[HT1278]

Here is where that link came from:

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/avoiding-ground-loop-issues-question.2741145/

I had no idea that there were specific outlets for audio needs.  That really surprised me, but it makes sense. 

[Cheytak.408]

Receptacles that have served me well for different issues:

A system that is too bright:  Furutech FI-11(G) or Furutech GTX (G)

A dark system that lacks detail:  Furutech FI-11(S), a Furutech FI-11(R) or a GTX(R)

        Beware: rhodium takes a l o o o n g time to break in.  It does, in the long run sound pretty good.

For a well balanced system that you just want "more" from, here are my choices is organic sounding receptacles:
 From least to best!

Hubbell Hospital grade
PorterPort
Maestro receptacle
Pass&Seymour 5362A
P.I. audio group UberPuerto

I choose parts and pieces like these to be the final destination of optimization.  Lord, I hope so! 🤬 ..........


The Hubbell

[toocool4]

Honestly, cables and outlets are the last thing to worry about.  It’s tempting to pick up tweaks because they’re not as costly as the main components.  I would put more of your money into better speakers and then electronics. 

I agree with this, tweaks are for when you already have everything else all setup. Tweaks are icing on the cake.

[BicycleJoe]

Posted by CornDog

Honestly, cables and outlets are the last thing to worry about

 I disagree, everything is connected and everything matters.

Seriously you can make a difference by upgrading your Power Cables and Interconnects.
Of course the amount of difference it makes is dependent on the resolution and sensitivity of all your components

Let's say you were buying new speakers and you have had the same amp for a while. You get the speakers hook them up and after auditioning them for a while you decide they are not for you. So you sell your new speakers and look at more. Or or you believe that you need to upgrade your amplifier to match the quality of your speakers.

In this instance trying upgraded power cables to the amp or trying some different quality speaker wire may open the speakers,  just auditioning and listening to this may stop you from chasing new components. I emphasize that there is nothing that is the last thing to worry about, everything is connected and everything matters.

What I'm trying to say is if you haven't looked at why your equipment isn't performing the way you want it to without looking at power cabling and interconnects you haven't fully examined where your weak link is and may be missing out on your equipments full potential.

It's easy to do a A/ B comparison test swapping in and out moving different cables around. Most quality cable manufacturers will give you 30 days to try out their latest VooDoo formula and have different levels for different budgets. I picked up on Amazon Chinese 8ag OCC Silver Plated HiFi Speaker Cables with Carbon fiber rhodium plated banana plugs (9.9Ft / 3m) for less than $100 on a friends recommendation, but I have another set o/o from Decware for $500. You better believe I am going to A/B them even if $500 is nothing compared to Cardas Clear for $5K for 6 feet pair. There is a lot of Snakeoil out there but with a 30 day trial period you have nothing to lose maybe a 10% restocking fee. Now when I first started out you couldn't convince me that it made a difference and I used the power cord from my mothers broken Electrolux vacuum cleaner for my speaker wire and didn't change that for 20 years but when I did it was like a veil was lifted.

[mkane]

IMO all you need is a firm grip at the receptacle and a steady 120v. No fluctuations. $30 for a Hubbell

[HT1278]

If outlets matter, how important is the particular brand or model of breaker in the electrical panel?

[DaveC113]

I'd recommend using receptacles designed for audio use that won't gouge the male contacts.

Hospital grade receptacles are the worst choice for an audio system because they will destroy male plugs. If your cable uses a male plug with plating the very first time you put it in a hospital grade receptacle the plating will have a nice big scratch all the way through to the base metal and over time it'll just get worse.  If it's unplated you'll just get a large gouge in the metal over time. IMO, not ideal. The hospital grade outlet is designed so that important medical devices are not unintentionally unplugged. The increased clamping force will indeed make for less resistance but over time the damage to the male plug just isn't worth it, and there are alternatives that will not damage the male plug and many audio specific receptacles like the GTX NCF are far better.

Also, it's a good idea to use plugs and outlets that are manufactured using the same base metals and platings. This will result in a more relaxed and less fatiguing sound.

[corndog71]

Posted by CornDog

Honestly, cables and outlets are the last thing to worry about

 I disagree, everything is connected and everything matters.

Seriously you can make a difference by upgrading your Power Cables and Interconnects.
Of course the amount of difference it makes is dependent on the resolution and sensitivity of all your components

Let's say you were buying new speakers and you have had the same amp for a while. You get the speakers hook them up and after auditioning them for a while you decide they are not for you. So you sell your new speakers and look at more. Or or you believe that you need to upgrade your amplifier to match the quality of your speakers.

In this instance trying upgraded power cables to the amp or trying some different quality speaker wire may open the speakers,  just auditioning and listening to this may stop you from chasing new components. I emphasize that there is nothing that is the last thing to worry about, everything is connected and everything matters.

