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Image: Oyaide R1 AC OutletThe new premium Oyaide R1 AC outlet features platinum and palladium plated beryllium copper contacts, and like the new Ultimo line of SWO AC outlets, a larger sized body and ground strap mass than the original SWO's. Along with the Oyaide M1 AC plug and F1 IEC connector, the R1 is a flagship product and the first AC outlet I know of that features nominally pure copper base metal contacts rather than brass or bronze copper alloys. The copper is processed with a small amount of beryllium to provide a resilient springlike mechanical characteristic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium_copper and while technically a copper alloy (CuBe aka BeCu), the R1 maintains the sonic signature of pure copper to my ear. Important to note is the R1 is a 20A receptacle and the neutral matte-white body departs from the purple, red, or black colored SWO's (perhaps WAF came into play for this cosmetic choice).
To my ear, the R1 presents a sense of robust and effortless timbral delineation against an inky black background. The subjectively lowered noise floor and high tonal contrast is remarkable, even when compared to the superbly liquid-sounding Oyaide SWO-XXX which actually sounds just a bit constrained in direct comparison. How else does the R1 compare to the XXX? It’s a different animal. The R1 is warmer sounding but still vividly hi-rez, presents a fuller-bodied bottom end, a more relaxed top end, and a more effortless crystalline presence, likely due in part to the high conductivity of beryllium copper which lacks tin or zinc content like that of other copper alloys. The analogy of listening to the quiet smoothness of OCC copper vs. OFC might fit as an R1 descriptor.
Other than the somewhat burnished sound of high-purity copper, I find the R1 to actually sound more transparent than the XXX, which presents a more analytical and less organic sounding experience to my ear. While fantastic in it’s own right, I think the palladium XXX is better said to offer a more neutral tonality rather than utter transparency as compared to the gold GX and rhodium DX AC outlets. IME, the sonic signature of the SWO-XXX is ruthlessly neutral, so much so that some folks have found the XXX's top end to sound too spotlighted and the bottom end to sound too lean. The XXX’s presentation is perhaps like a high-end loudspeaker that’s been voiced/tuned towards ruler-flat and a low-Q, which may sound bright and bass-stingy to some folks, within some audio systems, rather than offering a musically satisfying experience. In contrast, the R1 simply seems to get out of the way in a musical manner more than any other AC outlet that I’ve experienced.
Unlike the SWO-XXX, I believe the R1 should perform well in just about any system, and mate well with most AC plugs. Tonality can be tuned via the use of various AC connectors as often done with the SWO's, however a rhodium Oyaide P-037 seemed to take it in the wrong direction. In my system, a gold Oyaide P-079 connected to the R1 sounds excellent; a Furutech FI-11M(Cu) not so hi-rez. A palladium P-046 might be an outstanding option depending on how the combo affects the bottom end. An R1/M1/F1 combo would likely be a real jawdropper. BTW, the $125 Oyaide R1 AC outlet is comparatively more affordable than the Oyaide M1/F1 AC connectors ($275 each) and a great bang for the buck value, IME.
I don’t find the R1’s platinum + palladium plating to impart an identifiable sonic flavor such as what the various SWO AC outlets produce. In this way I would say the R1 allows the sonic signature of downstream power connectors/cables to be revealed without affectation. Within my particular SS system, a gold Oyaide P-079 AC plug connected to the R1 presents a relaxed yet dynamic top end and a rather meaty bottom end which does not come off so much as being bass heavy, rather it simply sounds more naturally authoritative. Other than a slight glow of copper warmth, the midrange is utterly uncolored, see through, very open. In essence, the R1’s gestalt is that of smooth and effortlessness high conductivity with an unconstrained presence. It’s about as close to the holy grail of AC outlets including the proverbial “grip of death” that was actually a bit scary at first insertion until the R1’s contacts resoundly clicked onto P-079’s blade holes.
An allegorical impression of the Oyaide R1 is how it now seems as if all the connectors in my system have been cleaned and treated for higher conductivity, while the most captivating quality from the get-go that’s often entered my thoughts is how much better integrated my system sounds, as if the synergy of various components, cables, connectors, and tweaks have become a more close-knit homogeneous group rather than “a strategically placed series of individual devices”. It’s an uncanny notion (I know).
Follow Ups:
I've replaced a SWO-GX with a R-1, and am thrilled with the results.
Just for the heck of it, here's my chang lightspeed cls505 with all its outlets upgraded to the R1.
And here's a shot of my acrolink 4030 powercords terminated with the 004 connectors
So whats the verdict on the sound of the R1 & 004 combination?
I like the sound of the R1, but it doesnt fit with the P-079 (too slow). In fact the P-079 seems too slow with everything but the SWO-XXX, where they both shine.
