Multiwave Upgrade for P5, P10 Regenerators

[MartinT]

New firmware has been made available here:
http://www.psaudio.com/support/multiwave-firmware-update/

"Variable MultiWave is the first official update to the PerfectWave Power Plants P5 and P10 and is released on December 20th, 2013. The release heralded in a new MultiWave feature that allows users to select the MultiWave strength according to their personal tastes and the connected equipment’s needs. The upgrade is free to all P5 and P10 Power Plant owners."

I hope to report on my findings once I have downloaded the firmware and installed it in my P10.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Sounds interesting might give it a try, could be a free upgrade!

[Z-A]

It is free for current owners. Pretty subtle differences between each of the 6 stages, I'm still not sure about multiwave but will do the comparisons anyway..

[Wakefield Turntables]

I generally stick to heavy regulation but to be honest their really isnt much difference if any bewteen the 2 modes.

[MartinT]

I prefer the high regulation over low distortion mode, it gives the music more power and welly. I like the Multiwave option and have plenty of power to hand (it rarely delivers more than about 350W), so modes 5 & 6 may be of interest to me.

[Ammonite Audio]

I applied the update and have been playing around with the new settings. Previously, I definitely and consistently preferred Sine Wave over Multiwave (MW), finding the latter to suppress and confuse musical nuances. Having trawled through the new MW settings, I think I've found a sweet spot in Level 2, which seems to bring the 'feel' of the music and a sense of 'space' together, compared with Sinewave. It's early days, of course, so I'll leave it on MW2 and swap back to Sinewave in a few days.

There's no guidance that I can see anywhere on the new Phase option, so I fiddled around with that too. Going to either +/- 5 does rather horrible things to the feel and sound of the music; the effect is (perhaps unsurprisingly) what I associate with phase errors generally, eg an unpleasant 'swimmy' feeling in my head as I listen. But I quite like what +1 does - it seems to bring everything into focus. I look forward to reading other P5/P10 users' comments on the phase option.

[Z-A]

Our experience was to keep phase tune at zero, we don't have bad thd (out) figures, 0.1%, adjusting either way should increase this. It was designed for folks in problem area's, so most won't need to use any adjustment.

[MartinT]

I knew you preferred sinewave beforehand, Hugo. Very interesting that you now like a small amount of Multiwave. We have gone full circle to the older Powerplant models which offered these different choices.

Paul - I experimented with phase and returned it to zero, the same as you. I definitely prefer regulation over low distortion as it gives my system a goodly measure of punch.

I'll be home later and will install the update.

[MartinT]

Some photos to show the new firmware's generated waveforms more clearly:

Sinewave Mode
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/11691496776_0a1c90c2d3_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11691496776/)
MW Sine (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11691496776/) by martinwtaylor (http://www.flickr.com/people/martinwtaylor/), on Flickr

Mode 2 (gentle)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/11691497156_7c5da50388_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11691497156/)
MW Mode 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11691497156/) by martinwtaylor (http://www.flickr.com/people/martinwtaylor/), on Flickr

Mode 4 (standard, equivalent to older Power Plant firmware)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/11691497236_9a2384b0cb_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11691497236/)
MW Mode 4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11691497236/) by martinwtaylor (http://www.flickr.com/people/martinwtaylor/), on Flickr

Mode 6 (strongest)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/11690977693_b81b187d94_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11690977693/)
MW Mode 6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/11690977693/) by martinwtaylor (http://www.flickr.com/people/martinwtaylor/), on Flickr

[Wakefield Turntables]

Martin,

Can you explain the differences bewteen the photo's what are they supposed to highlight?

Andy

[MartinT]

Think of the standard way of converting AC to DC by using a bridge rectifier. You get a series of peaks as in the diagram, which a following reservoir capacitor then smooths into rough DC. In the UK, our 50Hz supply will generate 100Hz peaks.

http://se.tdk-lambda.com/content/glossary/128522060505958750_Bridge%20rectifier%20image.png

If there is no load, the capacitor will attain a pretty constant DC at the voltage level of the tips of the peaks. If there is a load (as in your real world hi-fi components), then the DC reduces and the waveform becomes choppy since the demand is constant but the 'top-up charges' only occur 100 times per second for a very short time. Here's a good diagram (look at the grey waveform with capacitor):

http://i.stack.imgur.com/CMWmx.gif

What the Power Plants' new firmware achieves is to add selected harmonics to the mains waveform to widen their peaks. The mains is now no longer a simple sinewave but a stretched waveform where the peaks last longer because they are wider. Look at the Mode 6 waveform compared with sinewave or Mode 2. See how much wider it is at the peak? This allows the power supplies in your components to charge their reservoirs for longer each cycle, reducing the choppiness (ripple) of the DC created. Effectively, the regenerator puts more energy into the power supply to raise and smooth the DC more than with a sinewave. The DC's ripple is reduced.

