Thank you for your purchase of the PS Audio Power Plant.

Your confidence and trust in our company and in our products, as evi-denced by your purchase, means a lot to us.

PS Audio was founded in 1974 by Paul McGowan and Stan Warren.Then, as now, we dedicated the company to the design and manufac-ture and support of affordable, high-end audio and video products.These are products that rely on sound engineering and innovativedesign to achieve our goals. In 1998, Paul McGowan acquired soleownership of the name, and began to build PS Audio International, as itis now known.

The Power Plant series represents the first of many products to be pro-duced by PS Audio International.

All PS Audio products are sold with a full 30-day money back guaranteeto the original purchaser (not including shipping in either direction). If,for any reason whatsoever, you find that a PS Audio product is not livingup to your expectations, and would like to return the unit for a refund,please feel free to do so by contacting our customer service depart-ment, toll free, at 877-772-8340. You will be given a return authoriza-tion number and instructions for the return.

Our goal is not only your satisfaction, but also your eager support of thecompany and its products. We are extremely proud and enthusiasticabout what we make, and we want the world to share in those feelingsand to spread the good word. It’s important to us.

So, if there is absolutely any way that we as a company, or I as thePresident of the company, can help you, do not hesitate to contact usimmediately.

Good listening!

Paul McGowan

PresidentPS Audio International

The PS Audio Power Plant series is designed to provide clean, safe, low-distor-tion, low-impedance, regenerated AC power for your audio and video equip-ment.

There are four models, the P300, the P600, the P1200, and the P2000. Eachmodel has the same features and functions, but they differ with respect to outputpower. The model name indicates the output power in watts; the P300 is a 300-watt unit, the P600 is a 600-watt unit, the P1200 is a 1200-watt unit, and theP2000 is a 2000-watt unit.

The P300 was designed for all low and medium power applications such as CDplayers, D to A processors, televisions, projectors, tuners, etc. The P300 wasnot designed for power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, or receivers with outputgreater than 50 watts per channel.

The P600, P1200, and P2000 were designed for powering medium to largepower amplifiers, as well as all low-level equipment.

The Power Plant is not a filter or line conditioner. Rather, it is a regenerative ACsynthesizer. The Power Plant receives AC energy from your home's wall socket,converts it to DC (Direct Current, which is the same as a battery voltage), thenconverts it back to AC without any noise or problems.

The essential elements inside the Power Plant are:

·An input AC transformer.·High-voltage MOV protection devices.·AC to DC conversion, via high-speed diode bridge and multi-thousandmfd capacitors.·DSP-based, multi-frequency, programmable sine wave oscillator.·A stereo power amplifier, ranging from 300 watts to 2000 watts, dependingon the model of Power Plant.·Microprocessor-controlled front panel display and functions.

There is an optional display board available for all models of the Power Plant.This optional display board is a user-installable board that replaces the existingfront panel display board. It provides a distortion analyzer, graphic oscilloscope,digital rms voltmeter, and a digital distortion analyzer. If you have purchased thedisplay board for your new Power Plant, the instructions for its installation areincluded with the display board kit.

The output of the PS Audio Power Plant produces regulated, balanced, 115 voltAC power (domestic model) or 230 volts AC (export model). All Power Plants,domestic and export, can be set to the appropriate input voltage: 120 volts (US,Canada, Taiwan) or 220 volts (Europe, Asia). The user may select the appropri-ate voltage via an internal selection switch. Details are available in the setupsection of this manual.

Step 1Remove from packaging.The Power Plant will arrive in a single container that is made with three elements: anouter shipping carton, an inner shipping carton, and a protective sleeve.

Remove each of the three elements to expose the Power Plant. Be certain and saveall the packing material in case you ever need to ship the Power Plant back to us.

Check that all items listed below have been included in your Power Plant package:

·The Power Plant·The detachable AC line cord·The owner's manual·A brochure

Step 2Placement of the P300.Place the P300 in a reasonably well-ventilated area, close to the low-level items youintend to power. It may be placed inside a cabinet, or on the floor, behind your equip-ment. (It is permissible to leave the Power Plant on, and turn your equipment on andoff from the equipment's power switch or a remote control.)

