already (rectifier’s switching) and this screw up somehow the PurePower’s sinusoid.  The new 2000 unit is also the subject of this effect but too much lesser degree. Take a look at the images. This one the first one is the PurePower 1050 driving one 6-channel Melquiades:

… and the second one is PurePower 2000 driving both 12ch Melquiades, twice of inductive load.

As you see when the voltage goes over “0” then there is glitch on the wave but it is WAY less and actually makes the PurePower 2000 almost able to drive the Milqs. Very good news! I do not know if it is due to some internals changes that were made in circuit or just become more power. if the second then it makes me think about PurePower 3000 or even about 5kW able class D regenerator, that hypothetically shell not even be aggravated with a 700W of  Milq’s inductive load.

Generally, with exception of DC component and bad filtration (or whatever else causes the Nervousness Distortions) the PurePower 2000 looks like does what it meant to do, but even with DC component and Nervousness Distortions is does the job. It is reliable and does not blow up – a big accomplishment!!! Whatever the PurePower 2000 is now it did inspire me to talk about it’s sound. The 2000 demonstrates some intersing sonic potency about which I will talking in the next article: “PurePower 2000: Sound”

Paul S wrote:

At the same time, I still have a hard time intellectually with both the clearly pulsed traces and the (presumed) digital clock/signal (sine wave) generation, based on the usual digital noise I am familiar with, along with my yet-unresolved general audio digi-phobia, at least as it relates to especially bothersome noise and/or myriad dis-continuities.

Actually the residual pulses of caring frequency are not something that bothers me. It bothered me before I tried it but it looks like it is not a problem. It might does not look intellectually “kosher” but it is no more “kosher” then PS Audio injecting multi-waves or Avicenna Regenerator injecting own “special” noise algorithms. Anyhow, I did not detect any sonic problems with PurePower that I might attribute to the residual pulses. I might change my view if I see any evidence of it.

Paul S wrote:

You did not say if you measured neutral and ground wire noise, but since the unit has the typical nasty backwash, it might be a good idea for anyone using one to be sure that there are no common neutral/ground busses in their AC systems that are downstream of the main service box.

What do you mean?

Again, for anyone who may not know (and not to torture or talk down to those who do know):

US electrical systems (along with most others I am aware of) have by code but one main ground that is shared by the "neutral"/return wire (white, hereabouts) and the "ground" wire (green) that run to and between all outlets in a modern home, apartment, etc.  Since these grounded wires must be "unbroken" system wide, any noise on either can easily get anywhere else in the system.  Speaking in very general terms, one cannot count on one's system ground path to be a "downhill" run of decreasing resistance as the grounded wires approach the main neutral/ground bus, so current/noise tends to hang around, back up, meander "upstream", look for easier ways to ground and generally become a systemic nuisance.  Further, in practice, neutral and ground busses are often shared at system "sub-panels", which basically serve as noise transfer stations for hi-fi systems.  What I'm saying is that it is a good idea to at least trace back through the system and be sure that neutral and ground wires are kept separate until they get to the main box.

Lastly, Romy, some of the power conditioners, etc., attempt to isolate all/each of 3 wires.  Since you did not mention anything specific about ground and/or neutral noise, I wondered about it as it relates to/is influenced by the APS, that's all.

Best regards,
Paul S

In a nutshell, the "neutral" white wire in your AC system is not really "neutral", but it is usually dirty with noise.  This is not really an issue for a refridgerator or a toaster, but it is for the hi-fi.  And no matter where you put the dedicated "ground" wire for your hi-fi, the neutral (2nd, wider prong on the AC plug) still runs back to the main service neutral/ground bus, where it ties to everything else in the house/building/block.

Best regards,
Paul S

Romy the Cat wrote:

There was a moment once want I drove one of my Milq from Purepower 2000 and with all perfect operation parameters on Milq and on Purepower the Milq’s transformer were hissing like crazy.

Romy the Cat wrote:

DC component.  To my big surprise the unit pushes out 0.42VDC. It is in a pair of what open power line has but the PurePower is a regenerator, where the DC is coming from it? A big red flag as it had to be tested by APS.

