Choosing a mains regenerator

[@AngryChineseWoman]

I need a money regenerator first

[@josealfredfernandes]

Buy low frequency online ups with galvanic isolation transformer. Or you can get igbt pvm static voltage stabilizer. These are better than dimmerstat based voltage stabilizer.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

How about using a Tesla Powerwall dedicated to your audio equipment? It is an AC regenerator driven by batteries. 5kW output . And you can listen to audio during a grid outage.

[@Roosville1]

Rega isn't a re-generator as such, its a dual sine (24V?) with a pi-radian offset to drive a stepper moter in a linear mode. As for regeneration, if your power supply design is good, then you are in effect chipping at granite.

[@cesarjlisboa7586]

If your source has voltage variations; it will affect in one way or another. I check in and out with a scope; it’s real. No BS

[@bruceaitken1918]

@Roosville1 My 1987 Rega Planar 3 has a 240V AC synchronous motor which is connected directly across the mains - as such a prime candidate for mains regeneration. My regenerator (made by Chantry Audio in 2001, cost a hundred quid - bargain) produces a very accurate 50Hz 240V sine wave which improves vastly on our normal UK mains. Sadly it is only beefy enough to drive that motor alone - I need a much chunkier regenerator for my hungry power amps and that will cost serious pennies. Paul's comments have convinced me to stick with what I have, for now.

[@gdownz1044]

The more I added to my system the more dissatisfied I was with it until I finally got wise to the power regenerator purpose and once I got the P-12 connected to the preamp and amplifiers my system began LIFE. It's really that simple and so well worth EVERY cent it costs. Thanks Paul 👍

[@Fastvoice]

Like most parts of mainland Europe the UK has a declared voltage and tolerance for an electricity supply of 230 volts -6%, +10%.

[@cesarjlisboa7586]

Thanks for the explanation . Simple and objective 🎉

[@wicomms]

Yes Matlock was an amazing TV show.

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Rest assured that if there was a substantially lower cost re-generator that did a good job Paul would know about it. Doesn't mean he would necessarily talk about it but just my opinion here it's his job to know about such products since he makes high end ones and he has to stay abreast of where they are relative to the market in terms of both price and performance.

[@volodumurkalunyak4651]

There is. It is integrated into SMPS (switching power supplies) of amplifiers, mixing consoles, computers and outher audio equipment. Why that isn't here - have to keep sales "power regenerator" going.

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

@@volodumurkalunyak4651 An SMPS is basically an AC-DC- HFAC-DC converter. Granted, it does very well to remove 60Hz and 120Hz components from the DC rails but the residual noise from all that process can be a problem that Paul's Power Plant does not have.

[@volodumurkalunyak4651]

@@InsideOfMyOwnMind somehow companies like Crown, Behringer, Allen&Heath amoung outhers can make all required filtering for HF noise created by the SMPS. Here is a obvious: PS audio amplifiers are inferiour as company managed neither that neither properly filtering some of 50/60/100/120Hz coming from power supply (or why else those benefit from mains regenerator)

[@dank.6942]

Matlock, starring Andy Griffith as a detective/lawyer.... Late 80's.

[@wagsman9999]

I've never really considered a regenerator. It makes sense, to supply clean and stable voltage to the amplifier. What I don't get is why this regulation is not just built into the amplifier itself - power regulators (that control voltage to tight tolerances at a given load) are not new. For example, to drive sensitive equipment, power must be conditioned. I don't see why this technology is not just integrated into the power supply of the main amplifier(s)??

[@volodumurkalunyak4651]

Company does want to keep selling expensive external units. Money.

[@cubinn149]

I have a power conditioner that uses a big cap to boost energy to amps no shortage of volume from that thing of course not as good as a full on regenerater

[@L.Scott_Music]

So, I have this question. Is a Regenerator necessary when your home has power from a Tesla wall for instance. A solar home on batteries. Is that power audiophile quality? Or do they put out dirty/noisy power?

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Yup. Perhaps even more. The Tesla system (as any solar system) has a sine wave generator to convert the battery voltage to AC voltage and while this is better than sharing with your neighbors, the generators they use aren't the greatest and could use some help.

[@arjanrobben3768]

In Europe, the voltage will dip by a maximum of 5% at maximum load. Usually this will be 3500 watts. At normal listening level (max 200 watts) this will be below 0.5%. This will be the case in the most adverse situation. In practice, it will probably never be more than 0.1%. Very good if you can hear that. this is BS

[@allenbeasley9791]

How do you determine which regenerator you need for the amount of amps you will be drawing?

[@googoo-gjoob]

the owners manuals of your equip will list the power draw. if you dont wanna do the math, call ps audio. theyll help you.

[@hoobsgroove]

I think you're being a bit misleading Paul a generator doesn't necessarily mean it's superior or better than a conditioner a well designed conditioner can be much superior to any generator, a generator has problems the only caveat to that is if the regenerator is ridiculously large say 60 kW You only need good filtration and storage.

[@wa2368]

​@@tortugagonzalezgarcia4352AudioQuest Niagara sounds better than any of Paul's regenerators i've owned.