Placement of the P600, P1200, P2000.If you are planning to use the P600, the P1200 or the P2000 to power both a poweramplifier(s) and a number of lower power units simultaneously, it is advisable to pur-chase the PS Audio Extension Link. The Extension Link provides an additional eighthospital grade outlets, and allows you to place the Power Plant near the power ampli-fier and to use the Extension Link to remotely power your other equipment.

Most people will find it convenient to place these larger Power Plants on the floor, oron a large shelf. In any case, do not place these larger units inside a cabinet, unlessit is well ventilated. The P600, P1200, and certainly the P2000, produce a great dealof heat.

It is not advisable to use an extension cord for a power amplifier, unless it has at leasta 12-gauge cord.

Step 3 Adjust the voltage to match your country.This is a critical step. Power Plants are shipped set for 120 volts AC. If you live inNorth America, Canada, or Taiwan, you need not change anything. If you live in therest of Asia, Australia, or Europe, please refer to the more detailed setup guide tolearn the procedure for changing the voltage.

Step 4Plug in your equipment.Important: the P300 model was never intended for power amplifiers, integrated ampli-fiers, or receivers that produce more than 50 watts per channel. Equipment that pro-duces more than 50 watts per channel should not be plugged into the P300.

Make sure that the Power Plant, and each piece of equipment to be plugged into it, isswitched OFF, then plug the equipment into the outlets on the back of the Power Plant.

Step 5Plug the Power Plant into a live AC receptacle, and switch it on.Use the included power cord, or another of your choice. We do not recommend theuse of any power cords that contain filters. Using the lower left-hand button on thePower Plant's front panel, switch on the Power Plant.

Step 6The Power Plant's display will now read "60".This is the frequency the Power Plant is producing. You may raise or lower this fre-quency by using the two Up/Down buttons located to the right of the display on theP300; below the display on all other models.

CAUTION: if you are powering a turntable, tape deck, or anything with an AC syn-chronous motor, do not raise the Power Factor frequency above 60 Hz. This can dam-age your motor. CD players and DVD players do not have AC synchronous motors, sothey are not a problem. If you are uncertain about what you have, contact the manu-facturer for instructions. You can briefly experiment by raising the frequency and lis-tening to your motor for signs of trouble. If you hear any unusual noises from themotor, switch off the Power Plant, or return to the lower frequency. A short period ofoperation, at the higher Power Factor, should not damage the motor.

Experiment with different Power Factor settings once you have familiarized yourselfwith the basic performance of the Power Plant. There are 10 Power Factors; eachhigher level of PF will increase the Power Plant’s output frequency as displayed on thefront panel. After you measure the wattage, following step number 7 of this quick startguide, press the Mode button again to return to the Power Factor control. Use theUp/Down buttons located on the right side of the display on the P300; below the dis-play on the other models, to change the PF.

Step 7Switch on each piece of gear, one at a time, until all pieces are powered.Push the Mode button once to activate the wattage meter on the display. Watch thefront panel of the Power Plant as you do this. Should an amber light illuminate, orshould the Power Plant shut off at any time during this initial turn-on phase, pleaserefer back to the more detailed setup guide for instructions. Refer to the sectionlabeled "Plug in one piece of gear after another, measure total wattage.”

If there is no amber light, and the Power Plant is still operating, you are ready to roll.We suggest that you read the sections on what to expect, what not to expect, and lis-tening tips. However, you may certainly proceed to the enjoyment phase of the PowerPlant at this point. Good listening and viewing!

Remove from packaging.The Power Plant will arrive in a singlecontainer that is made of three ele-ments: an outer shipping carton, aninner shipping carton, and a protectivesleeve.

Be certain to save all packing materialin case you ever need to ship thePower Plant back to us.

Position the Power Plant.The P300 is rather easy to locateappropriately; the P600, P1200 andP2000 models may be more difficult.

P300.The P300 was designed, primarily, forlow-powered items such as CD players,preamplifiers, DAC's, video processors,and so forth. It was not designed topower anything greater than a 50 wattper channel power amplifier, or integrat-ed, or receiver.

Place the P300 in a reasonably well-ventilated area, close to the low-levelitems you intend to power. In manyapplications this will be on a shelfalongside your other equipment. It mayalso be placed inside a cabinet, if that ismore convenient. In other instances,you may wish to place the Power Planton the floor, behind your equipment.

It is permissible to leave the PowerPlant switched on continuously.