Romy the Cat wrote:

Generally, with exception of DC component and … the PurePower 2000 looks like does what it meant to do, but even with DC component and Nervousness Distortions is does the job.

OK, I need to post a correction as there was some factual inaccuracy in my article above regarding the Purepower generated DC component. This problem DOES NOT EXISTS and I reported it due to my faulty measurement techniques and partially die to my luck of familiarity with the unit. I admit that, I was a Moron.

Here are some facts.

1) My Fluke 87III millimeter apparently has a bug about witch I did not know: measuring a very low DC voltage with a strong AC voltage it reads incorrect DC.

2) The PurePower 2000 has DC offset attenuator that allows setting DC at Zero if it was there

3) The hissing nose that I reported from Milq’s transformers (all toroidal - easy to saturate with DC) come when I tuned the DC offset attenuator with knowing that it changes the DS offset, I was told initially that it stability the wave stability.

4) I did reset the Purepowers’ DC from component to zero. I took my current probe and driving a scope made the current wave absolutely symmetrical. Shell I mention that “suddenly” the Milq’s transformers turned to be silent?

5) The zero DC with my load has happened to be right in the middle of the Purepowers attenuator – very cool.

Anyhow, the DC component with this regenerator does not look as a problem at all. BTW, I spoke with APS people and they admitted that the reported “Nervousness Distortions” is the problem and that it shell not be there. They promise to find a fix.

AT THE LARGER SCALE: I feel phenomenal about my electricity battle. The Purepowers is getting burned in a bit and getting to sound better and better. I think this week I will start to post some comments about it sound. It looks that it will be my first good brake through in by electricity suffering. Furthermore, the Dima’s Avicenna regenerator was send to me second time, the first time the Russian custom did not allow it to export it from that stupid country. I think between the load-indifferent Avicenna and the truly marvelously sounding Purepower 2000 I will spot to be bothered by electricity.

I appreciate audio devices that instead of demonstration of own qualities force you to think about sound. The new Purepower 2000 is turning to be such a devise. I have so many ideas and so many thoughts with the sound the 2000 produces that I truly surprised me. Today spending many hours with my new regenerator and listening music I could not hold myself laughing as many times I caught myself acknowledging that this or that aspect of sound was exactly how I always insisted it shell be. It was like being an orphan and suddenly to discover own parents…

There is such a huge leap between Purepower 1050 and 2000 that they do not even appear to be the regenerators from the same company. The 1050 was about a perfect texture. The 2000 is about softness – it was absolutely not expected by me from a class “D” operating regenerator. Sure, the word “softness” explains very little in literal sense – so, let me to keep as a “code word” – I will explain it later. I will not post well-thought summarizing article about Purepower 2000 sound - I do not have time to “work” on it. I will instead post a number of random short articles with different atomic observations in regards to the Purepower 2000’s sound. It will be more fan and less abusive for me.

In meanwhile, I do not know if the APS people know and read my site but if they do then here is a practical advice for them. The APS has no company slogan. After spending those 4 days with Purepower 2000 unit I might propose APS to adopt my proposal: “We do not fuck-up your Sound.”  As far as my familiarity with power treatment devises concern I know no one other power company or product that might be entitle to use this slogan.

Romy the Cat wrote:

Today spending many hours with my new regenerator and listening music I could not hold myself laughing as many times I caught myself acknowledging that this or that aspect of sound was exactly how I always insisted it shell be. It was like being an orphan and suddenly to discover own parents…The 2000 is about softness

I presume that whoever read this thread have gone over my comments about the Sound of the former PurePower 1050, particulary my comments about the PurePower’s “Super Texture” at the page #5 of this thread. This controversial “Super Texture” was my main issue with 1050 (when it was not blowing up). The PurePower 2000 has absolutely different character of sound with absolutely non-existing “Super Texture” as an auditable concept. How the APS people claims that 1050 and 2000 are identical regenerators with indistinguishable sound I have absolutely no idea. To me the PurePower 1050 and PurePower 2000 sound like not even the same topology regenerators: with 1050 model I was fighting with some kind of digital injection. With 2000 model has no signs of implications to any digital irritations.