So what is the ideal plug for the R1, is it indeed the 004? or is the the *cough* M-1 *cough*?
I have to be honest, I really can't answer your question.
A year ago I changed the digital outlet on my lightspeed to the first generation swo XXX outlet, while using the entry level oyaide powercord
http://www.oyaide.com/e_audio/audio_products_files/li50r2.5.htm
for both cd player and amp. the cord between wall and power filter was a basic belden 19364. The change of outlet yielded significant improvement.
my wall outlet was later changed to the swo xxx ultimo series.
It was only recently when the 004 connectors and r1 were released that I decided to go the whole hog and replace everythin. I've always wanted a scaled down version of the F1/M1 connectors.
But my wall outlet remains the swo xxx. It seemed like a waste to remove it only after such a short time.
So far I'm very, very pleased with the combination. And its going to stay. I've never really had the inclination to spend too much time and money to experiment with multiple connectors so I tend to go with the 'safer' choices. (hence the decision to just go with the 004 plugs and r1 outlets instead of trying combinations)
Duster - thank you.
I went and tried one also and love it!
The R1 eliminates my nitpicks about the SWO-XXX.
Even though Alan Kafton burned mine on for an extended period, it usually takes another 50 hours to settle. But Ive had it in my sytsm 1 hour and its hard to fault. Smoother across the range with better spatiality.
IMO This outlet is now the best available.
PS. I cant belive the cumulative change this outlet and the Hammond choke together have had on my system. Relaxed, liquid, harmonic.
HowdyI visited inmate MikeL's place last night ( http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/663.html ) to listen to the Oyaide R1. Mike reported for himself as a response over on Tweakers' ( http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/messages/143731.html )
As luck would have it the first thing I listened to (a Shaggy SACD) showed the least difference of anything we listened to :) In fact I didn't like the differences in bass response at all at first blush, BUT as we played other things the blacker background's effects became much more obvious and we really enjoyed the additional detail that was apparent with the R1 in everything we played: sometimes more texture in the bass, more detail in cymbals, longer decays and especially in good acoustic recordings: more room ambiance which really added the the sense of being there. Also the soundstage was deeper and wider, something that was even less expected :) Compared to the cost of some other things I've done to my system these seem like a bargain.
Hi.
..by MikeL's audio set up.
Given his sound room custom design-built by whatever professionals,
he knows the way to set up his gears properly.
With the front loudspeakers far enough from the back & side walls,
virtually nothing in between the pair the loudspeakers & the sweet spot - no coffee table etc etc piled up as commonly seen, it provides an unobstructed free acoustical corridor for direct & first reflected soundwaves.
One excellent thing I have to mention is the music sofeware are all
put away from the frontal area. This surely eliminate irregular deflection of the soundwaves.
Only thing I think I would do is to move the power amp from the speaker centre location back to the audio rack. Longer (but equal lengths) of speaker cables do far less damage to the sound than long ICs. This also clear up the little acoustical mess in the frontal sound corridor.
One suggestion which may provide better sound still is to move the audio rack a bit further back beyond the sweet spot & cover it up from some woolen sheets to eliminate any controlled reflections.
Incidentally, my basement audio den bears similar acoustic layout - with complete clear-out front sound corridor. Hard smooth reflective back & side walls throughout (thin plywood board with wooden studs & voids behind all over along the concrete structural walls of the basement). Wall-to-wall Drop ceiling with standard fiberglass acoustical tiles, & wall-to-wall carpet with cushion underlay.
Only 7ft ceiling clearance, it got no ringing up to 120dB peak SPLs.
c-J
Was this outlet changed out while you were there?No offense, really, but the title line of your post is 'interesting'.
I'm unsure how I'd go about 'listening' to an outlet on someone elses' system in one evening.
HowdyMike had some of his dedicate lines redone with the R1 and faceplate, he also kept some on the old outlets for easy comparisons. He's been running them in for a while. We went back and forth from his old Jena Labs outlets to the R1's a couple of times. It's always great to visit Mike so I take every opportunity and I'm very familiar with his system. (Also we have the same transport and DAC.) I brought my own music as well as letting him put on the music that he's found that shows the differences off the most.
I hope this answers some of your questions :)
Despite the fact I'm confused on receptacle observations posted in Cables... i'm sure the US distributor and US dealers are thrilled that you scalped the US retail price by sourcing from JP.New and Improved. No trans-fat. Junk your old stuff, because this one is 'better'.
'Better' never ends in audioland, does it - to the everlasting joy of purveyors to those with substantial resources and unlimited free time...
