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In Reply to: RE: Hubbell 8300H Oyaide R-0 or Maestro posted by Aaron 01 on February 24, 2015 at 20:53:34
I did a comparison sometime back on the outlets your mention. Here are excerpts on my thoughts on the suspects. I included the R-1 as my comments on the R-0 were made with the R-1 as a baseline reference.
Hubbell 8300H
The Hubbell 8300H turned out to be a surprise. I was not expecting much out of it, given the far more exotic and sexier models on test here. It has good tone with vibrancy and a neutral tone. It manages to project a very deep soundstage with a slightly distant presentation. It has good high frequency extension but lacks the refinement and control of the Oyaide outlets, with a tendency to sound a bit hashy during busy mixes. It has a warmer tone in the midrange and high frequencies, with female voices having more body and less sibilance. On the downside, the outlet sounds slightly soft, with less snap and definition. Microdetail is not as good as the exotic outlets on test here. For the money, it does more things right than wrong. As an upgrade from an old and corroded outlet, this Hubbell makes a lot of sense both from the perspective of both budget and performance.
Maestro Outlet
Visually underwhelming, the Maestro outlet looks like a plain vanilla Hubbell outlet. The manufacturer claims unplated copper-brass alloy contacts, cryogenic treatment, a special coating for RFI / EMI rejection and mechanical resonance treatment. That's a mouthful for a plain jane looking outlet ! It's backstrap, mounting tabs and screws are magnetic, which is odd given the amount of thought given to the design. Right off the bat, let me state that this is an excellent outlet for the cost. The Maestro has a neutral balance with excellent resolution. Like good organic food, this is a healthy product without genetic modification or nasty chemicals. Soundstaging is closer compared to the Oyaide outlets, and all instruments have a prominence that make it easy to follow individual lines. This is a very natural sounding outlet and highly recommended if you want an outlet that does not alter the tone of your system. This Maestro should be particularly commended for lack of glare and control over the busiest of mixes. To nitpick, it has slightly less high frequency extension, and soundstage width compared to the Oyaide outlets. I like the Maestro very much. It is close to my taste in women - wholesome goodness in every bite !
Oyaide R-0
The R-0 is a special version of the R-1 which omits any plating. Like the R-1, long burn in required. The R-0 trades off some resolution and high frequency extension in favour of slightly more bloom and bigger image sizes. Users who found the R-1 too bright or thin should be quite comfortable with the R-0. Although I think the R-1 is a better outlet, the R-0 should fit into more systems without issue. As an added bonus, the R-0 is packed with Oyaide MWA-EC outlet covers.
Oyaide R-1
The R-1 is Oyaide's top of the range outlet. Contacts are made out of Beryllium Copper alloy with Platinum and Palladium plating. Contact force is especially strong. One word of caution - do not make any quick impressions of this outlet. Long burn in time is not just recommended, but mandatory. Failure to do so results in a slightly thin and very bright tone. Coming back after two weeks of use, the R-1 is much calmer and refined compared to initial evaluations carried out after just 24 hours of use. Much of my comments on the SWO-XXX apply except that the R-1 has a higher degree of control and focus. The R-1 is also slight quieter and more resolving. A drawback of the R-1 is its ruthlessly revealing nature - any change upstream or downstream is immediately noticeable.
Follow Ups:
Hi,
I read your comparisons on "Eric's Hi=Fi blog", I didn't know that was you. I got me thinking, but also wondering more too.
Comparing the Hubbell and the Oyaide R-0 do you remember which had more bloom in the bottom, and which had more extension in the top?
I also know you said about the Maestro "To nitpick, it has slightly less high frequency extension, and soundstage width compared to the Oyaide outlets."
I didn't know if that statement also meant the Oyaide R-0 which is unplated?
Thanks,
Hi,
In terms of high frequency extension, the R-0 definitely is more extended compared to the Hubbell. I would consider the bottom end bloom to be about the same, but the R-0 definitely is more controlled and tighter.
For the Maestro, yes, I thought it had less high frequency extension compared to both the R-0 and R-1.
I didn't really use the Maestro that much, but another friend who did complained that they lost a bit of grip over time. Definitely, no problem with the R-0 in that respect.
Regards
Eric
Thanks Eric,
That's exactly what I was seeking. I'm going to order an Oyaide R-0 now.
Howdy Aaron,
Eric is a good source for advice about devices he's evaluated. I have found much of what he says to be reliable and worthy of consideration. I'm glad to see his posts in Audio Asylum.
Cheers, Duster
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