Wall outlets, who makes the best?

Glad you enjoy the Maestro, as I did as well (now use Furutech rhodium). However, it's not "most everything," but everything (humans included) that has a sound signature, although at least the tonal balance will bend depending on associated components (beyond "in principle" I know from having tried several audiophile-level outlets in two systems). It seems that people are apt to see their favored components as the ones that don't.
 
Right you are Highstream.... This is all about what the listener likes...there is no perfect anything. (Even God screwed up...re: Isus, the 3rd Reich, etc.) I'm a pro violinist, and have played on a couple of different Strads, and FOR ME....I prefer my own copy of a Del Jesus.
 
personally think its hard to justify spending more than PorterPorts - I also think A/B testing is so difficult with outlets, most reviews are tough to read.
 
KeithR said:
personally think its hard to justify spending more than PorterPorts - I also think A/B testing is so difficult with outlets, most reviews are tough to read.
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Why is that? I have two dedicated lines with three AC receptacles each. You can set three up at a time and switch back and forth.

And sorry to say that the Furutech is worth every cent. One man's rip off is another audiophile's Holy Grail.
 
KeithR said:
personally think its hard to justify spending more than PorterPorts - I also think A/B testing is so difficult with outlets, most reviews are tough to read.
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For less tha twice the price (if you include shipping, etc) you can get copper Furutech FPX, which I found to be quite noticeably better than the non-cryo'ed Hubbells that Albert starts with. So unless the cryo treatment improves the performance dramatically (unlikely IMO although not having used Porter Ports I can't say for sure) I would say it's easy to justify spending a little more (one MFSL LP's worth per outlet?)
 
rbbert said:
For less tha twice the price (if you include shipping, etc) you can get copper Furutech FPX, which I found to be quite noticeably better than the non-cryo'ed Hubbells that Albert starts with. So unless the cryo treatment improves the performance dramatically (unlikely IMO although not having used Porter Ports I can't say for sure) I would say it's easy to justify spending a little more (one MFSL LP's worth per outlet?)
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Albert doesn't use stock Hubbells, his version uses all copper, non-plated connectors as I recall. I'm not saying its right or wrong, but just hard to say if you're correct. btw, they are cheaper on his own website. Personally, spending double for a Furutech copper outlet really makes no sense- what else would make it superior?

Myles- all i'm saying, with the caveat that 90% of audiophiles use one outlet, is it takes easily a half hour to swap out an outlet, unplug the rig, etc so one's memory is pretty bad at that point. So I take most folks reviews with a grain of salt on how life changing an outlet swap is. oh and I almost forget that outlets need break in I'm sure, so no comparisons really ever take place later on unlike a cable. people install an outlet- are "wow'd" and then are done by and large.

btw, have you compared a Porter Port to your high end Furutech? at least you have an easier reference to swap with.
 
As I said, I used the Hubbel's Albert starts with; mine just weren't cryo'ed. The Furutech costs $70 each (most retailers will give you free shipping); Albert's is $36 with $10 shipping for up to 3 ports. So as I said less than twice the price, about the price of one audiophile LP (MFSL, Analog Productions, etc) more. More than worth it unless the cryo treatment does far more than I would think possible.
 
KeithR said:
You special ordered from Hubbell?
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Keith-Have you ever tried one of the Furutech outlets or are you just assuming they can't be any better than the outlets you are using? I haven't tried the Furutech outlets myself yet, but I'm not going to render my opinion/judgement on them until I do.
 
I am using Maestro outlets. They are a very large step up from the Porter Ports I was using....and doesn't seem to have a "sound" of its own. Its just clean..great bass, mids, highs, yet doesn't emphasize any particular region. Furutech was excellent, but somehow sounded colored.
 
IIRC, when Albert first started selling his ports, anyone could order it. There was a long discussion about it at Audio Asylum (I think). Since then, Hubbell has moved on and it's no longer one of their standard offerings, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it is now being made only for Albert.

Regardless, I found a relatively inexpensive way to noticeably improve the sound of my system, at least on a level with changing cables, and more than changing power cords IME.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0114/audiophile_ac_outlets.htm
 
mep said:
Keith-Have you ever tried one of the Furutech outlets or are you just assuming they can't be any better than the outlets you are using? I haven't tried the Furutech outlets myself yet, but I'm not going to render my opinion/judgement on them until I do.
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I have not. I asked Myles in fact if he did since he has an easier basis to test outlets. I find in my own system, this would be very difficult and am skeptical of others claims for similar reasons.

As for cryo vs non-cryo etc that Rob brought up, I again have no idea- although I know Albert is a big cryo fan. As long as its a Hubbell-like build with copper, that seemed to make sense to me- I looked at buying 5362s, but they were almost $20/each + expensive shipping from several vendors. For a few $ more, Porter Ports made sense. Outside of material and cryo, I'm not sure what else goes into an outlet that would make a difference sonically.
 
