PS AUDIO Stellar Power Plant 3 Power Conditioner Owner’s Manual
- June 4, 2024
- PS AUDIO
Table of Contents
PS AUDIO Stellar Power Plant 3 Power Conditioner
Safety Information
READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS HEED ALL WARNINGS
Important Safety Instructions
- WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. OBJECTS FILLED WITH LIQUIDS, SUCH AS VASES, SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON THE APPARATUS. THIS APPARATUS MUST BE CONNECTED TO A MAINS SOCKET OUTLET WITH A PROTECTIVE EARTH CONNECTION.
- Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not place flammable material on top of or beneath the unit.
- The PS Audio® Stellar Power Plant 3 is a passively cooled component that requires adequate ventilation at all times during operation.
- Do not remove or bypass the ground pin on the end of the AC cord. All PS Audio® products ship with a grounding-type plug. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
- Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms.
- When making connections to this or any other component, make sure all components are powered off. Turn off all systems’ power before connecting the PS Audio® component to any other component. Make sure all cable terminations are of the highest quality.
- THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE THIS PS AUDIO PRODUCT. REFER ALL SERVICE NEEDS TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
- Please contact your authorized dealer, distributor, or PS Audio® directly if you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed in this reference manual.
- PS AudioPS Audio®®, the sine wave logo, and PerfectWPerfectWaveave®® are registered trademarks of PS Audio, Inc., and are restricted for use by PS Audio, Inc., its subsidiaries, and authorized agents. StellarStellar™™, Power PlantPower Plant™™, MultiWMultiWaveave™™, and CleanWCleanWaveave™™ are trademarks of PS Audio, Inc.
- This product was designed and assembled in Boulder, Colorado with globally sourced components.
© 2021 PS Audio, Inc. All rights reserved. Rev C.
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing PS Audio’s Stellar Power Plant 3 AC Regenerator. This is your comprehensive Operator’s Guide. This guide is intended to provide a full overview of the Stellar Power Plant 3’s functions and capabilities. It is our intention to provide you with full details about the Stellar Power Plant 3 and to answer any and all questions you may have. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
Contact Information
PS Audio, Inc.
4865 Sterling Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
1 (800) PSAUDIO
[email protected]
www.psaudio.com
Welcome
The Stellar Power Plant 3, also known as the P3, will provide regulated AC power regard-less of the condition of your home’s power. Clean, regulated AC is essential to optimize the performance of your connected equipment. The P3 removes the miles of power cables between your home and the power station. Integrating the P3 into your system is the equivalent of moving your home to within 50 feet of the city power station.
Getting Started
Included With Your P3
- 6-foot Power Cable
- Owner’s Reference Manual
- Remote Control
The Remote
- The Dim button turns the front panel LEDs off.
- The MW button turns the MultiWave™ function on and off.
- The power button puts the unit into idle mode.
- The On button takes the unit out of idle mode, and turns the front panel LEDs on.
- The home button and arrows are only applicable to DirectStream Power Plants.
- The Clean button engages the CleanWave™ feature.
- MW Strength +/- are only applicable to DirectStream Power Plants.
Front Panel View
- PS Audio Logo LED Idle Button
- Output LED Indicator
- MultiWave LED Indicator
- CleanWave LED Indicator
- Infrared Remote Sensor
Rear Panel View
- Master Power Switch
- IEC AC Power Inlet
- Fuse Socket
- Regenerated/Bypass Switch For Filtered High Current
- Regenerated or Filtered High Current Outlet
- Rengenerated Outlet
- Circuit Breaker Reset Button
Installation Considerations
Location
Once your new Stellar Power Plant 3 is unpacked, you will need to find a
convenient place to set it. If you wish to stack this unit with other Stellar
products, or any other equipment, the P3 must be the top component in the
stack to ensure proper ventilation.
Mounting
The Stellar Power Plant 3 should be placed with consideration of providing air
circulation to the unit. If you wish to install the P3 into your component
rack, the purchase of an aftermarket, custom-designed shelf may be necessary.
If your equipment is located a long distance from the P3, it is preferable to
use a long, heavy-gauge shielded power cable between the AC receptacle in the
wall and the Power Plant. This is preferable to long individual power cables
between the connected components and the P3.
Conditioners
We discourage the use of any other power conditioning equipment, before or
after the P3, without considerable evaluation. A critical determination will
have to be made as to whether there are any sonic or visual shortcomings. The
P3 has a significant input & output passive filter design, and adding extra
power cables to its input or additional filtering to its output may, in fact,
be undesirable.
Plugging In The Power Cable
You may use either the provided power cable or an aftermarket power cable to connect your unit to AC power. For best results, we strongly recommend the use of a PS Audio PerfectWave® Power AC cable, or any high-quality aftermarket power cable. It is always preferable to feed your equipment using an excellent power cable, as there will be a significant performance improvement over the stock power cable. To connect your unit to AC power, plug the flat end of the power cord into the IEC AC inlet and the pronged end into a wall socket.