The different is so dramatic that it even turned to be ridicules. With PurePower 1050 regenerator I was constructing capacitive filters after the regenerator and used heavy-duty ferrite coils in order to calm down the “Super Texture”, and it helped a lot. When I spoke with APS folks before they sent me my 2000 unit I asked them to use a LOT of extra ferrite in common and deferential applications. I asked to load my new regenerator with ferrite wherever there was a free space on the wire and if they wish then change me more for it additionally. The last week I spoke with APS’ Damian after he shipped the unit and I asked him if they did the “Ferrite Update” on my unit. They told me that they did not do it because:  “I tried and did not hear any needs for it”. Well, I did try it as well with my last 1050 regenerator and it worked extremely well and was not pleased with APS decision. I figured that I would do it myself – not a big deal. When I got the new 2000 unit the very first thing I did was open it up and sticking in all output wires approximately 20-30 ferrite chokes. While I was doing it was bitching about APS' Damian calling him “ignorant and deaf Moron who refused to use such a proven on APS regenerators and objectively beneficial solution as the ferrite chokes were”. After I have done my ferrite stuffing I closed up the units, turned it on and listened it, which was the first time I heard the 2000 model. After a few minutes I shut down the regenerator, opened it up again and begin to remove all my extra ferrite chokes calling myself “an arrogant and obstinate Moron who refuses to give the opportunities a chance.” The new PurePower 2000 unit had absolutely no need for any “post filtration ballet” that I was forced to do with 1050 regenerator, it just a different bird of animals. The 2000 model has own idiosyncrasies, which I will mention, but the “Super Texture” is completely alien to the PurePower 2000’s sound.

One of the most pleasant things about the Purepower 2000 (PP2000) that it in contrary to any other power devise I hear it has very limited if any impact to the original sound of a playback. Somehow the PP2000 surgically removes all negative manifestations that are typically associated with bad electricity but keeps everything else absolutely not affected. I have many listening awareness sonic checkpoints in my playback that I developed for myself. To my great surprise and pleasure all of my checkpoints turned out to be absurdly transparent and not modified after the PP2000 was engaged properly (properly is a big word). It looks like the PP2000 does the necessary “electricity tricks” and the associated with it improvements but do not impose any hard attitude to SOUNDS themselves at first listening level of my listening scale. Surely I will be taking about the improvements but at this moment it is not the point. The point is that it looks like the PP2000 does not have that non-overrideable character with which it affects sound of playback. The PP2000 has a mild character about which I will be talking later but it is not an imbedded fixed character and rather a very nice to deal with, a beneficial character that might be Easley and very naturally balanced out, even though I prefer to USE the character as I feel that it is right character.

This impartially to originals sound of playback is very cool thing; it was something that PP1050 has as well and was something that attracted me to the APS initially. The PP1050 might bring something EXTRA to sound (like the “Super Texture” but it did not permanently modify the sounded of original playback. I think it is a great accomplishment for Purepower  and for me.

The PP2000, eventually(!!!!), demonstrated something that I was looking for long time.  Years after year I read and listen comments of different audio people when they describe benefits of different power treatment devises and year after year they use the same comments:

“The background has become “blacker”, the separation of instruments has improved, the notes pot up from “dead-silent” surrounding”

The Morons write it and read it and found the described characteristic of sound as some kind of evidence of virtue. It always puzzled me as I always recognized the “dead-silent background” and isolation of instruments as the evidence of crapy electronics screw up harmonic fabric of sound. I always ran away from this “blacker background sound”. The “blacker background sound” is a properly of barbaric playback objective, not the characteristic that exists in nature. Listen around yourself now – whatever you do you never have dead-silent background, the acoustic ambiance is always there – there is nothing wrong with it. The Morons invented for themselves a stupid world of fictional artificial objectives and the silent background is just one of them…

