Power Cord burn in

Objectively better than what? A 99 cent or builder grade receptacle. Yes. Better than, say, a heavy duty spec grade within the same manufacturer's lineup? No.

Unfortunately, though, you have no hospital grade receptacles in the GTT and, at the price, they are likely to be a bit of an afterthought. Might still be very good and if you're happy with it that's all that's important.

It is a real marketing stretch to call that a hospital grade power strip however. I see it described elsewhere, not by an Ebay Seller, as "medical grade". In reality a power strip with a hospital grade male plug on it. On further inspection, it does appear to be a Bryant (I experimented with some of their receptacles, among many others, about 17-18 years ago), so not terrible (owned by Hubbell, a lower range in their lineup) but obviously not put together well in the photo above. A good thing that yours does not look like that.

 

If I remember correctly, hospital grade just means no sparking (for oxygen filled environments), usually by nickel plating. This does not mean good sound quality and may even be counter to good sound from a conductor point of view. However, the often beefier construction with hospital grade is in a positive direction compared to the most basic level. So, I wouldn't get too caught up with hospital grade nomenclature.

 

non-sparking is one of the specs.

I would never claim hospital grade gives higher SQ

also, FWIW, I got a free Builder grade high end Hubbel outlet as a sample and used it for my stereo system - just b/c - no expectation of higher SQ there either

back to the separate AC line for the stereo - I'd do that if I was building a new house or a big remodel; otherwise not as it is pretty costly for a reduction in AC line noise that can be overcome in other ways

if I had Al wiring in my house I'd worry about fire danger more than SQ

it also pays to not have industrial facilities near you or using your same sub-station

you can also hunt down and kill any ham radio people nearby - look for the big antennas on their roofs

 

Yes, that is what I was alluding to earlier. Subjectively, at least, in my experience all the nickel plating in hospital grade power items results in inferior as opposed to better sound quality.

There are exceptions of course. The Hubbell HBL 8200H and 8300H are slim line hospital grade receptacles with non-plated contacts, but that is a rarity. The standard HBL 8200 and 8300(no "H" suffix after 8200/8300) are the normal hospital grades with the nickel plated contacts.

I've experimented with both in the past and prefer and use the "H" model, along with Hubbell 5262/5362 which are heavy duty spec grade (also non-plated) and grip as well as the Hubbell hospital grades. I also use an Oyaide R1, which is plated, but not with nickel. The base contact materials are quite different; the Oyaide grips very well also, in spite of not being designated as hospital grade.

Grip and sound quality are also independent of each other IMO; I've experimented with receptacles that have great grip but sound quite poor (at least to me), so there is much more to it than a strong connection, as desirable as that is.

 

https://www.oshpd.ca.gov/FDD/Plan_Review/Documents/electrical.pdf

 

I would not buy that.

The one that we all liked before the price went up was the basic Wiremold power strip. No switches, no lights / lamps, just good engineering - about $40.

Naim was reselling it at $80 but you could still buy it direct. Then they realized what was happening and bumped their price.

 

or... build your own

the key is getting everything plugged in as close as possible to a star network topology, not scattered across different outlets or different circuits

 

Your findings match mine. The 5262 was a good upgrade from stock house receptacles, and so is the 8200 and PS Audio power port variant. but I've found non-nickel plated ones like Shunyata (and probably the Oyaide but I have no experience with those) as sounding best. Regarding construction, I was referring more to anti-resonant qualities as helping sound and not grip strength specifically.

 

Also a much tighter connection with the power cord. Good to use if you have cats that like to walk amongst the cords!

 

I relate it to phono cables. If you use normal I/Cs from your TT, you most probably will hear hum. The output signal from the cartridge is so small, any outside interference will be carried by the cable to your speakers eventually.

This is why phono cables must be shielded to keep those outside noises out and eliminate/reduce the hum and you hear more music. A power cord is the same thinking, a very well shielded PC along with good materials and construction will keep RF noises out and allow your amp to only play music and not the outside noises.
To me this is why people claim a "better SQ with higher end power cords", you are hearing more music, more resolution and higher dynamics, minimizing/eliminating noise.

What you want to pay for something like this is totally your call........

 

Yeah, the anti-resonant thing is even harder to explain though! But in my experience there is definitely something to it.

