What does the Reference PSU add to the Reference Transport’s musical delivery? Time, texture, separation – and focussed energy and body. Adding the PSU brings layers of harmonic resolution, while notes start (and decay) with much greater precision. Both are functions of the (even) lower noise floor. Together they create a musical articulation that is at once more natural and more expressive. Each note’s envelope is more focussed and concentrated, bring solidity to leading edges and body to notes and instruments. Roll it all together and the result is more communicative, more affective and far more convincing. I always suggest that the quickest way to assess any system is to ask yourself, how human the performers sound, how much it sounds like real people, playing real instruments? Likewise, ask the same question of any ‘upgrade’: does it make the music sound more like real people and real instruments? Well, that’s exactly what adding the external PSU does to the Reference Transport.
Steve Earle’s seminal Copperhead Road (the double disc, deluxe edition – Geffen 06 02517 65898) is no audiophile recording. What it is, is a barrage of musical intent and attitude and, just when you think you’ve got its measure, along come The Pogues! The Reference Transport, in standalone mode, does a better job of sorting out yet preserving the sheer energy and musical intensity than any other disc replay system I’ve used to date. But adding the Reference PSU to the replay chain elevates the intelligibility, adding significantly to the both the separation and the sheer sense of presence and directed energy in the performance. Whether it’s separating the kick drum and bass drum beats that accent the title track, giving the mandolin its characteristic tonality or effortlessly navigating the building density and momentum of ‘Johnny Come Lately’, there’s a natural sense of clarity and purpose to the performance, a natural combination of power AND delicacy. But where the benefits of the PSU are absolutely unmistakable is in the vocals. Earle’s voice is a roughly textured but complex instrument. The focus and textural/harmonic resolution that the PSU brings to the picture create a “He Is Here’ impression of natural presence and immediacy. More than that, there’s a captivating quality that, even when embarking on the focussed listening involved in comparisons such as these, finds you listening to just one more track, right up until the album ends…
Move onto more ‘audiophile’ material such as Alison Krauss’s ‘Forget About It’ (from the album of the same name, Rounder RRCD 0465) or – Lord help me – Radka Toneff singing ‘The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress’ (Fairytales, SACD Odin CD9561) and there’s an almost ghostly, reach out and touch quality and presence to the voices, a vivid sense of body and energy to the band, delicately weighted notes and deft phrasing on the piano. The magical intimacy makes even the ‘played to death familiarity’ of Fairytales a fresh new listening experience – and that’s really sayin’ something.
