PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 15

Description

Purify, protect, regulate, and rebuild unrestricted new power from old with the P15, our second most powerful AC regenerator.

The DirectStream P15 Power Plant is the gold standard for safety, reliability, and high-performance AC power regeneration. The P15 improves micro and macro dynamics, audio purity, instrumental separation, soundstage width and depth, and lowers background noise for any connected equipment. From medium to large power amplifiers to the smallest pieces of source equipment, the P15 will work magic on your system’s performance. Don’t starve your music or risk damaging your equipment. A P15 gives you greatly improved performance and safety from just plugging into the wall socket and far better dynamics, bass and a much bigger, open soundstage than any power conditioner on the market.

DESIGN

The P15 features an ultra-low impedance analog power amplifier, FPGA based sine wave generator based on pure, clean, analog DSD (PCM), 10 outlets (US version) across 5 separate regenerated zones, and 1/4″ thick copper busbars that deliver regenerated power to each receptacle. Through regeneration, the P15 creates a completely new AC waveform that adds missing energy back onto the power line to correct for serious issues, such as distortion and voltage fluctuations.

APPLICATION

With a maximum output of 1500 watts, the P15 regenerates steady, regulated, pure AC that is unaffected by your equipment’s demands for power. Powering your system from the outlets of the P15 will reveal new voices, new harmonics, and a renewed sense of musicality. As the gold standard for safety, reliability, and high-performace AC power regeneration, the P15 will ensure you receive the same great performance every time you listen and provide a firm foundation for your system.

Technology

OVERVIEW

The DirectStream Power Plant 15 is the next generation of AC power regeneration. It has 5 separate regenerated zones, buss bar delivery system, and 1500 watts of pure regenerated power. From medium to large power amplifiers to the smallest pieces of source equipment, the P15 will work magic on your system’s performance. Expect far better micro and macro dynamics as well as a cleaner, lower noise background. Power regeneration uses active components, like those found in large, powerful audio amplifiers, to rebuild the AC power and produce clean, clear, distortion-free, regulated AC to the equipment. The results are dramatic: unrestrained dynamics even under the loudest passages, an open, wide soundstage that does not collapse with volume and a naturalness to the music that is remarkable. The 7-inch, full color display on the front panel of the P15 allows you to measure distortion, both incoming and outgoing, improvement levels, and power consumption. You can also adjust your settings, such as the turn on/off sequence and the output voltage, as well as turn individual zones on or off, and measure the power quality with either the built-in oscilloscope or the THD analyzer.

OUTPUT

The P15 takes in your home’s noisy, distorted, and unregulated AC and outputs pure and perfect power that dramatically enhances sound quality. It does this by rebuilding the AC, lowering output impedance, and regulating the voltage. Low output impedance is critical to maintaining a dynamic presentation. Powering equipment through a passive power conditioner only worsens the problem and should be avoided. The Power Plant, on the other hand, has such low output impedance (0.008Ω vs. typical 0.4Ω) that even the hungriest of amplifiers won’t be starved for clean AC power. When your amp is asked to produce loud orchestral levels, you want to make sure it has all the power it needs and only a Power Plant provides a constant output regardless of the dynamic demands of equipment or your neighbors. Power Plants also generate new waveforms that enhance the capabilities of your equipment. MultiWave extends the peak charging time of the sine wave so connected equipment has more energy storage and less power supply ripple. The results are dramatic: a bigger more musically accurate soundstage than with a simple sine wave.

PROTECTION

An electrical surge, or spiked transient, is an intense, short-duration voltage increase that travels through electrical wiring in our homes. It can severely damage connected equipment. Shielding devices from these potential electrical problems is mandatory if we’re to protect our investment and ensure the safety of our homes. These electrical transients are not the only potentially damaging problems faced by our sensitive audio systems. There are also sustained over-voltage conditions that many surge suppression devices will not be able to protect equipment from. Owners who have invested in a Power Plant can rest assured their connected equipment will be safe from any power line event such as over voltage, under voltage, surges, spikes and potentially threatening problems. The input voltage to the Power Plant is fully protected by state-of-the-art clamping devices and the output of the Power Plant is fully regulated so even large voltage swings that would normally damage connected equipment are made safe by either clamping or regulating. In most cases, connected equipment enjoys the protection and performance benefits of fully regulated power, even under extreme circumstances.

