PowerPlant 20
PS Audio’s largest and most powerful regenerator, the P20 is trusted to protect and power the most expensive systems in the world.
The DirectStream P20 Power Plant is our finest expression of the art of delivering protected, pure, regulated, distortion-free AC power. With peak power levels of 3600 watts, no equipment can tax the mighty P20. Finally, your most coveted components have the opportunity to unleash their full potential. DirectStream P20 regulates both long-term fluctuations and peak dynamics without deviation, ensuring a solid foundation from which to build a state-of-the-art system. Its low output impedance and unhindered AC delivery are equivalent to less than 50 feet of 12 gauge wire connected directly to your city power source without the connecting miles of wire, the many transformers, and the multiple neighbors weakening and contaminating your power.
DESIGN
The PerfectWave PowerPlant 20 is PS Audio’s finest pure power delivery system. Equipped with 16 outlets (US version) across 5 separate regenerated zones, the P20 can take input from either 15 or 20 amp lines to regenerate a completely new AC waveform, free of distortion or voltage fluctuations. The P20 features an ultra-low impendance analog power amplifier and FPGA based DSD engine that delivers the cleanest, lowest noise sine waves of any regenerator in the world.
APPLICATION
The P20 can provide clean power to even the biggest, most elaborate audio system. With a maximum output of 2000 watts, and peak power levels of 3600 watts, the P20 will provide pure power for the most demanding components and reproduce the full dynamic range of any music thrown at it. Regulated to within 1/10th of a volt, the P20 provides, safe, unquestionable purity for systems of all sizes and ensures a solid foundation from which to build a state-of-the-art system.
OVERVIEW
When it comes to regenerated AC power we wrote the book. With two decades of engineering and a patented architecture in hand we built the biggest and best Power Plant ever. The P20 converts your home’s variable, compromised AC power into pure DC, then back again into safe, protected, regulated, perfect AC. The P20 will improve system performance like nothing else. DirectStream Power ushers in a new world of purity with a clean, analog-like DSD generator. With twice the number of output devices and double the power supply storage of any previous Power Plant, DirectStream P20 is the new benchmark for power products. Regardless of the quality of AC coming into P20, your equipment is guaranteed clean, safe power, with significantly lower distortion than ever before. Safe, regulated to within 1/10th of a volt, P20 provides unquestionable purity for systems of all sizes. The 7-inch, full color display on the front panel of the P20 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 P20 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
- 2000 VA OUTPUT
- 40% MORE POWER
- 16x OUTLETS US
- 15AMP AC
- INPUT US
- 20AMP AC INPUT US
- RANGE 95 – 145 VAC US
- 120VOLT REGULATED US
- 13AMP AC INPUT EU/AU/GR/UK
- 230 VOLT REGULATED EU/AU/GR/UK
- RANGE 200 –285VAC EU/AU/GR/UK
- 9x EU/AU/GR/UK OUTLETS
- PASSIVELY COOLED
- PURE SINE WAVE
- MULTIWAVE
- INTEGRATED OSCILLOSCOPE
- THD METER
- IMPROVEMENT METER
- POWER METER
- CONTROL OVER THE LAN
- ADJUTABLE OUTPUT VOLTAGE
- COLOR TOUCHSCREEN
- FIELD UPGRADEABLE
- 105 LBS.
