PS Audio Ultimate Outlet Review

[Sokel]

I don't think that is fair to be honest.

It's a 20 year old product. Regulations change.

Plenty of HiFi in 60s, 70s and 80s, was fitted with what we now call "death caps"- capacitors neutral to chassis earth for RFI and especially with old US two pin plugs where they can be rotated, a failed cap (shorted) means a live chassis. Which equals the "death" part.

You might think, well, in Australia with our non rotatable plugs, that shouldn't be a problem. But it is. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, much universal voltage gear was imported here, the plugs cut off and the voltage switch adjusted. Sent out the door, not only by the importers, but by HiFi stores. Thing was, most two wire mains leads were black and not marked with a white polarity stripe. Some had the ridge down one side, but 'techs' and importers rarely considered polarity on a two pin mains lead.

I've lost count of the number of Death Caps (not the mushrooms) I have seen and removed. Or cleaned up the collateral damage.

Where I live you plug every way you want.
An old analog electronic crossover I had could raise your hair if hooked up the opposite way,had 80V in the case when I measured it (low amps of course,but still).

 

[muslhead]

Sure. I didn't expect to need it.

Shame, you should have as its from PSA

 

[AudioSceptic]

It does highlight the need to treat filter/surge boards as either having a finite service life and/or inspecting/replacing if and when they ever take a hit/surge.

MOVs are not indestructible and nobody knows how many times that particular PS audio product has absorbed (and possibly protected) the attached equipment in the last 20 years.

I don't see it as a bad product, just something that should either be inspected or chucked out after 5-7 years. A bit like that fire extinguisher we all have someplace as a 'spare'. You know, the one where the pressure indicator is right on the borderline of good/replace...

I don't see that as being in any way acceptable. A product that becomes dangerous simply through use should fail safe, especially something likely to be hidden behind a desk, rack, etc. Why 5-7 years? When does it become dangerous? How do we know it's not 3 years, or even 2 or 1?

 

[DanielT]

It wasn't faulty when new. Failures occur in 20 years, and stuff can become dangerous. Consider this has internal surge arrestors (MOVs).

I see it all the time in older gear. It's up to the person using it to either be on top of the risks with vintage electronics, get an expert to test it, or walk away and take the risk with something new.

Glad you said that! You know what your talking about. Especially these days when people buy old vintage HiFi like crazy. That without knowing a damn thing about electronics. They just buy and plug in. Having a electronics knowledgeable person/ professional electronics repairman check the stuff BEFORE it is plugged in is a small financial investment compared to what can happen.

There are those who find old vintage receivers/amps that have been collecting dust in some flea market for decades. Which is then just plugged into the socket without the slightest inspection.

Edit:
OT.
In addition, clean away dust that has collected around the fridge and freezer, look over the house, the apartment in general. Does the fire alarm work, for example? Take some checklist online and go through it. Not you John, you know this more a general reminder I thought.

 

[restorer-john]

I don't see that as being in any way acceptable. A product that becomes dangerous simply through use should fail safe, especially something likely to be hidden behind a desk, rack, etc. Why 5-7 years? When does it become dangerous? How do we know it's not 3 years, or even 2 or 1?

Look, in an ideal world, all electronic/electrical failures would be benign and nothing bad would happen. But that's simply not possible nor true.

I could rattle off a list of failures that nobody, and I mean nobody could possibly predict. Failures where a combination of unlikely or impossible events align to create a potentially lethal situation.

The surges on electrical systems are unpredictable. Nobody can confidently say things will fail a particular way. We had a hit the other day from a nasty storm where the wind took out the 11kV line down the street before the transformer. Shorted lines due to a falling tree. Power off, came back on and then I raced to pull the plugs on key stuff before it went off for a few hours. No losses except the extractor fan in the bathroom which was on at the time. Took out a winding. Fridges, washers, oven clock, router, HiFi etc all fine. But a simple fan motor? They can normally take anything- or not...

 

[AudioSceptic]

It wasn't faulty when new. Failures occur in 20 years, and stuff can become dangerous. Consider this has internal surge arrestors (MOVs).

