Feischmaker
100+ Head-Fier
Thank you so much. Yes the outlets are going to point up.
Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM136, PSM156, PSM1512 Power Conditioners
- Thread starter F208Frank
- Start date
@BShaw is 100% correct.
Just to add that I have one of my PSM156 face down with outlets facing up.
Puritan do sell a very nice face plate that allows the unit to be placed this way (either ordered at the time or retro fit)
I emailed Mike the owner and founder/inventor of Puritan and a super nice guy) to ask him if I really need the faceplate. He gave a very honest reply and said no.
It’s more for protection of the front plate. I have placed mine face down on a spare rubber matt I had to provide some type of vibration isolation which he also confirmed was a good idea.
Tubewin
1000+ Head-Fier
I'm continually amazed by how much a power cord swap can affect my chain. I put in a Pangea power cable to my desktop computer and there was this digital, etched sound that was harsh in the high's, . I swapped the Pangea for a Puritan Ultimate cable, and that digital harsh sound is completely gone. Different power cords make such an audible difference...
For those who are technically minded I ask: Does the PSM156 increase output impedence?
To be more specific- is the output impedence from the outputs of the PSM156 higher than from the wall?
To be more specific- is the output impedence from the outputs of the PSM156 higher than from the wall?
iCoy
New Head-Fier
I've been following your journey with the Ultimate Power Cables. Thank you for all the updates and learnings (around the burn in being not for the faint of heart, the balancing of Warm and Bright from Classic to Ultimate which ends up burning in to totally neutral/clear) I've just replaced all my power cables in my setup with Ultimate cables and I'm trying to keep my wits about me as the Burn In process proceeds. It's difficult.
My Setup was (which I liked a lot):
Ultimate -> PSM 156
PSM 156 is the home for all 3 of these
- Classic -> PC (added warmth which was visible in the display and lowkey wonderful and will be hard to give up, like a slight yellowish candlit glow that people dream of when they add "yellow reader mode")
- AQ NRG Y -> Moon 430 HAD (Headphone Amp and Dac)
- AQ NRG Monsoon-> Moon 330a (Speaker Amp)
Overall I was actually very impressed with this. It had both a solidity, resolution, clarity and a rightness. A super black background that I hadn't heard before. I felt like the AQ powercords were no slouch. And the combination of everything was really nice. When I added the PSM 156 + Ultimate mains cable I was struck with clarity, openness, rightness etc after the burn in (which for me took a long time, even with my Computer plugged into the power condition.
My setup is now burning in as:
Ultimate -> PSM 156
PSM 156 is the home for all 3 of these
- Ultimate -> PC
- Ultimate -> Moon 430 HAD (Headphone Amp and Dac)
- Ultimate -> Moon 330a (Speaker Amp)
I've become nervous about what people have said about Analog vs Digital components with this cable and if I'm stacking too much of a good thing / too much ultimate cable. And, if I'm honest, just the sheer amount of things burning in at once has really tanked my system, so I'm going to have to be strong. I know that but it's hard XD. My thinking so far was/is: Stay strong, and hopefully you will get a great consistency with all the same cable. Hopefully more of the unreal clarity, 3D, effortless, solid sound that I was hearing before. Does this seem like a reasonable goal to be shooting for? I'm also thinking I may do all Ultimate cables except the Computer which I would have using the classic (which may not be optimal clarity for SQ but was adding to the visuals and adding warmth didn't hurt my feelings for sound either).
Have you replaced all of your cables in your system with the ultimate? Do you still try to balance the Classic for added warmth? Where are you on these cables? Do you think every cable being the Ultimate is something that should add consistency to the system or perhaps overboard?
Sorry for the long response. wanted to share my story and thank you for sharing yours. Plus I'm essentially starving for thoughts on these cables as I'm waiting for them to burn in and trying to keep my head up.
Tubewin
1000+ Head-Fier
Thank you for sharing your story.
It is extremely difficult(sometimes painful) for the first week or two, with a fresh ultimate cable. Of all the cables I've ever purchased, the Puritan ultimate cables have changed the most after burn in. You have my sympathies while you undergo the burn in process because I know its difficult to leave something in the chain when you can't enjoy the music. But, at least for me, the Ultimate power cords have always resulted in a better sounding system(after burn in). I have tried switching back to other cables or other power conditioners/regenerators, but I find my self missing that ultra black background/absent noise floor, realism, and reduced digital etching of notes.
