Oyaide R1/WPZ outlet loaner program

Fair enough, Blake. Cool beans

ccm

 

Blake, looking forward to hearing your observations. It's great that you are breaking in the R1 before doing any critical listening.

 

Friday morning, after 8 days with the chest freezer, I threw the R1 into my system, which is posted here. It essentially runs off one receptacle which is not a dedicated line. My integrated amp is plugged directly into the wall. Into the other half of that receptacle is plugged my line conditioner, an Inouye SPLC which has two totally isolated receptacles, both of which have been replaced with either cryoed HBL 8200H's or HBL 5262's (which have a very similar sonic signature). One of those receptacles feeds my phono preamp and a variac which I use to power my turntable (all listening that I mention is done with the table); the other receptacle in the line conditioner feeds a blu ray player and a satellite receiver.

The R1 replaced a cryoed HBL 8200H at the wall so it is essentially feeding the whole system. I have to admit: it is very impressive sonically. The overall tonal balance and character of the R1 is very similar to the cryoed Hubbells (which I think is a good thing), that being very even handed and not really emphasizing one part of the frequency spectrum over another. I've experimented with some receptacles in the past which IMO tend to hype the upper midrange and high frequencies and push them forward (almost like you're sitting in the front row vs. more mid hall with the Hubbells and Oyaide) which is definitely not to my liking but others may prefer that kind of a presentation and system synergy is also at work with this stuff.

I wish the R1 was not as good as it is, as now I have to buy one (I ordered one last night). It betters the cryoed Hubbell it replaced substantially in the detail department while at the same time remaining musical. It's not warmer than the HBL it replaced, although I've been told that another of the Oyaides (the gold plated phosphor bronze contact version-I believe the body is red on that one) is, but it provides much more detail without sounding clinical or hard in any way. There's attack and decay info that is simply not there with the HBL. Vocals are more intelligible, complex performances are heard with more separation and projection of instruments and, most noticeably, there is a lack of "bloat" in the bass that is apparent in the HBL by comparison that makes the R1 quite a bit better and cleaner dynamically. At first this might be misconstrued as being thin or bass shy but it definitely is not. I also have the feeling that this R1 will continue to improve a bit in the bass department (that is always the last thing to come in with receptacles as they burn in) as it breaks in some more-I don't think it's finished by a long shot and think it needs more time based on past experiences with other receptacles. Most of my listening was done yesterday-I could be mistaken but I think the receptacle has improved a bit from then to now (it's been drawing current all morning running the satellite receiver and amp for TV use) but I've only played half of one side today (the Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers-Bitch sounded fabulous, better than it ever has).

I've thrown all kinds of music at it: Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Linda Ronstadt, Sonny Rollins, Shelly Manne with Ray Brown and Barney Kessell, Gordon Lightfoot, the Stones.

I have not experimented with the wall plate as of yet so that will come next, but I want to give the receptacle a few more days before I do that.

Is this an expensive receptacle? You bet. I'm not so sure I'd want to buy multiple receptacles-at least my wallet doesn't. But after using it, I know that I'll find it pretty difficult to go back. As I said earlier, I ordered one last night. An R1 that has been fully cryoed and had substantial burn in time on a cable cooker. I went that route (the R1 that's here right now has not been cryoed) because I haven't used a receptacle in the past that hasn't benefitted substantially from cryo and I also think that the contacts are so beefy on the Oyaide that an aftermarket burn-in (I've had cables and interconnects burned in the past and am a believer) will be a positive. Saves me the trouble of doing the cryo and then dealing with burn-in here, although I am willing to do this with the one here currently if Paul wishes me to do so. Buying the cryoed/burned-in version will allow me to slot it in immediately following the removal of this R1 for a "one right after the other" comparison. If my suspicions are correct, the new one should be very, very good.

Next up, the wall plate. Have to admit I am skeptical, not as to whether it will offer any improvement at all, but as to whether it can be considered a bang for the buck improvement. For $165, the R1 qualifies in that area although it's pushing things a bit. Is it 5 times better than a cryoed HBL 5262 or 8200H? No. But I think you could argue it's twice as good in a resolving system. And for $165 that's not bad.

 

Blake, great review. So glad you got good results from the R1.

 

Thanks for the review Blake.

 

+1 on t and v and Lee.

 

Interesting review, thanks. I'd really love to see more respectful discussion around sharing of experiences like this on the Hardware forum.

 

Great report. Thanks.

 

Absolutely! We can learn so much from one another. It's this type of experiment--"I'll try it and hear for myself"--that enables each of us to learn as we enjoy the journey of listening to music.

Big up to Blake for being open minded and taking a shot. And big up to CCM for his kind, generous and unselfish offer.

 

Thanks Blake for a good review. That was my experience, as well.

We also clearly have similar tastes in music!

Can't wait until you put the plate in

You don't need to cryo my outlet if you've got another cryo'd one coming in.

But you should have held off on your R1 order until you've heard the plate - because you'll be ordering one of those, too

We should be hearing from Vidiot any day now.

All the best,
ccm

 

Oyaide receptacles have climbed in price since I originally bought them from Revolution Power in 2006. My original invoice for Oyaide SWO-XXX shows $85/ea. They are now $110/ea !! The covers have also gone up from $200 to $235!

 

It's not clear to me whether I should PM you or just post here, but I am interested in taking part in the program.

I might have an interesting perspective: I am not skeptical that it is going to change the sound, I am very worried that it will change it in ways that at first will seem good, but ultimately are less satisfying. I promise to do a lot of listening if I get it and I'll do a report a few weeks after going to back to the household outlet...

 

Yup. US dollar goes down, import product prices go up.

