Wall Outlet Oyaide, Furutek, Wattgate, and others

I have been very happy with the moderately priced Porter House outlet sold here on Audiogon by Albert Porter.
I do own some Maestro outlets but in my two systems I don't think it was worth the extra expense. Others will say differently, and you will probably receive many more suggestions of different AC outlets. In my opinion it's an individual system and location issue.

+1 on the Porter Ports.

I have tried most of them. In my opinion the Fururtech GTX are the best outlets available. To my knowledge they are the only ones that use pure beryllium copper as the base conductive material, most others use brass or phosphor bronze, with different plating materials to increase conductivity.

The Oyaide R-1 Recepticle is pure Beryllium copper base cryo treated just like the furetech recepticle, I believe it is best to go to vh Audio web-site and look at the differences for your self, I believe the oyaide R-1 is superior, As far as I know, The Best recepticle on the market, However, Between these two recepticles, I do not believe you can go wrong with either of them, The Oyaide R-1 is my choice.

Birds of a feather flock together ... look to match the type of alloy in your power cord’s termination to a similar alloy in the wall outlet ... this way there is only one signature metal and not two

Your Elrod Diamond has a F1 Oyaide beryllium copper termination .. match it to a beryllium copper outlet like a Oyaide R1 or RO or the mentioned Furutech

I am not familiar with the PAD line but let’s assume for sake of argument that the terminations on the PAD power cords are the best Phosphors Bronze type Jim could find ... then I would match the PAD power cords up with the best Phosphorous Bronze outlet I could find

Plating will also have to be taken into consideration ... your Elrod’s beryllium copper is platinum and palladium plated and would match well to the Oyaide R1 outlet

If this combo is a little to incise ... you can go with the Oyaide RO beryllium copper with no plating or the Furutech with it’s slightly warmer and very pleasant gold plating

You’ll have to do some research on the type of termination the PAD cords have and then just find the matching alloy outlet

Chrissain,

Except for Oyaide. They use it in both their R-1 and M-1 series.

I've used Furutech outlets for a few years. They sound great, I wish they had a better grip. No thoughts of replacing them.

I use the HUBBLE HBL-5362 that Cabledyne sells. It is cryoed and cooked. Here is a thread on AGon: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1370875160&&&/Porter-Ports-or-Cabledyne-Cryo-Hubbell-5

I don't know what the best is, but I like Furutech products. I'm very happy with mine.

Afterburner 8 was better than the Porter Ports—huge upgrade.

I also use mix of Furutech and Oyaide but now I also have the HB Cable design and I am thinking of ordering them for all my power needs....

I have the Porter port, which is very good, and the Oyaide R-1 in my main system, which had, upon installation, a slight edge in improvement over the Porter port.. I've also used the Wattgate in my Tice Solos and they were an improvement.

The Afterburner 8.

Chris at vh Audio gives an option to cook the deep cryo treated Oyaide R-1 recepticle for 6 days, ready!, I like furetech as well, I am in the process of getting the furetech cryo treated pure beryllium copper ft-785m chassis XLR out-puts, then I am internally wireing my cd-player with pure-mono crystal copper Tara Labs gen-2 24 gauge insulated conductors, my Tara Labs Cobalt power cord has the top model Oyaide IEC and Plug, I am matching that with The Oyaide R-1 recepticle, The main reason I chose to go with the Tara internal wireing is because I also use the Tara Labs Zero Gold Balanced interconnect, trying to get the Best synergy possible, cheers.

Here is my own personal ranking of outlets. ( based on what I presently own).

1. Furutech GTX-D R
2. Oyaide R1
3. Maestro
4. Hubble from Audience
5. Synergistic Tesla SE

Furutech FT 785 XLR chassis connectors are the best that I have found. Furetech also make a killer IEC inlet plug, FI09. Base metal used is also copper. Have both of these plugs in ALL my gear.

I really like the Oyaide R-1 duplex receptacles. Nice tight grip on a/c plugs. Installed them as a replacement on my Two Purepower 2000 re-generators . Total count , 12 R-1!

@ Jebsmith73, Hi, You spoke of the Furetech FI09 IEC, what did that do for your sound?