I have 5 Ultimate cables in my chain. Two of them connected to two psm156's, one connected to my desktop computer, one connected to my lhy sw-10, and another connected to the lhy fmc(I'm using a regular cord for the fmc currently so I could use the ultimate cable to a different psu for my computer, my previous psu had a 20a iec, while this one is standard 15a iec). I have recently ordered another brand new 15a ultimate power cord that should be arriving next week. So this means that I have a 20a ultimate cable just sitting around. To fix that, I ordered a voodoo 20a to 15a adapter. So pretty soon I'll have 6 ultimate cables in the chain. My previous psu for my desktop was a corsair ax1600i titanium(20a iec). I've noticed that this power supply was noisier than my older 750w psu(15a iec). So I swapped it.
My other power cords that I use are two neotech nep3200 (Enleum 23r amplifier and optimo 3 duo linear power supply), ricable invictus(holo may kte), zenwave PL-11 power cord(fidelizer 2 linear power supply), and one pangea a9se mk2(ps audio pp stellar 3). I have to say, of all the cables I own, the Zenwave PL-11 has the most dramatic effect and not neccessarily in a good way... That cable will absolutely add incredible clarity and detail but at the expense of body in the mids and low end, it can sound really thin, it's a double edged sword. I am able to balance it with the ultimate and neotech cables, and even then, the zenwave can't go to my dac because that thinness is pervasive. It can only be used on the linear power supply connected to my jcat usb xe card. But with all of the other cables, the balance is remarkable.
I think your goal of more 3d sound, clarity, and realness is reasonable and obtainable. The only time I haven't used a ultimate cable on a component was with my ps audio stellar pp3. It almost sounded too warm! The ultimate cable I used was a well burned in one I purchased from a user here. I have that currently connected to my computer. Once I get my 15a ultimate power cord that I just ordered, I will try it on my powerplant again. The only difference in my chain from then and now is that I'm using my 750w psu for my desktop.
I have quite a few classic cables and a classic plus just sitting on a desk somewhere. I found the tradeoff for more warmth was not worth it. That realism, blackness of background, and clarity without harshness from the Ultimate was sorely missed. I've tried balancing my chain with the other classic cords, but in the end, the ultimate was better every time.
Hang in there, the burn in is brutal for these Ultimate cables. But it's real. I've bought enough of them to be able to tell you from first hand experience that it will get better. When you added your first ultimate cable, did you notice it sounding much better over time?
Last edited:
iCoy
New Head-Fier
I added the PSM 156 and the Ultimate at the same time and so I wasn’t entirely sure of which was burning in exactly vs the other, but the difference was stark. It sounded thin at first and flat. Overall disappointing (but I knew to wait). But it gradually improved. Not entirely linearly but for the most part. Then it kinda got to a place that was acceptable and I was tempted to convince myself this was good enough. Then at last (maybe more than 2 weeks, honestly) I felt like it opened up. The sound was very open which was frankly something I hadn’t heard before and loved completely. I wish I had scienced better though because I also added another AQ power cable to my headphone amp/dac around that final opening period (because the changes in power cable were so overwhelming it had me wanting to experiment). I believe that helped add a solidness, and the combination was seemingly quite synergistic. For a couple days my jaw was on the floor. So I got curious to try more ultimate essentially and we shall see if I should have stopped chasing perfection when I had the best I’ve had in years at my fingertips.
If I can keep my wits about me, I can always go back to some of those AQ cables to test once things settle. I’m hoping the ultimates are “just better” and I’m not losing synergy. Time will tell.
It’s really fascinating that you talk about power supplies. I also changed power supply from a seasonic focus gold 750 to a larger be quiet 1000 (I think) in hopes to make my computer quieter fan noise wise (and all the fans too) which is noticeable improvement from a db standpoint in the room.
I wonder if also needing to burn in that PSU has added a nightmare layer to my testing. I really hope that PSU isn’t louder electric noise wise. That would be heartbreaking but I’m now realizing is possible.
Lastly, I also have a JCAT XE powered by the nano internal. You power externally? How valuable do you consider that power to the JCAT card in your chain? Just curious.
It seems like we are on similar journeys of fighting back against noisy computers for the best PC audio we can pull off. Thank you for your words and experience.
So the 3m of AliX pure carbon fibre sheathing I ordered arrived today. It is sold intended for use with resin to essentially make hard CF rods like tent poles etc. In its naked form like this it is curious, very shiny and slick to the touch, the individual filaments so incredibly fine you can't see them with the naked eye even in bright sunlight, you can just see reflected sunlight at certain angles as a few loose ends here and there wave in the breeze.