P600, P1200, P2000.These larger units were designedwith two purposes in mind: power-ing small to large power amplifiersand/or other lower power units atthe same time. If you wish to usethe P1200, the P600 or the P2000to operate both a power amplifier(s)and a number of lower power unitssimultaneously, it is advisable topurchase the PS Audio ExtensionLink. The Extension Link providesan additional eight hospital gradeoutlets, and it allows you to placethe Power Plant near the poweramplifier and to use the Extension

Link to remotely power your otherequipment.Do not place these larger units inside acabinet, unless it is extremely well venti-lated. The P600, P1200 and P2000produce a great deal of heat.

It is not advisable to use an extensioncord for a power amplifier, unless it hasat least a 12-gauge cord.

Adjust the voltage to matchyour country's standard.The Power Plants are shipped ready tooperate on 120 volts AC. This voltageis the standard in most of NorthAmerica, Canada, Taiwan, and parts ofSouth America. Most of the rest of theworld is running on 220 volts AC to 240volts AC. If you live in North America,Canada, or Taiwan, there is nothing tochange.

If you live in Europe, mainland Asia,Australia or a part of South Americathat runs on 220 volts AC, you must firstchange the voltage to the appropriatelevel to match your country's standard.

To change the input voltage, discon-nect the Power Plant from the wallsocket first! Next, on the PS AudioP300 Power Plant, remove the bottomplate; on the P600, P1200, or P2000,remove the top plate.

Locate the voltage change switch.Move the switch to the appropriate volt-age.

Note for P2000 owners: you musthave at least a 20-amp, 120-volt ACdedicated circuit available for theP2000, preferably a 30-amp circuit. If a220-volt AC line is available, this wouldbe even better. Contact PS Audio cus-tomer service, or your dealer or distribu-tor, if you have any questions.

Choose a power cord.The power cord used to operate thePower Plant, as well as the power cordsthat connect up each piece of equip-ment, are important elements in yourquest for great performance.

We recommend the PS Audio PowerLink AC cord, which has been specifical-ly designed for use with the Power Plant.If you choose another AC cord, westrongly recommend that it includes nobuilt-in filtering of any kind. That is, noferrite beads, no networks built intoboxes attached to the power cord, etc.The extra filtering provided on somehigh-end power cords will be detrimentalto the performance of the Power Plantby raising the impedance and causingphase shift.

Do not, under any circumstances,plug a power conditioner into the out-puts of the Power Plant. This willraise the output impedance, causephase shift, and compromise thePower Plant’s performance.

Plug in one piece of gear afteranother, measure total wattage.Make certain that the Power Plant isplugged into the wall socket, but that itspower is switched off.

Plug in all the gear you wish to power,making certain that its power is allswitched off, too.

Using the Power-on button of the PowerPlant, located on the lower left-hand sideof the front panel, switch on the PowerPlant. The front panel display will readPower Factor "60". This indicates 60 Hzoperation.

Press the Mode button, located onthe middle left side of the display onthe P300; below the display on theother models. It is labeled "Mode".The “60”, formerly displayed in thefront panel window, will now readdirectly in watts.

Selectively switch on each deviceconnected to the Power Plant,adding one at a time, while simulta-neously viewing the wattage monitoron the Power Plant’s front panel.The monitor will display an increasein the wattage being used each timeyou switch on another piece of gear.

The maximum allowable wattage is 300for the P300, 600 for the P600, 1200, forthe P1200, and 2000 for the P2000. Atapproximately 75% of the availablewattage, an amber light will illuminate onthe left-hand side of the display. This isthe headroom-warning indicator, signal-ing your approach to the Power Plant'srated wattage. You may use the PowerPlant when the amber warning light is litwithout a problem. It is merely a visualindicator.

Power Factors.Power Factors are an exclusive, patent-pending feature of the PS Audio PowerPlant. The Power Factor feature selec-tively raises the output frequency of thePower Plant from a low of 50 Hz to ahigh of 120 Hz. By increasing thePower Factor your equipment’s powersupply will become more efficient;capacitors become larger, radiated mag-netic fields become smaller. Sonically,you will experience an increase in depthand width of the soundstage.

