Isolation transformers vs. Power Plants

What's the differences between an isolation power transformer and a PS Audio Power Plant AC regenerator? Paul helps us understand.

[mrronenza]

As the one who asked the question, Thanks very much indeed for your reply/great explanation of this important question, All the best! Ronen.

[PatrickECleary]

These videos are wonderful. Personality and brilliant content is my favorite. Thanks Paul & PS Audio crew!

[xsmi]

A goesinta and a goesouta! 🤣🤣. I haven’t heard that in years!!

[ThinkingBetter]

I run my audio gear on a 1 Gigawatt natural gas power plant 50 miles away and with some giant transformers in between.

[urakorash]

I just got my power regenerator. It changed everything, in a good way.

[brianharmon]

Thank you so much for explaining that! I’ve wondered this very thing many times.

[williampearson]

1, 000 view & 100 like 😂😂😊😊 Happy Holidays to the PSAudio Family! A P12 & P15 happy owner sharing apartment circuit with 9 other units.

[tc-bladeofgrass]

Hey paul, i love your videos.
We dont necessarily agree on everything, but hey, thats the beauty of music and HiFi right?
Anyway, ive been working my way through pauls picks while putting my system to the test, and theres some fantastic stuff on there. Id like to recommend something to you as a fellow audiophile which i think youll appreciate. An album called diamond mine by king creosote. Its produced by john hopkins, and the perfection of the recording and how the vocals were captured really leave me speechless when played back on a resolving system.
I hope you see this message and get a chance to hear the album.
All the best to you, your family and the ps audio team in 2021 .

[FSXgta]

My parents live on the countryside and we have lots of fluctuating power and have a transformer in the technical room. Power Plant would be ideal. The lights dim often

[graxjpg]

I think my apartments outlets share a breaker with other apartments. Longmont potion castle came to mind when Paul said Longmont. Someone please look that up!

[dilbyjones]

This is one I’d like to know about big thanks

[jasondurst]

I have a transformer on the power pole at my house, it isn't humming when you stand near it. Am I blessed or cursed?

[steenhansen]

Use a Magstab, magnetic stabilizer. They are super good at attenuating mains transients and fluctuations. Only caveat is, that they have very low efficiency, however are 100% passive.

[johnhovanec]

I have a p10 regenerator witch works great very reliable power product.

[davidwidmayer]

Iron Laminations in the
Toroid Transformer, you mean ???

[DBravoer]

Have to disagree here. I am using several Topaz 2.5kVa and 5kVa 1:1 transformers and they offer over 100dB of noise reduction down to 100hz. They are also superb surge protection devices.

I sized them such that the peak current demands of each system do not exceed 1/3rd of the transformer capacity. Each transformer feeds a Furman Elite 20 PFi, which reduces output impedance and is itself a store of energy.

Note that these are not toroidal. They are specially designed laminate core transformers with special screens between windings. Toroidal transformers actually make poor isolation transformers as they are much more easily saturated by DC and far more susceptible to hum.

A properly sized isolation transformer has a minimal increase in line impedance. Not unlike the power cord itself, all of which add line impedance. Much like a properly sized power transformer in a device has a minimal resistance if sized properly. But a 100dB+ reduction in line noise by a purely passive device WILL have a huge improvement on the SQ of one's system. I've heard it on every system I've yet owned. In fact, my iso xformers have either 136 or 146 dB noise attenuation down past 1khz. Which is exceptional. No loss in dynamics. In fact, dynamics present as improved due to the reduction in garbage surrounding them and the blackness from which they emerge.

[eelcosterringa]

Not quite. The major benefit of an isolation transformer is that leakage current of multiple devices are controlled and effectively minimized in a systeem with multiple powersupplies and do not make their way uncontrolled through paths that are detrimental for performance. In a studio this can eliminate hum. If you want to filter: then filter (capacitors, chokes, ...)

[mikematthews]

A good Amplifier has Capacitors used as a filtering system for line noise and keep voltage constant.

[odizcvw]

I have not tried a Powerplant but can from experience agree that an isolation transformer reduced the quality of my system. To me is slightly reduced that sense of dynamics. Everything becomes a little flat. Same with low pass inductors.

[tomislavgasparic]

If power amp and other audio equipment reacts to quality fo AC from wall, how are these power conditioners imune to same thing in terms of their performace? They are just power amps with low noise and thd sine generators in front. No one talks about that.