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Over the past few years, PS Audio's P300 AC regenerator has been very well received by the audiophile community, winning praise (and a Stereophile "Recommended Components" listing) for its ability to lower the noise floor to vanishing levels and to extract unforeseen levels of performance from users' hi-fi systems. Good as it is, the P300 disappointed some because it can't supply enough current for power amps or other juice-hungry gear needing more than its 300W maximum. Some users also complained that despite the sonic improvement offered, the P300 was too bulky for its power rating, ran too hot, and drew too much current when simply idling.

The Colorado company has addressed all those issues, and more, with its new Power Plant P500 AC power generator. Capable of producing up to 500W of power for amplifiers, video projectors, and LCD and plasma displays, the P500 delivers an ultra-clean AC voltage that should improve the performance of any connected audio or video equipment.

PS Audio claims that the P500 is robust enough to power an entire home theater system. The new unit includes an updated version of the company's proprietary MultiWave variable AC pattern technology (available as an upgrade for the P300), a load-compensation function called AutoWave, a power meter switchable between wattage and percent of power available, a built-in Ultimate Outlet, improved surge protection, and a computer-controlled heat reduction system.

The P500's MultiWave II technology, using a random sequence of frequencies, is claimed to be "a dramatic improvement over MultiWave I." AutoWave is said to automatically adjust the P500’s output waveform "to meet the exact demands of the source material," according to an April 7 announcement. PS Audio says that earlier Power Plants will soon have a software upgrade to add MultiWave II, but that, due to its complexity, AutoWave will be available only on new Power Plants.

The heart of the Power Plant is a "massive" toroidal transformer supplying 1000 watts of raw power. The transformer and associated circuitry are said to offer sufficient energy storage to render the P500 capable of regulating its output voltage within 0.1 volt from idle to full output current. Installation of the P500 should be much less problematic than for the P300—the P500 is built using the same rack-mountable chassis used for the company's HCA-2 power amplifier and PCA-2 preamplifier. The P500 runs cool to the touch, thanks to a tunnel heatsink and a fan that forces air though the tunnel in proportion to the amount of heat generated.

The unit's power meter does more than simply display the supply voltage multiplied by the output current ("VA" calculation). PS Audio claims this simple method is inadequate to account for complex signals and loads. The P500's meter is said to be accurate within 10%. It "continually [measures] power and then [displays] the results in either watts or the percentage of power the P500 has left to provide." Six 1.5kV "Tranzorbers" and four 10,000-ampere metal-oxide varistors (MOVs) provide 9000kV of surge and spike protection. Overcurrent protection is via a small protection fuse. The P500's back panel sports four standard Power Port outlets plus two high-current Ultimate Outlets.

Suggested retail price of the PS Audio P500 Power Plant is $1995.