AC receptacle burn in

andycsb · « **on:** 1 Jul 2017, 08:56 pm »

Seeking user experiences. Most claim that there is a "burn in" period (100 to 400 hrs) for AC receptacles, a sonic roller-coaster during that period if you will. Usually starts off somewhat muffled and veiled...then it starts to open up. Bass fills in etc etc.

Has anyone experienced somewhat the reverse? Starts off somewhat aggressive and brightish....gets progressively brightish whilst opening up...then it settles down...gets more musical, fuller and more relaxed/smooth especially in the upper mids on up.

I have the Furutech GTX D (g). Your experiences on any brand would be most welcomed as well. Thanks.

Samac · « **Reply #1 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 10:01 pm »

Hey, andycsb.

I use a cryo treated Hubbell receptacle. It exhibited the bright edgy aggressive sound for quite awhile. It then was a roller coaster ride of sounding good one day and then falling apart the next. The process take more than 500 hours. I honestly felt it took about three months to settle in; and my system is on 14-16 hours a day. Hang in there.

Cheers,

Scott

Speedskater · « **Reply #2 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 10:14 pm »

I have no clue how a listener after 100 to 400 hours, could weed out the small change in sound from a receptacle with so many uncontrolled variables causing large changes.

rajacat · « **Reply #3 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 10:16 pm »

+1
To accurately discern tiny differences in SQ after hundreds of hours of burn-in seems like a stretch.

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 10:29 pm »

Things need to gel and that takes time. I've had days where I had no soundstage whatsoever and all I could hear were the speakers. Then there are days when it is heaven(more of these than not btw). Being able to pin point one item over another is difficult. Best to give all your electronics time to settle - like 500+ hours of time before you can expect nirvana moments. I have the SR UEF, Furutech Rhodium, and Cardas silver outlets. I prefer the SR unit. They are side by side in two boxes on the same 20 amp line.

My system is lightyears better in performance this year than last year when the room was finished. More better components and hundreds of hours on cables and outlets and gizmos. Chance are you'll make more system changes before your duplexes break in so you'll never really know.

jtwrace · « **Reply #5 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 10:43 pm »

Quote from: Speedskater on 1 Jul 2017, 10:14 pm

I have no clue how a listener after 100 to 400 hours, could weed out the small change in sound from a receptacle with so many uncontrolled variables causing large changes.

Cuz you can't!

DaveC113 · « **Reply #6 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 11:25 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 1 Jul 2017, 10:43 pm

Cuz you can't!

Absolutely! They aren't small changes, it's very obvious.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #7 on:** 1 Jul 2017, 11:31 pm »

Quote from: andycsb on 1 Jul 2017, 08:56 pm

Seeking user experiences. Most claim that there is a "burn in" period (100 to 400 hrs) for AC receptacles, a sonic roller-coaster during that period if you will. Usually starts off somewhat muffled and veiled...then it starts to open up. Bass fills in etc etc.

Has anyone experienced somewhat the reverse? Starts off somewhat aggressive and brightish....gets progressively brightish whilst opening up...then it settles down...gets more musical, fuller and more relaxed/smooth especially in the upper mids on up.

I have the Furutech GTX D (g). Your experiences on any brand would be most welcomed as well. Thanks.

Yes, the GTX do give you the roller coaster effect and it's very noticeable and very annoying. I've found it goes from fairly normal sounding but a bit harsh to closed-in and dark, or muffled/veiled, and back again for weeks before settling down. I'd run a fridge or something off of it if possible for a month or so before installing. It is possible to burn them in on a cable cooker too, that's what I do and it reduces burn-in effects and length of time.

A couple years ago I brought a SurgeX with partially burned-in GTX(R) over to a friends system and didn't say anything, it started out sounding normal but after a while it changed and got dark/closed-in sounding and he noticed it right away.

Folsom · « **Reply #8 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 01:04 am »

Don't know why, but, ya, its different from start to finish. And they sound different.

jtwrace · « **Reply #9 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 03:56 am »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 1 Jul 2017, 11:25 pm

Absolutely! They aren't small changes, it's very obvious.

Dude, I'm sorry but if you get everything else right these things mean nothing. In a proper test there is no way you can hear an outlet that's new out of the box and one that has 400 hrs on it. Ain't happening.

Folsom · « **Reply #10 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 04:55 am »

Are you suggesting someone would have trouble in an DBT ABX? Or that they just don't sound different? Because they sure as shit sound different...

zoom25 · « **Reply #11 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 05:12 am »

I definitely found a difference when I changed my stock outlet after 7 years to a cryo-ed Hubbell HBL 5262. At first it was veiled and warm sounding but also pleasing without harshness. I left all my gear running 24/7 and listened periodically and it definitely sounded different from the start. It's sounded the same after the first 2-3 weeks. The ongoing changes were quite noticeable in the first 2-3 days. It was just something I was not previously used to sonically, so not even a matter of preference or bias. Of course, I can't keep unplugging or plugging outlets. It was a one time deal, but I did put a few thousand hours over those years with the same gear for most part. So I know how my system sounds regardless of how I'm feeling.