I never appreciated the silent backgrounds or tonal pitches that sting like killer bees and I never understood why the idiots out there consider it as an evidence of audio quality. Now I have a partner that thinks and acts in regards to the “silent backgrounds” in the very same way  as I do – the PurePower 2000 regenerator. I am not kidding. The PP2000 make the background “louder” and more prominent. The question is what is painted on this background. With open power lines there is a lot of depersonalizing noise on the background and listening consciousness, as soon it reaches the level where noise starts, it kind of turn itself to discard information. The isolation transformers that I tired the PS Audio’s Power Plant do clean the noise but they also proportionally with noise sink the ambiance of sound and the low level harmonics.

The Purepower 2000 doe very different thing. It looks like it eliminate noise but it keeps harmonics intact. Since the perceivable noise threshold is dropping and listening awareness has a space to do under the bottom the subjective feeling from ambiance get more acute. This makes to feel that the background is not dark but actually loud almost screamy and saturated with zillion micro events – a characteristic that I always wanted but never was able to accomplish. The Purepower 2000 does it and it does it not only “somewhere” but across the whole frequency range - a very noble and well executed duty in my view!

Upper range effect is amassing, though not much different then with other regenerators. With PS Audio’s Power Plant the compression at MF-HF is also reduced or eliminated and that ugly heavy dense pressure blanket got lifted. The Power Plant while do it brings some very unpleasant “generisism” into upper MF, something like a wide-band resonance that makes any music that hit 6K-9K to have “it”. The PP2000 has nothing like this as it “Does not fuck your Sound”.

The compression level drops very dramatically and it is feels like the playback begin to sound less loader. With PP2000 I can play 5-6dB lauder then my normal listening level and sound does not feel loud at all. The crescendo stresses go way less painful. I say “painful” not accidently. Everyone knows how unpleasant compression at 90dB. The same compression at 110dB actually creates almost painful aggressive effect.  Many times at my site I proposed that the “bite” of compression drives is not because the compression drives but because they are driven by bad signal.

http://www.romythecat.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=4734

Here is the case to proof the point: with Macondo-Milq drive with “good electricity” the compression drives bite is gone completely. I might be in axis of the MF horn and at full 1.5W of power but the speaker does not “lock me out”. It just plays loud but with no unpleasant feeling commonly associated with over-loud horn presentation.

Changing volume does just changing volume of but does not shifts compression across the range. Very different feeling! I had the same effect approximately 2-3 times per year. Now I have it all time. Very cool and I look forward to abuse it.

HF. Truly beyond believes! If you carefully read my articles about my “Water Drop” tweeter then you know that it meant to be 109dB sensitive ribbon with objectives to learn if the pain and efforts of doing for high sensitivity tweeter is justifiable in HF.  With all my extreme satisfaction on the “Water Drop” result you might read the following “The need to pressure for 109dB sensitively is arguable” in there

http://www.romythecat.com/GetPost.aspx?PostID=6748

The “Water Drop” is 109Db, so the Macondo109Db but I used “Water Drop” at 102dB -103dB, not able to go any higher as it was just too bright. Now, with use of PP2000 on duty I reset the “Water Drop” tweeter to operate at 107dB and it does very good. Even if I go at 109dB at “Water Drop” then sound does not become too bright. The level of the tweeter with cured electricity does not obey anymore more the rule “wherever it stop to be bad” but rather it follow the rule “wherever I would like it to be”. Very-very good! I was so excited about it that I even told the RAAL’s Alex about the new “Water Drop” operation modus.

This is very interesting subject that gave me a lot of head ache until I figured the things out.

It is known that I have aversion to ground that comes with mains. It is very dirty, so a few years back I drove 15 feet copper poll in pretreated backyard’s earth and it is my ground. My audio dedicated lines do not even bring the main’s ground to my home.

Now the PP2000 comes to the picture. The PP2000 is ugly, dirty, impulse devise that dose a lot of foul work inside and therefore it shell has a path to ground to drain out own filth. I would not plug the PP2000 without ground, what it outputs back to the main’s ground I do not care.