[MartinT]

I've done quite a lot of listening and the effects of the different MW strengths are pretty subtle. I actually prefer strength 6 as to me there is better differentiation of massed vocals in choral music, better shimmer and decay of cymbals, slightly more air in the soundstage and a little more bass extension. I'm fairly certain that this is going to vary system by system as power supplies are so different. For instance, my Chord power amp uses a switched-mode power supply.

So I'm settling on 240V output voltage, High Regulation, Phase 0 and MW strength 6 for the moment.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Martin forgot to say thanks for your excellent explanation in the previous post.

[MartinT]

Happy to help, Andy. Have you done the update yet?

[Wakefield Turntables]

Nope! Most of my gear is packed up at the mo, I'm doing a little decorating in the listening room. I have the valve gear up and running all the 1210 kit is packed up till next week when I get to do the other half of the room. :rolleyes: ;)

[MikeMusic]

Downloaded the files and plugged the SD card into the P10.
Why can't everything computery be this easy ?

Listening to Mavis on CD.
MW started at standard 4 and incremented 1 at a time down and then up to the top.
Down seems to muffle the top end and detail slightly.
Up gives more space, detail and brightness.
Could be relabelled as a sound 'brightness' control :)

Phase change is even more subtle. Mid setting 0 might be the one to stick with

Early days and I will try vinyl as well
At the moment I need to get my head and ears around the changes as they could be just 'different'
Having 2 different settings makes for a lot of permutations

High Regulation as before for me.

[MartinT]

There is a bug in the firmware!

I wondered why my system sound quality was variable over the past few days and discovered, by looking at the scope waveform, that there is a bug in the firmware. If you use Cleanwave at the start of a session, as I do, then any MW setting drops to 0 (Sinewave). You need to switch to Sinewave and then back to Multiwave for the waveform to kick back in. Check the scope output waveform and you will see.

I have reported it to PS Audio.

[MikeMusic]

There is a bug in the firmware!

I wondered why my system sound quality was variable over the past few days and discovered, by looking at the scope waveform, that there is a bug in the firmware. If you use Cleanwave at the start of a session, as I do, then any MW setting drops to 0 (Sinewave). You need to switch to Sinewave and then back to Multiwave for the waveform to kick back in. Check the scope output waveform and you will see.

I have reported it to PS Audio.
Not noticed, but not intently listened recently with our new four legged arrivals taking some precedence !

[Z-A]

I had not noticed that Martin, mainly due to sine wave being preferable for us.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Ive still not upgraded so glad i didn't :)

[MartinT]

PS Audio have acknowledged the problem and apparently new firmware is available. I will download and install it tonight and report back.

[MartinT]

Don't bother downloading again, chaps. The version of firmware available for download is 0.00.38, which my P10 reports as already having (in other words, the version I updated to several days ago). This firmware still has the bug. I have reported the issue to PS Audio again.

If you set your preferred Multiwave and don't perform a Cleanwave, you'll be ok. If you do the latter, switch to Sine and then back to Multi and it will reset the waveform to multiwave. The status display always says the strength number but the scope reveals the truth.

[MikeMusic]

Don't bother downloading again, chaps. The version of firmware available for download is 0.00.38, which my P10 reports as already having (in other words, the version I updated to several days ago). This firmware still has the bug. I have reported the issue to PS Audio again.

If you set your preferred Multiwave and don't perform a Cleanwave, you'll be ok. If you do the latter, switch to Sine and then back to Multi and it will reset the waveform to multiwave. The status display always says the strength number but the scope reveals the truth.
Thanks Martin
(technology !)

[MartinT]

PS Audio have now acknowledged that there is still a problem. Fix coming in the next release.

http://www.psaudio.com/forum/#/discussion/comment/66252

[MartinT]

The replacement firmware has now been released here:
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/#/discussion/6282/latest-p5p10-variable-multiwave-code-version-29

I have just installed it and can confirm that the Cleanwave reset bug has been fixed. Enjoy!

[MikeMusic]

The replacement firmware has now been released here:
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/#/discussion/6282/latest-p5p10-variable-multiwave-code-version-29

I have just installed it and can confirm that the Cleanwave reset bug has been fixed. Enjoy!
Thanks Martin. Will do that soon.
Mountain Goats still sounding fantastic first thing this morning
:)

[Ammonite Audio]

I have applied this latest firmware on my P5. Maybe I'm deluding myself, but the system is sounding better for it.

[MartinT]

Do you still prefer MW setting 2, Hugo?

[Ammonite Audio]

No, I've gone back to Sinewave, Low Distortion. It just seems to be more natural sounding, to my ears.

[MartinT]

Fascinating how we all hear so differently! Very system-dependent, too.

[Ammonite Audio]

Indeed, but my mains here in Norwich is never more than 235v, which is rather different to yours in Basingstoke.