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  Accessories > MultiWave II+ MultiWave II+ More Info Starting at just $99.95!  MultiWave I and then MultiWave II have been a unique part of Power Plants since their invention a few years ago. MultiWave I was the world's first use of multiple frequency waveforms, designed to power your equipment, and MultiWave II took that a step further with new waveforms and refinements that added servo circuitry to eliminate DC. MultiWave II has been very popular and is found in all new Power Plants, like the P500 and P1000. It can be ordered as an update for any Power Plant and is something we strongly recommended for Power Plant owners to incorporate. MW II+ is the same as MW II, but combines two new features: Clean Sweep™ system cleaning and ultra precise turntable speed control, hence the name 'Plus'. Since Clean Sweep™ is the coolest and effective feature we've ever added to the Power Plants, and something every Power Plant owner has to have, let's explain that first. Clean Sweep™ We have noticed over the years that a high end system tends to go 'sour' over a period of time. Systems tend to sound a little harsh after a while, like they need some break in and they seem to lose some of their magic. Strange as it sounds, systems tend to sound a bit 'stale' if they have no changes made to them over, say, a month's time. Have you noticed this in your system? We certainly have. What could cause this to happen? What do systems have in common that could make them lose their magic and life? One answer is AC power: common to all AV equipment. Since all systems run from AC power and all systems convert AC to DC using magnetic based components, perhaps this was one of the culprits contributing to the phenomena. Perhaps system's power supplies were getting magnetized or, in some way, polarized over a period of time. The idea for the solution first came from a system cleaning CD we experimented with that has a series of sweep tones and noises that, when played through the system, really seems to help clean it up. The claim on the CD was that it 'degaussed' the audio system, the cables, the speakers, the power supplies etc. If we wanted to apply that same idea, specifically to the connected power supplies and power cables, perhaps we could get closer to the actual culprit than attacking through the peripheral audio chain, using the CD. Degaussing, or demagnetizing would, perhaps, help a great deal - especially if it directly affected the magnetic based power supplies in the connected equipment. In any AC system, slight amounts of DC present on the line, as well as constant exposure to magnetic fields can slightly polarize or magnetize iron and steel based components in the power supply. Degaussing, or reducing the magnetic field in any device typically requires a changing magnetic field moving up and down in strength. Degaussing an AC power system would require a unique AC waveform to accomplish this. PS Engineering created a special waveform that is a pure sine wave with small amplitude 'bubbles' - changes in amplitude along the very sine wave itself - on a per cycle basis. These slight changes in amplitude have a demagnetizing effect on any power equipment connected. The special waveforms with their amplitude 'bubbles' are called Clean Sweep™ and are available only with the Plus edition of MultiWave II. To use the Clean Sweep, we created a System Clean position for Power Plants in the new MW II+. Press the  mode button to System Clean and activate it. The Power Plant sweeps from 50Hz to 120Hz in varying speeds for 30 seconds and, while it is sweeping the frequency, it is also amplitude modulating along each cycle of the sine wave (going up and down in voltage). What differences are we hearing? We noticed that after a thorough system cleaning, the system sounded much smother, fuller, had much of the harshness removed and presented a more robust and realistic midbass. It sounded more like the performers were in the room - less like a hi fi, more like reality. What we settled on was this: before each serious listening session, we did a full 60 second system clean. Then, between each CD or LP we listened to, we hit the burst clean mode and got a refresh. The burst mode takes about 5 seconds. Think about it. How many times have you sat down to listen - only to be a little discouraged about how it sounded? Now, all you need do is clean the system and you're good to go. It's really amazing. Cleaning your system with a push of a button...what will we think of next? Precise turntable/frequency control As most of you know, Power Plant AC regenerators are routinely used to control the speed of turntables because a Power Plant's frequency can be adjusted in 1Hz increments. A 1Hz increments is pretty fine control, but industry recording engineers and vinyl enthusiasts want more: 10 or 20 times more accuracy to be exact! Add to this the fact that many of our customers have asked us over the years for more precise control over the way their systems sound, we figured it would be a really useful feature for both the turntable/vinyl crowd as well as anyone wanting to hone in on their system's performance, to add a magnitude greater control over the output frequency of the Power Plant. So, as a part of the MultiWave Plus package, we added a precise turntable speed control/frequency control  - the likes of which have not been seen by anyone. With crystal controlled reliability, it is now possible to tune the speed of your turntable, connected to any Power Plant with MultiWave II+, by +/- 8 increments per Hz (single cycle)! You can now choose any frequency, then fine tune that frequency up or down in 8 increments. 60 Hz, which generally is used for 33 1/3 rpm or 81 Hz, used for 45 rpm, can be easily set via the front panel of the Power Plant. Once you install MultiWave II+, that same frequency can then be fine tuned as never before, in fractions of a single cycle.If you own a turntable that can be controlled with a Power Plant (like most VPI, Clearaudio or even older tables like rek-o-kut, Presto and Fairchild), you can use something like a KAB strobe disc and precisely set the speed of your platter, whether it's 33 1/3, 45 rpm or 78 rpm. If you're really into to vinyl, then a precise motor controller like this is a must-have! If you really want the ultimate measure of control over the system's performance, then this will be a benefit to you. OK, what's the deal with getting MW II+? MultiWave II+ can be added to any Power Plant, from the oldest to the newest, regardless of model. All new Power Plants, produced after March 2005 will have the new Plus version of the software already installed. For those of you upgrading: IF you have MultiWave II in your Power Plant already, this is going to be fairly painless. If not, then you will first need to upgrade to MultiWave II. The Plus upgrade to MultiWave II is an easy-to-install chip set for your Power Plant. It includes the System Cleaning function as well as the Ultra Precise turntable control, for just $99.95 plus shipping. It's easy to add and you don't have to replace the PC board inside. We'll provide complete instructions for installation of the chips and whatever help you need. This is going to be a fun adventure for many of you. Having the ability to hit a button and rejuvenate your system is, well, amazing. It's something I can no longer live without. See your dealer or distributor, or head over to the PS website and order it up today. We'll be shipping the first kits out in Mid March for those who have pre-ordered. Remember, you must have MultiWave II installed to add the + version to the software. Ready to step up to MW II+? Click here or see your local dealer or distributor for details. |
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