”Despite the fact I'm confused on receptacle observations posted in Cables...”By function, an AC outlet is a cable connector. All types of cables and their associated connectors (including those for AC delivery) are on-topic when posted in Cable Asylum.
AC outlets were once considered “only a tweak” and the topic thrived (and still does) in Tweakers' Asylum. However, abundant AC delivery posts were (and still are) also found in Cable Asylum where they are viewed as being on-topic by the moderators. Cables were once considered a mere accessory item (”it’s just wire”), but cabling is now more commonly viewed as being an essential element (cable-as-component), and placed within a category of it’s own. I predict that AC outlets and all AC connectors for that matter will be viewed in the future with more gravitas than being an ignoble afterthought.
”...i'm sure the US distributor and US dealers are thrilled that you scalped the US retail price by sourcing from JP.”
What does it matter where the item was sourced? Folks buy all sorts of things from out-of-country sellers based on price and/or availability. I once bought European cables from an Israeli seller based on a lower price than found in the US. Did I somehow “scalp” the US distributor and US dealers in a shameful way? I think not. When Americans buy prescription drugs or household appliances and other big ticket items from Canada are they somehow unethical, perhaps even un-American? It all depends on how far one leans towards a libertarian attitude, I suppose.
”New and Improved. No trans-fat. Junk your old stuff, because this one is 'better'.”
The R1 is a new design worth mentioning. Should it be ignored? Even though I mentioned why I prefer the R1 when placed within my particular system, the SWO-XXX's merit was qualified in my report more as being ‘different’ rather than the R1 being hands-down ‘better’. in fact, I’m sure some listeners will prefer the SWO-XXX over the R1. Posting a report such as this is of value to folks who might otherwise buy an R1 and find that they prefer their current AC outlet (regardless of price).
””'Better' never ends in audioland, does it - to the everlasting joy of purveyors to those with substantial resources and unlimited free time...”
Yep, 'better' never ends in audioland, nor does it end in computerland, phoneland, televisionland, carland, widgetland... A $125 device that delivers the goods can be considered low-cost within audiophilia as compared to kilobuck gear. Do you also hold sour grapes against the notion of high-end gear such as a CD player costing many thousands of dollars? It’s unfortunate that you seem to consider some audiophiles in this hobby to be blessed with more dollars than sense, and more than normal attention paid towards the hobby. I for one don’t spend fun-money on golf vacations, season tickets, holiday travels, five star dining, or other spendy pleasures. If I enjoy my “audio quest” enough to upgrade my gear on occasion (and tell fellow inmates about it), that’s my nut to scratch; not your’s to critique, thanks.
If you did i'd be interested.
....I am thrilled. Duster has done much of the heavy lifting (listening and comparing) in regards to cables, outlets, and other system improvements on these forums for quite some time. If he scored on an outlet, bravo for him. He's not getting paid for his efforts, and everyone else, including you (if you choose), are getting the benefit of his time and determination.Don't junk your old stuff....install it in your TV system, bedroom system, or office system. It was good then, it's good now.
But this new one IS better, certainly better than most. No one is forcing you to purchase it, nor enjoy it.
HowdySome 20 amp outlets don't really have room for solid 10 gauge wire: it's really a pain to hook them up (the FIM outlets come to mind.)
How is the R1 in this regard?
I just today replaced the stock romex feeding a dedicated outlet for my gear with some cryoed 10ga romex. I've been using the older version of the SWO-XXX for quite a while now and I can report that the older SWO-XXX had NO problem accepting the new 10ga. The old romex was 12 or 14ga - I really didn't pay attention to what I pulled out. I can only assume that the newer outlets can handle it just as well if not better. I just fed it in through the holes in the back as Alan recommends. Also installed a WPC-Z that I'd bought sometime back. Everything worked great! On the other hand, I now know why electricians hate working with 10ga wire. Working with the wire itself was a PITA, but the SWO-XXX had no problem with it. As I type this I am waiting for Alan to send me a new R1 that I bought from him. So, guess I'll get to do the connections all over again a couple of weekends from now.
Yes....isn't 10-gauge fun. I recently had to manhandle a 100-foot length for a customer, rolling it BY HAND and cutting it from a larger roll. The "machine" at Ace Hardware didn't work on such heavy-gauge wire. My hands are still sore. Then later preparing and stripping the ends for the Cooker, bending things just so. Luckily I had just the right-sized box to ship, as it turned out to be an irregular-shaped, heavy coil.Now if I could only charge electrician's hourly rates......
:)
Ted....the R1 is built with the same heavy-duty "platform" as part of the newer Ultimo series, and unless Duster found otherwise, should accept 10-gauge solid-core wire as it was designed. I continue to recommend going straight into the rear holes of the body, which takes less effort and eliminates bending the wire. The clamping mechanism is superb.
