"I just came back from a short listening session.....OMG....WOW.....I have had the three PE V Pro IEC's in for four days....All I can say is that the
blackness of my bacground is like sitting in the eye of a hurricane. I have never heard anything even approach the noise floor that is being portrayed." ~ Paul Rodier
"I just got the PE V S/AC from Alan that replaced a PE II. It's a no brainer. Snatch these up before the price goes up. Alan's products are the best parellel conditioners I've used so far." ~ Jeffrey Lazicki
PE V Pro:
"It Is Awesome !!!" ~ Tim Dube
Reference Power Cable:
"I have only used this cord with my ARC SP16 preamp. I have been looking for awhile now for a reasonably priced power cord (in the scale of my system) for this application. I had tried a number of contenders but always came back to the stock power cord, preferring it's ability to impart what seems to me to be a sense of life to recordings. Yours is the first to preserve this, while improving upon the stock cord in other areas. There was a slight sense of extra hardness to the sound of struck cymbals that is now gone. Also plucked bass which used to lose some definition at the lower range of the instrument is clear and defined from top to bottom. Overall there is a little more there there and that is not a small thing. Aside from sounding absolutely abysmal for the first several days this is a wonderful product." ~ David Leap
"Hi Alan,
Just a short note: Received the box yesterday, didn't expect the PE II, III and IV all at one time, was thinking they would trickle in. Polished the blades and plugged them into the one week old modified Hammond power strip. A half hour later, no bass; the subwoofer didn't seem like it was turned on but was also getting more body and detail from the main speakers. One day later, bass is back plus there is an increase in spaciousness, even noticeable from outside the room in the hallway. A bit of in room listening (I guess you've got to do that sometimes) shows more depth, a fuller arc of placing sounds from the left to right speakers and more clarity (like less mechanical sounding and more of the sound of gorgeous music). This last point shows in a dropped volume with no loss of info or satisfaction - even on a TV show - and the fact that, right now, the music is playing in the living room and I'm on a bedroom computer and the sound is just killing me - I need to get off this PC and enjoy listening. What the future brings as your units break-in, well, we'll see. Lovin' it!" ~ Todd Southworth
"Hi Alan
The PE made a tremendous improvement to my system. I plugged it into an outlet on the Monster Power Center and let it sit about 2-3 days before trying to listen to anything. I fired up the system and took a listen, pessimistically expecting to hear pretty much what I always hear. Wow! I was bowled over with the improvement that this affordable tweak wrought from my system. It's like having living musicians inside the room. Everything improved; the clarity, the timbre, the detail, even the sibilance I heard before is pretty much gone, even with massed strings. I had been planning to replace my speakers, but now I’m not so sure; you may have saved me a lot of money!" ~ Chris Porada
"In my previous emails i was trying to make sure you know just how impressive the pe iv is in my system. it has extended the life of my amps my making them smoother and easier to listen to. the natural way in which detail is delivered makes my earlier efforts to accomplish the same results with the harmonix 999's seem midguided. (they improved detail and soundstage but at a cost of ultimate volume, harshness when louder and loss of mid bass info and at over 10x the cost). the pe iv has improved the system across the board. the one area you didn't tell me would improve so much was lower bass; it now has way more definition and fullness. From top to bottom, I am enjoying music on my system more than ever!" ~ Robert Pachner
"From the day of installation, the PE IV has made a positive impact on my sound system. Currently I have the PE IV and PE upstream of my HIFI system and another PE downstream that is connected in series (same outlet) with my sub. Previously I was using a PS Audio Ultimate Outlet (UO) to power my HiFi rig. The UO did clean things up, but I also found it to be a little subtractive in terms of dynamics. With the PE products in use I find no need for the UO. The PE products have obviously cleaned up my mains without any sonic penalty. In fact my HiFi rig now sounds much more toe tapping dynamic with improved non fatiguing clarity and texture to the sound. Great products!" ~ Glenn Hughes
“Your PE made across the board improvements in my system immediately after installation, and things have only gotten better. I cannot not believe what a dramatic effect this little device has on my sound….it is nothing short of amazing! I have & will continue to enthusiastically recommended your PE to my customers.” ~ Robert Fritz
"Sorry that I have not gotten back to you with my read on the PE IV, as usual no time for audio, so I decided to offer my impression of our bedroom system, $10,000 worth of retail leftovers and your latest and greatest!!! The bedroom location in the house is furthest from subpanel, 60 feet or so, and on the opposite phase from audio system. As a reminder, my home is still wired with the 1950's style of wiring three pronged duplex outlet that I had installed four years ago.