- 17W x 8.5H x 14D
- 100% REGENERATED AC
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 11” H (43cm W x 36cm D x 27.9 cm H) | 17” W x 14” D x 11” H (43cm W x 36cm D x 27.9 cm H) |
| Unit Weight | 96 lbs ( 43.5kg) | 96 lbs ( 43.5kg) |
| Shipping Dimensions | 23” x 22” x 17” ( 58cm x 55.8cm x 43 cm) | 23” x 22” x 17” ( 58cm x 55.8cm x 43cm) |
| Shipping Weight | 105 lbs (47kg) | 105 lbs (47kg) |
| Nominal Input Voltage | 95 – 145 VAC | 200 –285VAC |
| Maximum Continuous Load | 2000VA | 2000VA |
| Maximum Peak Load | 3600VA | 3600VA |
| Voltage Regulation | >1V | >1V |
| Output Distortion (Resistive Load) | <0.5% | <0.5% |
| Output Distortion (Reactive Load) | <0.5% 0.1% typical |
<0.5% 0.1% typical |
| Output Impedance | <0.005 ohm | <0.005 ohm |
| Noise Reduction | 100kHz – 2MHz >80dB | 100kHz – 2MHz >80dB |
| Efficiency @1500 VA | >85% | >85% |
| Standby Power Consumption | ||
| Input Frequency | 45 – 65 Hz | 45 – 65 Hz |
| Under Voltage Limit | Continuous -10% of setting 15 sec duration -15% of setting | Continuous -10% of setting 15 sec duration -15% of setting |
| Over Voltage Limit | Continuous 5% of setting 15 sec duration 10% of setting | Continuous 5% of setting 15 sec duration 10% of setting |
| Energy Dissipation | 2040J | 5040J |
| Peak Current Surge | 180,000A | 180,000A |
| Clamp Level | 340V | 775V |
| DC Trigger Configuration | Tip Positive | Tip Positive |
| DC Trigger Voltage | 5 – 15Vdc | 5 – 15Vdc |
Reviews
I have everything plugged into it and simply find our music to be more dynamic and alive. Greater separation and resolution…and all with no hint of harshness or whatever. No glare or grit. But, more visceral and, well… more overall engagingly so….Bass seems to go lower with a wonderful sense of tightness… or rightness, especially as evident from the subs in the Vandersteens. Slam and punch, texture and presence. Palpable as all get out, and, as I said, texture… oh man… where there is, there is… texture.
Positive Feedback Dave Clark
The P20 and P15 series products connect live and reproduced sound in a way that cannot be achieved any other way if dirty power is a culprit, and dirty power is almost always a culprit. If you are planning to build a great system, addressing the very element that brings these inanimate boxes to life, these products should be a priority. Your music will thank you.
Positive Feedback Greg Petan
I loved the P10, but the P20 offered all of that and a lower noise floor with even better transient response on dense classical music passages (massed strings), percussion notes occupying the space between the lowest octaves and improved vocal inflection, never mind an even more effortless sense of breathing to amps and preamps. Throw in twice the number of output devices and double the power-supply storage of the P10 and upgrading became a no-brainer.
AudioStream Rafe Arnott
I’m no stranger to PS Audio’s line of Power Plant AC regenerators. About 20 years ago they introduced their first Power Plant, the P300, and I was one of the first to purchase a unit…. when I connected my front-end gear into it I just about had a heart attack. Here was the sound I was searching for!
Would it be necessary to provide specifics on how my system sounded better with my system connected to the P20 versus how it sounded when not connected? I’d end up reciting a litany of audiophile approved characteristics, all positive, such as an increased frequency response in both the highs…
Enjoy the Music Tom Lyle
How does the DirectStream Power Plant 20 compare, sonically, to the P10 Power Plant?… I did do some comparative listening. The P20 sounded noticeably better, in all the same ways: naturalness, detail, image precision, soundstage depth and width.
I’ve come to consider my PerfectWave P10 Power Plant an essential reviewing tool, less because of the improvement it makes in the sound—although that is, of course, important—than because it levels the playing field for the equipment I review, ensuring the same, high-quality power for all the components I compare. There’s much to be said for…
Stereophile Jim Austin
I’m gonna violate the prime directive and tell you to get one. You won’t be able to un-hear it, and you won’t be able to live without it. So be ready to pull the trigger when you take the test drive. Consider yourself warned. It’s that good.
Tone Audio Jeff Dorgay
Tone, and timbre of instruments are spot-on, with wood-bodied ones in particular in possession of the proper scale, weight, and resonance that I associate with real acoustic guitars. Organ, and piano notes are mellifluous, and the slide guitar, and horn arrangements have a burnished, brassy flavor. Opting in to the P20, the already big, hip-shaking bottom end seems to swell in size, and weight, with a deeper tonal shading now coming through. Vocals take on a sweeping, more expansive quality to the air volume surrounding the physical arrangement of singers, and a more chesty composition to…
Part Time Audiophile Rafe Arnott
Were it not for PS Audio’s regenerators, I’d be out of business
Stereophile Michael Fremer
AWARDS
2019 Recommended Component Award from Stereophile
2018 Product Of The Year From Tone Audio
2018 Editor’s Choice Award from AudioStream
2018 Recommended Component Award from Stereophile