Features

• Built in Boulder
• 1500 VA Output
• 3x Lower Impedance than P10 Power Plant
• 10x Outlets (US)
• 15A AC Input (US)
• 120 Volt Regulated (US)
• Range 95–145 VAC (US)
• 9x EU/AU/GR/UK Outlets
• 10A AC Input (EU/AU/GR/UK)
• 230 Volt Regulated (EU/AU/GR/UK)
• Range 200–285 VAC (EU/AU/GR/UK)
• 100% Regenerated AC
• Passively Cooled
• Pure Sine Wave
• MultiWave
• Integrated Oscilloscope
• THD Meter
• Improvement Meter
• Power Meter
• Control Over the LAN
• Adjustable Output Voltage
• Color Touchscreen
• Field Upgradeable
• 82 lbs.
• 17″W × 8.5″H × 14″D

Awards

Reviews

Alpha-Audio, July 2, 2024

There are several ways to do something about power for your hi-fi system. You can install a completely new, separate power group for your precious audio equipment, use a filter to “wash things down” a bit, or deploy what is known as a regenerator. We don’t test this last category very often. But now we have one to look at: the PS Audio PowerPlant 12!

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Robert Deutsch, Stereophile, April 2, 2019

As good as the system had sounded with the P5, with the P12 there was a major step forward in overall realism. With no change in volume setting, the sound was more dynamic. This was particularly noticeable with audiophile blockbuster CDs…. In my initial bout of listening, amplification was provided by the PS Audio Stellar M700s, and as it’s likely that PSA “voiced” those amps with a Power Plant in their reference system, the P12 and M700 might be expected to act synergistically. And might it

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Anthony Kershaw, Audiophilia, May 22, 2020

I know PS Audio is doing things differently, and I had a basic grasp of the technology, but the deep, inky darkness coming from my system was quite unnerving. Once heard, it’s difficult to forget. This non background, in conjunction with some superior cabling, allowed hyper details into the gulf that was the soundstage

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Adam LaBarge, The Audio Beatnik, November 26, 2018

One thing did surprise me. How do you make a four thousand dollar headphone amplifier sound better? Well, give it a clean sine wave source of power…. even the Pass Labs HA-1 was improved with the DirectStream Power Plant 12’s regenerated power, and that caused me to spend way more time listening to my headphones than I probably should have. Overall, I think the DirectStream Power Plant 12 enhanced the quality of my systems without changing the nature of them. I used both aftermarket and generic

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Product Specifications

Environment Specification	US/JP	Europe/Asia
Location	Indoor use only	Indoor use only
Duty Cycle	Suitable for continuous operation	Suitable for continuous operation
Moisture Sensitivity	Not sealed against moisture	Not sealed against moisture
Operating Humidity	<80%rh	<80%rh
Storage Temperature	-40C to +40C	-40C to +40C
Operating Temperature	0C to 40C	0C to 40C
Max Operating Altitude	12,000’ (3500m)	12,000’ (3500m)
Electrical Supply Nominal Rating	120V 15A 60Hz US 100V 15A 50/60 Hz JP	230V 10A 50/60Hz
Instrument Specification
Unit Dimensions	17” W x 14” D x 4” H (43cm W x 36cm D x 10.16 cm H)	17” W x 14” D x 4” H (43cm W x 36cm D x 10.16 cm H)
Unit Weight	37 lbs ( 16.7kg)	37 lbs ( 16.7kg)
Shipping Dimensions	24” x 21” x 10” ( 61cm x 53cm x 25cm)	24” x 21” x 10” ( 61cm x 53cm x 25cm)
Shipping Weight	48 lbs (21.7kg)	48 lbs (21.7kg)
Nominal Input Voltage	95 – 145 VAC	200 –285VAC
Maximum Continuous Load	1000VA	1200VA
Maximum Peak Load	3600VA	3800VA
Voltage Regulation	0.5V	1V
Output Distortion (Resistive Load)	<0.5%	<0.9%
Output Distortion (Reactive Load)	<0.5% 0.1% typical	<0.9% 0.1% typical
Output Impedance	<0.008 ohm	<0.008 ohm
Noise Reduction	100kHz – 2MHz >80dB	100kHz – 2MHz >80dB
Efficiency @1200 VA	>85%	>85%
Input Frequency	45 – 65 Hz	45 – 65 Hz
Under Voltage Limit	US – 90 V JP – 75 V	174 V
Over Voltage Limit	US – 144 V JP – 120 V	275 V
Energy Dissipation	1020J	1270J
Peak Current Surge	90,000A	90,000A
Max Surge Voltage	6,000V	6,000V
Clamp Level	340V	800V
DC Trigger Configuration	Tip Positive	Tip Positive
DC Trigger Voltage	5 – 15Vdc	5 – 15Vdc
Standby Power Consumption	35 Watts	30 Watts

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