Wall Outlets?

SolidSqual

Those of you who have replaced your standard $.99 for something more what have you used?

I have two PS Audio Power Ports ordered. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm looking for a good quality outlet with clamp like connections.

okiepolkie

Shunyata's outlet is nice: http://www.shunyata.com/Content/products-Outlets.html

MikeC78

I use the "Heavy Duty" 20 amp outlets from Lowe's. I believe Cooper Electric makes them and they cost about $4-5 a piece. They hold plugs tight extremely well...

iskandam

I replaced my stock outlet with a hospital grade Leviton, then upgraded to the PS Audio Power Port

SolidSqual

I just bought two PS audio power ports. Relatively cheap to some other big names. I went to Lowes and didn't like what I was seeing. Thanks for your help all.

awe-d-o-file

I got Hubbell hospital grade 20A- nice, then I got Oyaide-holy crap! I never thought an outlet could make such a difference! I got the SWO-**** with the WPC-Z cover (which costs more than the outler!) Very much worth what I paid. I now have the newer R-1's. VH Audio has them cryo'ed

ShinAce

From what I know of hospital grade, they are nickel plated to help with corrosion. They're not designed for the best power transfer, only stability.

You may be paying for something you don't need. Especially if you keep your audio chain 'new'.

mmadden28

awe-d-o-file wrote: »

I got Hubbell hospital grade 20A- nice, then I got Oyaide-holy crap! I never thought an outlet could make such a difference! I got the SWO-**** with the WPC-Z cover (which costs more than the outler!) Very much worth what I paid. I now have the newer R-1's. VH Audio has them cryo'ed

So how much of a difference did the WPC-Z outlet cover make?

Serendipity

I use hospital grade and spec-grade Leviton outlets.

mmadden28

Just something to keep in mind-if you put a 20A outlet in to replace an existing outlet, be sure the wire and breaker are also rated 20 amps or more.

I ran a new 20A line in my house for another purpose, and when I had an electrician over for another purpose-I mentioned it to him (to have him give it a once over for a sanity check). At first he thought I had the new circuit connected to a 15a breaker. He said that you can only use a 20A outlet if the wire and circuit breaker are rated for 20A. You cannot use a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit. While it will certainly work, its against code. I can see why-I can see somebody down the road, perhaps after you sell your house, plugging in a device that requires a 20A circuit and overloading the 15 amp wire or breaker. Even worse if the breaker was upgraded to a 20A but the wire was not-

In my case I was good end to end (I actually did have a 20A breaker), but it was certainly good to know. I would have been fine putting in a 15 amp breaker knowing that I would never use more than 15amps-but you never know what a contractor doing work in your house will need or a future new owner will do.

Serendipity

mmadden28 wrote: »

Just something to keep in mind-if you put a 20A outlet in to replace an existing outlet, be sure the wire and breaker are also rated 20 amps or more.

I ran a new 20A line in my house for another purpose, and when I had an electrician over for another purpose-I mentioned it to him (to have him give it a once over for a sanity check). At first he thought I had the new circuit connected to a 15a breaker. He said that you can only use a 20A outlet if the wire and circuit breaker are rated for 20A. You cannot use a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit. While it will certainly work, its against code. I can see why-I can see somebody down the road, perhaps after you sell your house, plugging in a device that requires a 20A circuit and overloading the 15 amp wire or breaker. Even worse if the breaker was upgraded to a 20A but the wire was not-

In my case I was good end to end (I actually did have a 20A breaker), but it was certainly good to know. I would have been fine putting in a 15 amp breaker knowing that I would never use more than 15amps-but you never know what a contractor doing work in your house will need or a future new owner will do.

Yes, you don't want to have a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit, especially when the wire used is #14AWG. Some idiot (in the future) may upgrade the breaker!! Kind of like when people used to put 20A fuses on 15A circuits because they were tired of fuses blowing.

That would be a bad thing.

awe-d-o-file

mmadden28 wrote: »

So how much of a difference did the WPC-Z outlet cover make?

I put in the outlet then the cover and my wife and I were both stunned. Then when R-1's came out I did the same thing. I am still amazed at what that 2 pound milled aluminum and Cf cover does. My system also plugs into the outlet closest to my panel- six feet away.

mmadden28

awe-d-o-file wrote: »

I put in the outlet then the cover and my wife and I were both stunned. Then when R-1's came out I did the same thing. I am still amazed at what that 2 pound milled aluminum and Cf cover does. My system also plugs into the outlet closest to my panel- six feet away.

First, awe-d-o-file, This is not an attack on you, just my thoughts in general.

