PS Audio Dectet Review

[RLF]

Originally Posted by jdandy

RLF.......Sorry to hear of the problem. Mine is working perfectly, and I'm sure your replacement Dectet will make you happy. PS Audio will make it right.

Yes, I am hoping so. They have always done that in the past when there have been problems.

[RLF]

Originally Posted by RLF

I am also pleased with my Dectet that is isolating my digital gear, PS Audio PWD MKII and Ayre SACD player. That being said, my Dectet had to be sent back to PS Audio for intermittent and unexplained shutdowns. After The folks at PS Audio had it a month for repair, it came back with the same problem after only 48 hours of use so it has been sent back again. I do not have any issues with the same gear plugged into my PS Audio Duet plugged into the same outlet. I was told by PS Audio that it was a firmware issue with a batch of early production Dectets. Since this is the second time that I've had to send my Dectet, I have asked the people at PS Audio to send me a new unit.

UPDATE: PS Audio will be sending me a new Dectet to replace the one that had the continuing but unexplained shutdown problem. When they had my Dectet in for repair this second time they could not replicate the problem, so they told me today that they are sending me a new one. As usual, PS Audio provides top notch customer service when there is a problem. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the new unit will not have the same problem with my gear in my dedicated 20 amp line.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by RLF

UPDATE: PS Audio will be sending me a new Dectet to replace the one that had the continuing but unexplained shutdown problem. When they had my Dectet in for repair this second time they could not replicate the problem, so they told me today that they are sending me a new one. As usual, PS Audio provides top notch customer service when there is a problem. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the new unit will not have the same problem with my gear in my dedicated 20 amp line.

If you have any issues with the new one; get me involved, even though I'm not the selling dealer.

[esteban]

Happy to say I just received a Dectet today myself. It will replace a PS Audio Duet. First impressions are positive: The unit is certainly impressive looking and feels solid.

I did have one problem, though: I heard a clicking noise the second I took the Dectet out of the box... Sounded like a loose screw inside... and after removing the top plate and inspecting the inside of the unit carefully, I confirmed my suspicions: one of the 4 Phillips screws that holds each Power Port in place was loose in one of the center receptacles. Talk about bad luck! I just had a similar problem with an Oppo 105 modified player only a few weeks ago... this has NOT been a good month, equipment-wise... I could not believe my luck... After two similar incidents I really do not want to deal with a new piece of gear for a LONG while...

The solution in this case, however, was simple. But it took me quite a while to actually maneuver my way to the rebel screw, since there's barely any room to use a screwdriver... The folks at PS Audio were friendly, though, and they helped me out via phone. They offered to ship a replacement right away, but luckily I was able to take care of the issue myself after some trial and error (and at least half a dozen screwdrivers that were simply too big for the job)...

Breaking it in as we speak!

Dan, did you find that yours exhibited any changes after a few hours?

[esteban]

Talk about a bad month for A/V gear... First, the modified Oppo 105 that came with loose parts shaking and stirring inside the unit. Now the Dectet is going back as well.

Long story short: everything worked fine while listening only to my Oppo 95 and Squeezebox Touch (my integrated amp is always connected straight to the wall). But the second I turned my Marantz receiver on I heard severe ground-loop and other extraneous noises. Emphasis on severe. As in REALLY bad. Not only that, turning my Panasonic plasma on (in other words, once all my components were on at the same time) made things even worse, and I could hear more noise and garbage filtering through my speakers.

I tried using different "Iso Zones" in the Dectet. Different combinations. First the "High Current" ports, then the regular ones, etc. Different power cables. Different physical positioning of the actual unit. Added vibrapods underneath it. Moved interconnects around, etc. Nothing worked. Whatever "isolation" the "Izo Zones" were providing, it was just not working in my set-up.

I never had any issues at all with my PS Audio Duet, so back to work it went. The result: silence. Everything works fine now, just like before.

A shame, since I still need an extra outlet and that was the main reason why I got the Dectet. But even though the PS Audio folks were friendly and helpful, this is still discouraging and disappointing. You would think a $500 power strip/conditioner, bla-bla-bla would not have this sort of issues. I'm honestly done with wasting money on things that may or may not improve anything, or may in fact actually make everything worse. I spent at least 5 hours behind my components last night, sweating like a pig and fighting with cords and outlets. All in vain. My wife's expression was of utter confusion and frustration... I'm done with audiophile mumbo-jumbo. I never had issues like this with a $25 Belkin power strip, either, which for all intents and purposes works just fine and offers a lot more outlets. I'm just tempted to buy something like an Emotiva CMX6 "distribution system" (usually on sale for $100 or less, and with 6 industrial grade outlets, also built like a tank), pocket $400, and call it a day. Or I might just forget about the whole thing altogether and go back to enjoying my movies and music without obsessions over any of this stuff...

