Following Amir for some time I have a number of takeaways. #1 is that Marketing, not Performance rules the audio world. His recent review of the PS Audio P12 is a case in point. It shows that it is a product without a valid purpose. Simply put, there is no need to clean up AC since audio gear runs on DC and devices already do that. Further, PSA has not demonstrated that cleaning up AC has any effect on audio performance.
Yet, PSA is quite proud of its power regenerators, claiming they invented the category. Power regenerators are the first thing you see on their landing web page. The very second line on that page reads “Regenerate the magic”. What magic? It is never explained. It is hyperbole at its best.
Consider this:
“A P12 gives you greatly improved performance and safety from just plugging into the wall socket and far better dynamics, bass, and a much bigger, open soundstage than any passive power conditioner on the market.”
I can understand why power regenerators take center stage at PSA. With prices ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, the profit margin must be significant. The hyperbole is understandable. So is the attempt to defend the new P12 regenerator against Amir’s claim that it is a product with a misdirected mission.
PSA’s intention is sales, but is the company using deception which is believed and relied upon by others? If it is, the same might be said about the marketing of other audio products by a number of manufacturers. Cables come to mind. If it is, its marketing comes close to the literal definition of fraudulent behavior. What I think keeps it from crossing the line is that the purchase of an audio product is a voluntary act. Companies may truly believe that technologies in their products make an audible difference. However, to Amir’s point, where is the proof?
I don’t ever think of myself as a victim. I chose to buy a P15 regenerator as my first PSA device. Other than being influenced by an excellent salesperson, it came without pressure. Over the last two years, I have tried hard to hear a difference between my gear using the P15 and no regenerator. I failed. Fortunately, the P15 can still play a role, albeit as probably the most expensive power strip I’ve ever owned.
I once drank the PSA Kool-Aid. It was hard not to. Besides the P15, I owned a DSD DAC, BHK 250 amp, and BHK preamp. Getting those devices was part of my effort to see if the considerable expense would have sonic payoffs. The same applied to my purchase of fairly high-grade Audioquest cabling and $12,000 Focal speakers. The hard and expensive lesson to learn was that, in the end, I would find exceptional performance without the high cost.
Fortunately, I sold all my PSA gear, except for the regenerator. Why I'm not sure. Perhaps as a reminder never to make that mistake again. I had enough money left over to get a whole new system, bank a few bucks, and pay for more than a few fine dining experiences. It was not hard to let go after acquiring a pair of Klipsch Forte IV speakers, a Denafrips Pontus DAC, Decware Zen single-ended triode amp, Schiit SS preamp, and Blue Jeans cabling throughout. I now have the high-fidelity sound I wanted, at a fraction of what PSA gear cost me.
I wish I had discovered the world of high-sensitivity speakers and low-powered amplifiers a lot sooner. I wish I had learned that price and performance are not necessarily correlated before spending considerable money on all the high-end gear I’ve had over the years. I wish I had used my critical skills much earlier and saw marketing hyperbole for what it is. I wish I had discovered Audio Science Research sooner.
But if I had, I might not now appreciate firsthand the brilliance of much of today’s audio marketing. However misleading it can be, it is brilliant. If I had a “Brilliance in Marketing” award to give, PSA would most definitely get it. There is a lot that is good about it. A 30-day home trial with PSA-paid returns is hard to fault. Trade-ins that give you the full retail price of whatever is traded against the purchase price of PSA gear (up to 30% of the retail price) are hard to beat.
To be sure, customers pay for the privilege with the unnecessarily high price of PSA gear, which does not reflect its true sonic performance value, at least not for those who do not return the product or trade their unwanted components.
I would rather trade-ins were eliminated and prices lowered. Still, since I am no longer a PSA buyer, I am glad the program exists for those folks who find Paul McGowan credible. It can be difficult after seeing chronic, fundamental mistakes in videos and posts. However, there is some value in his pronouncements, and there are many who find his folksy charm genuine and compelling enough to overlook the flaws and reward PSA with their hard-earned dollars.