The lifting ground on the PP2000’s output side is very different story – it shell be done in respect how given system is organized and what and how the playback’s components are used in reference to system’s ground and in reference to the PP2000 itself. I have to note that PP2000 is so picky for AC phase and for AC voltage between own ground and external ground that it is scare. If you flip the output AC phase on PP2000 then the sound reminds like somebody cut with a slow running chainsaw my still attached bare bone…

I experimented a lot with combination of different components of my system plagued into PP2000 and into my dedicated lines. Different elements of my system have different power supplies and differently react to bad electricity. I was trying to found a good combination between plugging into PP2000 and plugging to dedicate lines, listing ground at different point. I did it a lot, listening, measuring and I finally I realized that I was not able to get the sound that I want. It always had had corrupted one of other aspect of sound and it never came together. Imaging in particularly was very bad as the horizontal move of wave was very contrived. Whoever I treed did not work, the sound was good quality in some cases but imaging never was unnatural. Some of my LIVE FM recordings with phenomenal imaging had kind of inverted, corrupted, collapse imaging and on some case even monophonic imaging. Eventually I discovered that the cause of it was minute AC voltage deference between grounds/neutrals of the components.

Then I decided to trey something radical. I plugged everything into the damn PP2000 and nothing into my dedicated lines. That worked like magic – it though the perfect imaging. So, as now I have each component that is connected to signal (do not forget that I run the whole installation in single-ended mode), all my 19 power cords plugged right into PP2000 with no ground lifted. So, effectively I am connected now to main’s ground, still I love the sound. My dedicated ground and my 3 dedicated power lines are just … empty. The only element that I did not plug to PP2000 is my DAW, I still thinking about it and I need to do some measurement of what DAW’s PS retie back to the power course.

Simply beyond any criticism. The  Purepower bass was something that sold me on the very first unit in June 2007. The very first Purepower 1050 had the same type of bass. What kind bass? Well, if juts did not “improve” it and did not modified it in respect to what it is once-twice per year when electricity is good. It is just what it is without any “help”. I have to note that I never see any power devise that does not ruin bass.

Furthermore the PP2000 did something that made me to say “holly shit” and made me willing to kiss the damn regenerator. Two years back when I finalized the 6-ch Macondo and Melquiades interaction I use one of my “secret” method of slowing down midbass.  I discovered some effects during my experiment with delay channels and I implemented some foundlings, I do not want to go into details about it now. Anyhow, the things were done “properly” according to the “concept”, the results were fine (my rook sound “larger” then what it shell be) but honestly I expected more from the “concept”. I still felt that my midbass it too fast but some other aspects did not allow to slow it down, it is complicated.  So, driving the system from PP2000 I suddenly recognized that my midbass has slow down, exactly at the level how it meant to be in accordance with the things that were done to Macondo/Melquiades. It was like a freaking déjà vu feeling! So, presumably the AC nose or what it is made my midbass to collapse sharper…

Ok, this is probably the most important section as besides all positive changes that PP2000 does to sound it does this one, the one that I call “softness”, and the values of this “softness” have to properly understood and interpreted.

The “softness” I am taking about might be viewed like reducing transient characters and having sound more even-distributed. It comes with a package along with elimination of any brutality and harshness from sound. The sound becomes very polite, very non-abrasive, non-obtrusive and very delicate. This is not the effect that belongs only to Purepower; to a degree some other devises do it as well. The PS Audio’s Paul McGrath associates it with removing from signal a whole cluster of HF nose and he calls it “HF reduction”. I disagree with him, even it looks like I do experience the same feeling – a lock of HF. I run 6 way systems with DSET, so I can add whatever frequency I want, and I did it, but adding HF does not return sound to where I would like it to be.

The PP2000’s “softness” and overly politeness is not something that I perceive as frustrated but it has a very different feeling, it is rather a sensation of room for further improvement instead of the sensation of faulty quality. The dynamic was not eaten, but the ability of system to react aggressively and hostile if the aggressiveness is being called upon is not there anymore. The PP2000’s “softness” in a way converted my Melquiades into Lamm ML2.0 not necessary a bad move but I clearly walked away from that sound as I know what is beyond.