The Mode button, located on the left-hand side of the display on the P300;below the display for all other models,allows you to choose between thePower Factor feature, and the wattagemeter feature. Power Factors can beraised and lowered via the Up/Down but-tons, located on the right-hand side ofthe P300; below the front panel displayfor all other models.

CAUTION: if you are powering a turntable,tape deck, or anything with an AC synchro-nous motor, do not raise the Power Factor fre-quency above 60 Hz. This can damage yourmotor. CD players and DVD players do nothave AC synchronous motors, so they are nota problem. If you are uncertain about whatyou have, contact the manufacturer forinstructions. You can briefly experiment byraising the frequency and listening to yourmotor for signs of trouble. If you hear anyunusual noises from the motor, turn off thePower Plant, or return to the lower frequency.A short period of operation, at the higherPower Factor, should not damage themotor.

After an extensive period of listening tothe Power Plant in different systems, wehave gained a lot of experience, and willattempt to summarize those listeningexperiences as follows:

Increased depth.Listen to a good recording that hassome measure of depth that extendsfrom the speaker plane to behind thespeaker plane; you should noticegreater depth when powered by thePower Plant. That depth should furtherincrease if you raise the Power Factorfrequency from 60 Hz to a higher fre-quency, but it should be noticeable evenwith the Power Plant in service at its 60Hz setting.

Increased instrumental space.With careful listening, you will noticethat each instrument and each voicehas an allotted area with respect to theother instruments that share the sonicstage. We notice a major increase ofthat space with use of the Power Plant,so that instruments sound more "youare there," more three-dimensional.

Better bass.The bass on recordings should soundtighter, fuller, and in many cases, actual-ly extend lower, as if you removed ahigh-pass filter (bass cutoff) from yoursystem. This effect has ranged, in ourexperience, from subtle to extraordinary.Try listening with and without the PowerPlant in the system.

Less "tinny" quality.Many recordings, even when played onfine, high-end systems, tend to soundstrident or harsh relative to live un-amplified music. Our experience is thatwith use of the Power Plant, much ofthat "tinny" sound vanishes and isreplaced by a richer, sweeter sound.Effect ranges from subtle to huge.

Greater slam and impact.Power conditioners rob your system oflife; the Power Plant renews life. By"life" we refer to the energy and tran-

sient dynamics found in music, whichcan also be described as slam andimpact, commonly associated withdrums, quick bass attacks, and quicktransient voices. It should appear thatwe have removed a "veil" from your sys-tem, with respect to dynamic range.

Video.When connected to a television, or avideo projector, the Power Plant canmake a stunning visual difference.

Deeper, richer blacks, better edge defi-nition, and a clearer, more film-like pres-entation can all be expected.

We do not recommend use of higherPower Factors for video.

A note about listening.All Power Plants sold as new from eitherPS Audio or your dealer come with a30-day money back guarantee.Exceptions to this may include a distrib-utor within a particular country.

To some of you, in fact to many of you,one demonstration of the Power Plant inyour system will be all you'll need todetermine if it is indispensible. Plug itin, listen, and that's it. But for others, itmay be a bit more difficult to make sucha determination. I understand. I'vedone listening tests with equipmentmost of my adult life. So, I can usuallysit down and judge the merits of some-thing in a few minutes.

Here are a few tips from a guy who’sbeen around the block a few times:

Don't expect too much.Sometimes we build ourselves up toexpect that something will sound so dif-ferent that we’re disappointed if it is stillthe same cut of music. Keep yourexpectations realistic.

Differences can sometimes be morenoticeable AFTER you go back to whatyou started with. I have noticed that Ican listen to the standard system, putthe new unit I'm evaluating in the sys-

tem and live with it a bit, but not be tooimpressed until I go back to where Istarted from and THEN realize how biga difference there was.

Although it is always best to use thesame track of music to evaluate per-formance, don't wear out that track andyourself. It is important to choose apiece of music and familiarize yourselfwith how it sounds on the system withno DUT (Device Under Test) in place.Stop, add the DUT, then listen to thesame music and note the differences.

Often I do this with the same cut, andbecome numb to the differences. Onceyou think you've noted some changes,play two or three other, familiar cuts toconfirm the changes.

Keep the volume is identical! A common mistake is not having exactlythe same volume level for the two partsof the test. This may be particularlyhard with the Power Plant, because itrequires you to switch off your equip-ment each time you activate the PowerPlant. I have an Audio Research pre-amplifier that "forgets" its volume settingwhenever it is unplugged. So, I countthe number of clicks that it takes to setthe volume, write that number down,then easily reset volume when I return.