There's about ten 1-2cm ends I can get brief glimpses of waving and glinting in the sun but my phone camera doesn't capture a single one even up close. Slightly scary actually as they're highly conductive but essentially invisible outside let alone inside a building, so if used near components, and the fibres shed and/or break off, they have the potential to create invisible micro shorts across conductors. On the plus side they should should be so light a vacuum would get em all with ease.
Before I deploy em as cable RFI shields on power or signal cables I'm considering spraying much of the length with a PVA glue and water mix (like is recommended with friable asbestos removal) or maybe just cling firm wrap to begin with.
Will keep you posted on how they go with the Puritan PSM156, power and ground cables...
(Actually this should probably be over in the AliX cable thread, TBD)
Tubewin
1000+ Head-Fier
The optimo 3 duo linear power supply adds some low end heft and the fidelizer nikola 2 imparts great tonality. The optimo is powering the jcat xe net card, while the fidelizer is powering the usb xe card. I have not tried the nano internal so I can’t speak for that, but LPS is definitely important for me.
And about the psu for my computer, it is noticeably quieter with the lower wattage psu in my chain. I’ve had the 1600w psu and could tell that it definitely raised the noise floor. Psu’s do seem to burn in. I had also removed most of the fans in my desktop besides one cooling the cpu. I made a mumetal shield attached to the jcat cards and put a sheet of mumetal inbetween the psu and the jcat cards. I’ve tried carbon fiber shielding, but carbon fiber negatively affected the sound, like it was over filtering, sucking up dynamics.
As for AQ cables, I’ve tried the thunder and tornado power cables. They were decent but the pangea ac9se2 replaced them in my chain, and then the ultimate and neotech cables replaced most of my pangea cables. I'm sure their Hurricane model and above sound great though. I've been really wanting to hear/try a AQ Dragon cable, but 5,500 dollars seems like a lot for a single power cord... imagine if I liked it... I would need to buy a loom of AQ dragon power cords... the horror.
"if I should have stopped chasing perfection when I had the best I’ve had in years at my fingertips". I'm glad to hear that the psm156 and the ultimate cable lifted your system! Part of the hobby is not being able to leave well enough alone, so I’m with you on that chase for perfection.
Last edited:
Tubewin
1000+ Head-Fier
Interesting, let us know how it works on cables. My only experience with carbon fiber shielding is in a desktop computer, and that didn't work out for me.So the 3m of AliX pure carbon fibre sheathing I ordered arrived today. It is sold intended for use with resin to essentially make hard CF rods like tent poles etc. In its naked form like this it is curious, very shiny and slick to the touch, the individual filaments so incredibly fine you can't see them with the naked eye even in bright sunlight, you can just see reflected sunlight at certain angles as a few loose ends here and there wave in the breeze.
There's about ten 1-2cm ends I can get brief glimpses of waving and glinting in the sun but my phone camera doesn't capture a single one even up close. Slightly scary actually as they're highly conductive but essentially invisible outside let alone inside a building, so if used near components, and the fibres shed and/or break off, they have the potential to create invisible micro shorts across conductors. On the plus side they should should be so light a vacuum would get em all with ease.
Before I deploy em as cable RFI shields on power or signal cables I'm considering spraying much of the length with a PVA glue and water mix (like is recommended with friable asbestos removal) or maybe just cling firm wrap to begin with.
Will keep you posted on how they go with the Puritan PSM156, power and ground cables...
(Actually this should probably be over in the AliX cable thread, TBD)
Just a thought about the burn-in pain which I'm reading about.
Why not just put in the new Ultimate cables and keep your equipment on 24/7 for two weeks without listening until the two week period is finished?
Maybe listen to IEM's in the meantime or just take a break from music. Sounds better than going through the emotioal rolercoaster.
Another option is to burn in the cables on some other non-stereo component; perhaps use it to power a water urn or a home PC for two weeks and when the cabke is burnt in- then move it to your stereo system?
Why not just put in the new Ultimate cables and keep your equipment on 24/7 for two weeks without listening until the two week period is finished?
Maybe listen to IEM's in the meantime or just take a break from music. Sounds better than going through the emotioal rolercoaster.
Another option is to burn in the cables on some other non-stereo component; perhaps use it to power a water urn or a home PC for two weeks and when the cabke is burnt in- then move it to your stereo system?
Last edited:
I just ordered a PSM1512 and 9 ultimate cables. Hope to receive it in a day or two. I tried the PSM156 before and sold it due to being to bright- but my system changed quite a bit and I'm hoping for more success this time around.
