DESCRIPTION
- 126 Watts of clean, over-built Linear Power.
- Supplies up to four Pueblo Audio products simultaneously, in any combination.
- External powering lowers noise, increases resolution and prolongs equipment life.
- 14awg Shielded AC cable is soldered directly to fuse holders, avoiding extraneous IEC connections.
- Front panel "ground lift" switch helps solve potential hum & buzz issues while preserving safety.
- Elegant packaging is ready-to-rack. No need for awkward, specialized mounting hardware.
Dimensions: 1U x 19" x 6", Weight: 11lbs
PHILOSOPHY
Pueblo Audio inherited its engineering philosophy from the studio lineage of Contemporary Records, A&M Studios, and Bernie Grundman Mastering. Renowned for their exemplary sound, these studios typify the west-coast, do-it-yourself ethos. Their technical staff were integral to those studio's success and reputation. Driven by their passion for fine audio, as well as the wishes (and demands!) of their hard-hitting clientele, these techs worked to facilitate their client's vision. Through modification, hot-rodding or designing new gear from scratch, they continued to push the boundaries of audio performance. Out of these pursuits came a tradition of replacing internal power supplies with over-built, external supplies. The results were heard and admired by artists, producers & record buyers alike. There's no question about the material benefits of this time-tested approach. Almost any audio device is improved with higher grade power supplies.
Now some readers may be suspicious of the above claims. Do power supplies really make a difference? To better understand how this can be, let's take a closer look at how an amplifier works...
Now some readers may be suspicious of the above claims. Do power supplies really make a difference? To better understand how this can be, let's take a closer look at how an amplifier works...
sAbove is a simplified diagram of an amplifier. It is arranged to highlight Pueblo Audio's philosophy that the primary signal path lies between the AC Outlet & the Amp Output (green line). The process of amplification is sometimes thought of as signal passing through a device and, somehow, extra electrons are "packed on" to pump the signal up. But, as the diagram shows, the input signal (red line) terminates at the amp's input and goes no further. The amp's transistor measures or "observes" that input signal and modulates the power supply in an attempt to replicate the original waveform at a greater amplitude. That's right, the output signal is a copy. And all the current which makes up that copy comes from the wall.
In a way, the power supply transforms a single, 60Hz waveform into 20,000 possible audio frequencies at a multitude of dynamic levels. To do that with great fidelity is quite the transformation, indeed! With this point of view, it' easy to see that power supplies are just as responsible for final sound quality as the rest of the circuitry. Maybe more. So, yes! The better the power supply, the better the sonics. Hence, Pueblo Audio's vested commitment to produce "Formula-1" grade power supplies.
In a way, the power supply transforms a single, 60Hz waveform into 20,000 possible audio frequencies at a multitude of dynamic levels. To do that with great fidelity is quite the transformation, indeed! With this point of view, it' easy to see that power supplies are just as responsible for final sound quality as the rest of the circuitry. Maybe more. So, yes! The better the power supply, the better the sonics. Hence, Pueblo Audio's vested commitment to produce "Formula-1" grade power supplies.
DESIGN
Pueblo Audio uses a double tiered powering scheme. The first tier consists of the PS34, itself. Its duty is to transform Mains AC into a number of clean, robust DC rails capable of rapid power delivery. This is achieved with oversized toroidal transformers, ultra-fast rectifiers and low impedance reservoir capacity. In electronic engineering it is well established that circuit performance is degraded by Heat, Vibration and EMI. AC supplies generate all three. The obvious and most effective solution is simply to mount the AC supply externally; away from sensitive audio circuits. Distance is our friend. The primary DC rails are distributed via 6' umbilical cables to as many as four Pueblo products (purple lines in diagram below).
The second tier of our powering scheme takes place in the various Pueblo products. Within each box, local power regulators are provided for each individual microphone and amplifier stage (green lines). This eases the regulator's job of measuring its specific load's voltage and current needs for more accurate control. Operating conditions are thereby created where loads can work effortlessly, realizing their best performance. Individual regulation also isolates the loads from each other. Power demands from one stage won't rob power from any other stage. This avoids error currents which, otherwise, could flow via the shared voltage rails found in typical audio gear.
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Also important is the ability of the power supply to be unchallenged by Mains service problems. For example, serious brown-outs can occur at outdoor festivals which rely on diesel generators. But as the chart shows, even outrageously poor service can't stop Pueblo! Everyday recording usually does not encounter such extremes. But the daily & hourly variations in AC frequency, voltage and line noise is a real thing. Just as subtle changes in temperature or humidity affect the timbre of instruments, so does fluctuating AC affect audio gear. PS34's design takes this into account for consistent, dependable sound.
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