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Thank you for your purchase of the PS Audio Power Plant.
Your confidence and trust in our company and in our products, as evidenced 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 manufacture and support of affordable, high-end audio and video products.
These are products that rely on sound engineering and innovative
design to achieve our goals. In 1998, Paul McGowan acquired sole
ownership of the name, and began to build PS Audio International, as it
is now known.
The Power Plant series represents the first of many products to be produced by PS Audio International.
All PS Audio products are sold with a full 30-day money back guarantee
to the original purchaser (not including shipping in either direction). If,
for any reason whatsoever, you find that a PS Audio product is not living
up to your expectations, and would like to return the unit for a refund,
please feel free to do so by contacting our customer service department, 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 the
company and its products. We are extremely proud and enthusiastic
about what we make, and we want the world to share in those feelings
and 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 t h e
President of the company, can help you, do not hesitate to contact us
immediately.
Good listening!
Paul McGowan
President
PS Audio International
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The PS Audio Power Plant series is designed to provide clean, safe, low-distortion, low-impedance, regenerated AC power for your audio and video equipment.
There are four models, the P300, the P600, the P1200, and the P2000. Each
model has the same features and functions, but they differ with respect to output
power. The model name indicates the output power in watts; the P300 is a 300watt unit, the P600 is a 600-watt unit, the P1200 is a 1200-watt unit, and the
P2000 is a 2000-watt unit.
The P300 was designed for all low and medium power applications such as CD
players, D to A processors, televisions, projectors, tuners, etc. The P300 was
not designed for power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, or receivers with output
greater than 50 watts per channel.
The P600, P1200, and P2000 were designed for powering medium to large
power amplifiers, as well as all low-level equipment.
The Power Plant is not a filter or line conditioner. Rather, it is a regenerative AC
synthesizer. 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), then
converts 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-thousand
mfd capacitors.
·DSP-based, multi-frequency, programmable sine wave oscillator.
·A stereo power amplifier, ranging from 300 watts to 2000 watts, depending
on 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 existing
front panel display board. It provides a distortion analyzer, graphic oscilloscope,
digital rms voltmeter, and a digital distortion analyzer. If you have purchased the
display board for your new Power Plant, the instructions for its installation are
included with the display board kit.
The output of the PS Audio Power Plant produces regulated, balanced, 115 volt
AC 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 appropriate voltage via an internal selection switch. Details are available in the setup
section of this manual.
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Step 1
Remove from packaging.
The Power Plant will arrive in a single container that is made with three elements: an
outer shipping carton, an inner shipping carton, and a protective sleeve.
Remove each of the three elements to expose the Power Plant. Be certain and save
all 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 2
Placement of the P300.
Place the P300 in a reasonably well-ventilated area, close to the low-level items you
intend to power. It may be placed inside a cabinet, or on the floor, behind your equipment. (It is permissible to leave the Power Plant on, and turn your equipment on and
off 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 power
amplifier(s) and a number of lower power units simultaneously, it is advisable to purchase the PS Audio Extension Link. The Extension Link provides an additional eight
hospital grade outlets, and allows you to place the Power Plant near the power amplifier 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, or
on a large shelf. In any case, do not place these larger units inside a cabinet, unless
it is well ventilated. The P600, P1200, and certainly the P2000, produce a great deal
of heat.
It is not advisable to use an extension cord for a power amplifier, unless it has at least
a 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 in
North America, Canada, or Taiwan, you need not change anything. If you live in the
rest of Asia, Australia, or Europe, please refer to the more detailed setup guide to
learn the procedure for changing the voltage.
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Step 4
Plug in your equipment.
Important: the P300 model was never intended for power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, or receivers that produce more than 50 watts per channel. Equipment that produces 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, is
switched OFF, then plug the equipment into the outlets on the back of the Power Plant.
Step 5
Plug 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 the
use of any power cords that contain filters. Using the lower left-hand button on the
Power Plant's front panel, switch on the Power Plant.
Step 6
The Power Plant's display will now read "60".
This is the frequency
the Power Plant is producing. You may raise or lower this frequency by using the two Up/Down buttons located to the right of the display on the
P300; 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 damage your motor. CD players and DVD players do not have AC synchronous motors, so
they are not a problem. If you are uncertain about what you have, contact the manufacturer for instructions. You can briefly experiment by raising the frequency and listening to your motor for signs of trouble. If you hear any unusual noises from the
motor, switch off the Power Plant, or return to the lower frequency. A short period of
operation, at the higher Power Factor, should not damage the motor.