Enlist a friend.Another opinion is always valuable tobackup yours, or maybe your friend willnotice things you have not. I ask afriend to switch Power Factors for me,for instance. Here are my rules: I don'twant to know WHERE you switch, justWHEN you switch. Suppose I ask myassociate to switch between 60 Hz and120 Hz. I ask for position "A" (he pointsupwards), position "B" (he points down-wards). I take notes. On three differentpieces of varying music, I preferred B toA. “OK,” I ask, “which setting was B andwhich was A?”

I guess it's important to be as scientificabout the evaluation as possible. But,don't get so scientific that you forget that

listening is a sensual art. Sometimes the music is of such a com-plex nature that it is difficult (at best) toclearly define the individual nuances thatmake up the differences between thefamiliar system and the DUT.Remember too, listening properly forchanges can be as simple as "I don'tknow, it just sounded better!" That's OKtoo.

A list of things we wouldlike you to know:

Power Factors.We have noticed, on some pieces ofstereo equipment, that their internalpower transformers buzz or "sing" whenthe higher Power Factor frequencies areactivated.

After you've made your evaluation of theeffects of the Power Factor increase(sonically), turn the music off then raiseand lower the frequency to see if yourequipment also makes a mechanicalnoise that is objectionable to you. Thepossible noise I refer to does not comeout of the speakers; if present, it willemanate from the unit itself.

If you do hear such a noise, note howclose to the unit you must be to hear it.(It may be wholly inaudible from your lis-tening position.) Also, raise and lowerthe Power Factor control through eachstep. In many instances, we have foundthat the unit's transformer will "sing" atone frequency, but that it will stop at thevery next frequency. Experiment to findwhich Power Factor works best withrespect to sound and to the lowest levelof transformer "sing" possible. The"singing" transformer phenomenon is notat all harmful to your unit.

Plugging in vs. switching on.A potential problem area is method ofswitching on. We prefer that you firstswitch the Power Plant on (or leave iton), then switch on each piece of equip-ment, one at a time. Example: I have aCD player and a DAC unit plugged intothe Power Plant. The Power Plant is on.

I use the front panel power switch of theDAC to turn it on, then I switch on theCD player. This is the best method.

Try different power cords.While we have implied, time and again,that the Power Plant is impervious toline conditions, that claim is not 100%correct. The small gray area has to dowith input power cords, which seem tomake a sonic difference. Try using thePS Power Link, instead of the suppliedpower cord. The Power Link will make abeneficial sonic difference.

Do NOT use an extension cord on thePower Plant.Do NOT use an extension cord on theoutput of the Power Plant, if this canpossibly be avoided. There is no dan-ger of any kind, but an extension cordmight degrade the performance ofwhat's plugged in.

Do NOT use an outlet extender (toadd more outlets) unless that exten-der has NO protection or filtering.The use of ANY filtering on Power Plantoutputs will defeat its purpose. Thismeans that you should never attach apower conditioner, filter, or power deviceof any kind to an output of the PowerPlant.

Do not use a power conditioneron the Power Plant’s input.We do not recommend the use of apower conditioner on the input of thePower Plant. This may or may notaffect the quality of power coming out ofthe Power Plant. To date, our experi-ence has been a rather negative onewith respect to this matter.

Experiment if you wish, but pleaseassume the worst.

Mixing analog and digitalaudio/video.We believe that it is OK to mix digitaland analog devices on the same PowerPlant with good results. In fact, the

results are better than with any otherdevice we have ever encountered. But,is this the ultimate no-compromise situa-tion? No. It is best, in a cost-no-objectsituation, to separate digital and analogsignals, as well as video, into separatePower Plants.

Theory of operation.The Power Plant is a regenerative ACsynthesizer. It accepts the AC wall volt-age of either 120 volts or 220 volts AC.The AC is then stepped up (or down) to143 volts AC to allow enough headroomfor the voltage-regulation element of thePower Plant. Step up/down is accom-plished through the use of a balancedinput transformer.

Multiple and redundant 4500-volt MOV'sare placed across the primary to offersurge and spike protection.