What I'm trying to say is if you haven't looked at why your equipment isn't performing the way you want it to without looking at power cabling and interconnects you haven't fully examined where your weak link is and may be missing out on your equipments full potential.

It's easy to do a A/ B comparison test swapping in and out moving different cables around. Most quality cable manufacturers will give you 30 days to try out their latest VooDoo formula and have different levels for different budgets. I picked up on Amazon Chinese 8ag OCC Silver Plated HiFi Speaker Cables with Carbon fiber rhodium plated banana plugs (9.9Ft / 3m) for less than $100 on a friends recommendation, but I have another set o/o from Decware for $500. You better believe I am going to A/B them even if $500 is nothing compared to Cardas Clear for $5K for 6 feet pair. There is a lot of Snakeoil out there but with a 30 day trial period you have nothing to lose maybe a 10% restocking fee. Now when I first started out you couldn't convince me that it made a difference and I used the power cord from my mothers broken Electrolux vacuum cleaner for my speaker wire and didn't change that for 20 years but when I did it was like a veil was lifted.

I’m just saying after 20+ years in this hobby no tweak has made as much difference as having great speakers.  I’m not saying cables or outlets won’t help.  But speakers are the foundation.  A good amp and preamp are next.  Then your sources.  Not to be a snob about it but if this is just a modest system in an apartment (Not that there’s anything wrong with that)  then it may be wiser to save up for better gear before going down a tweak rabbit hole. 
Trust me, I get the urge.  In the end It’s his money.  He can do whatever he wants.  I’ve spent a lot of money over the years on stuff that maybe made a 1-5% difference.  You could even argue that I paid for the self-education.  But all of the tweaks I tried paled compared to the difference a great pair of speakers make. 

[S Clark]

Corndog is 99% right. On a list of things that make a difference:
1a. Speakers
1b. Room


sizeable gap



2. Source (for me cartridge, record quality)
3. Pre amp
4. Phono preamp
5. Amp
7. Blah
8. Blah
9. Blah
10. Blah

[Elizabeth]

I was happy with Pass Seymour heavy duty for many many years.
When I went fr the best I went all out. Added Furutech to wall, two power conditioners replacing all outlets in them, several home made extensions. Almost $3K in outlets. they helped. For someone on a budget? a good quality heavy duty outlet
And I am in an apartment. (I actually added a note to the wall outlet stating it is worth $250 in case I die).

[ssglx]

Based on my experiences, I also come firmly down in the camp that "everything makes a difference", in my system anyway.
I didn't really have a problem with the standard wall outlets in my home, but back when I had more curiosity I tried several outlets in my system, and yes I let them play quite a while in an attempt to break them in.

Of the outlets I tried, the ones that made me appreciate my system more were a modest priced gold plated Oyaide and a modest priced copper Furutech. Sweet, saturated tone, and incisive. The Oyaide was a bit softer; the Furutech had more PRAT. I kept both of these, and eventually had a dedicated line installed which I also enjoyed.

Two quite popular outlets at the time I however did not like. They impacted my system such that listening was not as enjoyable. More analytic sounding; more grey in tone. I sent those back.
It was not subtle.

[BicycleJoe]

Elizabeth said : "And I am in an apartment. (I actually added a note to the wall outlet stating it is worth $250 in case I die)."

Great idea, yellow stickies for all my records too, a big sign over my stereo system, and every guitar and guitar amplifier in big red letters
Hell they'll be able to have a yard sale in my living room.

[S Clark]

I think most of us come to the realization that "everything makes a difference", and we choose which rabbit hole and how far down we wish to travel.  But the big 4 or 5 make so much more of a difference.  An OCC cryo'ed power cord made to the ultimate geometry and best dielectric will make little difference on Chinese boom box. 

[WGH]

I actually added a note to the wall outlet stating it is worth $250 in case I die

I have accepted the fact that all my expensive interconnects, assorted tweaks, large storage box of CDs, etc will eventually end up in the alley on Brush & Bulky Pickup day.

Good to read about outlets again here on AC, it's been way too long.

The Viborg product line is amazing. I have two of their products, the Hapa USB and 1501 power cable, both have state-of-the-art connectors and extremely well made.

Hapa Audio uses Viborg USB connectors with their Ember and Aero USB cables.

Many of us in the Tuscon Audiophile Club use the Viborg Power Cable, either with copper or rhodium plated plugs. I use the Viborg pc because it is shielded and eliminates an elusive hum that appeared. Between the 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos home theater electronics and the stereo there are a lot of wires in one place. My guess is a Volex 14 gauge shielded pc developed a flaw, the system is silent with the Viborg pc. I never noticed a difference between the stock AVA and Volex power cords. Until recently all AVA electronics had captive power cords which never hindered them from getting rave reviews and a loyal following. Audiophiles looking to release the full potential of their AVA gear have to look elsewhere, changing cables barely makes a noticeable change. Money would be much better spent on something else, like room treatments.