Experiencing what I experienced and was listening in that “soft” mode and clearly saw what was going on. It was very much not the “HF reduction”. In a way it was very similar to softening of sound when I hear the field-coil drivers. The electromagnet drivers have the same “plummeting transient integrity” when the drivers juts do not hold transients. It is not a transients compression but rather “annoying graciousness” - something that always turned me off in field-coil drivers. It is possible to deal with it and to actually to USE this electromagnet’s “softness” in drivers. Unquestionably yes. Why no one does it? Because the dominating majority of field-coil drivers users are fucking idiots who instead of paying attention to Interest of Sound and making Sound as it shell be spend all their time for foolish worshiping of badly implemented field-coil paranoia and for a figurative “dick sucking” of any other person who use field-coil. I never saw any field-coil person who claim what is wrong with his or somebody ease field-coil sound (and that sound always is not right) and HOW it was fixed. Anyhow, how much more illustration is needed for you to understand my attitude toward to many field-coil idiots I know?

Well, why I suddenly begin to talk about field-coil sound. Well, because it looks to me that the sound of problem-free electricity and the sound of field-coil driver have a lot of similar characteristics - the “softness” and the overly politeness. I must say that I did detect the similar tendency with sound during these 1-2 days per year when electricity is good. However, also with softness during these 1-2 days per year the transient politeness does not sink so much. During the good electricity day let say softness gain +100% but the “transient politeness” get let say 20%. With PP2000 it is 100% and 100% another, or the redaction of transients much deeper. It might be two possibilities in it.

1) The PP2000’s electricity is different by nature and then incorrect

2) The “day or good electricity” is not truly a good day but juts much better day and it still has some residual imperfections. In this case the PP2000 is correct.

This all brings to a very interning conclusion. Early I asked a rhetorical question: is it possible that the provision for bad electricity has been entrenched in the design of out playbacks:

http://www.romythecat.com/GetPost.aspx?PostID=8836

The result that I got with PP2000 suggests that it might be a case. The “softness” that I get with PP2000 is very commendable BUT I would like to have a little sparkle and little glitter atop of this politeness. I would like do not lose the softness and the politeness but I would like to compliment the softness/politeness with ability to throw a very fine transient accents is the music material has a need in it.

So, figured that I need to idle plate of my MF channel more.  I can’t increase the transformer ratio, I can’t increase S2 impedance. All that I can do it to drive the tube with higher current and home that it will drop the plate impedance enough. So I did and went from 30mA to 40mA, dissipating on the 6E6P a full 8W. That made very nice improvement in the right direction adding a slight punch. I can’t drive 6E6P harder and it will melt the tube and it max out the gap in my MF output transformer. All that I can do is to introduce instead of 15:1 transformer another one with 20:1- 30:1 ratio.  This will make me to lose up to 6dB of gain and then the amplification of single-stage 6E6P will not be high enough. If so then I need to return to the 2-stages scenario where I will not have limitation with gain. Perhaps it makes sense to combine with my exploration of the DHT subject. Anyhow, I bought a DHT amp that I will use as a prototype to find the right new setting for my MF channel in this new softness/politeness environment. What I do so I mine is with the MF channel of super Milq as to make experiments with the large and heavy 6-ch Super Milq is very difficult.

In the end I feel that the PP2000’s softness/politeness is not a liability but opportunity. I certainly not willing to go back to the softness/politeness lacking type of sound and I would like to make my playback to be able to be deliberately atrocious if I was asked. Let see how it goes… I still not in hurry to do any changes now as I would like to live with the overwhelming softness/politeness for a while and to get use to it…

Well, I have post able a number of articles about different aspects of Purepower 2000 operation and sound. I could make a few more but I think it is enough for now. I would like to drop a few general observation and conclusion.