Experiment with different Power Factor settings once you have familiarized yourself
with the basic performance of the Power Plant. There are 10 Power Factors; each
higher level of PF will increase the Power Plant’s output frequency as displayed on the
front panel. After you measure the wattage, following step number 7 of this quick start
guide, press the Mode button again to return to the Power Factor control. Use the
Up/Down buttons located on the right side of the display on the P300; below the display on the other models, to change the PF.
Step 7
Switch 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 the
front panel of the Power Plant as you do this. Should an amber light illuminate, or
should the Power Plant shut off at any time during this initial turn-on phase, please
refer back to the more detailed setup guide for instructions. Refer to the section
labeled "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 listening tips. However, you may certainly proceed to the enjoyment phase of the Power
Plant at this point. Good listening and viewing!
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Remove from packaging.
The Power Plant will arrive in a single
container that is made of three elements: an outer shipping carton, an
inner shipping carton, and a protective
sleeve.
Be certain to save all packing material
in case you ever need to ship the
Power Plant back to us.
Position the Power Plant.
The P300 is rather easy to locate
appropriately; the P600, P1200 and
P2000 models may be more difficult.
P300.
The P300 was designed, primarily, for
low-powered items such as CD players,
preamplifiers, DAC's, video processors,
and so forth. It was not designed to
power anything greater than a 50 watt
per channel power amplifier, or integrated, or receiver.
Place the P300 in a reasonably wellventilated area, close to the low-level
items you intend to power. In many
applications this will be on a shelf
alongside your other equipment. It may
also be placed inside a cabinet, if that is
more convenient. In other instances,
you may wish to place the Power Plant
on the floor, behind your equipment.
It is permissible to leave the Power
Plant switched on continuously.
P600, P1200, P2000.
These larger units were designed
with two purposes in mind: powering small to large power amplifiers
and/or other lower power units at
the same time. If you wish to use
the P1200, the P600 or the P2000
to operate both a power amplifier(s)
and a number of lower power units
simultaneously, it is advisable to
purchase the PS Audio Extension
Link. The Extension Link provides
an additional eight hospital grade
outlets, and it allows you to place
the Power Plant near the power
amplifier and to use the Extension
Link to remotely power your other
equipment.
Do not place these larger units inside a
cabinet, unless it is extremely well ventilated. The P600, P1200 and P2000
produce a great deal of heat.
It is not advisable to use an extension
cord for a power amplifier, unless it has
at least a 12-gauge cord.
Adjust the voltage to match
your country's standard.
The Power Plants are shipped ready to
operate on 120 volts AC. This voltage
is the standard in most of North
America, Canada, Taiwan, and parts of
South America. Most of the rest of the
world is running on 220 volts AC to 240
volts AC. If you live in North America,
Canada, or Taiwan, there is nothing to
change.
If you live in Europe, mainland Asia,
Australia or a part of South America
that runs on 220 volts AC, you must first
change the voltage to the appropriate
level to match your country's standard.
To change the input voltage, discon-
nect the Power Plant from the wall
socket first! Next, on the PS Audio
P300 Power Plant, remove the bottom
plate; on the P600, P1200, or P2000,
remove the top plate.
Locate the voltage change switch.
Move the switch to the appropriate voltage.
Note for P2000 owners: you must
have at least a 20-amp, 120-volt AC
dedicated circuit available for the
P2000, preferably a 30-amp circuit. If a
220-volt AC line is available, this would
be even better. Contact PS Audio customer service, or your dealer or distributor, if you have any questions.
Choose a power cord.
The power cord used to operate the
Power Plant, as well as the power cords
that connect up each piece of equipment, are important elements in your
quest for great performance.
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We recommend the PS Audio Power
Link AC cord, which has been specifically designed for use with the Power Plant.
If you choose another AC cord, we
strongly recommend that it includes no
built-in filtering of any kind. That is, no
ferrite beads, no networks built into
boxes attached to the power cord, etc.
The extra filtering provided on some
high-end power cords will be detrimental
to the performance of the Power Plant
by raising the impedance and causing
phase shift.
Do not, under any circumstances,
plug a power conditioner into the outputs of the Power Plant. This will
raise the output impedance, cause
phase shift, and compromise the
Power Plant’s performance.
Plug in one piece of gear after
another,measure total wattage.
Make certain that the Power Plant is
plugged into the wall socket, but that its
power is switched off.
Plug in all the gear you wish to power,
making certain that its power is all
switched off, too.
Using the Power-on button of the Power
Plant, located on the lower left-hand side
of the front panel, switch on the Power
Plant. The front panel display will read
Power Factor "60". This indicates 60 Hz
operation.
Press the Mode button, located on
the middle left side of the display on
the P300; below the display on the
other models. It is labeled "Mode".