How long does it take for new outlets to break in?

I just replaced Oyaide R1's with Furutech GTX-R(g) and the difference is staggering, but I'd like to make sure I'm hearing the final results before I pass judgement.
 
madfloyd said:
How long does it take for new outlets to break in?
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I'm not sure that there's a consensus on this.

One person told me that it could take "hundreds" of hours.

I went from a Hubbell to a Furutech gtx-d (g) with frame and plate. I had an additional Hubbell adjacent, so a quick a/b was easy. Immediately, I was unsure of a difference. After a few hours, I was positive of the improvement. After a few weeks, slightly more so.

Enjoy!
 
Myles B. Astor said:
Which ac outlets have you tried? There are just so many and funds and time are limited! :) And yes, I've heard good things about the Maestro.
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Yes, the 'original' Maestro is the one to have. The current production is not using the same base unit(as I understand it). I am currently using a 'original' Maestro in the wall, then Shunyata Alpha HC into the Hydra A/V / Typhon combo. Everything in the system is plugged into the Hydra via Shunyata PCs. I have a Shunyata outlet that is going to replace the Maestro, at some point, when I know I won't be able to listen for days to mitigate warming the system back up.

John
 
madfloyd said:
How long does it take for new outlets to break in?

I just replaced Oyaide R1's with Furutech GTX-R(g) and the difference is staggering, but I'd like to make sure I'm hearing the final results before I pass judgement.
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+ 1. I also recently upgraded from an Oyaide R1 to a Furutech GTX-D(G) with the matching frame & carbon fiber face plate, but have not yet had a chance to hear it yet due to selling my main source. All the low end tube-heads and vinylphiles on AG swear by the rhodium version (well, dah!) and more or less rubbish the gold version. The truth is there is NOT a drastic difference between the two models, despite the plating difference. The major mojo is in the base metal (pure copper), and the slight lean towards warmth vs resolution in the gold vs rhodium (respectively) is more related to a slight 'shade' vs night/day difference.

I went for the gold version as firstly I have a solid state system and digital front end, and wanted to preserve the warm, mellifluous sound of my system, whilst lowering the noise floor & improving resolution and dynamics.
 
Bodhi said:
+ 1. I also recently upgraded from an Oyaide R1 to a cryo'd Furutech GTX-D(G) with the matching frame & carbon fiber face plate, but have not yet had a chance to hear it yet due to selling my main source. All the low end tube-heads and vinylphiles on AG swear by the rhodium version (well, dah!) and more or less rubbish the gold version. The truth is there is NOT a drastic difference between the two models, despite the plating difference. The major mojo is in the base metal (pure copper), and the slight lean towards warmth vs resolution in the gold vs rhodium (respectively) is more related to a slight 'shade' vs night/day difference.

I went for the gold version as firstly I have a solid state system and digital front end, and wanted to preserve the warm, mellifluous sound of my system, whilst lowering the noise floor & improving resolution and dynamics.
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Thanks for your thoughts. I went for the gold for the same reasons you cite. I installed the GTX(g)'s on Monday and it was like I had a completely different system - the amount of bass was overwhelming... and SLOW like molasses. A day later it calmed down a bit and I had a wonderful time playing rock music, but now that it's been 5 days or so the bass is much different. It's tight again, and might be a tad thicker sounding than the Oyaide R1's. Some of the sparkle of the R1s is gone - a good thing in my opinion because it prevented me from turning up the volume, but unfortunately it didn't cure a glare problem that I'm having (which I've now narrowed down to either my speakers, amps or speaker cables).
 
madfloyd said:
Thanks for your thoughts. I went for the gold for the same reasons you cite. I installed the GTX(g)'s on Monday and it was like I had a completely different system - the amount of bass was overwhelming... and SLOW like molasses. A day later it calmed down a bit and I had a wonderful time playing rock music, but now that it's been 5 days or so the bass is much different. It's tight again, and might be a tad thicker sounding than the Oyaide R1's. Some of the sparkle of the R1s is gone - a good thing in my opinion because it prevented me from turning up the volume, but unfortunately it didn't cure a glare problem that I'm having (which I've now narrowed down to either my speakers, amps or speaker cables).
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Maybe time to retire the Mogami? I did two decades ago. :)
 
madfloyd said:
Thanks for your thoughts. I went for the gold for the same reasons you cite. I installed the GTX(g)'s on Monday and it was like I had a completely different system - the amount of bass was overwhelming... and SLOW like molasses. A day later it calmed down a bit and I had a wonderful time playing rock music, but now that it's been 5 days or so the bass is much different. It's tight again, and might be a tad thicker sounding than the Oyaide R1's. Some of the sparkle of the R1s is gone - a good thing in my opinion because it prevented me from turning up the volume, but unfortunately it didn't cure a glare problem that I'm having (which I've now narrowed down to either my speakers, amps or speaker cables).
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I asked Chris from VH Audio earlier about the run in process for my GTX-D and received this reply (note: Chris cooks his premium wpo's and connectors as part of the service, though other sellers may not, so as always YMMV) -