Video duplex: upper receptacle has a RGPC 400 installed, plugged into the 400 I have 2 Hammond 193M chokes, a PE, and a PE IV. Plugged into the lower receptacle I have a Sound Application 12XE, I also have a PE plugged into the 12XE and my Sony 34XBR960, Directv HDDVR, Verizon HDDVR, Dish receiver, Quantum Symphony PRO. All power cords used are KK Palladians, I also have Z-der blocks plugged into HDDVR's with 193L's and liberator cable for added filtering. Everything was superb before the chokes and PE IV were added, after, the picture quality of the SONY was incredible, perhaps the best picture short of a pro monitor. First, the 193L provided a nice improvement. Second, the 193L offered even more of an improvement, really looking good, to my directv, which looks about as good as Fios before the additions (Fios adds no compression). Next, I added the PE IV to the RGPC, I had a PE into it several days earlier....WOW....major, dude.....took out the PE IV and replaced with a charged PE, I aborted this after a day since I was no longer emotionally drawn into the experience. Swapped the PE with the IV and immediately the magic had returned, a day later it restored the video quality to my reference level experienced a few days prior!!! I cannot even fathom what this will be like in the audio, awaiting four more plugs and a few liberators totaling 12 chokes and accessories!!! I got four M's...lol... I guess the PE IV stays with the video :-) The IV is really good. Video is more objective......how black and clear can a picture get? I thought I had maxed it out a year ago...WRONG....I do have many PE's on the video phase to keep you up to date!" ~ Paul Rodier
"Hi Alan
I was going to let it settle in some more before commenting, but I can say it is settling in quite well! It arrived on 1/7, so it hasn't been in for a week yet. Some of the highlights are:
Overall, my system is more revealing - more detail in the upper and mid ranges - lots more!. Haven't noticed as much in the bass, but that could be because my speakers are set to 'small' for HT so most of the bass goes to the sub which is on the same circuit as the PE IV, but not the same duplex. I have the PE I in the same duplex as the sub.
I'm listening at lower volume levels since I don't have to push my speakers as much to get the most out of them. Right now, I'm listening at about 2/3rds of the volume I used to.
I'm rediscovering 2 channel listening since it has substantially increased the sound stage. Don't need to listen through 5 channels to feel I'm 'right there' - can get the same feeling on 2 channels. It sounds so much better that I'm thinking of setting up a zone B parallel system with a tube amp with a phono input and dedicated speakers to fully appreciate 2 channels.
Finally, video. Really didn't see how there could be an improvement over the PE I, but I was pleasantly surprised. Colors are so much richer, picture is clearer. All I can say is WOW.
You've got one happy customer here!" ~ John Reiber
Day 1:
"I received my PE IV, same size and feels the same weight as the other PE's. Well of course the first thing I did was polish up the AC pins with 000 grade steel wool and cleaned them up with ProGold GxL. To reminice, I have 1 PE II in the first of 5 duplex's on the back of my BPT with PE's in the other 4. i had a PE sharing the duplex with the BPT power cord. These 6 duplex's are all the primary outlets in my system all tho i do have a power strip on the 5th duplex of the BPT for more outlets that the 5 PE's took away. I have 5 more PE's scattered around the house on nonaudio circuits and they're sharing duplex outlets with household appliances(refrigerator, air purifiers, water purification system, dimmer torch light, microwave oven). The best benefit i've received from all these PE's is the ability to crank up the music w/o listening fatigue. Music is less edgy, more natural, and just flows more smoothly w/o rounding anything off. the highs, low, mirange all sound totally coherent.