[@MarkThomas-hm3ju]

I agree about power cords. A lot of the expensive power cords act like antennas because they are grounded at one end. Not good according to theory. They then act like capacitors. A well built power cord should be grounded at both ends and will not ground loop. Another thing about single end grounding of power cords is that it is possible to be shocked by them. The high frequencies also build up on the end and transmit back to the power cord. Stay Online makes proper double shielded power cords and they work great. They are thoroughly tested. The folklore about grounding on one end has got to go. The Stay Online are used by laboratories with noisy machines and also by the US and Canadian military. They are not even expensive and also are UL tested.

[@irashapiro9189]

​@MarkThomas-hm3ju My experience when the shield is connected at both ends of the power cord is that it sucks the life out of a power amplifier. I prefer an unshielded power cable with braided or twisted wire that rejects outside radiation, avoids the antenna effect.

[@MarkThomas-hm3ju]

Are you using a specific brand or a handmade power cord with the double end grounding? QA does make a difference which ensures consistency in that the potential is the same at both ends. On another note braided cord would work nice too.

[@MarkThomas-hm3ju]

I would say a lot of improperly high end power cords, many of them single end grounding might be dangerous. If it's done properly a power cord should be grounded at both ends if that is what you want, otherwise go braided or just straight. Stay Online are UL tested and are used in electrical noisy environments.

[@banginghats2]

What do you think of balanced mains units as an alternative to regeneration? Russ Andrews makes the BMU 3000 which is a very simple design using high quality transformers to give noise cancelling through balanced voltage, but I think it is nearly as expensive as your power plant.

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Not really a fan. What we've learned over the years is that removing the noise and garbage on the power line is secondary only to the primary goal, that of producing a perfect, regulated sine wave with low impedance. That is what makes the lion's share of improvement. And that is something the balanced mains transformer cannot do. In fact, it makes it worse.

[@banginghats2]

I think the BMU 3000 has a low output impedance and a power rating of 3000 watts, so it is quite beefy.@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Certainly but it cannot provide more power to regulate the voltage because it is a passive device. In other words, a passive device stores no energy and cannot actively lower impedance as a regenerator does. So, while it's a beefy transformer it cannot regulate or make lower the impedance already there. @@banginghats2

[@ford1546]

A (regenerator) Is not perfect! The one PS audio has is really just a BIG amplifier! An amplifier does not deliver a perfect signal and the more you push it, the more noise and unwanted things you get. The main reason why you don't use a normal noise filter based on coils and capacitors is that it can behave like a rubber band with large current draws, you then get a loss of current

[@rastavoima]

i have hard time belive it's yours power on so bad. You have to you powerplants etc. Only time power had impact my sound it's when i use vacuumcleaner or washing machine

[@edd2771]

The placebo effect is real. Confirmation bias exists. Unless you compare these devices on a blind basis, using/not using them, you don’t know what you are hearing. This poor guy with the rega is a case in point. More width to the soundstage? From a motor that is literally only spinning the platter and is independent of the signal path? This hobby has gone bonkers.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

You don't know what you're hearing? Lol what kind of BS is that? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Pun intended.

[@edd2771]

@@Pete.across.the.street if you do not do a blind compare , cannot be sure if the placebo effect is in play or not. You cannot know if the “improvement” you are hearing is real or not. Period.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@edd2771 if you hear an improvement what difference does it make if it's a placebo or not, you still hear an improvement either way. It ONLY matters what you hear. Placebo is only temporary.

[@edd2771]

@@Pete.across.the.street If that works for you, great. My position is that in no other area of consumer goods can someone say here’s a black box costing $x thousands of dollars that has no overt visible function. But trust me, it makes a difference in what you hear. Oh, there’s been no empirical testing of that, but really, it’s true. I’m the kind of person that’s going to test that assertion before I buy. You’re not. We disagree. That’s fine.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@edd2771 yeah, you "test", it by listening to it. You either like what you hear or you don't. You hear a difference or you don't. Some test data isn't going to tell you if you'll be able to hear a difference, nor if you'll like the product or not.

[@cubinn149]

They should build these into houses lol

[@paulburke9198]

TV detective , ha ha , Matlock is also the name of a very old Australian TV drama show ,not detective . Interesting how memory leaks all over the place .

[@Fastvoice]

Matlock was also a US TV series about a special lawyer who acted also as some kind of detective to help his clients. So he's not completely off.

[@paulburke9198]

Oops ,didn't know about that one , what year , ?.@@Fastvoice

[@Fastvoice]

@@paulburke9198 195 episodes from 1986 to 1995 - distributed worldwide.

[@bruceaitken1918]

Also a delightful small town in Derbyshire - do visit. Be prepared to be addressed as 'Me duck'.

[@volpedo2000]

The Maaaaatlock Freeway!

[@cengeb]

My AVA stuff has literally multiple sections of highly regulated power sections in the pre amps, amps, DAC's, phase inverters. Products built for real world use. buying 45,000 goofy home hi fi power re generators is pure nonsense. Just more take my money, I don't understand anything. I install $1/2 million lab stuff with actual tolerances, Eaton UPS 3 phase for places with utility issues, mostly cured with real industrial commercial, UL, ETL, CSA listed products. Not this useless nonsense. Why an AC power product is not UL or ETL listed at such high prices is proof, it won't past muster, and is nonsense. What are the specs for this nonsense. to what industry standards does it meet? UL has many