I am pretty sure (not 100% but pretty close to it) the Shunyata is simply a cryoed Hubbell 5362-I have a number in use here (cryoed HBL 5362's but not Shunyata boxed/branded). At one time many years ago Shunyata silver plated the contacts but then went back to non-plated. If you have one, please take a close up head-on and side picture of it and post it here!

Unlike phono cables, which I agree must be shielded, I am not totally convinced that shielding is absolutely necessary for a good power cable, or interconnect for that matter. I've used a number of unshielded power cables over the years (Blue Circle BC 62 for example, and all my current power cords are DIY using DH Labs Power Plus, which is also an unshielded design) without any noise issues and very good sonics.

I can vaguely recall reading over the years in some cable discussions that some users felt, in fact, that unshielded designs might actually offer more and improvements in sonics over shielded; not so sure that is the case as it is probably a matter of design,implementation and materials, as in many things audio, as opposed to simply being a matter of shielded vs. unshielded.

 

I can only state that I have heard a difference between shielded and unshielded power cords, I do not profess to know what others experience might be. My system is nothing like yours or anyone else's........

 

Whether shielding is needed or not is something you have to try. If you do not need it, then don't use it.

I don't think the improvement in sound you get with a good power cord is specifically due to the fact that the cord is better shielded and less susceptible to RF breakthrough. It may be an important point in some situations - but it's not the full story.

 

With extension cords or power cords you really have to know what you are doing to get the best results.
Many years ago I had a pair of Quad 63s which are notorious for poor bass extension.
Luckily a friend allowed me to hook my amplifier power cord up in line to his electric concrete drill which could be set for any hammer cycle from 4hZ to 60hZ.
After only a few days of such use I put the cord back in service and the Quads were then able to extend their bass response from a published 53hZ to a now unheard of low of 24hZ +-3db which is truly remarkable.
Likewise a much loved LS3/5 pair of mini monitors left much to be desired in their high frequency sparkle. Rather than replace the tweeters with ribbons or electrostatic Janszen add-ons (heresy!) I simply took the speaker connection wires and bombarded them with alpha waves from an outer space satellite dish I was using to scan Mars for alien activity.
Within less than a week the wires were "taught' to emphasize ultrasonic frequencies to the max and my little puppies extended their upper end deep into dog whistle territory---which totally pissed off my Weimaraner.
At this point I no longer bother with any more "upgrades" or work on my systems as with judicious application of the proper tin foil wrappings, a dose of microwave over radiation or nearby physical placement with the low frequency fog horn of the Staten Island Ferry I am able to get "perfect sound forever" simply by applying advanced quantum physics and string theory.
At present I am in communication with an entity who calls himself "Zoltar" from the Nebulon galaxy just slightly west of the Van Allen Beltway.
We both know of these techniques from years of expert ministrations of all things having to do with the reproduction of hard rock music on our spaceships.

 

If you're not wrapping the cables in silver foil, it's all a waste of time.
Remember they need to point East to West too.

 

Dontcha just love cable debates

 

Something else to bear in mind: whilst a factory fresh power cord may deliver a fatal electric shock if precautions are not observed, a perfectly "burned in" cable certainly will.

 

Always tedious. I figure I have a pretty decent sense of humour but it's like being forced at gunpoint into a comedy club to be told the same joke for 3 hours straight. I guess the other side sees it the same way .

Can never really understand it though. If someone posts about hearing absolutely no difference between cables, etc. (or even components for that matter ) I figure "good for them" and just ignore it. Can't really see the point of participating in a discussion with information that really has no bearing on it.

But hey, it makes the world go 'round on audio forums and many of us want to feel witty obviously.

 

I bought some cryogenically treated cables a while back. They were fantastic for cooling beer but we tried to defrost them in the microwave which did not go well..

 

never put beer in the microwave !!

 

For really tasty burn in, try a chili pepper rub and a coating of Sriracha sauce.

 

Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes - BBQ Addicts

 

What kind of power cords would pros like Mr. Hoffman use in a studio. If they aint using these uber expensive cords then is it too late for us all?

 

We've heard all the jokes before. In my experience, this has been going on for 17 years.

 

17 years???????

Light weight.

There are good reasons why I didn't fill in the cable bit in my profile.