OK, now to the PE IV. I placed the PE IV in the shared dedicated duplex with the BPT and as has been the case with most of the PE's, it took about 20 minutes to hear an improvement, and not subtle by any stretch of the imagination. The only time I haven't heard an improvement withing 20 minutes was when i plugged the PE II in this Dedicated duplex with the BPT. I waited for 2 weeks before finally moving it to the first duplex of the BPT that's shared with my main Butler amp. Here I received a sharper image, a definite improvement fom where I first had it. So when I placed the PE IV in the dedicated duplex, i wasn't quite sure where else to try it if nothing happened cuz this duplex is really the only point of entry before my BPT balanced power conditioner, all my other dedicated circuit outlets are after the transformer. Anyways I was worried for nothing, even if Alan himself didn't recommend the PE IV for my system. First, the negative that I've already found and there's really only 1, I find myslef not wanting to crank it up anymore,,,, hopefully this'll pass. Simply put, there's so much micro-definition that turning up the volume tends to hide it again. I find myself enjoying all these little nook & cranny's that much more at a lower volume. Really good stuff. I would say the PE IV,,,, for ME in MY system,,,, add more inner detail, not to be confused with a higher clarity mind you, but just more inner detail, mostly in the midrange but also in the highs. I have a ACI Force XL subwoofer and I didn't really notice any change in the already excellent tuneful bass.
So there you have it. I've been in the middle of a power cord upgrade from my VH Audio Flavor 1 & 4 power cords (you can expect them up for sale within the next few weeks or so) and have zeroed in on 2 brands for my Sunfire TG4 processor and 2 Butler Audio tube hybrid amps. All these PE reflections were done with these 2 brands of demo cords out of the bunch I've had the opportunity to try out. Too bad I couldn't get Alan to let me demo his cords, especially if they compound what the PE's are already doing but being it's a 3 cord change i was asking for a lot. Anyways, You won't be getting this PE IV or any of my others back Alan and people: stop asking me if I want to get rid of any PE's it ain't gonna happen!
Day 2 Follow Up:
...Volume back up and the notes are still a'lingering,,,, simply too cool.
Day 5 Follow Up:
Well it's been 5 days since I installed my PE IV and I can truthfully say my system has reached another level of intimacy that I've never experienced before,,,,, even when I've heard other folks systems. I've heard better systems mind you,,,,but not with the intimacy that mine has started to desplay. And I attribute it all to BPT, Ridge Street Poiema!!!, Crystal Cable Digit, Kubala-sosna Emotion PC & Bolder cable Golden Bybee PC, Bybee adapters, Z-Sleeves,,,,,,??????? Nope! Sure they all play a part but here,,, now,,, in this thread,,, ALL the credit will go to Alan Maher's PE's and particuliarly his PE IV. I'm placing another order Alan for your PE IV...The most intimate details that are being derived from having this PE IV in front of my BPT is so startling apparent,,,, it's sick." ~ Robin Bombard
"Hello Alan,
I have been running your standard PE for 2-3 days now and from the first minute, I was blown away by the improvement this little unit yields....its fantastic, thank you very much....!
I have just built a new mid-fi system with about $12,000 of well rated components. The system has been frustratingly quite unsatisfying to me and I preferred listening to my buddies $3,000 system! Although highly detailed and accurate, the system had HF glare which made audience applause quite painful and a lack of body and bass presence (even with a Spectron 650w amp!). The first major improvement came with the addition of a Burson buffer and the second came with your PE. The PE improved the bass presence enormously and made the HF glare much more endurable and smoother while rendering more detail from the lowered noise floor. The system is now finally starting to have synergy and make real music. The TV and video performance is also much improved with more vibrant and realistic colors, depth and texture." ~ Mark Owen
"Hi Alan - I'm playing around with different configurations (currently both PE and PEII on the same circuit so I'm not sure if it's only due to the break-in on the II but the bass is slightly stronger and more defined and treble seems a little reduced in amplitude. The treble reduction was a plus as it seemed very slightly overdone before. Still a very clear and extremely positive impact on the noise level and clarity. Great product Alan!" ~Bert Siewert
"Alan,
My Power Enhancers are settling in very well. This is day 23 of their break in. Things improved very audibly through the first 12 days and since then I have been enjoying what seems to be a bigger soundscape than before. Initially, I used a group a CDs and LPs that were problematic in my system. Gradually these recordings became more listenable. Good recordings seem even better to me.