I see it all the time in older gear. It's up to the person using it to either be on top of the risks with vintage electronics, get an expert to test it, or walk away and take the risk with something new.

OK, thanks. I had no idea this might be so common.

 

[DonR]

Seems like an ok product to me. Designed for it's time and does it's job without being completely outrageously priced. Any similar product of that vintage can have issues. Obviously it won't improve sound quality unless your power line has excessive noise and your equipment is susceptible to that. I've always thought MOVs should be user replaceable like fuses since they are consumables.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Look, in an ideal world, all electronic/electrical failures would be benign and nothing bad would happen. But that's simply not possible nor true.

I could rattle off a list of failures that nobody, and I mean nobody could possibly predict. Failures where a combination of unlikely or impossible events align to create a potentially lethal situation.

The surges on electrical systems are unpredictable. Nobody can confidently say things will fail a particular way. We had a hit the other day from a nasty storm where the wind took out the 11kV line down the street before the transformer. Shorted lines due to a falling tree. Power off, came back on and then I raced to pull the plugs on key stuff before it went off for a few hours. No losses except the extractor fan in the bathroom which was on at the time. Took out a winding. Fridges, washers, oven clock, router, HiFi etc all fine. But a simple fan motor? They can normally take anything- or not...

I'm clearly living in a fantasy world where things are *so* much better than they are in the real one!

 

[restorer-john]

I'm clearly living in a fantasy world where things are *so* much better than they are in the real one!

If the $30 bathroom extractor fan took the hit and saved my router/NAS and HiFi, I'm happy.

 

[RayDunzl]

@amirm

You didn't accidentally start with the "ton of electricity" test, did you?

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Can the person who voted „great“ please put their fingers on the plugged in piece and tell us afterwards (if able to) how great it felt?

 

[Triliza]

I think I (we) need to take more seriously the safety certifications, not only in audio but in general for all electronics. I think that all electronic devices sold in Europe must have safety certifications by law (CE?). Is that true? Something else to be aware in that front?

 

[NiagaraPete]

Without certification would insurance be void in case of incident?

 

[Trell]

Sadly, dangerous electrical devices are quite common.

USB power supplies can be dangerous as well.

Below is a list a Danish guy, who mostly reviews cells, chargers, USB power supplies etc, over charges where he has tested for safety.

After reading his reviews I’m for sure skeptical and careful about what I buy.

Index of tested and reviewed USB power supplies/chargers

 

[garbz]

This means that the only thing keeping me from getting electric shock, was the thin layer of paint!!!

Can you post a picture of the inside of the unit? I'm willing to bet you wouldn't have gotten an electric shock. You're almost certainly measuring leakage which is present on many devices, especially those with SMPSes. E.g. My Surface Laptop measures mains voltage directly on the outside of the case but I'm not getting an electric shock every time I touch it.
That said it's still a shit device since it's clear that the earth isn't connected properly (or you have an earthing problem in your house) but since this is PS Audio I'm going to go with the former.

 

[Trell]

Without certification would insurance be void in case of incident?

Depends on where you live, I guess, but that is certainly another potential risk as well.

 

[garbz]

Has Amir even reviewed, tested only ONE product from PS Audio that is at least ok and doesn't cost a shit load of money?

Review and Measurements of PS Audio S300 PWR Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of the PS Audio Stellar S300 Stereo Power Amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member. The S300 costs US $1,499 from the company. Fitting the design language of the rest of the PS Audio and using similar enclosure, the S300 is quite hefty considering...

www.audiosciencereview.com

He even recommended it. But let's consider that one an outlier in a long list of overpriced crap products.

 

[Plcamp]

I will simply note that if this device can kill you, then the marketing name including the word “ultimate” is entirely appropriate.

 

[respice finem]

The final solution, including, but not limited to, audio problems
/s

 

[AdamG247]

Perhaps it's time for a burning panther, or perhaps a medic panther?

A Panther in a Casket with the words “It will Kill” Wow, it’s an electrical device and absolutely needs a safety inspection and certification.

This is not funny to me. If someone can die from using this device. Someone who has an account over at P.S. Audio please bring this to their attention!