Plugging In Your Equipment
The Stellar Power Plant 3 has a total of six (due to varying outlet sizes, the
German, Austrailian, and United Kingdom versions of this product will only
have four) outlets for regenerated power, two of which can be used for
equipment requiring a higher output current than the P3 can support. To
activate the Filtered High Current setting on those two outlets, flip the
bypass switch on the rear panel to the up position (as pictured below). By
selecting Filtered High Current, the regenerator will be bypassed and your AC
power will be filtered and able to deliver up to 13A of current.
CAUTION: YOU MUST SHUT OFF THE UNIT’S POWER BEFORE SWITCHING
BETWEENCAUTION: YOU MUST SHUT OFF THE UNIT’S POWER BEFORE SWITCHING BETWEEN
THE FILTHE FILTERED HIGH CURRENT AND REGENERATERED HIGH CURRENT AND
REGENERATING SETTINGS.TING SETTINGS.
With the P3 powered off, plug in your desired equipment to the outlets on the back panel of the unit.
Powering On Your P3
Once the unit is connected to power, flip the master power switch on the rear panel to the on position. The PS Audio Logo LED button on the upper left corner of the front panel will flash for approximately 3 seconds while the unit initializes. Once you hear a click and the Logo LED button is glowing solid blue, the unit has finished initializing and is ready for use.
Operation Guide
Idle Mode
The master power switch on the rear panel should remain on at all times (except when making new connections). When your connected equipment is not in use, the P3 can be placed in idle mode. Putting your unit in idle mode will deactivate all of its output relays. We recommend individually powering down your connected components before placing your P3 into idle mode. If you wish to fully power down your P3 (by flipping the master switch on the rear panel or by unplugging the power cord), you must first place the unit into idle mode. Idle mode can be activated by pressing the PS Audio logo button, located on the upper left-hand corner of the P3’s front panel. When the logo idle button is not lit, the P3 is in idle mode. Idle mode can also be activated by pressing the red power button in the top right-hand corner of the remote. To take the P3 out of idle mode, press the PS Audio logo button, located on the upper left-hand corner of the P3’s front panel. This button will glow blue when the P3 is not in idle mode. Pressing the On button on the remote will also take the P3 out of idle mode.
Output
- The Stellar Power Plant 3 has a maximum output power of 300 watts. The Output LED on the front panel of the P3 will glow either green, yellow, or red, depending on the output power of the unit.
- When the LED is glowing solid green, the unit is pulling up to ~90% (270W) of the maximum output power.
- When the LED is glowing solid yellow, the unit is pulling between ~90-100% (270W-300W) of the maximum output power.
- If the LED is glowing solid red, the unit is detecting power over 300W. The unit will go into fault mode when power exceeds 330W for a continuous period of 30 seconds.
MultiWave Function
The MultiWave function increases the charge time of the P3’s output waveform by altering the peak of the sine wave. A longer charging time, occurring at the peak of the output sine wave, lowers the connected equipment’s power supply ripple, much the same way as increasing the power supply capacitance of connected equipment. To toggle this feature on and off, press the MW button on the remote. The MultiWave LED on the front panel will glow blue when MultiWave is turned on. When the MultiWave function is turned off, the P3 uses the traditional sinewave as its default waveform.
CleanWave Function
CleanWave injects a series of higher frequencies that ride on the main sine wave to help degauss connected magnets. To enable this function, press the Clean button on the remote. To ensure that CleanWave is effective, make sure all connected equipment is on and functioning. CleanWave can be used between CDs, movies, and vinyl. It is not recommended to activate CleanWave while you are listening, as it may not sound correct until the CleanWave cycle has finished. The cycle will last for 5 seconds, during which time the CleanWave LED on the front panel will glow blue. When the cycle has finished, the LED will turn off.
Troubleshooting
Fault Mode
If the PS Audio LED Logo button is rapidly flashing blue, your Stellar
Power Plant 3 has detected an error and entered into fault mode, disabling all
outputs. When in fault mode, the status of the other LEDs on the front panel
will help indicate what error the unit has detected.
Output LED Flashing Red and Yellow
If you notice the Output LED is flashing, alternating between red and
yellow, the incoming voltage from your wall outlet is too low.
Output LED Flashing Green and Red
If the Output LED is flashing, alternating between green and red, the
incoming voltage from your wall outlet is too high.
CleanWave and MultiWave LEDs Flashing Simultaneously
If the CleanWave and MultiWave LEDs are flashing simultaneously (and the
Output LED is solid red), the Power Plant has exceeded the maximum output
power supply for a continuous period of 30 seconds. To find the component that
is drawing more power than the P3’s capability, remove all cables that are
plugged into the unit’s outputs, power cycle your Power Plant, and begin
reconnecting your equipment, one at a time. In order for the Power Plant to
kick into fault mode, it must be overdriven for more than 30 seconds. For this
reason, you will have to allow each connected component to run for at least 30
seconds before connecting any other components.
Output LED Flashing Red
When the Output LED is flashing red, the unit has entered fault mode for
short circuit protection. This means that the Power Plant has detected a short
in one of your connected components. To find the shorted component, start by
removing all cables plugged into the P3’s outputs, and power cycle the unit.