I am impressed and am hoping there is more to come in the break in period. I will be ordering some more Power Enhancers next month." ~ Dale Corning
"Hi Alan,
The PE and Studio Reference Power Cord have finally settled down. I actually went away for about a week while letting both the PE and Studio Reference break in. When I came back from my trip, the first impression was the system sounded very good, much better then the week before. Everthing was there, silky smooth high, liquity mids and punchy lows. Alan I was thrilled, I am getting holographic images for first time in my system. It took me a while to realise the noise floor has decreased tremendously couple by reinforcement of all the frequencies. I am not really sure how to described it, but everything seems to have more body. Instruments became almost palpable, vocal to die for, bass rounded and punchy. I have all 6 PE's plugged in. The Studio Reference were used with the CD transport and DAC." ~ Brian Chiou
"Hi Alan, I am very pleased thus far. I am hearing little improvements even now. I may be getting some more in the near future (Probably after the holidays) I cannot thank you enough for this tweak." ~Kevin Turner
"Superb unassuming product, performs beautifully. Will order more of these wonderful PE's." ~ Peter Taffe
"Ok - I have had it in the system for several days now and listened once or twice. It seems the noise level went down so low that I picked up some output tube noise in one channel of my headphone amp! I replaced the tube and the noise cleared up. What I was left with was a rather stunning improvement in overall sound quality! I can't wait to hear PEIII....I don't know how you're going to improve on the II." ~Bert Siewert
"Hi Alan,
It has been 7 days since the installation, and these 2 PE's are phenomenal!! They have improved both audio and video on my 2 systems. Every thing sounds/looks better." ~ Kevin Turner
"Hi Alan,
I've been meaning to get back to you, but I have a new job and have been on the road a lot, so I have not had a chance to give you feedback. The PE is working very well in my system. Tonally, there is a better sense of realism" to performances, along with better imaging and more bass! It's even apparent (except for the imaging) when I am sitting in another room using my system for background, so I'm thinking about ordering another one. When I get some time, I will have to leave feedback for you on AudiogoN. A very impressive "tweak"!" ~ Glenn Kistner
"After using the PEs for two months now, I realize that my audio system has become very consistent -- it always sounds great. Before using the PEs, the sound would vary quite a bit day to day. My usual conclusion was that static buildup was the problem, a theory supported by the fact that unplugging power cords or playing sweep tones would help. With the PEs, I rarely do this now and mostly out of habit. I consider the PEs to be indespensible." ~ Philip Lemanski
"When the 9 PE’s were first installed, it was very much like other users described as “a rollercoaster ride”. After they are broken in, everything changes dramatically. Soundstage becomes deeper and wider; noise floor is much lower than before. Now, I can hear details that I have never heard before in my system." ~ Huang Chun-Ying
"Alan,
I got a chance to listen for a while yesterday. The filter does work very well here. What I'm hearing is the ability for subtle textures from top to bottom to be reproduced that were lost in the mix before. These add a lot more realism to the presentation. It sounds great to me and am very happy with the very high bang for the buck factor." ~ Keith Lockwood
"I must start by stating that I have not ever dabbled in power conditioning of any sort before. I have contemplated doing so many times in the past but have always been scared off by people, whose opinions and experiences I value highly, confirming that there is some bad to go along with all the good characteristics with addition of power filters or conditioners. My system is giving me immense pleasure as it sits today, and has for last couple of years… this position is hard to attain and maintain as there is always something newer, bigger and better being hyped. Power conditioning appeared to be ‘lateral’ exercise in advancing my system, so I figured why bother drop my cash on hardware instead of CD’s and LP’s. I do have a dedicated audio circuit with isolated ground in my home and many will tell you that this is best ‘tweak’ you can do for improving your home stereo experience. That being said, I came upon forum thread that talked about Alan Maher Power Enhancer filters and, seemingly did not have any negative side effects or compromises in stereo presentation. All this for only a few dollars! So little money and a trial/return policy set me off, once again, to contemplate giving power treatment a go. Fast-forward to point now, Alan Maher did send me a PE, PE II and a Limited Edition PE (LEPE) to try out. After many email exchanges, follow-ups and experiments I must say ALL 3 filters are keepers. After a week or so of experimentation, and then settling upon power outlet locations for filter installation, I must say these filters are settling in VERY nicely.
