PS Audio Noise Harvester Video Review

[Labjr]

I wonder if you can start reviewing infomercial products like the Garden Weasel or the Potty Putter?

 

[vlad335]

Amir, did you let the device "break in" first?
Did you plug it into one of these? https://www.psaudio.com/products/power-port-classic/
And don't get me started on the breakers in your box!
This stuff never ends....

Wow! next they will have people replacing the power service entry and then climbing the pole outside.

 

[Newman]

Why doesn’t the chart at 3 mins....

...have its effect on the chart at 6 mins...

I mean, why doesn’t it have a -20 dB effect at 6.8 kHz? Looks more like 2 dB.

cheers

 

[Newman]

As mentioned at 15m15s, your standard step-down/rectify/filter mains power supply has a strong filter built in.

So, just for illustrative purposes, it might have made the point if @amirm had compared this....

...with the equivalent filtering performance of a typical audio component power supply.... !

cheers

 

[Long Audio Beard]

PS Audio: "You will easily be able to hear the improvements, and the effect is cumulative: the more Noise Harvesters, the better."

The more the better apparently, so stock up folks! Lol Lol
PS Audio Noise Harvester - $99

 

[solderdude]

I mean, why doesn’t it have a -20 dB effect at 6.8 kHz? Looks more like 2 dB.

The reason is a different source resistance.

 

[Azathoth]

I use to buy a custom power cable to connect my laptop's power supply to the wall. I actually believed it made the sound better. Yes the cable that goes from the wall socket to the power brick of my laptop. paid 100 dollars ish for it. My friend who happens to work at the store told me about better power delivery and less interference and thus better audio coming out of my laptop. Naturally that blew up into me buying something like this like a quest item to aid in my journey to audiophilia. And like the cable it did seem to work.

Looking back it's just that feeling of accomplishment washing over me as I try to do what I can and expecting the sound to be different.

 

[Invinoveritasty]

Wow! next they will have people replacing the power service entry and then climbing the pole outside.

You mean, you don't have a "a dedicated cryogenically-treated electricity system?"
https://www.acousticsciences.com/projects/hammer-hand-custom-hifi-room

 

[Newman]

The reason is a different source resistance.

So why produce a graph with a source that doesn't represent its use case?

 

[restorer-john]

Does a good voltage stabilizer clean up the harmonic distortions of the power grid?

Absolutely. A good, large ferro-resonant transformer will clean up distortion, common and differential mode noise, spikes and keep the output voltge within a small range. All with no moving parts, no semiconductors and a simple design.

Downsides:
Expensive, large, runs warm, is not very efficient (wastes a bit of power as heat) and makes an audible hum. So not much good for HiFi unless you put it in another room. I have one in my storeroom I picked up from a data-centre for free years ago.

https://voltage-disturbance.com/power-engineering/ferroresonant-transformer/

 

[Maki]

Why would you be listening to the power grid?

Gives me an idea for an snake oil product to go along with all of these power filter type things - voltage divider that plugs directly into AC mains and you can listen to the waveform with headphones. Could also plug electrostatic headphones directly into the wall with a bias supply. "Hear your power being cleaned".

 

[wwenze]

So why produce a graph with a source that doesn't represent its use case?

Because that *IS* the use case.

The harmonics are produced by the transformer. You don't put the noise harvester after the transformer.

And once you realize that, you will understand why people with understanding of i.r.l. power supplies groan at this product.

 

[JustJones]

Since this harvests the noise their next product is we will dispose of the harvested noise for a small monthly fee off $$$$

 

[Francis Vaughan]

ferro-resonant transformer

One should probably distinguish between ferro-resonant and the switching auto transformers Amir mentioned. They work in fundamentally different ways. The big downside of ferro-resonant is they have a minimum useful power delivery, so they need to be sized to the load. But they do clean up crud and spikes nicely. Handy for really sensitive stuff. Modern dual conversion UPS systems killed them off for the most part.
I have two sitting in my cellar. One day I should get the scrap copper value back for them.

 

[Lambda]

So why produce a graph with a source that doesn't represent its use case?

This graph is only helpfully if source resistance is also defined.

Impedance of the device vs frequency would actually be better.

@amirm
I kindly suggest you stop wasting your time and energy on BS Snake Oil products like this.
If your enjoining doing this as a fun and relaxing alternative, or what ever. More power to you.

The believers want to believ and produkts like this don't deserve (your) attention.

 

[restorer-john]

One should probably distinguish between ferro-resonant and the switching auto transformers Amir mentioned. They work in fundamentally different ways. The big downside of ferro-resonant is they have a minimum useful power delivery, so they need to be sized to the load. But they do clean up crud and spikes nicely. Handy for really sensitive stuff. Modern dual conversion UPS systems killed them off for the most part.
I have two sitting in my cellar. One day I should get the scrap copper value back for them.

My UPS sits unused also, but not in my cellar (no cellar under our house- it's a pole home). The power consumption of the UPS when active is significant enough to render it of limited value. There is nothing "mission critical" enough to justify continuous ~75W consumption 24/7, just so I can run my bench/lab for a short period. After all, the lights will go off anyway.

 

[Inner Space]

... no cellar under our house- it's a pole home ...

John, do you mean built on stilts? Why? Flooding, or snakes, spiders and kangaroos?

 

[Labjr]

I wonder why they call it a harvester? Does it remove noise and store it somewhere else?

 

[Helicopter]

I wonder if posting the original review and blocking comments on the video thread would drive comments to YT where they would boost your status in the search and recommendation algorithms.

 

[GimeDsp]

HAHAHAHA, made me smile before I even watched it!
LOVE IT