There is a smidgen more bass using the Viborg but I also have a sub that uses high level speaker inputs. If your speakers don't go down to 20 Hz the added low bass would probably never be heard.

Viborg 1501 vs. stock Van Alstine power cord


Viborg 1501 cable is 10AWG, comes with plugs of your choice at each end ($150)


The fun part is Viborg makes AC outlets (watch the video). If the quality is equal to their other connectors then these are a no-brainer. They are available with either copper, gold or rhodium plated. ($37)

Individual AC plugs, RCA & XLR connectors and many more items are available:
http://www.viborgaudio.com/en/


Model:VM02R
Conductor:100% pure copper
Body material: Nylon/fiberglass
Specified for wire diameters of 4mm (set screw)
Dimensions: 104.0 mm (L) x 47.2 mm (W) x 28.0 mm (H)
package:1piece us socket
 
3-Layer Plated :
1. Oxygen Free Copper Plated
2. Silver Plated
3. Rhodium Plated



 

[DanielSmi]

I haven't read every post in here so maybe this has already been discussed but I think this is worth saying.

I got into home audio when I was just out of high school. I've always been interested in tech, I have a job doing IT, and you remind me of myself at your age. I was looking for modestly priced little tech upgrades at all points in the system to improve sound quality, I took the DAC board out of my receiver and shipped it to a guy on AVS forum and had him upgrade the op-amps, I installed Bybee filters on the negative terminal of my speakers before the crossover, I had fancy power filtering, and I looked into replacing the outlets.

The one thing that I learned after all these years is that none of those tweaks are going to make much of a noticeable difference if you don't treat the room acoustics first. You have to deal with the speaker placement, listening position, room reverb, and tighten up the bass frequency response in your room before you'll notice any difference with those small tweaks.

Danny talks about this in his videos about winning best of show at audio festivals because they focus so much on getting the room right. while the other companies next door have gear worth hundreds of thousands of dollars set up in a room with no treatment and it sounds much worse.

You can't tech your way to a great sounding system without fixing the issues with your room.

That was a tough lesson for me to learn being the tech guy that I am, if a PC is slow just spend $50-$100 to put more RAM in it, install an SSD, etc. Doesn't work like that in audio. The room is equally if not more important than the speakers you choose at determining your systems overall sound quality. I good room can make a cheap system sound great, and a bad room can make a great system sound bad.

If you haven't already look into Room EQ wizard, and a calibrated mic like the UMIK-1, learn how to measure the frequency response of your room, then focus on speaker placement, and treating your room's flaws with acoustic treatments.  There are a few great acoustic channels on youtube GIK Acoustics, and Acoustic Insider, watching all their videos will teach you a lot about proper room treatment.

Once you've got your room under control you music will sound more detailed, bass will be much tighter, and then you can try those little tweaks like upgrading wall outlets to see if it makes a difference.

I'm still improving my room acoustics, my mid and top end is pretty good but I'm still working to get the bass under control, and remove the bass boominess caused by room reverb, but every acoustic panel bring me closer.

[Mike-48]

The one thing that I learned after all these years is that none of those tweaks are going to make much of a noticeable difference if you don't treat the room acoustics first. [...] You can't tech your way to a great sounding system without fixing the issues with your room.

Once you've got your room under control you music will sound more detailed, bass will be much tighter, and then you can try those little tweaks like upgrading wall outlets to see if it makes a difference.

Amen, Daniel! All the doodads in the world won't cause as much improvement in sound as an area rug between listener and speakers and a couple of good acoustic panels on the walls at first reflection points.

Unlike tweaks I've tried, acoustics will make improvements you don't have to strain to hear, don't have to wonder if you do hear. And your friends and family will hear them, too.

REW is great. For those with a Windows laptop and more money than time, the Dayton OmniMic2 might be worth the $300 instead. I found it much easier to learn and use than REW. Not better in capabilities, but easier to use.

[BicycleJoe]

Mike  48 said "Amen, Daniel! All the doodads in the world won't cause as much improvement in sound as an area rug between listener and speakers and a couple of good acoustic panels on the walls at first reflection points."

How about a 8 x 8 foot garden on a hardwood floor in a 11x14 foot room

[Folsom]

You can hear them.

Personally I don't like Rhodium. I've had it, and it's very different, but not for me.

Dave (Pi) has one that's probably one of best options.

[Bullitt5094]

How about a 8 x 8 foot garden on a hardwood floor in a 11x14 foot room

Do your grow lights rattle?

[BicycleJoe]

@Bullitt5094 asked Do your grow lights rattle?

Sunlight only no grow lights, I will be redesigning the garden. Now that everything's legal it's cheaper and better quality than home grow
Cost of Electricity for lights and AC etc makes it not worth the work. I grow what medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables I can with sun light.