The “60”, formerly displayed in the
front panel window, will now read
directly in watts.
Selectively switch on each device
connected to the Power Plant,
adding one at a time, while simultaneously viewing the wattage monitor
on the Power Plant’s front panel.
The monitor will display an increase
in the wattage being used each time
you switch on another piece of gear.
The maximum allowable wattage is 300
for the P300, 600 for the P600, 1200, for
the P1200, and 2000 for the P2000. At
approximately 75% of the available
wattage, an amber light will illuminate on
the left-hand side of the display. This is
the headroom-warning indicator, signaling your approach to the Power Plant's
rated wattage. You may use the Power
Plant when the amber warning light is lit
without a problem. It is merely a visual
indicator.
Power Factors.
Power Factors are an exclusive, patentpending feature of the PS Audio Power
Plant. The Power Factor feature selectively raises the output frequency of the
Power Plant from a low of 50 Hz to a
high of 120 Hz. By increasing the
Power Factor your equipment’s power
supply will become more efficient;
capacitors become larger, radiated magnetic fields become smaller. Sonically,
you will experience an increase in depth
and width of the soundstage.
The Mode button, located on the lefthand side of the display on the P300;
below the display for all other models,
allows you to choose between the
Power Factor feature, and the wattage
meter feature. Power Factors can be
raised and lowered via the Up/Down buttons, located on the right-hand side of
the P300; below the front panel display
for all other models.
CAUTION: if you are powering a turntable,
tape deck, or anything with an AC synchronous motor, do not raise the Power Factor frequency above 60 Hz. This can damage your
motor. CD players and DVD players do not
have AC synchronous motors, so they are not
a problem. If you are uncertain about what
you have, contact the manufacturer for
instructions. Y ou can briefly experiment by
raising the frequency and listening to your
motor for signs of trouble. If you hear any
unusual noises from the motor, turn off the
Power Plant, or return to the lower frequency.
A short period of operation, at the higher
Power Factor, should not damage the
motor.
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After an extensive period of listening to
the Power Plant in different systems, we
have gained a lot of experience, and will
attempt to summarize those listening
experiences as follows:
Increased depth.
Listen to a good recording that has
some measure of depth that extends
from the speaker plane to behind the
speaker plane; you should notice
greater depth when powered by the
Power Plant. That depth should further
increase if you raise the Power Factor
frequency from 60 Hz to a higher frequency, but it should be noticeable even
with the Power Plant in service at its 60
Hz setting.
Increased instrumental space.
With careful listening, you will notice
that each instrument and each voice
has an allotted area with respect to the
other instruments that share the sonic
stage. We notice a major increase of
that space with use of the Power Plant,
so that instruments sound more "you
are there," more three-dimensional.
Better bass.
The bass on recordings should sound
tighter, fuller, and in many cases, actually extend lower, as if you removed a
high-pass filter (bass cutoff) from your
system. This effect has ranged, in our
experience, from subtle to extraordinary.
Try listening with and without the Power
Plant in the system.
Less "tinny" quality.
Many recordings, even when played on
fine, high-end systems, tend to sound
strident or harsh relative to live unamplified music. Our experience is that
with use of the Power Plant, much of
that "tinny" sound vanishes and is
replaced by a richer, sweeter sound.
Effect ranges from subtle to huge.
Greater slam and impact.
Power conditioners rob your system of
life; the Power Plant renews life. By
"life" we refer to the energy and tran-
sient dynamics found in music, which
can also be described as slam and
impact, commonly associated with
drums, quick bass attacks, and quick
transient voices. It should appear that
we have removed a "veil" from your system, with respect to dynamic range.
Video.
When connected to a television, or a
video projector, the Power Plant can
make a stunning visual difference.
Deeper, richer blacks, better edge definition, and a clearer, more film-like presentation can all be expected.
We do not recommend use of higher
Power Factors for video.
A note about listening.
All Power Plants sold as new from either
PS Audio or your dealer come with a
30-day money back guarantee.
Exceptions to this may include a distributor within a particular country.
To some of you, in fact to many of you,
one demonstration of the Power Plant in
your system will be all you'll need to
determine if it is indispensible. Plug it
in, listen, and that's it. But for others, it
may be a bit more difficult to make such
a determination. I understand. I've
done listening tests with equipment
most of my adult life. So, I can usually
sit down and judge the merits of something in a few minutes.
Here are a few tips from a guy who’s
been around the block a few times:
Don't expect too much.
Sometimes we build ourselves up to
expect that something will sound so different that we’re disappointed if it is still
the same cut of music. Keep your
expectations realistic.
