Question on Audiophile Power Outlet Installation

Have seen the pics. You don't have walls. Your Magnepans are driving your whole basement, due to the felt you have tacked up on the 2x4's. But I'll be happy to send you an outlet. Email me your address and I'll send you one.

 

Possibly, but I have none of the above and the effects/improvements of high quality receptacles (I use the Oyaide R1 at the wall to feed my integrated amplifer as well as an Inouye Line Conditioner which feeds the rest of the components in my system-the receptacles in the line conditioner have been changed out to either cryoed HBL 5262's or cryoed HBL 8200H's) have been clearly audible and probably one of the bigger bang for the buck tweaks I've experienced.

Opinions as to what is the "best" receptacle in terms of audio are all over the board and many should be taken with a grain of salt. There are all kinds of factors at play: subjective listening preferences and system synergies are just two.

Then there is the issue of the "mix and match" that occurs when most people compare receptacles. When I experimented a number of years ago I found that if you really wanted to find out the true sonic character of a receptacle that you would have to run the same receptacle throughout an entire system to really get a handle on things. So if you have a system that draws from 3 or 4 receptacles, that means you want to replace all of those receptacles with the particular model you're auditioning or testing.

The problem with this is that it's very, very time consuming. With the exception of the R1 that I own, though, that's exactly what I did many years ago comparing about 7 or 8 different receptacles. It involved slotting different receptacles into my line conditioner, allowing for burn-in, etc. etc. It took me the better part of 14-16 months to compare the different models but it was an interesting experiment and the different sonic signatures were very apparent under these circumstances.

 

Fair enough, I will send it. But the felt is covering concrete walls at the speaker end and there are walls on three sides (insulation installed between the 2x6s). My basement is 1,800 square feet so finishing it is a huge investment (around $40K) but my brother and I will finish it soon. The acoustics are really good.

 

According to Wikipedia, TVSS is now an obsolescent term! Basically, it's surge protection, installed at the breaker panel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_protector It's more of a commercial term, I suppose. Anyways, if you're using TVSS, it's not limiting current at the outlet/breaker, but gives you the same benefits that a traditional line conditioner would. Most commercial buildings will have one.

 

That's quite a size. A rectangle 60 feet by 30 feet is 1800 sq. feet. Is the listening room the whole basement?

 

It's kind of ridiculous. Enough for two great rooms, a bathroom, a medium-sized hallway, an electrical/storage closet, and two bedrooms. The listening room is one corner but it is part of the back wall which has bowed windows and a side wall.

If it makes you feel better, I spent six years in New York in shoe boxes.

 

I can sympathize with your downgrade.

 

I ran a new line to my stereo and it was the best thing I ever did.

12 gauge romex, no junctions, no cuts just straight from breaker to outlet. I used a hospital grade outlet from Home Depot. I did this because the line it previous had to many things on it and did not want to starve the amp for power. What I got what a massive improvement in sound. No speaker change could achieve what this power line has. I plus the amp into the top plug and the source players in a powerbar plugged into the other plug.

The result was amazing. I did not realize how dirty my power was. So impressive I ran another line to my computer. Computer had strange noise issues, high pitched whiring and lots of crosstalk. I cursed HP for using cheap chipsets. After getting its own line it is silent. Only went 14 gauge for the comp and used a cheaper Leviton dedicated ground outlet which indeed inst the greatest. I am now a firm believer in clean power.

Expensive power outlets do loo like snake oil and I would bet 90% of them are simply modified hubbel. A few though I have been told are contracted from the same factories but using proper materials no one would ever pay for in regular construction. People like under $1 outlets. I looked into it and it was about $35 to make an outlet with proper materials on a small scale from large manufacturer. I am sure a large order could cut that in half. Even then only audiophiles will pay for such an outlet. Regular home owners will always go cheap even if its like buying one ply toilet paper. My hospital grade home depot outlet was just shy of $20.

 

As much as a skeptic as I am, I think this makes sense. When I had the additional 20-amp line brought in to my house, we did notice all the hum and disappeared, plus there was no longer a "pop" through the system when the kitchen refrigerator or the air conditioning system turned off or on. I think this will make a real difference. Power cable and outlets... not so much. Quality of the actual AC power, yes.

 

I have a dedicated 20 amp line for the receptacles powering my gear in my dedicated listening room.

The receptacles are hospital grade Pass and Seymour that I got from Home Depot , ten+ years ago. Bright orange but that is good since I have other outlets in the room that are not on the same circuit and at a glance I know which is which.

I also have some of the 15 amp pass & Seymour hospital grade receptacles that it used in an extension box I built. Ran out of ports for my front end stuff.

All of these receptacles still have a tenacious grip

I don't think HD carries the line anymore. Should be easy enough to source and likely have more color choice too.

HD seems to be moving "down market" for much of their electrical stuff.

 

I installed cryoed Hubbell 5362 outlets last year and noticed a significant improvement. That shocked me as I was very skeptical that an outlet could improve sound quality. For $30 a pop and a half hour of time, it is well worth experimenting.

Right now, my power amp is on a dedicated 15 amp line and the other equipment is on a shared circuit. I am considering installing a 20 amp line using 10 gauge Romex to put the whole system on. I would love to know if this will provide a tangible benefit but my guess is that there are no guarantees.