Wow, I wonder what a gold or platinum cover can do? Maybe one studded with diamonds. Maybe the paint on the walls around the cover can make a difference-we should try copper paint, of course 99.99% OFC. Or purple to give it a royal sound. What is it that the cover is actually doing to improve the AC?

I simply can't believe this-I guess this is one of those I have to hear it for myself things. It's simply not logical to me.
Are you sure you're not putting any 'hope' (sugar coating) into a better sound and hearing what is not really there because you spent so much on it? Could this be like the Monster display setups at the B&M stores that compares their wire to the generic? All smoke and mirrors?

Seriously-folks? Can an outlet cover really make any difference in the sound quality of an amp?.

I still don't buy into the $2000 power cord will change my life deal (you know what I mean)-Then there's the $500 Onkyo interconnect cable (ethernet), but now an outlet cover?

I'm not discounting that a good quality PC will make a difference-good conductors and good contact, to me, should be all that is needed. I expect that I will likely be upgrading my outlets and PC when I run a new dedicated circuit, but I don't expect to be paying more than $100 for the set (this does not include the cost of the wire)

awe-d-o-file wrote: »

My system also plugs into the outlet closest to my panel- six feet away.

And the other 50 or whatever feet to the transformer at the street is irrelevant?

Other things to be considered are the wiring in the walls, the internal wiring in the amp, the IEC jack on the amp, the main service wiring coming into the house. You would have to ensure the entire AC circuit is upgraded, new wiring, perhaps new gold plated or solid silver bus bars in the panel? Nice new solid copper grounding rod. And then the service wiring coming in--what would we need to do there have the electric company install a dedicated transformer outside the house? There are limitations that cannot be fixed without going to absolute extremes, and for what? What is the end result? And at what cost? Are we talking about a 1% improvement? 30%?

SolidSqual

mmadden28 wrote: »

First, awe-d-o-file, This is not an attack on you, just my thoughts in general.

Wow, I wonder what a gold or platinum cover can do? Maybe one studded with diamonds. Maybe the paint on the walls around the cover can make a difference-we should try copper paint, of course 99.99% OFC. Or purple to give it a royal sound. What is it that the cover is actually doing to improve the AC?

I simply can't believe this-I guess this is one of those I have to hear it for myself things. It's simply not logical to me.
Are you sure you're not putting any 'hope' (sugar coating) into a better sound and hearing what is not really there because you spent so much on it? Could this be like the Monster display setups at the B&M stores that compares their wire to the generic? All smoke and mirrors?

Seriously-folks? Can an outlet cover really make any difference in the sound quality of an amp?.

I still don't buy into the $2000 power cord will change my life deal (you know what I mean)-Then there's the $500 Onkyo interconnect cable (ethernet), but now an outlet cover?

I'm not discounting that a good quality PC will make a difference-good conductors and good contact, to me, should be all that is needed. I expect that I will likely be upgrading my outlets and PC when I run a new dedicated circuit, but I don't expect to be paying more than $100 for the set (this does not include the cost of the wire)


And the other 50 or whatever feet to the transformer at the street is irrelevant?

Other things to be considered are the wiring in the walls, the internal wiring in the amp, the IEC jack on the amp, the main service wiring coming into the house. You would have to ensure the entire AC circuit is upgraded, new wiring, perhaps new gold plated or solid silver bus bars in the panel? Nice new solid copper grounding rod. And then the service wiring coming in--what would we need to do there have the electric company install a dedicated transformer outside the house? There are limitations that cannot be fixed without going to absolute extremes, and for what? What is the end result? And at what cost? Are we talking about a 1% improvement? 30%?

I'm just trying to keep my thick PCs in the wall and yes there is worthwhile improvement to be had with better connections. IF you're not willing to spend a little for steps closer to even better sound then don't. But, I and many others will. What's $100 bucks on wall outlets compared to 10k already in the system?

It's all one step at a time. When I build my own house, there will be a room wired completely for audio and video perfection. In fact, one day I am going to build my own power plant to make sure I've really covered my bases.

steveinaz

The amperage rating on outlets is simply what they are capable of handling. You can use a 20 or 30 amp rated outlet on a 15 amp circuit--just understand that it's still a 15 amp circuit. The amperage of the circuit is determined by the breaker and cable gauge. In Arizona, a 30 amp circuit must be 12/3 minimum wire gauge; 15 amp circuits can use 14/3.

Gaara

SolidSqual wrote: »

I'm just trying to keep my thick PCs in the wall and yes there is worthwhile improvement to be had with better connections. IF you're not willing to spend a little for steps closer to even better sound then don't. But, I and many others will. What's $100 bucks on wall outlets compared to 10k already in the system?