Differences can sometimes be more
noticeable AFTER you go back to what
you started with. I have noticed that I
can listen to the standard system, put
the new unit I'm evaluating in the sys-
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tem and live with it a bit, but not be too
impressed until I go back to where I
started from and THEN realize how big
a difference there was.
Although it is always best to use the
same track of music to evaluate performance, don't wear out that track and
yourself. It is important to choose a
piece of music and familiarize yourself
with how it sounds on the system with
no DUT (Device Under Test) in place.
Stop, add the DUT, then listen to the
same music and note the differences.
Often I do this with the same cut, and
become numb to the differences. Once
you think you've noted some changes,
play two or three other, familiar cuts to
confirm the changes.
Keep the volume is identical!
A common mistake is not having exactly
the same volume level for the two parts
of the test. This may be particularly
hard with the Power Plant, because it
requires you to switch off your equipment each time you activate the Power
Plant. I have an Audio Research preamplifier that "forgets" its volume setting
whenever it is unplugged. So, I count
the number of clicks that it takes to set
the volume, write that number down,
then easily reset volume when I return.
Enlist a friend.
Another opinion is always valuable to
backup yours, or maybe your friend will
notice things you have not. I ask a
friend to switch Power Factors for me,
for instance. Here are my rules: I don't
want to know WHERE you switch, just
WHEN you switch. Suppose I ask my
associate to switch between 60 Hz and
120 Hz. I ask for position "A" (he points
upwards), position "B" (he points downwards). I take notes. On three different
pieces of varying music, I preferred B to
A. “OK,” I ask, “which setting was B and
which was A?”
I guess it's important to be as scientific
about 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 complex nature that it is difficult (at best) to
clearly define the individual nuances that
make up the differences between the
familiar system and the DUT.
Remember too, listening properly for
changes can be as simple as "I don't
know, it just sounded better!" That's OK
too.
A list of things we would
like you to know:
Power Factors.
We have noticed, on some pieces of
stereo equipment, that their internal
power transformers buzz or "sing" when
the higher Power Factor frequencies are
activated.
After you've made your evaluation of the
effects of the Power Factor increase
(sonically), turn the music off then raise
and lower the frequency to see if your
equipment also makes a mechanical
noise that is objectionable to you. The
possible noise I refer to does not come
out of the speakers; if present, it will
emanate from the unit itself.
If you do hear such a noise, note how
close to the unit you must be to hear it.
(It may be wholly inaudible from your listening position.) Also, raise and lower
the Power Factor control through each
step. In many instances, we have found
that the unit's transformer will "sing" at
one frequency, but that it will stop at the
very next frequency. Experiment to find
which Power Factor works best with
respect to sound and to the lowest level
of transformer "sing" possible. The
"singing" transformer phenomenon is not
at all harmful to your unit.
Plugging in vs. switching on.
A potential problem area is method of
switching on. We prefer that you first
switch the Power Plant on (or leave it
on), then switch on each piece of equipment, one at a time. Example: I have a
CD player and a DAC unit plugged into
the Power Plant. The Power Plant is on.
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I use the front panel power switch of the
DAC to turn it on, then I switch on the
CD player. This is the best method.
Try different power cords.
While we have implied, time and again,
that the Power Plant is impervious to
line conditions, that claim is not 100%
correct. The small gray area has to do
with input power cords, which seem to
make a sonic difference. Try using the
PS Power Link, instead of the supplied
power cord. The Power Link will make a
beneficial sonic difference.
Do NOT use an extension cord on the
Power Plant.
Do NOT use an extension cord on the
output of the Power Plant, if this can
possibly be avoided. There is no danger of any kind, but an extension cord
might degrade the performance of
what's plugged in.
Do NOT use an outlet extender (to
add more outlets) unless that extender has NO protection or filtering.
The use of ANY filtering on Power Plant
outputs will defeat its purpose. This
means that you should never attach a
power conditioner, filter, or power device
of any kind to an output of the Power
Plant.
Do not use a power conditioner
on the Power Plant’s input.
We do not recommend the use of a
power conditioner on the input of the
Power Plant. This may or may not
affect the quality of power coming out of
the Power Plant. To date, our experience has been a rather negative one
with respect to this matter.
Experiment if you wish, but please
assume the worst.
Mixing analog and digital
audio/video.
We believe that it is OK to mix digital
and analog devices on the same Power
Plant with good results. In fact, the
results are better than with any other
device we have ever encountered. But,
is this the ultimate no-compromise situation? No. It is best, in a cost-no-object
situation, to separate digital and analog
signals, as well as video, into separate
Power Plants.
Theory of operation.