You can still find good deals on audiogon if you're willing to wait.

ccm

 

Post here, definitely. Easier for me to keep track of, frankly

As I remember it, the next two in line remain Kevintomb and Metralla, provided Kevintomb gets around to sending his address.

Since Kevin might still be embroiled in home renovations and not have a system set up right now, I think it's fair to say we can put you in second place ahead of him.

So, the current order of future trials goes like:

1. Metralla
2. Hypnotoad
3. Kevintomb
4. ?????

ccm

 

Thanks, ccm.

I have a new DAC coming (Metrum Octave) in about two months (6-8 week lead time because of all of the orders). In a perfect world, I would wait for it to arrive before trying the outlet. So if there are others who want to go ahead of me, step right up. But if not, I'll be happy to try it with my current equipment.

- 'toad

 

No worries, Hypnotoad. By the time you get it, I don't see any issue with you holding on to it until your DAC arrives.

Let's see how it plays out.

ccm

 

A bit of an update.

The R1 has been in use now since last Friday and, as suspected, I've definitely been involved in the "burn-in mambo" with this guy. The bass is definitely coming in more; there were a few times in the past few days where I did feel the tonal balance might have been just a bit thin and there are no hard and fast rules with burn in. That has not been the case today as the bass definitely continues to improve. My experience is that different products can produce different burn-in patterns so there's no guarantee I'm out of the woods yet. Some users of the R1 have reported improvements after 400-500 hours and I suspect that this receptacle would really have benefitted from 3-4 weeks on a high current household device rather than the 8 days I gave it.

Nevertheless, whoever gets it next should have something that is getting further along to being able to play to its potential.

I still have not used the wall plate as I'd like to know the receptacle is fully burned in and not subject to more changes before I introduce the wall plate. That way I'll know the wall plate is responsible for any changes as opposed to further burn in on the receptacle. So my plan is to wait for the cryoed and conditioned R1 which I have coming, slot that in to establish whether there are any improvements over the non-cryoed, non-burned in unit here and then give that 48-72 hours before using the wall plate.

I'll report on that when it happens, hopefully in the next 10 days or so, and then ship back to Paul so someone else can enjoy this baby!

 

Thanks for the update, Blake. I don't quite see why you wouldn't just send the outlet to the next person. Of course, if CCM wants them back first, that is a good reason!

 

Can do that too, if that is OK with Paul.

 

I'm not ready for the outlet - still haven't fixed one of my Lamms. I'm Ok with dropping down the list.

 

OK, since nobody on the list is really ready now, then if it pleases the two current possessors, just leave 'em in your walls and enjoy.

If nobody's in line, Blake, not only can you finish your review the way you'd like, but you can also see what happens when you use two of them (yours and mine).

I still think you should put the plate in. Even if there's more burn in to be experienced, you'll hear the burn-in process more clearly with the plate on. But this program is like Burger King. Have it your way

ccm

 

Ok. I put the wall plate in this morning. I'm reluctant to introduce multiple changes at once, particularly when I think the receptacle is still burning in.

That being said, a quick listen before and after installation of the wall plate would indicate that it too has a positive effect. Kind of "more of the same": the presentation is cleaned up a bit more and bass appears to be a bit more tuneful and extended.

I'd done some reading online from some users suggesting the wall plate offers up about 45% of the performance of the R1 receptacle. At this stage, I'm not sure I would agree with that. I'm more in line with maybe an additional 25% improvement if the baseline from the receptacle is 100%.

An improvement but, boy, it's starting to get pricey and I'd be hard pressed to say that (at $225) the wall plate represents a big bang for the buck whereas I think one could say that about the receptacle (obviously all of this stuff is a YMMV kind of thing).

There are two things clearly at work with the wall plate. One is resonance control/damping (from the base of the plate itself which is very substantial) and the other is blockage of EMI with the carbon fibre cover. My results with the wall plate may be slightly skewed because I've already tried to address both these issues in my system (with damping at the plug/receptacle interface and a stainless steel/non-magnetic cover plate which should, in theory, have some effect in blocking EMI).

The real story will be when the new R1 arrives and I slot that into the wall plate and run with that for a few days and then ship the wall plate and R1 that CCM sent up on. That will be the test: when it's removed. I may make some DIY efforts on further damping when the new R1 goes back into the wall without the wall plate.

If I feel the performance is really lacking, I may have to bite the bullet on the wall plate but I'm thinking that the Furutech wall plate looks similar and interesting at around $165 (with you providing a cover-will have to look into whether the stainless cover I have will fit on it-will probably check that with the Oyaide plate to see if it's a possibility).

 

This is an excellent review and demonstrates a dedicated effort to listening responsibly before evaluating. Well done Blake!

 

Yep, you hit on it. It's somehow tied to mechanical vibration damping.

Before anyone jumps on us - I know, mechanical vibrations aren't supposed to affect the flow of electricity.

...but you can hear the difference when you damp 'em.

I'll tell you something else. You can OVERDAMP them. Crazy, but true. The R1/plate seems to have found a good balance.

Look at the Weizhi power conditioner. It's just a resonance control block. And it sounds bloody good, too!

By the way, Blake, you keep quoting retail prices on this gear as the financial price tag. But why pay retail? I didn't. I made the decision to start this program, and within a few days I had found the R1's on audiogon new @$80 ea and the plates were something like 2 for $155.

The street price on the whole set you've got was $160. Where in this hobby can you get an improvement like this for $160? I ask you

ccm

 

I'd probably rate the contribution of the wall plate at about 33%. We're certainly in the same ball park, in that 25% is, like 33%, the kind of performance jump that is immediately discernable. That is the point.

ccm