HowdyIronically after I posted this, I remembered that (unlike my old house) in my new house I have stranded 10 gauge straight from the breaker box to my outlets.
Duster,
What is your opinion if R1 is match with Furutech FI25M Gold?. What if R1 <> FI25M Rhodium?.
The rhodium Oyaide behaves differently than a rhodium Furutech. Ask Chris at VH Audio what he thinks of the pairing since he will be evaluating the R1 soon, and I expect a test of the R1 with a rhodium Furutech will be involved...
Can the R1 be used with furutech outlet cover 103?.
The Oyaides can be used at least with the old Furutech cover. One thing to note is that you will have to use the screw provided with the Oyaide to secure the cover as the screw provided with the Furutech cover is a different thread and only matches the Furutech outlets.In addition make sure to keep the screw provided with the Furutech cover as you may need it if used with a Furutech outlet at a later stage.
I'm almost sure that it can; would be very surprised if it can't -- ask Chris for confirmation.
will do. thks
I'm having two R1s installed next week. They're both cryo'd, but I don't have any uncryo'd R1s to compare them to, just an uncryo'd SWO-XXX. We'll see how it turns out. I'm eager to compare them against my Jena Labs outlets, which, are easily the best AC outlets I've heard thus far--in my room.
I find cryo makes a big difference. I had an Ultimate outlet several years ago and after cryo I was shocked at the difference. I'm running an SWO-XXX with a WPZ-C with great results.
ET
nt
........as usual :-)A couple questions:
> Has your R1 been cryo treated?
> Where did U purchase it from?
> Was it utilized in a WPC wall plate system?
Cheers,
Thanks kenster,> My R1 is not cryo'd nor was it cooked.
> I swiped it from this dude while engrossed in his inexhaustible Zen-like polishing tasks:
Actually, I bought my R1 from a cable guy with connections in Japan. I’m sure it will be available soon (if not now) from the usual North American Oyaide dealers.
> My R1 is mounted on the same (excellent) WPC-Z wall mount unit that my previous SWO-XXX was mounted upon.
....due to your very detailed description of the R1 and how it compares to the SWO-XXX, I am gonna pull the trigger on one for the main system.Conversed with Chris at VH audio via the web and he did not recommend putting the R1 thru any cryo treatment so that is how I will order it.
Cheers,
~kenster
The R1 should react very well to intense burn-in via a cable cooker. My R1 sounds better after only several days of normal use burn-in, and I expect further improvement over time (it has not even reached the 400 hour mark, yet). Ask Chris if he will place your R1 on his cooker before shipment; if asked I'm sure he will be happy to do such. I look forward to reading your report...
.........the R1 is a very good outlet BUT I have seemed to have lost some musicality in the switchover.I have ordered a cryo'd unit from Chris to do a comparison and as of right now, I prefer the SWO-XXX over the R1.
Cheers,
nt
Somebody mentioned here that cryoing might affect the tensile strength and hence the grip, which I feel is important. Right now, I have a cryoed outlet, but in future, I might not go for it.
I've been cryo-treating electrical parts for years, and this has never been an issue, especially with the Oyaide.
Please keep us posted on your impressions, Kenster.
VHAudio now have R1's in stock.
NT
Nice review. I just got a SWO-XXX and the WPZ whatever number aluminum/carbon biber cover. I agree completely with what you said about the lean bass on the XXX as well as the top and its liquid sound overall. These three elements were what I was looking for so I would choose that over the R1. Its "sound" if you will was apparant at first listen and a welcome change/improvement. I posted in General under the subject "Oyaide bliss" earlier this week. Are the male AC's so good I should reterminate my cable to the wall in your opinion? Thanks in advance!
ET
As others have discovered, I think you would also find that synergy abounds when a gold Oyaide P-079 AC plug is mated with a palladium Oyaide SWO-XXX AC outlet. It's a great combo, especially when an Oyaide WPC-Z wall mount unit is involved... Go for it :-)P.S. Be sure to also re-terminate the power cord with a gold Oyaide C-079 IEC connector while you are at it for optimum results (very important, IME).
Thanks again. I do need a 20A IEC which they don't seem to make. At this point things are so good I'm going to enjoy it for a while. I still am a bit amazed we saw the SWO-XXX sound exactly the same way. Well, maybe not so amazed, my wife seem to hear the same things too. She just called the bass different and smoother. Funny all the naysayers talk of how these things don't make a difference. Oh well, whatever floats their boats.
Oyaide now makes 20A IEC connectors... The gold Oyaide C-279 is a 20A version of the gold Oyaide C-079 15A IEC connector.
nt
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