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In Reply to: RE: What Are The Very Best Wall Receptacles? posted by thetubeguy1954 on January 31, 2010 at 09:34:41
...I would go with an outlet that has a full bottom end. The Oyaide outlets definitely don't fill the bill. My experience with the SWO-GX and SWO-XXX is that they have a rather bass-shy presentation, and from what I've heard, so does the R1. My memory of the Acme receptacles was of a strident treble, but I can't recall what the bass was like. Overall it sounded sort of crude and sparkly. You might like the Furutechs, but they had too much treble to fit in with my system. The bass seemed solid, but the treble was too strong for me. Porter Ports--an all brass cryoed Hubbell outlet--is the outlet that I finally settled down with. On my system it comes across as extremely well balanced, with no prominences in any frequency range; its bass is strong and clean and would probably help your system out. If your treble tends to be a little rolled off though, the Furutech might be a better match.
So "the very best" varies from system to system. If you have some spare cash, you might want to try out a few of them. One thing to be aware of: break in matters. Most outlets sound a little (or a lot) harsh until they have been burned in for a while. I break in outlets by hooking them up to the refrigerator for three weeks--1-1/2 weeks on each side of the outlet. If you get multiple outlets, you can daisy chain them together and do a few at a time. Once you plug the stereo into them, you should allow a few days for them to settle in to their new surroundings. Then you should be able to judge their sonic qualities more reliably. But keep in mind that if you don't like the outlet initially, you probably never will.
Follow Ups:
They need a few weeks to break in. Did you try them for that long?
I have had two Acme outlets in place for 4 years or so. I don't perceive a "strident treble".
Regards,
Geoff
I think I have used the ACME's for even longer than 4 years, and they are definitely not strident. But I do recall them being somewhat hard and strident sounding, even after a few months of use when directly compared to my double-cryo Hubbels back then.
Either they take a bazillion hours to "break in," or possibly, the silver-plating either gets stripped off partially or completely inside with repeated use, causing a change in sound..?
I agree, the Acme receptacles are not strident. Nor are the Acme fuse holders.
It's been a long time, but I usually break in outlets for at least four weeks on the refrigerator before I listen to them.
the bass extension and dynamics improved in my system.
....his comments leave me scratching my head.
They're not bass shy. Could be that he's either confusing the long break in necessary for bass to come in full, or he's confusing the balance between articulate bass and the rest of the spectrum. No accounting for taste and he has a right to his.
I suppose I should have been clearer: I have never heard an R1, but I remember, perhaps incorrectly, that someone reported its sharing a house sound with the SWO-XXX, which is most definitely bass shy. I know, I own one, and I bought it based on a very strong recommendation from someone who now recommends the R1 strongly--perhaps even as strongly as he used to recommend its predecessor.
If the R1 really is different, i.e. has a more natural tonality than Oyaide's earlier offerings, it might work well in my system. So tell me, do you think the SWO-XXX outlets are bass shy, and if you do, how does the R1's bass compare?
But the R1 is smoother while more nuanced and is definitely NOT bass shy.
You know, some if this stuff is synergy and idiosyncratic when you get right down to it.
I prefer the R1 over the XXX and the XXX Ultimo, both of which I have, as well as the Furu CU. All of them are good in my system, but R1 is most balanced presentation and gives the most detail.
I have settled on Porter Ports after listening to Furutechs, SWO-XXX & GX, Acme, and Hospital Grade Hubbells (not sure of the model number). Only the Hubbells worked in my system and the Porter Ports were quite a bit better than the Hospital Grade outlets that I had. My system components all have a high jump factor--Audio Research, Thiel, and Wadia, so high energy outlets give me too much of what I already have plenty of. I'm sure that in another system the Hubbells could sound sluggish, but in mine, a little sluggish is good--except in the bass. My 10" woofers, which are inherently slow, could use a little jump, but the midrange and tweeters have all the jump they need.
The SWO-GX outlets sounded acceptable in my system, but were definitely light on bass. Actually they had a number of attributes that I found objectionalble--a little imprecision, some colorations that some might find euphonic but that I found sort of "hi-fi" sounding. They shared a sort of precise sound that the XXX outlets had, but that I found rather artificial sounding. I can see how someone might like the Furutechs, but they gave me some extra slam and treble "purity" that I just didn't need. The treble tended to be more piercing than pure on my system.
You may have noticed that a lot of tweaks that are supposed to improve your sound add energy to it. This is not always a good thing. Without ever having heard them, I suspect that this is true of Bybees, and I suspect it just because of the enthusiasm of its followers--an indication of how radically they change the sound--something I really don't need presently. I really would be interested in getting some tightness in my bass, but not if it includes energizing the upper frequencies. Do you think the R1 would give me what I'm looking for?
Is what sounds best to your ears.
If you can afford to buy and try (on approval of course) an R1, then I'd say to do so.
But what may be bedeviling you is not just the outlet, but RFI/EMI control issues. REad up in Tweaks about how to deal with those.
If your HF sounds too "hi-fi", bright or shrill for your ears, I'd bet you have RFI problems, as pretty much every household does!
The RFI in my system has been controlled in may ways--Alan Maher power conditioners, Environmental Potentials power conditioner, RGPC, crystals, power cords shielded with ERS, and QR8's. One thing to keep in mind is that a Thiel isn't a Vandersteen and a Wadia isn't a Rega. I took a look at your system and I can tell you from experience that components that sound good with NAD electonics are probably bad candidates for the sort of razor sharp components that I have. NAD equipment definitely benefits from added jump--Wadia doesn't.
Paul,
You seem to have done most of what can be done that I know of for RFI control. So, you're right, that's probably not your issue.
However, you may be making an incorrect assumption about the R1 based on my system.
It's your taste that matters, anyway; not mine!
nt
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