Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM136, PSM156, PSM1512 Power Conditioners

[phoneslave86]

So if you had on had one Groundmaster city, would you connect it directly to your PSM156 Or use it for individual source components and ground them using a routemaster.

Wonder what will likely have best impact?

I'd ground out the PSM first. Much cheaper, see if you get an effect. If you don't I wouldn't spend the huge amount of money on the routemaster. If your using RCA one routemaster could be more effective too. If I was using XLR I wouldn't bother with a routemaster.

 

[Mr X]

For sure ground out the PSM first. It's cheap to buy a groundmaster and ground it out less than $300. Routemaster is much more expensive by the time you add all the cables ect. Personally since I am stuck using RCA I bought one routemaster and I think it's worth it to help with that. If I was using balanced on my amp/dac I wouldn't. One groundmaster plus routemaster is the same cost as my entire PSM136 was open box.

Thanks buddy.

Interesting as last night I swapped out my routemaster and just used the GM on my PSM.

I’m sure it wasn’t placebo but I was convinced in an uplift in darkeness and how the room seemed even quieter if that’s possible.

Other noticeable change was a bit more warmth in bass too.

Will do some more listening tonight but will probably end up getting a second GM for the routemaster.

Not sure I will go to the expense of a third GM for my second PSM as it’s mainly video sources but it does have my network streamer on it too and now I’m curious!

 

[Mr X]

A couple more days experimenting and the GM City certainly works best when connected directly to the PSM156 rather than using it solely as a connection for a Routemaster.

So I have another GM City arriving today which means I will have one on my main PSM for grounding and then use a the new one for the Routemaster and it's connected source components.

I have one more PSM in the mix with mainly video products bar one element, and may get around to adding a GM City to that one day but for now I am happy with the set up and my audio being as good as I think I can get for now.

 

[F208Frank]

A couple more days experimenting and the GM City certainly works best when connected directly to the PSM156 rather than using it solely as a connection for a Routemaster.

So I have another GM City arriving today which means I will have one on my main PSM for grounding and then use a the new one for the Routemaster and it's connected source components.

I have one more PSM in the mix with mainly video products bar one element, and may get around to adding a GM City to that one day but for now I am happy with the set up and my audio being as good as I think I can get for now.

Thanks for saving me time. Much Love.

 

[Mr X]

Just to add that the second GM City arrived.

Having both the PSM and routemaster grounded makes a very noticeable difference. Much more than I thought it would. My system had never sounded so good.

So much so that the other PSM, the one that I said I won’t bother to ground, well I’ve just ordered one last GM City making 3 in total.

That’s me done now and very happy.

 

[vsrrr]

"That's me done now" - I've heard and said that before!

Curious - I'm guessing you started with a single GM City, which you used for your PSM156.
Would you say that this brought the majority of the benefits, whereas adding the routemaster (and then adding the separate GM City for the routemaster) added more incremental benefits? Or how should I think about it as someone who hasn't added any grounding products yet?

 

[Mr X]

"That's me done now" - I've heard and said that before!

Curious - I'm guessing you started with a single GM City, which you used for your PSM156.
Would you say that this brought the majority of the benefits, whereas adding the routemaster (and then adding the separate GM City for the routemaster) added more incremental benefits? Or how should I think about it as someone who hasn't added any grounding products yet?

Actually I got it the wrong way round!

started with one GMCity and purchased a Routemaster at the same time so connected it to that which is how it’s been running for a month or so.

Then something promoted me try it on the PSM which meant disconnected the RM. Instantly it was better even though solo RM had improved things.

Then a bought the second GMC and reconnected the RM. Even better once again.

So in summary I would say GMC to RM for beta results. Then further improvement with a second GMC to a RM.

As I said before, I had great sound before but things improved further with the addition of these Puritan products and cables. Very impressed.

 

[vsrrr]

So in summary I would say GMC to RM for beta results. Then further improvement with a second GMC to a RM.

Wait, so you best results are GMC to PSM156? And further improvement with a second GMC to a RM? Or other way around?

 

[BShaw]

Hey everyone, I've just purchased a GM and a PSM156, then went out today and bought a pair of ground rods at my local yard. Told my friend Cam about it, and he started sending me links to forums where people were explaining why it's dangerous and often illegal to have a separate grounding setup in your home. It was the first I'd heard of this, but seems legit when it's explained as it is in some of these posts. I have a dirt floor basement and was going to drive the rods in down there, about 25' from the pair used by the house panel. I'm going to write to Puritan now, but really not sure what to do at this point. Is anyone familiar with this argument, and have any input?
Thanks,
Bryan

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audiophile-grade-ground-rod

 

[Jake2]