Furutech F109 IEC inlet plugs... Well for starters stock IEC plugs choke the life out of your gear. Sound is veiled, less dynamic . I liked the Rhodium plugs over the Gold. The FI09 IEC inlet plug is larger... but I worked in all 9 of them in my gear, but that's an other story.

Jeb, I did not know that, mmmm, I can see what other modd I will be doing, what is the sound difference between the Rhodium and Gold, I was told that the Rhodium has a forward presatation and can get analitical on certain recordings, where Gold is more forgiving, and still gives you the resolution you want, so what's your take?

My tubehead friend likes the Gold. I have SS gear and prefer the Rhodium. All gear is different, try them both. It might surprise you on the outcome.

My system is solid state/tube, All these modds are going on my tube cd-player that I mentioned in the post above, did you change out the IEC yourself?, If so, Is it easy?, Thanks Jeb.

I have to say most mods I did were NOT easy.They required fabricating parts , machining , and drilling. Dealing with A/C voltages that can ruin your day , need to be properly handled .

I see, I best get someone else to do my modds, better safe than sorry, Thanks jeb.

My Elrod Statement Gold used Oyaide F1/M1 I'm ready for Oyaide R1
And for my Viola SS used Ellrod Diamond PC with Bucchino or Furuteck ? R or G ? Plugs and IEC and R or G ? Which wall outlet Furuteck ?

Thanks for your opinion and nice recommandation.q

When you guys are talking about the different metals for all the different outlets and connectors, do you consider the plating process? I know that you can't always plate over some metals directly and have to plate more than once. For example, lets say you want to plate some brass connectors with gold. Before you do the gold plate, you may have to plate the connector with another metal like nickle first, and then do the gold. (To be clear, I don't know if you have to do this with plating gold on copper. I'm just using it as an example.)

Aterburner 8 replaced Oyaide. More organic sounding.

Here’s a new contender for your consideration ... New Heavy Weight Contender

Everything in your power deliver circuit sits in series from your panel box through your dedicated line to your outlet and to the power cord and component ... it all lies in series

The most important thing in your power delivery system is “low series resistance” ... look at the specs on this new Heavy Weight Contender’s resistance against two of the other giants in the industry

"The most important thing in your power delivery system is “low series resistance”"

How do you know that?

“Because it is what I close to believe”

A lot of mfgers are now offering cables that are 7 and 9 gauge ... why so big ? Would they go through all the effort and expense for no benefit and what is the benefit of going to a larger gauge

Every thing in the chain from the power company to your component lies in series with the other connecting components

Unlike IC and speaker cables that must be driven by a low impedance source’s to a high impedance load’s and can be impacted by the LCR reactants ... power deliver components just sit there as a connection between two point acting as a bridge would in connecting the north and south banks of a river
.

@ Davehrab, If this receptilock recepticle is any thing like the company says it is, I will buy it NOW!, However, who has used it here, and can give honest impressions of the sound, good or bad, instead of what the company claims!

I just ordered Porter Ports- much better time spent on other things imo.

Any idea what it costs?

If low series resistance is the most important thing in power delivery, then why didn't someone do it sooner? Its a fairly simple concept.

Ozzy .. the price listed in the Lit. is 180? ... not sure if the ? is US dollars or Euro .. also need to check on shipping tariffs and taxes before there is any surprises from Europe

Assuming their resistance and grip figures are genuine this could be a real contender ... I don’t put much credence in the listening evaluation comparisons as that is more a subjective opinion where as the resistance and grip numbers are objective measurements

The other red flag is the use of the phrase “Pure Copper Conductors’ ... that might be a bit soft to work with so I would be interest in knowing which alloy Tin or Phosphorus/bronze they are based on ... my preference is beryllium like in my R1s and PS Audio Premier Ports

I think the word “Copper” is loosely interpreted and can lose something in translation from a foreign manufacture ... Pacific rim mfgers often use the word “Red Copper” to refer to the premium grade alloy they use ... but I believe the Red Copper is only Phosphorous Bronze and not the higher quality Beryllium grade alloy

If anybody can tech this one out it’s you Ozzy ... go get em Dog

Zd542 ... it’s not that difficult to understand and has been around since the days of Edison ... put some current through a resister and you will get a voltage drop ... a voltage drop = signal loss .. signal loss = information gone forever

Our components draw power off the peaks of the sine wave and in bursts ... it is not like water that is constantly flowing evenly out of a faucet ... it only draws current when it’s needed and how much it needs but if it isn’t there when it’s needed because resistance has reduced the voltage ... well then you stepped in the stream but the water passed you by

Should be Clear as Vodka now
.