The LEPE is very powerful and it’s positioning plays significant part in sound of stereo. I find that if installed in same outlet as stereo amp that it may be just a tad too warm and maybe a little exaggerated in sound stage (I have Audiomat tube amp). This is cool if it is desired goal though.
The PE installed concurrently in same circuit upstream though, seems to temper these traits a notch and the result is stunning! I have to swap filters with these two outlets this week and see what happens. The musicality of my system that has satisfied me in the past has not been compromised one bit… HIFI ‘tricks’ are not allowed in my set up at the expense of involvement. I get more tactility and sense of space around performers and suffer no fatigue on extended listening sessions. If I remove LEPE from amp outlet, there is immediate drop in dynamics, tactility, and layering. Notably layering and overlapping tones becomes either muddy or 'wandering' ... if this makes sense. Remember, I had no complaints about this aspect before I had heard about PE’s. Also, sound stage shrinks somewhat... especially in depth.
The PEII is set up in another circuit that has video plugged into. I sense cleaner pictures with more saturation but I am not into this for video improvements so I am not one to readily assess impacts on screen. I do believe the PEII has benefited 2-channel sound of my stereo in this present position though. Removal of this does signal a loss in all stereo traits listed above but not to same degree as removal of PE on stereo dedicated circuit. I wish to try PE II on dedicated circuit in conjunction with LEPE but I will need to clip plastic bracket on top of box to allow plug in at same outlet as stereo components. My power cord plugs are huge and PEII cannot insert in lower plug as recommended by Alan.
All in all, these filters are the real deal and, it appears, capable of infinite variations for set up to 'voice' my stereo. This fall will be interesting as I will be adding power bar to main system and filter installation on bar itself will present even more possibilities." ~ Cory Kerik
"It was as described, very much a roller coaster ride for the first several days then everything settled down...lowered the noise floor a good deal...better space/air around instruments." ~ Andrew Graves
"This is my second transaction with Alan and it went just as smoothly as the first. Alan is great to do business with and offers a very high value product along with very careful follow up. A five star experience." ~ Terry Pellisero
"The Power Enhancer has to be the most cost-effective power conditioner money can buy. Using one is like having late-night listening quality from your system, but 24 hours a day. If you are an audiophile, you need (at least) one, period." ~ Robert Phelps
"This is one of the best investments i've made in my system. Right out of the box i could hear things that i hadn't heard before. I can't wait until it's fully settled in. Communication with Alan was amazing. Thanks again Alan" ~ Malcolm Borshell
"Hi Alan,
All four PE's have been in my system for about 5 days now. Like you said earlier, it went through a rollercoaster ride. In my system, initially very dull, dark and adynamic, as if life been suck out of my system. I almost wanted to unplug all the PE's, but you warned me earlier to wait it out. A few days later the bass started to improve. Yesterday the highs returned, the dynamic range came back, and the bass now has more control. Nosie floor is much lower, instruments are separated by darker space making them much more realistic. To answer your question, I asked my wife to come in for a listen today. She stared at me after listening for few seconds and asked me what have I done to the system. Then she said don't change anything anymore, this is the best she has heard in my system." ~ Brian Chiou
"Alan,
During these last few days I have listen carefully my system with your PE already in place. Instead of my opinion, I prefer to reproduce what my friends are saying - "your sound seems more delicate ...", "the strings are sweeter than before"... "the stage is more open..." (it was a musician who said that), "now, I think it's easier to feel each instrument playing without losing the others ...", "I feel as if there was more silence between the tracks...", "now I can hear a little louder without discomfort..."
Are they simply expressing psychoacoustic sensations because they were informed about a new component in the system? Who knows? In between, I have received more observations like "what a good recording" or "the sound engineer has really done a very good job in this CD..."
Generally speaking, I agree with them." ~ Augusto S. de Souza