Hey everyone, I've just purchased a GM and a PSM156, then went out today and bought a pair of ground rods at my local yard. Told my friend Cam about it, and he started sending me links to forums where people were explaining why it's dangerous and often illegal to have a separate grounding setup in your home. It was the first I'd heard of this, but seems legit when it's explained as it is in some of these posts. I have a dirt floor basement and was going to drive the rods in down there, about 25' from the pair used by the house panel. I'm going to write to Puritan now, but really not sure what to do at this point. Is anyone familiar with this argument, and have any input?
Thanks,
Bryan

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audiophile-grade-ground-rod

Hi Bryan, I can't speak to your local electrical code and how it applies to this, but the high-pass filters in the GM are designed by Puritan to safely pass only current at frequencies above the high voltage mains frequencies of 50 and 60hz i.e. just the much lower voltage & current high frequency noise on the ground pane. It's a fundamental part of the design. Refer their PDF leaflet linked here https://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/ground-master/

What I don't think this eliminates is the theoretically elevated risk in the unlikely event a lightning strike hits the ground adjacent to the house/dedicated ground rod or safety mains earth ground rod (particularly if one or other is outdoors in an elevated location or a lightning prone area) and chooses to follow a low resistance circuit path through the house mains wiring /the PSM / the GM / grounding cable (in either direction), likely overpowering and blowing the GM's circuitry/filters, then out the other side. This doesn't keep me up at night as I'm not in a lighting prone area and I've never heard of it happening.

This is my understanding anyway, I'd welcome a correction on either of these points if my understanding is incorrect.

 

[BShaw]

Hi Bryan, I can't speak to your local electrical code and how it applies to this, but the high-pass filters in the GM are designed by Puritan to safely pass only current at frequencies above the high voltage mains frequencies of 50 and 60hz i.e. just the much lower voltage & current high frequency noise on the ground pane. It's a fundamental part of the design. Refer their PDF leaflet linked here https://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/ground-master/

What I don't think this eliminates is the theoretically elevated risk in the unlikely event a lightning strike hits the ground adjacent to the house/dedicated ground rod or safety mains earth ground rod (particularly if one or other is outdoors in an elevated location or a lightning prone area) and chooses to follow a low resistance circuit path through the house mains wiring /the PSM / the GM / grounding cable (in either direction), likely overpowering and blowing the GM's circuitry/filters, then out the other side. This doesn't keep me up at night as I'm not in a lighting prone area and I've never heard of it happening.

This is my understanding anyway, I'd welcome a correction on either of these points if my understanding is incorrect.

Thanks Jake, that's reassuring! I've got some sense of how he's doing this with the GM, but it's beyond my technical knowledge so I've written Puritan and hopefully they can 'splain it well enough to put this issue at rest. Cheers!

 

[camrector]

Hi Bryan, I can't speak to your local electrical code and how it applies to this, but the high-pass filters in the GM are designed by Puritan to safely pass only current at frequencies above the high voltage mains frequencies of 50 and 60hz i.e. just the much lower voltage & current high frequency noise on the ground pane. It's a fundamental part of the design. Refer their PDF leaflet linked here https://www.puritanaudiolabs.com/products/ground-master/

What I don't think this eliminates is the theoretically elevated risk in the unlikely event a lightning strike hits the ground adjacent to the house/dedicated ground rod or safety mains earth ground rod (particularly if one or other is outdoors in an elevated location or a lightning prone area) and chooses to follow a low resistance circuit path through the house mains wiring /the PSM / the GM / grounding cable (in either direction), likely overpowering and blowing the GM's circuitry/filters, then out the other side. This doesn't keep me up at night as I'm not in a lighting prone area and I've never heard of it happening.

This is my understanding anyway, I'd welcome a correction on either of these points if my understanding is incorrect.

My warnings to @BShaw come from my lack of understanding about the GM. But I do have the same fears that that little black box would protect the home/system from lightning.
Just don’t want my dude to get fried lol

If it works like they say it does, then that is a pretty sweet add-on/solution.

 

[Jake2]

Thanks Jake, that's reassuring! I've got some sense of how he's doing this with the GM, but it's beyond my technical knowledge so I've written Puritan and hopefully they can 'splain it well enough to put this issue at rest. Cheers!

There's also the video in the link I provided where he talked to the HP filter's design, though silent as to lightning (which is DC, not AC, so no frequency so not sure how a HP filter would apply to it), but if you can get email assurance on both points all the better.

 

[Mr X]

Wait, so you best results are GMC to PSM156? And further improvement with a second GMC to a RM? Or other way around?

Correct.

1 GMC - connect it to your PSM 156 to ground it.

Want further improvements? Buy a routemaster connect your sources to it but you’ll need to buy an additional GMC and connect that one to the routemaster.

 

[alvin sawdust]

Thanks Jake, that's reassuring! I've got some sense of how he's doing this with the GM, but it's beyond my technical knowledge so I've written Puritan and hopefully they can 'splain it well enough to put this issue at rest. Cheers!

Good luck getting a reply. Their products are superb but their customer service is shocking.