 

When I installed a high quality Romex to the switchbox it made a difference in my system. The electrical guys don't like to work with the heavier gauge stuff since it is harder to flex around corners and such.

 

Fortunately, I could run a really straight shot in my unfinished basement. The new outlet and a 20 amp power distributor/conditioner may cost more than the line installation.

 

I recently changed the 40+ year old outlet for my TT and amp to a hospital grade outlet from Home Depot. It was around 14.00 and I consider it money well spent. It is orange and does look a little funny, but who is worried about that?

 

Oyaide receptacles, 3 dedicated 20 amp circuits was one of the best upgrades I've done. It was like a veil had been lifted from the system...

 

I've tested lots of receptacles and the Furutech GTX(R) is easily the best and well worth the investment.

As far as power it's best to run your entire system on one line and plugged into a single receptacle using a power distribution block. This will minimize noise caused by potential differences in the component grounds.

 

I feel like Rick Warren and Bill Maher just said he liked one of my sermons.

Actually, for the most part all we're talking about here are current loads, grounding and isolation. This is not lunatic fringe stuff. It's basic electronics.

I'll leave cryogenic freezing to Ted Williams.

 

12 gauge romex is sufficient for a 20 amp circuit. 14 gauge is generally used for 15 amp branch circuits. Working with 12 gauge is considerably more difficult to work than 14, I can't imagine what 10 gauge would be like, particularly if you have several runs in the box.

 

Thanks for that comment. When it comes to this stuff, I don't really know what I am talking about so it is good to hear other perspectives. Next weekend I may switch all my equipment to the 15 amp line to see if I hear any difference. My system is simply a MacMini, DAC, preamp, and power amp so 15 amps should be able to handle all of it.

 

So what is the best you can do if you live in an apartment or condo where a rewire is not possible? I've a Shunyata outlet SR-Z1 and with a stainless steel wall plate faceplate and launchpad (basically a vibration absorbent material behind the faceplate) along with a Shunyata Defender, PS8 and power cables. I also have a PS Audio power port and Monster power conditioner where my MacBook and other computer accessories are connected in the same general room.

On a side note has anyone done any evaluation of the use of differnt light technologies within the room specifically fluorescent type lights versus LED and also the use of three way or dimmer lights and any impact on the system from them. I've not done anything but hve been curios.

 

What is the difference between a hospital grade duplex and a HiFi duplex, besides price? Nearest I can figure by looking at a few, both offer about six times the contact surface compared to a stock duplex. They have a much firmer grip due to the increased contact surfaces as well. I guess beyond the practicality of moving current, I don't see (or hear) much difference. I did heard the addition of a dedicated circuit with 20 amp service and I am a quality mains cord believer, as I've heard the differences. Not looking to start a fire here, just asking...

 

Sometimes cyro treating, sometimes plating, sometimes design, sometimes some combination of 0-3 of those things

 

If you look at all the "boutique" outlets you will see their name is NOT on the actual outlet where it matters. Notice stamps in the metal and marked in the plastic. They are buying outlets from large manufacturers and then claiming to do some magic to them. Audiophile cable suppliers love to work in the murky waters of confusion. This is how they work with outlets. Yes 50 cent contractor outlets are crap and yes, you will actually hear the result from throwing those away and using good industrial grade outlets. However that it where it stops and the nonsense kicks in.
You can buy industrial grade outlets from big box and electrical supply house. The latter being better as they actually know what they are selling. $20 - $30 and you will have the best outlet ANYONE has available.

We have to use logic. Outlets must pass regulator standards. Here in Canada its the CSA. If I was gong to manufacture my own outlets with "special audiophile material" I would have to clear the product to get the CSA stamp of approval. That means I would also get to pay and wait forever to pass government regulations. Or I could just buy wholesale Industrial grade outlets, re-box them and say I have Quantum Tunneled them with my special process. See where I am going here? Borrow the name of a real science and pretend that's what I've done and charge $100+ because I printed those pretty boxes. But wait there's more. Lets say a house burns down because of my outlet. I would be sunk unless ... I could just pass the buck to Leviton who actually made the thing. That would be why when you buy these audiophile outlets you cannot find the boutique brand name anywhere but perhaps a sticker. The actual metal will be stamped "Leviton" for instance as will the plastic parts. What does that tell you? One could say they contracted Leviton to make special grade outlets. But if you really did contract Leviton and the outlet was indeed something special then you would have stamp YOUR name into them not theirs. Proof not just talk. Fact is I could not make a pure copper or pure gold outlet if I wanted to. It wouldn't pass the CSA.

Ambiguous is how snake oil people work. Its secret magic they must protect and only the chosen can hear it. And hear it they do. Who doesn't want to be the special chosen? Been working for centuries.

 

I think this is actually a code requirement in my area. Within a room, all of the outlets are supposed to feed off the same phase of the breaker panel. This is to prevent someone from accidentally being jolted with 240V power due to a comedy of errors.

 

Audio circuit on the opposite leg of the sub panel. Don't know if it made a difference.



I went with a 20 amp breaker and 12/2 Romex.



I have good contact with my present outlets, so they will stay.