PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 12

[Haas]

What about fan noise from the two active fans?

The old P5 did have some fan noise but I have read that the P12 is using larger fans.

[Wdw]

@deviousalet
The Denali was more ambient and airy but did not bring forth the absolute "utter real" performers in your room feeling. The Audioquest 7000 and the PS Audio however did and both of these were very-very close in what they did to the sound. I chose the PS Audio b'coz of Multi-Wave setting adjustments that allows you to precisely tailor-in your system to your needs (wherein I dialed my system for max soundstage width & depth along with a rounded analog like tonal character) ... This is something the Audioquest couldn't do ... nonetheless the Audioquest is also a very-very fine piece of gear & I believe the Niagara 5000 at under $4k offers almost 90% of the Niagara 7000 ... which is a great deal IMO.

At the end of the day, I went with PS Audio also b'coz I had a incoming voltage issue from my utility provider and that was the voltage was way high @ 125 to 132 V AC 60Hz. The PS Audio unit solved that problem.

And finally, personally I felt the PS Audio unit was better engineered with information of whats going on available to the user vs. a silent box of AQ Niagara sitting in the rack.

P.S. If you look into my signature, you'll see that I'm an AQ fan but their power solution just didn't do it for me ... I went with Paul McGowan of PS Audio esp. after a telecon with him related to my utility power issues.

Great writeup....did you have the opportunity to have the Niagara in your home or are you basing your comparison on a listen at a store/audio show?

[Johnnydev]

@deviousalet
The Denali was more ambient and airy but did not bring forth the absolute "utter real" performers in your room feeling. The Audioquest 7000 and the PS Audio however did and both of these were very-very close in what they did to the sound. I chose the PS Audio b'coz of Multi-Wave setting adjustments that allows you to precisely tailor-in your system to your needs (wherein I dialed my system for max soundstage width & depth along with a rounded analog like tonal character) ... This is something the Audioquest couldn't do ... nonetheless the Audioquest is also a very-very fine piece of gear & I believe the Niagara 5000 at under $4k offers almost 90% of the Niagara 7000 ... which is a great deal IMO.

At the end of the day, I went with PS Audio also b'coz I had a incoming voltage issue from my utility provider and that was the voltage was way high @ 125 to 132 V AC 60Hz. The PS Audio unit solved that problem.

And finally, personally I felt the PS Audio unit was better engineered with information of whats going on available to the user vs. a silent box of AQ Niagara sitting in the rack.

P.S. If you look into my signature, you'll see that I'm an AQ fan but their power solution just didn't do it for me ... I went with Paul McGowan of PS Audio esp. after a telecon with him related to my utility power issues.

Great writeup....makes we regretful I didn't audition the PS P12, in house.....did you have the opportunity to have the Nagy in your home or are you basing your comparison on a listen at a store/audio show?

Hi wdw, If you want another tip: try a sbooster Mk2. In my case it was a big difference from the sbooster MK1 to the mk2 :-)

[David A]

What about fan noise from the two active fans?

The old P5 did have some fan noise but I have read that the P12 is using larger fans.

My dealer was concerned about the fans. When I rang him to order the P12 after using the P5 for a while I told him that the fans don't work. They simply don't switch on in my system. It's not drawing enough power to heat up enough to trigger the fans. I've had the P12 in the system for 5 days now and the fans still haven't kicked in. I'm in Australia in Brisbane which is sub-tropical and we're heading into summer and getting some early heat wave conditions in the state. Temperatures today hit 34 degrees Celsius outside. It's currently 26 degrees inside and humid at 10/00 pm and I've just been listening to the system for a bit over 2 hours. The fans did not kick in.

Fan noise is not an issue with the amount of current my system draws because the system isn't drawing enough to cause the P12 to break a sweat. The status screen tells me I'm drawing around 51 watts and using 4% of capacity while playing music. The only reason I suspect I'll ever hear the fans kick in is if the temperature in my room, which isn't air conditioned, gets into the high 30's and if that happens I'll go and stand over the P12 and let the fans blow air on me to cool me down as well.