The receptacle itself is already ‘fully cooked’, so from a pure electrical perspective- you’re already ‘there’. But, I also believe there is a mechanical settling period and this should be about 7-10 days, after installation. There doesn’t even need to be any current draw during this time. It is simply enough time for the mechanical stresses from screws and fitting to be relieved, somewhat. That’s my theory, anyway- and what I’ve experienced in my previous installs…
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The settling in time you reported seems consistent with Chris's estimate. Btw, when I was in the process of deciding which outlet to go for (rhodium or gold) I sent Chris my equipment list and asked for his advice. Chris kindly contacted a customer who was also going from R1's to the GTX-D who had a-b tested both versions in his system. Here are his replies, with his permission –

I listened carefully and I have made a choice on which sounds better in my music system. I bought from you both the GTX-D Rhodium or the GTX-D Gold cooked, and my preference in my system believe it or not was for the Gold! The GTX-D Rhodium was a similar product to my Oyaide R-1 which I liked and did not initially want to veer from this. So I bought this version 1[SUP]st[/SUP]. The Furutech GTX-D Rhodium however was immediately better than the Oyaide R-1 after evaluation.

Overall Recommendations however were the Gold for solid state systems so I wanted to at least try both, and pick the best sounding one for my main system and put the alternate Furutech into a secondary system that was using just a basic outlet from when the house was built. So it will not go to waste.

The difference in a nutshell was that music with the Rhodium overall seemed sharper (without any accompanying brightness BTW) and compelling. I guess this could be as sounding more forward as I read in the description. However I felt in my system it might be very slightly affecting the timbre and tone of instruments during my listening evaluation.

With the Gold everything just fell into place all across the board. There was nothing to draw your attention to except to the music. I found the overall spectral balance with the Gold was superb in my system. I am enjoying the benefits of a lower noise floor and greater musical detail with more musical information flowing from the system all due to just an outlet change. Amazing! The tone and timbre of all instruments are superb across the board.

Quick note on both outlets. Music and images are just more solid and better defined it seems than with the Oyaide R-1. Almost like a physical thing? Must be the materials and engineering skill. An excellent purchase in my book. Not sure if my observations align with your experiences but this is what I heard.

Another note, Love that you offered these cooked. Burn in time after install was minimal. No more than 2 or 3 days.

At the bottom of the e-mail string I said I would offer my impressions after evaluation. I think that the basic recommendation of the Gold for Solid State systems in most instances will probably be the correct one for most people unless you are trying to alter some aspect of your system that The Rhodium helps on.
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I also received this follow up response..

My dealer is Goodwins High End in Waltham Ma. They are a Magico dealer with all of the Magico offerings available in store to listen too including the Q7 in their dedicated music rooms. I have such a good relationship with the folks there that I have formed friendships with several of the staff that extends outside of the business. I have spent a lot of time listening to mainly the Q3, Q5, Q7 and the S1. Listened briefly to the S5’s that literally had no break in time on them. Alon Wolf of Magico told my dealer the S5’s need a lot of break in time and my dealer subsequently told me they took forever. Haven’t heard them since. Electronics varied from all Spectral to Constellation Audio to Hegel top of the line electronics which are all solid state. Speaker cable and interconnects are usually top of the line MIT.

In my opinion your customer would hear the differences between the two with any of the Magico speakers. I believe that he might mirror my own experiences using his speakers. The Gold hands down, was the more natural of the two in my system. The tone and timbre were perfect and could not be any better. It is perfect. The Rhodium seemed to me to affect the naturalness of the tone and timbre slightly and seemed to always call my attention to it.

Both outlets were the same in other regards. There was no more detail with the Rhodium than with the Gold. The improved solidity of musical images was the same with both. Lowered noise floor was the same with both compared to my previous outlet the Oyaide R-1.

My recommendation would be to start with the Gold and try the Rhodium only if you are like me and curious and just want to try both out to make a decision. The Rhodium won’t go to waste as I have another music sytem that is casual when working in other parts of my home. Will use it to replace the original wall outlet installed 27 yrs ago when the home was built.
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I'm currently using Jorma Prime pc's which use Oyaide P-004/C-004 connectors. My power conditioner also uses cryo'd and demag'd wpo's with brass connectors with a thick layer of silver plating, so there should be a nice balance between warmth, body, naturaless & resolution/transparency.
 
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