Puritan Audio PCM‑156 Special Edition mains distributor

Many power conditioners and distributors stress the ‘magic beans’ side of AC power. The Puritan Audio PCM-156 Special Edition mains distributor takes a far more pragmatic line. There’s not much ‘fluff’ here, just good power engineering.

Puritan’s range starts with the eminently sensible Guardian. This sits outside your system and suppresses unwanted sinewave spikes coming into your power. That includes noisy refrigerators, computers, and that iPhone charger you’ve had sitting behind a sofa for the last five years. The company also makes a range of Strip Purifiers, ‘dissipative’ power cords (you don’t want your power cord as an aerial, do you?) and top of the tree – the Studio Master Series. This last uses independent, tuned filter elements to rebalance the AC sine wave, remove all DC components, and reduce transformer noise to allow them to perform more efficiently, delivering optimal dynamics and power range.

Differential Modes

The Studio Master Series uses multiple cumulative and sympathetically tuned stages of purification to remove both common and differential modes of mains-born interference. And, unlike many distributors, conditioners and filters, Puritan’s deft touch improves the system’s performance, with only slight foreshortening of the soundstage. However, The Audio Consultants and its Puritan Audio PCM-156 Special Edition kicks in here. By using high-grade Furutech connectors throughout, this Special Edition physically grips the power cords more successfully than the standard version, and that –plus the extra contact surface area in those Furutech connections – makes even this minor ‘blip’ to the soundstage go away.

We received a ‘small’ care package from The Audio Consultants that includes both standard and Special Edition versions of Puritan’s PSM-136 and PSM-156 filter blocks, both having six 13A inputs with the meatier PSM-156 having many more stages of filtration (52 in fact) and ‘more filter’ means ‘more Puritan punch’. We also had a set of Puritan Classic power cords for the filters and standalone use with audio electronics. Ultimate versions seem to have their own little comfy sweater as outer shielding. No mandatory edict suggests you must use the Puritan’s C-19 power cords with products connected to the Puritan block. Still, the blocks’ filtration concept extends to the power cords and are an excellent physical, sonic and conceptual match.

The exciting part about the no-frills exterior of the Puritan Audio PCM‑156 Special Edition mains distributor is that it tends to tick a few ‘minimalist’ boxes. This isn’t some shiny brushed aluminium power conditioner full of exotic displays and fancy status indicators; it’s a no-fuss/’do exactly what it says on the tin’ kind of product. That is worthy of high praise because all the design expenditure is placed where it counts, on the inside.

Puritan Audio PCM‑156 Special Edition mains distributor: A Sense of Authority

The Puritan (Standard or Special Edition) bestows a sense of authority on the sound of the partnered equipment. This is no subtle change in performance; your equipment shifts up a gear, sounding more precise, focused, and authoritative. I want to differentiate ‘authority’ and ‘solidity’ here; the Puritan – especially the PSM-156 Special Edition – has both, which are very different here (often, these two blur into one). The difference is that the latter gives you a sense of an orchestra playing, while the former makes you understand the musicians’ intent.

There is also a markedly improved delicacy to the sound, with better inner detail in the midrange. And it’s here where the Special Edition pops up; that sense of detail and soundstaging is improved even more, taking the already excellent Puritan PSM-156 to a new level of refinement and dynamic shading.

Power products often give with one hand and take away with the other; clarity and detail improve at the expense of the dynamics or rhythmic qualities of the audio equipment. That’s not the case with any Puritan filters; they make the sound more detailed and authoritative but with little or no sonic downsides. As discussed before, where the Puritan Audio PCM‑156 Special Edition mains distributor improves matters still more is in soundstaging, but it’s not as if the standard version was ‘weak’ in this musical performance aspect.

Acid Test

My acid test on any power product is does it ‘open up’ or ‘close down’ my own musical listening. Some power filters and conditioners only want to direct the listener toward genteel music. I listened to ‘Dirty Rat’ by Sleaford Mods and Orbital. This is not ‘audiophile’ by any stretch of the imagination. However, the Puritan PSM-156 SE took it in its stride, retaining the punchy dance rhythm offset by the angry rant lyrics.

UK three-pin plugs have good contact area, and 90° plugs are unlikely to work loose over time. Puritan designs can be placed vertically or horizontally as they have two sets of feet. Therefore, straight 13A plugs are probably better. At this point, the relative ‘stiffness’ of the Furutech sockets makes much more sense, especially as they sound better too.

Do two things well

I want a power product to do two things well. They should improve the sound without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The Puritan does that well, and the Puritan Special Edition does it better! It is that simple. You aren’t buying something that makes a fuss, or something that you must gently massage to make sound good. Play your system, put the PSM-156 in your system, and it stays there. Also, try to remove that Special Edition version, and there will be tears!

Puritan Audio PCM‑156 Special Edition mains distributor: Price and contact details

• Puritan Audio PCM-156 £1,550
• PSM-156 SE with Furutech FT-UKS Rhodium sockets and C-20 Rh IEC £2,150
• PSM-156 SE with Furutech FI-E30 Rhodium NCF Schuko sockets and C-20 Rh IEC £2,100
• All supplied with 2.0m Puritan Classic power cord

Manufacturer

Puritan Audio Laboratories

www.puritanaudiolabs.com

Special Edition versions only available from The Audio Consultants

www.audioconsultants.co.uk

Tel +44(0)118 981 9891

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