It's all one step at a time. When I build my own house, there will be a room wired completely for audio and video perfection. In fact, one day I am going to build my own power plant to make sure I've really covered my bases.

I would LOVE to be able to witness that conversation with the GF. "Sorry honey we can't go out tonight, I just spend $400 on 2 outlet covers"

SolidSqual

Haha, nah I'm too smart for that. First, I only spent $50 a piece on PS Audio outlets. Second, I got a separate fund for taking her out aside from the audio fund.

Gaara

SolidSqual wrote: »

Haha, nah I'm too smart for that. First, I only spent $50 a piece on PS Audio outlets. Second, I got a separate fund for taking her out aside from the audio fund.

I use the Power Ports, very grippy. For my BPT I bypass it all together though, just run a 20amp direct line from the breaker to the BPT, using a Wattgate IEC. Power Port is on the 15 amp dedicated line for my sub and surround amp.

SolidSqual

Gaara,

What kind of BPT do you have? I'm looking into getting a custom job that will have two outlets without conditioning and surge protection and the rest with the works to power my preamp and sources.

What's your opinion of the company?

By the way, you're going to have to explain to my girlfriend that I did not sell my PPP to buy her jewelry.

Mike

SolidSqual

Also, do you have any sources for how to install a 20amp line?

awe-d-o-file

When you try it/them let me know. And the closest outlet <dedicated> does help. There is 2 gauge to the panel. Having the shortest run w/10 gauge from it helps. It is not the material of the cover so much as its mass<2 pounds> and ability to reduce vibration and resonance I guess. The CF cover is said to reduce EMF but I don't know. It does look great. Anyway the result is what matters and it is wonderful. The whole idea of outlets and power cords wasn't logical to me but my experience has been a great improvement in sound. In terms of cables I now think the order of importance is power>IC>Speaker. I felt the opposite a few years ago. No "attack" felt.

mmadden28 wrote: »

First, awe-d-o-file, This is not an attack on you, just my thoughts in general.

Wow, I wonder what a gold or platinum cover can do? Maybe one studded with diamonds. Maybe the paint on the walls around the cover can make a difference-we should try copper paint, of course 99.99% OFC. Or purple to give it a royal sound. What is it that the cover is actually doing to improve the AC?

I simply can't believe this-I guess this is one of those I have to hear it for myself things. It's simply not logical to me.
Are you sure you're not putting any 'hope' (sugar coating) into a better sound and hearing what is not really there because you spent so much on it? Could this be like the Monster display setups at the B&M stores that compares their wire to the generic? All smoke and mirrors?

Seriously-folks? Can an outlet cover really make any difference in the sound quality of an amp?.

I still don't buy into the $2000 power cord will change my life deal (you know what I mean)-Then there's the $500 Onkyo interconnect cable (ethernet), but now an outlet cover?

I'm not discounting that a good quality PC will make a difference-good conductors and good contact, to me, should be all that is needed. I expect that I will likely be upgrading my outlets and PC when I run a new dedicated circuit, but I don't expect to be paying more than $100 for the set (this does not include the cost of the wire)


And the other 50 or whatever feet to the transformer at the street is irrelevant?

Other things to be considered are the wiring in the walls, the internal wiring in the amp, the IEC jack on the amp, the main service wiring coming into the house. You would have to ensure the entire AC circuit is upgraded, new wiring, perhaps new gold plated or solid silver bus bars in the panel? Nice new solid copper grounding rod. And then the service wiring coming in--what would we need to do there have the electric company install a dedicated transformer outside the house? There are limitations that cannot be fixed without going to absolute extremes, and for what? What is the end result? And at what cost? Are we talking about a 1% improvement? 30%?

Gaara

SolidSqual wrote: »

Gaara,

What kind of BPT do you have? I'm looking into getting a custom job that will have two outlets without conditioning and surge protection and the rest with the works to power my preamp and sources.

What's your opinion of the company?

By the way, you're going to have to explain to my girlfriend that I did not sell my PPP to buy her jewelry.

Mike

It is a BP-2 Signature. I was going to get a 20amp one but got a great price locally so I snagged this one. I am not to worried about it since I listen at low volumes and the only amps hooked up to it are my 525wpc icepower amps.

I did not buy new but I found the unit to be great. Popped the top once and was very impressed, very thick wiring, huge transformer, very clean looking. Had it for 1yr 3months now and never had a issue with it.

Tell her you are buying her audio jewlry, like $200 wall plates.

As for the 20amp, I did it myself but have had some construction background. Honestly I followed the directions that came with the breaker and IEC. Only hard part was running the wire through a conduit in the house using a snake. Took ~2hrs all said and done, used Carol 10/2. You can proly google it and find a how to video somewhere.