With a large class A or class AB amp fan noise from the P12 might be an issue. After nearly 2 weeks in total with a loaner P5 and my P12 and more than a few hours listening during the day on some vey hot days, I have yet to hear the fans start up. I can't see it ever being an issue with my 140. It might be an issue with larger amps but Arup's photo of the status screen shows he's only drawing 70 W (0.72A) with a 440 and that represents 8% of load capacity so he may well not be having the fans kick in either. With your 250 you should be seeing power and current draws that are between Arup's and mine and since you're living in Denmark I doubt you're going to see the temperatures I see here. If Arup isn't having the fans kick in then you shouldn't either but he hasnt said whether or not he's had them kick in. Perhaps he'll respond on this issue.

BTW, when I say the fans haven't turned on, I mean exactly that. It's not just that I've never heard them. I've gone over to the unit and looked through the ventilation opening on the top of the unit and the blades are clearly visible and stationary. They are simply not turning on for the load my system places on the P12.

[thumb5]

What about fan noise from the two active fans?

The old P5 did have some fan noise but I have read that the P12 is using larger fans.

Larger fans are probably going to be quieter than smaller ones, for a given cooling load (maybe that's what you had in mind?).  Though from @David A's post it sounds like a moot point if they never run!

[audio_engr]

@David A ... excellent post and I am delighted that you're getting the results that makes music so much natural.

As to the fans, I haven't yet had a situation where they've kicked in ... moreover in Washington DC the climate is winter now though the audio room is approx. 20 deg C nevertheless so sound of the fan bcoz they aren't working.

After the install of my P12 in my system, I was having a mid to low bass suckout issue and I am now working on a totally different room placement & setup as advised by Bowers & Wilkins UK. With the new positioning of the speakers that I am still fine-tuning along with repositioning of the acoustic treatments that yet to happen, I will come back to another review of the P12 soon.

Nevertheless, I would end here by saying "it has transformed the listening experience totally" esp. the lifelike naturalness of the instruments thats so apparent esp. strings, piano, voices and even the saxophone.

[AaronG]

I had a similar experience with my older PS Audio unit. It made a big difference.

[K4680]

@David A  ... excellent post and I am delighted that you're getting the results that makes music so much natural.

As to the fans, I haven't yet had a situation where they've kicked in ... moreover in Washington DC the climate is winter now though the audio room is approx. 20 deg C nevertheless so sound of the fan bcoz they aren't working.

After the install of my P12 in my system, I was having a mid to low bass suckout issue and I am now working on a totally different room placement & setup as advised by Bowers & Wilkins UK. With the new positioning of the speakers that I am still fine-tuning along with repositioning of the acoustic treatments that yet to happen, I will come back to another review of the P12 soon.

Nevertheless, I would end here by saying "it has transformed the listening experience totally" esp. the lifelike naturalness of the instruments thats so apparent esp. strings, piano, voices and even the saxophone.

Hi, the PS audio distribution means:

There are many factors and variables that determine this, so I can not give you exact numbers. What I can tell you is that the fans will rise to 40-50 degrees Celsius or 200-300 watts. Factors such as the heat in the room and the air circulation can influence this.

[David A]

Hi, the PS audio distribution means:

There are many factors and variables that determine this, so I can not give you exact numbers. What I can tell you is that the fans will rise to 40-50 degrees Celsius or 200-300 watts. Factors such as the heat in the room and the air circulation can influence this.

I assume those numbers refer to the internal temperature of the P12 and the power it's outputting.

According to the photo in post #2, Arup's P12 is putting out 70W and 0.72A which is 8% of maximum load. Mine is currently putting out 50W and 0.25A which is 4% of load (the difference in the watt/amp relationships in our output is no doubt due to the fact that Arup is in the US and running on a 110V system while I'm in Australia running on a 230V system). Both of us are well under that 200-300W draw figure you suggest so heat generation from within the P12 is highly unlikely to be a problem for us. Heat in the room could be, especially when my room temperatures hit the mid 30s which they can during the day in summer heat wave conditions. I think I might get a chance to test that possibility out within the next 3 months, probably more often than I'd like.

[ssfas]

I've used P3 for years. My 250 Pro uses regenerated power, not the high current supply, as the Devialet is so undemanding.