Yes, I'll admit it: Not a good day today! Apologies for the rant. Not a good month, in fact. Dealing with two big (for me at least) $$$ refunds is no fun. The PS Audio is made in the US and I was happy to support that, but it came with a loose screw inside the unit (not a good start, see my post above) and then it basically made everything MUCH worse in my system... Lesson learned: no more "upgrading" for me for a while...

[Masterlu]

I personally use 4 Dectet's and have sold countless others. Not a single issue ever reported.

[esteban]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

I personally use 4 Dectet's and have sold countless others. Not a single issue ever reported.

I'm not denying that, Ivan. As I said, my PS Audio Duet has been a great product. Never a single issue with it in years of constant use. And the folks at PS Audio were responsive and professional about the situation. But just as RLF reported previously in this very same thread, problems do exist. Two of us had issues with a Dectet so far. In my case, the ground loop and other extraneous noises were REALLY bad. Things I never heard before. Noise and digital "harsh" that kept fluctuating and changing all the time through my speakers. I can live with a tiny amount of ground loop, but this was audible from the kitchen...

Could anybody recommend a good quality "2-to-1" AC plug? Basically, I would need something that would allow me to use one single outlet in my Duet with two different components (two disc players that draw barely any power at all)... Thanks in advance, and apologies for the rant again. Call it bad luck. From now on, I will call it "if it ain't broken..."

[jdandy]

Esteban.......I fully understand the frustration of dealing with issues that cause me to have to labor behind my audio racks. It is always a chore. Sorry to hear about the Dectet problem. Mine is working without any issues.

[RLF]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

If you have any issues with the new one; get me involved, even though I'm not the selling dealer.

Thanks, I sure will. I'm not sure what you can do though if the same problem occurs again? Hopefully, the third time is the charm.

I will keep you and the others here posted. I have been a long time PS Audio customer and have bought countless products from them over the years and have had the pleasure of meeting Paul McGowen himself a few years back.

[RLF]

Originally Posted by esteban

Talk about a bad month for A/V gear...

Long story short: everything worked fine while listening only to my Oppo 95 and Squeezebox Touch (my integrated amp is always connected straight to the wall). But the second I turned my Marantz receiver on I heard severe ground-loop and other extraneous noises. Emphasis on severe. As in REALLY bad. Not only that, turning my Panasonic plasma on (in other words, once all my components were on at the same time) made things even worse, and I could hear more noise and garbage filtering through my speakers.

I tried using different "Iso Zones" in the Dectet. Different combinations. First the "High Current" ports, then the regular ones, etc. Different power cables. Different physical positioning of the actual unit. Added vibrapods underneath it. Moved interconnects around, etc. Nothing worked. Whatever "isolation" the "Izo Zones" were providing, it was just not working in my set-up.

I never had any issues at all with my PS Audio Duet, so back to work it went. The result: silence. Everything works fine now, just like before.

A shame, since I still need an extra outlet and that was the main reason why I got the Dectet. But even though the PS Audio folks were friendly and helpful, this is still discouraging and disappointing. You would think a $500 power strip/conditioner, bla-bla-bla would not have this sort of issues. I'm honestly done with wasting money on things that may or may not improve anything, or may in fact actually make everything worse. I spent at least 5 hours behind my components last night, sweating like a pig and fighting with cords and outlets. All in vain. My wife's expression was of utter confusion and frustration... I'm done with audiophile mumbo-jumbo. I never had issues like this with a $25 Belkin power strip, either, which for all intents and purposes works just fine and offers a lot more outlets. I'm just tempted to buy something like an Emotiva CMX6 "distribution system" (usually on sale for $100 or less, and with 6 industrial grade outlets, also built like a tank), pocket $400, and call it a day. Or I might just forget about the whole thing altogether and go back to enjoying my movies and music without obsessions over any of this stuff...

Yes, I'll admit it: Not a good day today! Apologies for the rant. Not a good month, in fact. Dealing with two big (for me at least) $$$ refunds is no fun. The PS Audio is made in the US and I was happy to support that, but it came with a loose screw inside the unit (not a good start, see my post above) and then it basically made everything MUCH worse in my system... Lesson learned: no more "upgrading" for me for a while...

I am so sorry to hear of your problem with your Dectet. No apology needed for the rant. I think that I ranted somewhat when I spoke directly to the folks at PS Audio when my Dectet came back after repairs and shut down again only after 48 hours and they wanted me to experiment with putting it elsewhere to see if it would shutdown again.

Despite a bad back, I had to also spend a few hours getting my Duet out of my dedicated Home Theater system and into my 2 channel rig in my listening room to once again replace the Dectet. Like you, my Duet continues to function perfectly without sudden shutdowns in the same dedicated outlet to the same gear! I hope that PS Audio will get it right this time when they send me a new unit. Yes, indeed one would not expect a new $500 product to have problems like yours and mine; especially after sending it back for repairs only to have it come back with the same issue.

I am not sure what to think of the problem with the Dectet QA issues that both of us have had. I currently have a PS Audio P5 regenerator in my Home Theater system and a PWD MKII as my DAC in my 2 channel rig that have had no issues whatsoever.