I plan to plug it in and check for maybe 20 seconds that everything works- then leave everything running for two weeks with no listening. Then- I hope to dive in- and perhaps consider tweaks or adjustments for a week or two and see if this is for me or not. I just dont want to have any bad feelings during burn in period- so this is my way of dealing with it and minimizing burn in pain.....
I'd appreciate any advice from experienced users.........
I plan to plug it in and check for maybe 20 seconds that everything works- then leave everything running for two weeks with no listening. Then- I hope to dive in- and perhaps consider tweaks or adjustments for a week or two and see if this is for me or not. I just dont want to have any bad feelings during burn in period- so this is my way of dealing with it and minimizing burn in pain.....
I'd appreciate any advice from experienced users.........
Last edited:
Update on the carbon fibre cable shielding... In short it has a beneficial effect for the 1 DC and 2/3 ethernet cables I tried. Yet to try with AC power cables (would have to remove plugs to thread it through). Tried lightly spraying one of the three with a satin polyurethane to lessen fraying of the delicate CF fibres which are 1/20th of the thickness of a human hair apparently. Slightly stiffened it, which I'm not sure is a good thing sonically as I imagine the floppiness of the Ultimate cable is part of its magic.. the sheath's vibration damping effect. The uncoated CF sheath is pliable, but not floppy like the Ultimate.. more similar consistency to the Classic Plus sheath but between the two in diameter. And then there's the fading PU smell, not sure I'll bother with more PU spraying. Might even try a larger diameter size next time, more damping/RF absorption and easier to thread. To be continued...So the 3m of AliX pure carbon fibre sheathing I ordered arrived today. It is sold intended for use with resin to essentially make hard CF rods like tent poles etc. In its naked form like this it is curious, very shiny and slick to the touch, the individual filaments so incredibly fine you can't see them with the naked eye even in bright sunlight, you can just see reflected sunlight at certain angles as a few loose ends here and there wave in the breeze.
There's about ten 1-2cm ends I can get brief glimpses of waving and glinting in the sun but my phone camera doesn't capture a single one even up close. Slightly scary actually as they're highly conductive but essentially invisible outside let alone inside a building, so if used near components, and the fibres shed and/or break off, they have the potential to create invisible micro shorts across conductors. On the plus side they should should be so light a vacuum would get em all with ease.
Before I deploy em as cable RFI shields on power or signal cables I'm considering spraying much of the length with a PVA glue and water mix (like is recommended with friable asbestos removal) or maybe just cling firm wrap to begin with.
Will keep you posted on how they go with the Puritan PSM156, power and ground cables...
(Actually this should probably be over in the AliX cable thread, TBD)
More deets here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...istening-experience-only.913239/post-17989165
Last edited:
iCoy
New Head-Fier
I’m not saying I’m experienced exactly, but just have a lot of discipline and resolve to not listen for two weeks if that’s your goal. I “like” listening to burn in to test my ears, almost tasting notes style, but I will admit at this second time the burn in pain had been very sizable and if that messes with your mental game then be safe and do 3 weeks. I’m not even exaggerating, honestly.
In my setup it’s my computer so I can’t avoid it. But sounds like you can. Good on you. Stick to it, focus on something else.
The other thing I would say is I didn’t find the PSM + Ultimate Cable after burn in to be “bright” I found it to be clear. Incredibly clear. So I’m hoping you find that too with all the ultimate cables. I’m still burning in my new 3 I just added so I can’t update on stacking them just yet.
Good luck though and let us know once you’ve settled it all. Sounds killler.
Thanks. Yeah, I dont expect "perfection" in two weeks- but just hoping things will be good enouigh to start listening. I understand two weeks will get me most of the way there- not all the way there- but I hope enough that I wont be hugely dissapointed and that I can listen to music and enjoy it - even if not 100% perfect yet.
I appreciate your words of advice.
Honestly, ear burn-in, not equipment burn in is also a reality acording to most of us- so I think I will need to do some of that as well- and then makeing tweaks to my taste. I hope two weeks of component burn in will be a great starting point to begin ear burn in and tweaking thereby shortening the process of adjustment.
I plan to just listen to my dap and IEM's for the meantime. I got that tweaked to my tastes already- and it is very enjoyable for what it is.
As an aside- I got my PSM1512 made with upgrade capacators called: Evox Rifa Metallized Paper X2 Capacitors PME271M. They were recommended by Puritan... It was only around $125 extra....
Last edited:
Users who are viewing this thread