A_shah · « **Reply #12 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 06:09 am »

Quote from: zoom25 on 2 Jul 2017, 05:12 am

I definitely found a difference when I changed my stock outlet after 7 years to a cryo-ed Hubbell HBL 5262. At first it was veiled and warm sounding but also pleasing without harshness. I left all my gear running 24/7 and listened periodically and it definitely sounded different from the start. It's sounded the same after the first 2-3 weeks. The ongoing changes were quite noticeable in the first 2-3 days. It was just something I was not previously used to sonically, so not even a matter of preference or bias. Of course, I can't keep unplugging or plugging outlets. It was a one time deal, but I did put a few thousand hours over those years with the same gear for most part. So I know how my system sounds regardless of how I'm feeling.

Have to agree with you , about three months ago I ordered a custom built Odyssey Kismet amplifier, and since I was told that it had to be plugged in a AC outlet 24/7 I decided to order a couple of PS audio power ports classic , (expensive $ 49.00 each) to replace 14 year old power outs that came with the home , including the circuit breaker . first thing I noticed when I used the volt meter was a drop in voltage( from 122 volts) through out the day between 118.5 to 121.7 this continued for about a week , any way changed the powers cords to Pangea MK 14 on my Parasound Integrated Halo and the HSU VTF 15 Subwoofer , found very noticeable difference in the SQ quality including Bass on my Maggie 1.7i , which made me a believer in after market power cords and changing the receptacles in my secondary office system , two weeks ago I got my Kismet amplifier , it sound just way too different from the Parasound Halo. obviously every little tweak helps in this expensive hobby . Cheers !

jtwrace · « **Reply #13 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 01:12 pm »

Quote from: Folsom on 2 Jul 2017, 04:55 am

Are you suggesting someone would have trouble in an DBT ABX? Or that they just don't sound different? Because they sure as shit sound different...

Both.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #14 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 02:40 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 2 Jul 2017, 03:56 am

Dude, I'm sorry but if you get everything else right these things mean nothing. In a proper test there is no way you can hear an outlet that's new out of the box and one that has 400 hrs on it. Ain't happening.

I think you have it bass ackwards... the better the system the easier it is to notice the improvement a GTX receptacle will make.

But I'd guess you've never tried one, so your opinion on the subject seems worthless.

jtwrace · « **Reply #15 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 02:53 pm »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 2 Jul 2017, 02:40 pm

I think you have it bass ackwards... the better the system the easier it is to notice the improvement a GTX receptacle will make.

But I'd guess you've never tried one, so your opinion on the subject seems worthless.

Actually I have...

maxima95 · « **Reply #16 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 03:21 pm »

"Dude, I'm sorry but if you get everything else right these things mean nothing. In a proper test there is no way you can hear an outlet that's new out of the box and one that has 400 hrs on it. Ain't happening."

Of course you hear what you hear. As for what I and others hear, please spare us from the pompousness of your posts.

Yes, I too have some of these receptacles.

jtwrace · « **Reply #17 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 03:23 pm »

Quote from: maxima95 on 2 Jul 2017, 03:21 pm

"Dude, I'm sorry but if you get everything else right these things mean nothing. In a proper test there is no way you can hear an outlet that's new out of the box and one that has 400 hrs on it. Ain't happening."

Of course you hear what you hear. As for what I and others hear, please spare us from the pompousness of your posts.

Yes, I too have some of these receptacles.

Sorry but it really doesn't work that way on a public forum...

Folsom · « **Reply #18 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 04:16 pm »

jt, as much as I tend to enjoy your posts on the forum... You've been coming off very Zealot lately... Why try and inform people they're just too dumb to realize they can't hear anything they say they hear? Even IF you were right, what good does it bring? I cannot help but believe you've been blinded by the limits to your knowledge, that basically ends where simple graphs do. The alternative is that everyone is absolutely retarded and won't be once they drink the Kool-aid? Uhuh..

jea48 · « **Reply #19 on:** 2 Jul 2017, 04:48 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 2 Jul 2017, 03:56 am

Dude, I'm sorry but if you get everything else right these things mean nothing. In a proper test there is no way you can hear an outlet that's new out of the box and one that has 400 hrs on it. Ain't happening.

Proper test?

How about this for a true proper test.

Buy two Furutech GTX R duplex receptacles.

1) Connect them both to the AC mains and compare them to one another. Do both cause the audio system to pretty much sound the same?

2) Pick one of the two and leave it connected to the AC mains power. Put the other one back in the box.

3) Burn in the one chosen to be connected to the AC mains for about 200 hours.

4) Connect the one, that was put back in the box, to the AC mains and compare it to the one that has been burned in for 200 hours. Do you hear a difference between the two from the audio system?

5) Pull the boxed outlet from the AC mains again and put it back in the box.

6) Continue burning in the other outlet for an additional 100 to 200 hours.

7) Repeat #4 above again. Listen for any differences.

NOTE.
Instead of using an audio system to burn in a Furutech GTX R receptacle it would be better, and less time consuming, to use a refrigerator to burn in the receptacle.