Hawkeye

I'm not sure even replacing the wire back to the powerplant would make a difference. I live in a very old area. The power company came in and replaced all the poles, wires and wire to every house. They replaced everything all the way back to one of those fenced in areas with enormous transformers. My house was rehabbed about 4 years ago. New panel, new copper ground rods (3), new ground to water pipe, new wiring throughout the house with 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits for 2 channel and 1 for HT in basement.

My 2 channel kit is very revealing, almost clinical which is what I prefer. First I tried plugging everything in the wall. Even with everything brand new, it was noisy. No ground loop, just a bit of noise. I solved the problem by installing a power conditioner from Richard Gray. I could have spent a lot of money on outlets, cables and covers. It was much easier with the PC.

Gordon

SolidSqual

No. You misunderstand me. The power plant will be mine and I will be the only one allowed to use it. It will be either nuclear or coal.

candyliquor35m

A nice little gadget to have is a outlet tester (3 wire circuit analyzer) for about $5. I got mine at home depot. It checks for unconnected (open) ground, neutral, and hot and checks for wires that have been reversed. Small as a mouse not much bigger than a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter with nice little lights on it.

mmadden28

SolidSqual wrote: »

I'm just trying to keep my thick PCs in the wall and yes there is worthwhile improvement to be had with better connections. IF you're not willing to spend a little for steps closer to even better sound then don't. But, I and many others will. What's $100 bucks on wall outlets compared to 10k already in the system?

It's all one step at a time. When I build my own house, there will be a room wired completely for audio and video perfection. In fact, one day I am going to build my own power plant to make sure I've really covered my bases.

$100-$200 no problem, I did mention my intentions to upgrade my outlets (likely with the PS Audio jobber you got or maybe lesser-not sure yet)-I'll also be upgrading my power cords-but I'm not spending buku bucks like $500 on a power cord or an outlet and certainly not a couple hundred on a outlet cover.

I spent $30k on my car, does that mean I should always buy 94 octane fuel for it, because it might go a little faster? I'm sure better analogies could be made, but to me it really comes down to a cost to benefit ratio. Would that money be better spent on an external DAC, or room sound proofing, or somethign else that would actually yield better results?

Getting a good solid grip on the polug is certainly a good reason, but as mentioned by Mike in post #3, he did it for $5

mmadden28

steveinaz wrote: »

The amperage rating on outlets is simply what they are capable of handling. You can use a 20 or 30 amp rated outlet on a 15 amp circuit--just understand that it's still a 15 amp circuit. The amperage of the circuit is determined by the breaker and cable gauge. In Arizona, a 30 amp circuit must be 12/3 minimum wire gauge; 15 amp circuits can use 14/3.

But is "just understanding" that up to code? Would an electical inspector allow it? What if after you sell the house and forgot to pass the uderstanding along to the new owner, and they that its a 20A outlet and that is on a 15A breaker-ignoring the wire guage, says' hey I think I should put that on a 20A breaker for my new amp....

If its code, then fine- but if its not...the record should be set right.

mmadden28

Hawkeye wrote: »

... The power company came in and replaced all the poles, wires and wire to every house.....

.. Even with everything brand new, it was noisy. No ground loop, just a bit of noise....

That's because the power company chose not to use Monster High Voltage Power Lines, with anti-bird flux coatings. They'll never learn. :rolleyes:

mmadden28

SolidSqual wrote: »

No. You misunderstand me. The power plant will be mine and I will be the only one allowed to use it. It will be either nuclear or coal.

A friend of mine lives in an older house which when built was somwhat remote-Not sure exactly why but he had is own transformer in the basement with the high voltage lines coming right in.

Hes not an audio enthusiast so I couldn't rell you if that made any difference for him.

Of course it wasn't a fun idea pumping out his basement when it flooded-it wasn't just a measly 120v anymore. :eek:

mmadden28

SolidSqual wrote: »

Also, do you have any sources for how to install a 20amp line?

Check out the Do-It-Yourself Home electricity books at Home Depot or Lowes. Actually pick one up. They cover almost everything you'll need. I know more than enough to be dangerous

SolidSqual

mmadden28 wrote: »

A friend of mine lives in an older house which when built was somwhat remote-Not sure exactly why but he had is own transformer in the basement with the high voltage lines coming right in.

Hes not an audio enthusiast so I couldn't rell you if that made any difference for him.

Of course it wasn't a fun idea pumping out his basement when it flooded-it wasn't just a measly 120v anymore. :eek:

Note to self: Build the power plant in Arizona to avoid flooding.