In my mind, absent proof of concept, misleading the audio community about regenerators throws doubt upon PSA assertions about other claims in its product line. I just hope that folks at least consider, many times over, the purchase of a PSA regenerator. There is far more than reasonable doubt that purchasing this type of product is like throwing money into one of those infamous Florida sinkholes.
Yet, PSA is quite proud of its power regenerators, claiming they invented the category. Power regenerators are the first thing you see on their landing web page. The very second line on that page reads “Regenerate the magic”. What magic? It is never explained. It is hyperbole at its best.
Consider this:
“A P12 gives you greatly improved performance and safety from just plugging into the wall socket and far better dynamics, bass, and a much bigger, open soundstage than any passive power conditioner on the market.”
I can understand why power regenerators take center stage at PSA. With prices ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, the profit margin must be significant. The hyperbole is understandable. So is the attempt to defend the new P12 regenerator against Amir’s claim that it is a product with a misdirected mission.
PSA’s intention is sales, but is the company using deception which is believed and relied upon by others? If it is, the same might be said about the marketing of other audio products by a number of manufacturers. Cables come to mind. If it is, its marketing comes close to the literal definition of fraudulent behavior. What I think keeps it from crossing the line is that the purchase of an audio product is a voluntary act. Companies may truly believe that technologies in their products make an audible difference. However, to Amir’s point, where is the proof?
I don’t ever think of myself as a victim. I chose to buy a P15 regenerator as my first PSA device. Other than being influenced by an excellent salesperson, it came without pressure. Over the last two years, I have tried hard to hear a difference between my gear using the P15 and no regenerator. I failed. Fortunately, the P15 can still play a role, albeit as probably the most expensive power strip I’ve ever owned.
I once drank the PSA Kool-Aid. It was hard not to. Besides the P15, I owned a DSD DAC, BHK 250 amp, and BHK preamp. Getting those devices was part of my effort to see if the considerable expense would have sonic payoffs. The same applied to my purchase of fairly high-grade Audioquest cabling and $12,000 Focal speakers. The hard and expensive lesson to learn was that, in the end, I would find exceptional performance without the high cost.
Fortunately, I sold all my PSA gear, except for the regenerator. Why I'm not sure. Perhaps as a reminder never to make that mistake again. I had enough money left over to get a whole new system, bank a few bucks, and pay for more than a few fine dining experiences. It was not hard to let go after acquiring a pair of Klipsch Forte IV speakers, a Denafrips Pontus DAC, Decware Zen single-ended triode amp, Schiit SS preamp, and Blue Jeans cabling throughout. I now have the high-fidelity sound I wanted, at a fraction of what PSA gear cost me.
I wish I had discovered the world of high-sensitivity speakers and low-powered amplifiers a lot sooner. I wish I had learned that price and performance are not necessarily correlated before spending considerable money on all the high-end gear I’ve had over the years. I wish I had used my critical skills much earlier and saw marketing hyperbole for what it is. I wish I had discovered Audio Science Research sooner.
But if I had, I might not now appreciate firsthand the brilliance of much of today’s audio marketing. However misleading it can be, it is brilliant. If I had a “Brilliance in Marketing” award to give, PSA would most definitely get it. There is a lot that is good about it. A 30-day home trial with PSA-paid returns is hard to fault. Trade-ins that give you the full retail price of whatever is traded against the purchase price of PSA gear (up to 30% of the retail price) are hard to beat.
To be sure, customers pay for the privilege with the unnecessarily high price of PSA gear, which does not reflect its true sonic performance value, at least not for those who do not return the product or trade their unwanted components.
I would rather trade-ins were eliminated and prices lowered. Still, since I am no longer a PSA buyer, I am glad the program exists for those folks who find Paul McGowan credible. It can be difficult after seeing chronic, fundamental mistakes in videos and posts. However, there is some value in his pronouncements, and there are many who find his folksy charm genuine and compelling enough to overlook the flaws and reward PSA with their hard-earned dollars.
In my mind, absent proof of concept, misleading the audio community about regenerators throws doubt upon PSA assertions about other claims in its product line. I just hope that folks at least consider, many times over, the purchase of a PSA regenerator. There is far more than reasonable doubt that purchasing this type of product is like throwing money into one of those infamous Florida sinkholes.
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