It was a good sign the APS changed the name of their company from “Audiophile Power Supply” to “Audio Power Supply” – a good move indeed. The new result that APS PurePower 2000 demonstrated is very exiting but it is hard to say if it is not an accident. The APS does not recognize the sonic difference with their former model, that is in my view is an indication that they have no idea what they do and the in my view success with PP2000 might be not conscious. So, from this perspective it is necessary to see what would be the APS’s next move.  I for instance would like to see a 3kW version that in my view shell work better in my playback. The more sophisticated power monitoring instrument panel is something that I would be exited as well, even thought who care about the power monitoring is the sound is right? The most important is to see if the APS will be able to lock the successes with PurePower 2000. Considering an alleged low quality control on the APS side I hate to see that a new production run of PP2000 unit that will not sound as my current unit does. From this perspective I would be very much hesitant to ship my PP2000 if the ASP found a fix for the “Nervousness Distortions” that I have mentioned above.  After a six “Random Combustion Units” and “Random Sound” that I had I would like do not trouble troubles….

There is something else about this “Nervousness Distortions”. Unquestionably it is a fault of a bad des but I am not sure that it is not something that accidently acts as a mild dither, keeping the right envelop but softening the summit of the wave. I truly would hate to see a situation when the “Nervousness Distortions” is fixed but sound got worst.

With all success of the PP2000 regenerator it still does not answers the major question – what is power line hurts sound. Distortions and HF noise? I do not really know but I do not think so. It would be very interesting to put the coming Avicenna regenerator next to PP2000. The Avicenna has distortion at sub 0.1% level and many other objective parameters are order of magnitude superior to PP2000. In addition Avicenna is indifferent to load, absolutely indifferent, not even acknowledges it. It will be a huge fun to see if Avicenna will blow PP2000 in operation but loss to PP2000 in sound. At this point I have started to think about deliberate sonic requirements that I would like Avicenna to fulfill above what PP2000 does not do. There not a lot in my mine now but I am sure that in a few weeks my euphoria about the PP2000 will subside and I will discover (or not) specific regions that I would like to have enhanced. Will the Avicenna be the answer? I do not know and this point, I do not know even if will be able to compete with PP2000.

Are any specific concerns that I have with PP2000? Yes, there are. The sound coming through the PP2000 is less fine-personalized. I mean if to look at the 5 strikes of triangle with PP2000 and without it then the sounds without PP2000 have better sense of the triangle martial and each strike sounded less generic. The same is with the sound of the king of musical instruments - my beloved bass-clarinet. With direct power lines sound of bass-clarinet is an array million of microtones what each microtone has own character. With PP2000 the bass-clarinet more feel like as “standard” bass-clarinet with microtone are less distinctive and the note to note has less attitude. I need to worn that it is very little effect but it was there. I said “was” because it was detect at the very first day and as time went by and the unit was working the effect was resided very dramatically and now practically not there. The very similar effects takes place when the  PP2000 is switched from battery to power-lines, then the “Nervousness Distortions” play in the game – I do not know if the “Nervousness Distortions” have accidently positive or negative effect. As, the unit operated now I am willing to discard my concern about PP2000’s residual tendency to “generalize sounds” as I feel that it might be related to some transient challenge of the new PP2000’s softness. If I will be able to make my S2 driver to sound harder (I need more gain then I have now) then I feel I will be able to offset this “generalization tendency” as I think it is not the “generalization” itself but rather not “enough discrimination” die to the blurred transients.

This is all immediate thoughts that I have about the APS PurePower 2000 regenerator. As you see it is an interesting machine that came at good time in my playback and my experiments with DHT for MF that I was planning last year came together very along with the PP2000’s softness.

It looks like the PurePower 2000 resolves the problem with electrify once and for good, let see if Avicenna can push this envelop further. Still, in my view the greatest accomplishment of APS PurePower 2000 regenerator is not even the Sound it produces but a certain stage on mind. Listing the sound of my installation driven from PP 2000 I asked myself a question: “Ok, Romy! Now, since the problems with electricity it looks like are gone what else to blame if the Sound of playback is not what you want like it to be?”