[rollo]

Not being argumentative here… what is the rationale for a wall plate making an audible difference? It is surrounding the receptacle not covering it or the walls that the romex is routed through. That said conventional wisdom is that the wall plate is purely decorative.

   The cover plate completes the isolation of the outlet. The outlet sits in a galvanized box and the copper cover is grounded to that.

charles

[genjamon]

Unless it’s a plastic outlet box. So maybe not as helpful in that context? I don’t know how many homes have metal boxes - I don’t think I’ve ever lived in one that did. At least my last five homes didn’t have them for wall outlets, with a range of dates of construction from 1920’s through late 1980’s.

[Bingenito]

Not metal gang boxes. Brand new circuits installed 2 weeks ago.

[Daryl Zero]

For us audiophiles, $20.00 is chump change. I think you will be surprised. I am not nuts..smile!  I put them in for looks and got rid of the white plastic/nylon ones. The ac outlets I listed are really good, have a strong grip, and having owned several "audiophile" label ones these are as good or better than any of them at 3-4 times the cost.

Please report your results.

[Mr. Big]

Please report your results.

I wrote about the results in my 1st post. Based on cheap plastic/nylon pure copper or even antique copper one noise floor is easily heard as being lower, the bass impact was vastly improved and deeper, midrange detail better, and highs more detailed yet smoother with a greater focus and imaging. All due to like anytime you reduce noise. I have had them on for a few years almost and in fact, only tried the white cheap ones the other day just to see what I would hear, it took less than a song to know boy they really damage the sound. My wife said turn it down or off, that sounds horrible, what are you doing, I said I change the wall plates, she said people will think your nuts, but put it back the way it was, I did and she walks in and said that is crazy. Well with all the wifi, and routers (5G) mine affect my garage door opener and my PC speakers had noise big time when I got it, that is how powerful the noise to electronics generates and impacts, not to mention the old school of RF/EMI. Basically, it is blocking noise where the power cord is plugged in, it's a barrier in and out. Much like Marantz and Sony and others have used in their better gear over the many years, copper shielding. That is what gave me the idea to look for pure copper wall covers and for $10.00 I said give it a go, if they don't work they look better than white plastic, so zip to lose, and I was really surprised with the results. This is why my M3s have not had some sonic issues some have had, with the cheap white ones I heard those issues, but it is not the speaker's fault it is what they are receiving and just reproducing what is coming from the system, and it's not the gear as much as the noise coming from the outlets we plug our gear into.  When I put the white ones back on the ac outlets and if I heard no deterrent then I would know it was my error but that is not the case. Had my wife sit and listen to our video system and a movie with good effects and a bottom end, I took out the wall plates and installed the covers with the pure copper, turned everything back on, and told her to listen, 1st thing I heard was dialog was fuller, then the special effects went off and my wife turns it down that sounds so much louder now and the subwoofers are so strong now, only change the 2 wall plates, and on both systems (audio and video) I have power conditioners and the wall plates still make hearable benefits.   

[Daryl Zero]

My mistake. I was intending my post to be at Bengenito who posted that he ordered the plates. You (Mr.Big) have previously given us a detailed report. I wanted to see if this effort helps across the board or just was something in your house that helped.

[DBT AUDIO]

….Based on cheap plastic/nylon pure copper or even antique copper one noise floor is easily heard as being lower, the bass impact was vastly improved and deeper, midrange detail better, and highs more detailed yet smoother with a greater focus and imaging….

Mr. Big, are your electrical outlets housed in metal or plastic boxes?  I’m asking because mine are plastic and I was wondering if the copper plates would still offer an improvement installed on plastic boxes?  If so, I will give it a shot.

Thanks

[genjamon]

I’m sure it could help even with a plastic box. I’ve had a Furutech carbon cover for years now, and have heard a difference in multiple homes/systems with plastic boxes.

[newzooreview]

Mr. Big, are your electrical outlets housed in metal or plastic boxes?  I’m asking because mine are plastic and I was wondering if the copper plates would still offer an improvement installed on plastic boxes?  If so, I will give it a shot.

My outlets are in blue plastic boxes, installed in the last six years. Grounding and polarity test correct, and the system is running from an Audioquest Niagara 3000 power conditioner. The Niagara has exclusive use of one outlet (although three other outlets share the same circuit).

The copper plate made a difference, and I can only assume that it is blocking EM from the junction box from affecting the plug and transmitting up the power cable. But I didn't think the plate would make a difference, and I'm not sure if that hypothesis about EM is correct.

[Mr. Big]

Mr. Big, are your electrical outlets housed in metal or plastic boxes?  I’m asking because mine are plastic and I was wondering if the copper plates would still offer an improvement installed on plastic boxes?  If so, I will give it a shot.

Thanks

Newer home, plastic.

[DBT AUDIO]

Very impressive findings from you guys concerning the copper faceplates.  I ordered a pair for my two dedicated circuits.

Thanks all!

[Mr. Big]

The power cord is receiving a clean ac from the wall, as well as anything feeding back from the power cord, it is blocking out noise both ways—no different when used internally in the very well-built gear of our Sony ES gear, and with powerful routers really are putting out noise through our home nowadays and wifi and on and on. Then if you have wifi signal boosters in rooms to increase the pickup of those signals, so it's not like they worked, but to my surprise was how much they did work. It was simple and cheap at non-audiophile prices of the carbon ones which I did try and they screwed up the sound balance. Copper is effective and that is well known for years and years. Sound will be more natural detail, dynamics better, the bottom end deeper and cleaner, and the overall sound more realistic.

[Merckx1]

I've been wanting to try a GaN Fet amp for a while now...
Regarding system matching with the Mini gaN 5...
I have Magnepan LRS speakers and an SVS sealed sub. I have a few DAC's i can use bur no preamplifier. What value preamplifier I should look out for that will bring out the best in this amp? Does it have to be balanced? I do have a Wyred 4 Sound balanced DAC that has volume control so I guess i could try that as a volume adjuster... Come to think of it, my WiiM Pro had volume adjustability as well... But I don't think I like the sound of a DAC straight into an amp.
Any advice would be appreciated!

[newzooreview]

I would try the Wyred4Sound balanced DAC with volume attenuator to the Mini GaN 5.

A balanced DAC to a balanced amp is a good way to start.

A good preamp does help. I've tried the DAC to amp approach many times and always gone back to a preamp.

But you should get a good feel for the Mini GaN 5 without a preamp to start with.

The Mini Gan 5 definitely takes time to break in. It sounds very vibrant at first and opens up and moves more towards neutral after about 200 hours (running 8-10 hours and off 1-3 hours to work in the capacitors--they need to charge and discharge).

I've never connected a sub to my Mini GaN 5 monoblocks, so I'm no help there.

[Merckx1]

Thank you for the advice! My budget would be happiest of I could get away with one amp. My current class D integrated amp is more powerful but I don't think I've seen it pull more than 50-60 watts on my Wattmeter.