You may then begin reconnecting your equipment, one at a time. Your Power
Plant will enter into fault mode as soon as the shorted device is reconnected.
MultiWave LED Flashing
If the MultiWave LED is flashing blue (and the Output LED is solid red),
the unit has detected an Amp fault. Please contact PS Audio Customer Support
for assistance.
Output LED Flashing Blue and Red
If the output LED is flashing, alternating between blue and red, the unit
has detected DC voltage on its output. Please contact PS Audio Customer
Support for assistance.
CleanWave LED Solid Blue
When the CleanWave LED is solid blue (and the Output LED is solid red), the
unit has detected a corrupt flash. Please contact PS Audio Customer Support
for assistance.
Specifications
Specifications By Country
Warranty Information
Registering Your Product
By registering your product, you are validating the start date of your
limited warranty. This limited warranty is in effect for 3 years from the date
the unit was first purchased from PS Audio or its dealers and agents. If you
do not register your product within 30 days of service, a copy of your
purchase receipt from an authorized PS Audio dealer may be used as proof of
purchase to establish the warranty start date. If no proof of purchase from an
authorized PS audio dealer or registration is provided, the production date of
the product will be used to determine the warranty start date. You can
register your product online, by phone, by mail, or by email.
What This Warranty Covers
This warranty covers defects in material and workmanship for products
purchased from PS Audio or its authorized dealers and agents. In the event
your product fails, your sole remedy under this limited warranty shall be to
return the product to PS Audio or an authorized PS Audio repair center. At the
option of PS Audio, the product will be repaired without charge for parts or
labor, replaced, or the purchase price refunded through the original point of
purchase.
Shipping
You are responsible to pay for the safe and proper shipment of the
warrantied product to PS Audio or its authorized repair center. Under this
limited warranty, PS Audio or its authorized repair center will pay the cost
of returning the repaired or replacement product to you.
What This Warranty Does Not Cover
This warranty does not cover damage due to:
- Accidents, carelessness, improper transportation, misuse, neglect, or abuse
- Failure to follow the operating instructions that are provided by PS Audio in the Owner’s Reference Manual (available for download at www.psaudio.com)
- Use in any manner inconsistent with PS Audio’s operating instructions (available for download at www.psaudio.com)
- Lack of routine maintenance
- Connection to an improper voltage supply
- Alterations or modifications to the unit
- Improper or unauthorized repair, including repairs not authorized by PS Audio or a PS Audio authorized repair center
- Fire, lightning, flood, “Acts of God,” or other contingencies beyond the control of PS Audio
- Products purchased through an unauthorized source (if you have questions as to whether or not a dealer is authorized, please contact customer support at www. psaudio.com
- Products with a factory-applied serial number that has in any way been altered, defaced, or removed
Limitations Under This Warranty
In no event will PS Audio’s liability to you exceed the origianl purchase
price of your unit. This warranty does not cover the cost of custom
installation, customer instruction, setup adjustments, or signal reception
problems. Consequential and incidental damages are not covered under this
warranty. However, some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of
incidental or consequential damages, so this limitation or exclusion may not
apply to you. In the event that your warrantied product cannot be repaired, PS
Audio will either replace or refund the cost of the unit. We reserve the right
to replace any out-of-stock, discontinued, or limited edition products with a
comparable product. Discontinued products may not be available for warranty
replacement.
Warranty Transfer
This warranty is for the benefit of the original purchaser of the product.
The warranty may be trasferred to a subsequent purchaser during the 3 year
warranty period. To do this, you must contact PS Audio directly to set up a
transfer of warranty registration.
Service Information
Warranty Service Within North America
Please contact PS Audio customer support for service assistance, help with locating an authorized PS Audio repair center, help with the operation of a product, or for more information.
Obtaining An RMA#
In order to receive warranty service, you must first obtain a Return
Merchandise Authorization Number (RMA#) prior to returning any item. Please
contact PS Audio or an authorized PS Audio repair center to receive an RMA#.
The RMA# must be on all returned items. If it is not clearly marked, PS Audio
will return the package back to you, freight collect.
Packaging and Shipping
Original packaging should be used for the safe transit of your PS Audio unit
to the repair center. If you do not have the original packaging, PS Audio can
sell and ship replacement packaging to you. You are responsible for the cost
of shipping the product to a PS Audio-authorized repair center. You should
insure the product for its full retail cost, in the event it gets lost or
damaged in transit. PS Audio is not responsible for damage incurred during the
transit of products sent to us. Shipping your product in non-PS Audio
packaging may void this warranty. PS Audio reserves the right to charge you
for new factory packaging to return your product after a repair.
State Law
This warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may also have other rights,
which vary from state to state.
International Warranty Service
PS Audio has authorized distribution in many countries of the world. In each country, the authorized importing distributor has accepted the responsibility for warranty of the products sold by that distributor. Warranty service should be obtained where the product was purchased.
Changes To Our Products
PS Audio reserves the right to modify the design of any product without obligation to purchasers of previously manufactured products, and to change the prices or specifications of any products without notice or obligation to any person.