The Power Plant is a regenerative AC
synthesizer. It accepts the AC wall voltage of either 120 volts or 220 volts AC.
The AC is then stepped up (or down) to
143 volts AC to allow enough headroom
for the voltage-regulation element of the
Power Plant. Step up/down is accomplished through the use of a balanced
input transformer.
Multiple and redundant 4500-volt MOV's
are placed across the primary to offer
surge and spike protection.
The AC voltage then passes through a
50-amp diode bridge for rectification,
and is then filtered by a bank of 3300mfd 100-volt capacitors. This forms the
DC power supply.
The DC power supply, producing plus
and minus 103 volts DC, is then applied
to two power amplification stages.
These amplification stages are class AB
power amplifiers, featuring an input differential pair, gain stage, driver pair and
multiple outputs.
The power amplification stage is fed by
a DSP-based sine wave oscillator
whose input frequency is microprocessor-controlled and selected via the front
panel buttons.
Sine wave generation.
Near perfect, low distortion sine waves
are generated by a custom-designed circuit. This generator is constructed with
a microprocessor-based sine wave lookup table, feeding into a 12-bit D to A
processor, which outputs into an analog
filter to remove the sampling frequencies. The sine wave generator is capable of 0.03% distortion levels, total THD
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and IM, for any frequency selected on
the front panel. This output is then fed
into two, high-voltage operational amplifiers, powered from a separate plus and
minus 25-volt supply, producing 10 volts
rms AC, in phase and out of phase.
Amplifier description.
There are two power amplifiers in the
Power Plant. Each produces 57.5 volts
rms AC at its output, for a total of 115
volts rms between the two balanced outputs. The two amplifiers form a balanced bridge that is used to feed the AC
receptacles on the rear of the Power
Plant.
Input.
Bipolar differential pair, biased with an
active dual-device current source for
maximum linearity. The differential pair
has a dual-device current mirror feeding
it to increase gain, lower distortion, and
provide perfect balance.
Gain stage.
One leg of the current mirror is used to
feed the base of a pnp gain stage, which
is fed by an active current source. We
chose to incorporate this topology,
rather than any number of other possibilities, because we felt this offered us the
highest linear amount of gain with minimal componentry.
Current amplification.
The gain stage feeds a bipolar complementary driver stage, separated by a
thermal circuit which actively adjusts the
output stage current in a manner commensurate with the transistor's safe
operating area vs. heat. The driver
stage feeds a complementary parallel
output stage, and the entire signal is
then fed back to the inverting input of
the differential pair in a loop feedback
scheme.
Catastrophic protection.
The output stage is ultimately protected
from an over-current situation by the catastrophic sensing circuit. An opto-isolator is placed across the emitter resistors
of the output stage. When a predetermined voltage drop is developed across
the emitter resistor, the opto-isolator
fires and sends a signal to the Power
Plant's microprocessor, signaling for an
immediate shut down of the power activation relay. A front panel LED is also
activated by the microprocessor to indicate to the customer that a fault condition has occurred.
Current clamp.
On the driver side of the current amplification section, we have placed a unique
current clamp. Should the current draw
exceed the acceptable limits, based on
a predetermined time function, the
active clamps will conduct and limit the
current drive to the output stage. This
protection scheme is useful when
attempting to drive an extremely reactive
load, or a large turn-on inrush current. It
is convenient because it allows the
Power Plant to "soft start" a large transformer/capacitor combination without
shutting down, and without damage. In
essence, it is a limiter.
Soft sensing.
Using a small isolation transformer, connected across one of the output stage
emitter resistors, we isolate and then
monitor the real time current draw produced by the Power Plant as it feeds a
load. The AC from the isolation transformer is rectified, then filtered, to produce an average level. That level is
then fed into an A to D converter, and
the digital information is fed into the onboard microprocessor. The microprocessor can then easily calculate the
average rms current, as delivered by the
Power Plant to its load, and then display
that information on the front panel of the
Power Plant when the Mode button has
been instructed to do so. Further, the
microprocessor has been programmed
to shut down the Power Plant when an
over-10% (of rated power) condition is
present.
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Service
Should your Power Plant require service, please contact your dealer, distributor, or our service department.
PS Audio service and technical assistance:
Email: rcullen@calinet.com
Telephone: 805-461-1213
Fax: 805-461-0432
Mail: PS Audio Service Center
8793 F. Plata Lane
Atascadero, Ca. 93422
To contact PS Audio customer service center:
Email: through our web site at http://www.psaudio.com
Telephone: 877-772-8340
Fax: 970-845-0914
Production, layout and typography: Paul McGowan
Photography: Studio Dog, London
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