Premiere Design

As I was cruising the aisles at last week's Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention, I happened upon this huge toroidal power transformer from Plitron, which makes power products for professional and consumer A/V systems under the Torus Power brand name. (Thanks to former Stereophile writer Barry Willis, who generously offered his shoe to provide a sense of scale in this photo.)

The WM60 power conditioner pictured here must be connected to a dedicated 240V balanced power circuit and can deliver up to 60 amps of current at 120V/60Hz. It's designed to be wall mounted—hence the model designation WM—which is no mean feat since it tips the scale at 165 pounds. And the price? $5900. If you need even more current, you can step up to the WM100, which provides up to 100A, weighs 228 pounds, and costs $8550. Obviously, either unit should only be installed by a qualified electrician.

Of course, most home theaters don't need anywhere near that much power, and the Torus Power lineup includes many other options. For example, Stereophile reviewed the RM20 power-isolation unit (PIU), which provides up to 20A of current from a 95-pound chassis for $3000. As Larry Greenhill concluded in that review, "I highly recommend the Torus Power PIU to increase any serious audiophile system's powers of musical resolution and imaging."