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All my gear plugs into one outlet that luckily is the closest to my AC panel. I had a cryoed Hubbell 20A hospital grade. It made a big difference over the original. After reading some posts from people I tend to agree with here in AA and other spots I decided to upgrade the Hubbell. I read Al Sekalas post that compared a couple of different Oyaide's and other brands and decided to go with the one he rated as brighter or edgier(excuse me if I am not quitequoting his words) I ended up with the SWO-XXX and the WPC-Z combo. I had some extra $$ and decided to spring for the pricy combo. The cover(WPC-Z) was almost double the outlet. (SWO-XXX)While waiting for my order to arrive I read other posts talking of an upto 400 hour break in for the outlet! I was too lazy and impatient to rig up a setup to connect it to the fridge for a week or two. I was worried about the fact the top end might be too edgy. Well, I connected the setup this morning and put on a very tough first test recording. The very "synthetic" and "digital" sample filled recording "Yello"- "The Eye".
Holy shit! It sounds this good now? How might it be after break in? The image came out into the room much more. The bass had a calm and accuracy not present before. Improved dynamics. I am very happy! Thanks to Lee at Cryo Parts for good service.ET
Follow Ups:
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I think my results (preferring the -GX+) reflected the RF noise environment in my house at the time I did the comparison test. I've made some progress since then, so I might prefer the SWO-XXX if I repeated the test today.I did not use cryo'd Oyaide outlets, nor a carbon-fiber cover plate, in my comparisons. In the right setup, these might tip the balance towards the -XXX, for sonic preference.
Al:
I knew your test was for outlets only as you tested many. I plunged for the pairing "just because" and due to the fact that the outlet is very close to the speaker and the corner of the room. Besides the carbon fiber outer plate there is a huge aluminum plate(milled from one piece) that fits outside the wall and has 4 screws for the outlet. The standard two outlet screws one at top one at bottom affix this to the wall. This cuts down on vibration. Both my wife ,off axis, and myself in the sweet spot immediately knew that there was a change for the better. My system being warm I went with the unit you said was "edgier" on top. It however bested the cryoed Hubbell it replaced by a longshot all over the spectrum.
The Oyaide outlet, like all other higher-grade outlets, has a continuous metal strap that goes from the top to the bottom mounting tabs. When attached to a metal object at both ends, this strap completes a circuit that is a one-turn transformer coupled to the AC power. This is because the hot and neutral wires go on either side of the back strap.You may hear an improvement in your sound if you replace one of the mounting screws with a Nylon screw, and insert a Nylon washer to ensure the outlet strap metal does not contact your aluminum plate.
This works very well with straps that are steel, but may still provide some benefit with the non-magnetic strap used in the Oyaide and similar outlets.
I would also try applying some acoustic damping material to the aluminum plate. Anything that is exposed to acoustic vibration may have resonance modes that color the sound. These colorations are most obvious by their removal.
nt
...mythology of high-end gear. I don't mean to suggest that it's not a reality, just that it's spoken about so much that I think many buyers would, even unconsciously, question the quality of a component that did NOT have to break in.I'm not being facetious. I think there's a commingling of reality and fantasy in this hobby that ought to be explored by a qualified ethnographer. In fact it just makes the hobby more interesting by adding a psychological dimension!
that is if you leave it on & listen to it.
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