Video summary

Audio AC power conditioner comparison 2024. APCH15, Puritain Audio PSM156,Power Quest 707,Green Wave

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product(s) reviewed

(power conditioners, compared)

  • APC power conditioner
  • Puritan Audio PSM (PSM6/PSM156 mentioned in title)
  • Power Quest 707
  • Green Wave EMI Broadband meter (used to measure changes in noise)

Key findings / unique points

1) Baseline measurement

  • With the Green Wave initially plugged into a power strip: ~315
  • After plugging into the power strip: it drops to about ~100 (wording suggests ~100 immediately after plugging in)

2) Plugging directly vs via a power strip

  • Switching to direct plug-in: measurement around ~105–106
  • Reviewer notes it doesn’t seem to make a difference for the comparison.

3) APC power conditioner results

When the APC unit is turned on:

  • Digital filter (“CD”): ~420
  • “Digital filter about 260” (mentioned while moving controls)
  • Analog filter: ~415
  • “Sub buffer” drops to: ~185

Green Wave plugged onto same circuit / high-current section:

  • Drops dramatically to ~40
  • Stays in the 40s even when moved among filter areas/banks on the same section

Takeaway: Very low readings only occur when measured on the correct high-current/filter section; otherwise values remain higher.

4) Puritan Audio (PSM) results

  • Without Green Wave plugged in (PSM outlets checked first): ~110–115
  • When Green Wave is plugged into those outlets: it went up (reviewer calls this “unusual”)

When plugged directly into the Puritan unit/outlet:

  • Drops to ~25
  • Reviewer calls this “phenomenal”
  • Unit is described as having a “low noise” claim

5) Power Quest 707 results

  • High current bank: ~57 (described as wonderful)
  • Other filter banks: ~300–315
  • With Green Wave plugged in: reading returns to ~40s (again suggesting location/bank matters)

Switching to other bank sections still lands in the 40s, similarly for low/high current areas.

Pros / cons implied by the measurements

Pros

  • Some conditioners (or specific output sections) can deliver very low EMI/noise readings:
    • Puritan measured as low as ~25 when plugged directly
    • APC and Power Quest 707 can reach ~40s depending on the section/bank used

Cons / limitations

  • Results depend heavily on which filter/output section/bank you plug into.
  • For the Puritan, plugging into certain outlets initially caused readings to increase (baseline ~110–115), before the “direct” plug-in test improved it.

Comparisons made

  • The review compares APC vs Puritan vs Power Quest 707 using the same Green Wave EMI meter.
  • It repeatedly shows that bank/section selection can make large differences:
    • APC/707 show both high readings (200–400+) and low readings (~40–60) depending on the connection point.

Overall verdict / recommendation

  • Puritan Audio PSM shows the best performance in this test, reaching ~25 when the meter is plugged directly into it (best “low noise” outcome).
  • APC and Power Quest 707 can be excellent (~40s), but only when connected to the right filter/bank/high-current section—performance is less consistently low across all outlet sections.

Speakers / perspectives

  • Single reviewer conducting EMI measurements across multiple conditioners.
  • No distinct separate speakers indicated.
  • Emphasis: which outlet/filter bank you use is critical.

Original video