Furman Elite 16 PF Ei - Power-Conditioner

A powerful amplifier is only as good as its power supply. During dynamic musical passages - an orchestral tutti, a drumbeat, a deep bass tone - the power amplifier demands many times its basic requirements from the mains in milliseconds. What happens if the mains cannot deliver fast enough: the dynamics are compressed, the bass loses contour and weight, transients sound dull. At the same time, this extreme power consumption causes repercussions on the more sensitive source devices - DAC, streamer and preamplifier - in the same circuit. The Furman Elite 16 PF Ei is the answer to precisely this problem: the only mains filter in the Elite series that actively reserves power for amplifiers and thus solves both challenges - protection and dynamic release - in one device.

As the flagship of the Furman Elite line for 230 V, the Elite 16 PF Ei combines four independent technologies: Power Factor Technology for the amplifier current pool, Ultra-Linear Filtering for the source devices, Series Multi-Stage Protection (SMP) with Extreme Voltage Shutdown and Ultrasonic Bi-Filtering for decoupling digital and analog circuits. In its performance class within the Elite line, it is only surpassed by the Furman Reference Series - the professional reference standard for broadcasting, mastering and high-end audiophiles.

Conventional mains filters - including the Elite 10Ei - clean the power and protect the equipment, but do not provide an active power pool. When a power amplifier draws high currents from the mains in milliseconds during a dynamic music peak, it draws on the same line as the DAC, preamplifier and streamer. The current peaks of the amplifier are superimposed as interference pulses on the sensitive small signal devices - and weaken their own dynamic playback because the house network does not react quickly enough.

The Elite 16 PF Ei's Power Factor Technology solves this problem with a dedicated capacitor stage: it continuously stores a current reserve of over 55 amps peak current (9 A RMS continuous) exclusively for the four Power Factor outputs - and provides this current to the amplifier immediately and without delay when required. At the same time, the amplifier group is galvanically decoupled from the other outputs so that the amplifier's current peaks no longer affect the sensitive source devices. Furman describes the net effect as an apparent doubling of the amplifier power - because the dynamics previously compressed by a poor power supply are now completely unleashed.

The Elite 16 PF Ei's overvoltage protection is based on Furman's proven Series Multi-Stage Protection (SMP) with Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS). The non-sacrificial SMP system dissipates voltage peaks through a network of inductors and capacitors without damaging itself - designed for multiple pulses of 6,000 V / 3,000 A. EVS continuously monitors the mains voltage and switches off all outputs immediately if dangerous overvoltage conditions occur - for example due to dropped neutral conductors or mains faults. Zero Ground Contamination ensures that no energy reaches the protective earthing cable.

The audible effect of the Elite 16 PF Ei is immediately noticeable in demanding systems: transients become faster and more precise, the bass gains weight and contour, the stage opens up spatially and the dynamics seem to unfold freely - no longer compressed by a lame power supply in the household network. At the same time, source devices and preamplifiers benefit from cleanly filtered power, which lowers the noise floor and exposes the fine dynamics. Furman itself positions the Elite 16 PF Ei within the Elite line as the model for all those who operate a powerful power amplifier or a large subwoofer - and want these components to reach their full potential.