The AC voltage then passes through a50-amp diode bridge for rectification,and is then filtered by a bank of 3300-mfd 100-volt capacitors. This forms theDC power supply.

The DC power supply, producing plusand minus 103 volts DC, is then appliedto two power amplification stages.These amplification stages are class ABpower amplifiers, featuring an input dif-ferential pair, gain stage, driver pair andmultiple outputs.

The power amplification stage is fed bya DSP-based sine wave oscillatorwhose input frequency is microproces-sor-controlled and selected via the frontpanel buttons.

Sine wave generation.Near perfect, low distortion sine wavesare generated by a custom-designed cir-cuit. This generator is constructed witha microprocessor-based sine wave look-up table, feeding into a 12-bit D to Aprocessor, which outputs into an analogfilter to remove the sampling frequen-cies. The sine wave generator is capa-ble of 0.03% distortion levels, total THD

and IM, for any frequency selected onthe front panel. This output is then fedinto two, high-voltage operational ampli-fiers, powered from a separate plus andminus 25-volt supply, producing 10 voltsrms AC, in phase and out of phase.

Amplifier description.There are two power amplifiers in thePower Plant. Each produces 57.5 voltsrms AC at its output, for a total of 115volts rms between the two balanced out-puts. The two amplifiers form a bal-anced bridge that is used to feed the ACreceptacles on the rear of the PowerPlant.

Input.Bipolar differential pair, biased with anactive dual-device current source formaximum linearity. The differential pairhas a dual-device current mirror feedingit to increase gain, lower distortion, andprovide perfect balance.

Gain stage.One leg of the current mirror is used tofeed the base of a pnp gain stage, whichis fed by an active current source. Wechose to incorporate this topology,rather than any number of other possibil-ities, because we felt this offered us thehighest linear amount of gain with mini-mal componentry.

Current amplification.The gain stage feeds a bipolar comple-mentary driver stage, separated by athermal circuit which actively adjusts theoutput stage current in a manner com-mensurate with the transistor's safeoperating area vs. heat. The driverstage feeds a complementary paralleloutput stage, and the entire signal isthen fed back to the inverting input ofthe differential pair in a loop feedbackscheme.

Catastrophic protection.The output stage is ultimately protectedfrom an over-current situation by the cat-astrophic sensing circuit. An opto-isola-tor is placed across the emitter resistors

of the output stage. When a predeter-mined voltage drop is developed acrossthe emitter resistor, the opto-isolatorfires and sends a signal to the PowerPlant's microprocessor, signaling for animmediate shut down of the power acti-vation relay. A front panel LED is alsoactivated by the microprocessor to indi-cate to the customer that a fault condi-tion has occurred.

Current clamp.On the driver side of the current amplifi-cation section, we have placed a uniquecurrent clamp. Should the current drawexceed the acceptable limits, based ona predetermined time function, theactive clamps will conduct and limit thecurrent drive to the output stage. Thisprotection scheme is useful whenattempting to drive an extremely reactiveload, or a large turn-on inrush current. Itis convenient because it allows thePower Plant to "soft start" a large trans-former/capacitor combination withoutshutting down, and without damage. Inessence, it is a limiter.

Soft sensing.Using a small isolation transformer, con-nected across one of the output stageemitter resistors, we isolate and thenmonitor the real time current draw pro-duced by the Power Plant as it feeds aload. The AC from the isolation trans-former is rectified, then filtered, to pro-duce an average level. That level isthen fed into an A to D converter, andthe digital information is fed into the on-board microprocessor. The micro-processor can then easily calculate theaverage rms current, as delivered by thePower Plant to its load, and then displaythat information on the front panel of thePower Plant when the Mode button hasbeen instructed to do so. Further, themicroprocessor has been programmedto shut down the Power Plant when anover-10% (of rated power) condition ispresent.

ServiceShould your Power Plant require service, please contact your dealer, dis-tributor, or our service department.

PS Audio service and technical assistance:

Email: rcullen@calinet.comTelephone: 805-461-1213Fax: 805-461-0432

Mail: PS Audio Service Center8793 F. Plata LaneAtascadero, Ca. 93422

To contact PS Audio customer service center:

Email: through our web site at http://www.psaudio.comTelephone: 877-772-8340Fax: 970-845-0914

Production, layout and typography: Paul McGowanPhotography: Studio Dog, London