Great post Davehrab, I undestood it competly!, good stuff., thankyou, cheers.

I too bought the Oyaide R-1 from Chris @ VH Audio to replace the Shunyata SR-Z1 outlet that I had been using for awhile. Man, the R-1 spanked the Z1 right out of the box!! What a HUGE DIFFERENCE!! It was like an upgrade to a higher end amp or preamp! I CANNOT recommend it more HIGHLY! Well worth the money & get the Carbon Fiber/aluminum wall plate to go with it. I"ve heard that there is even MORE to be had by using this wallplate. Read the reviews for it. Jonathan Hart

>> I understood it completely<<

I guess there's a first time for everything

@ Minddr, Great post and comparisons with the recepticles, I believe my first choice still remains what I will buy, The Oyaide R-1 recepticle, It's a good all around recepticle, and the post about how so many users like it keep pouring in here!, do you have Rhodium plated or gold plated?, Have you listened to the differences in sound between these two metals?, If so, what's you impressions?

Regarding the comments about resistance and voltage drop, as I see it a couple of things should be kept in mind:

1)In the "New Heavyweight Contender" link which Dave provided, the highest resistance shown for any of the receptacles listed is 2.7 milliohms. That is 0.0027 ohms. Even for a large current spike of say 20 amps, that would result in a voltage drop of only 20 x 0.0027 = 0.054 volts (about one-twentieth of a volt). For components other than power amplifiers which draw large amounts of current, the resulting voltage drop would be way less than that.

Given typical gauges and lengths of the house wiring, turning on a 60 watt light bulb that is on the same circuit as the audio system, or leaving a low powered line-level audio component in the system turned on while it is not being used, will result in the AC voltage decreasing by about as much or more than 0.054 volts.

Furthermore, for audio components having regulated power supplies (although that excludes most power amplifiers), that very tiny voltage reduction will be reduced much more by the voltage regulator circuitry in the component.

2)Presumably there is a specific line voltage at which a particular component will sound its best, say 120.0 volts for example. If the AC voltage at the particular location happens to be higher than whatever that number happens to be for a specific component (and it is extremely common these days for AC voltages to be significantly higher than 120 volts), minimizing resistance and consequently voltage drop in the receptacle, the power plug, the power cord, etc., may actually degrade the sound, if it makes any difference at all.

Regards,
-- Al

very good post Almarg, I did not know that a/c voltages could be, and likly higher than 120 volts, if that is true, and I'm sure you have proof, that would change my perspective on the out come of resistance specs for plugs, power cords, and recepticles that you have said here, does it matter?, mmmm, I am learning the opinions from the community, cheers.

Keith (Audiolabyrinth), take a look at this reference, particularly Table 1 on page 2. You'll see that the standard for 120 volt service (at the entrance to the house) is 120 volts +/- 5%, corresponding to a range of 114 volts to 126 volts.

Regards,
-- Al

My outlets normally read 126 to 128 volts.

Al .. I haven’t been completely “Transparent” about my obsession with series resistance ...

My original post was nothing but an attempt to offer some incite on matching the metallurgy of the power cord to the wall outlet for a better compatibility

Any body that can afford Elrod Diamond series and PAD 25th anniversary certain has the ware with all to move above Hubble and Pass Seymour

When I stumbled upon the Receptilock I was intrigued by the advanced looking body shell which looks like ground up purpose built and intoxicated by the low resistance and grip numbers vs the other well known outlets

So why my obsession with low series resistance ... isn’t resistance equated with the DC side ... if we were talking about AC current ... wouldn’t we refer to the opposing force against the signal as “Impedance” and not Resistance

With my very limited knowledge I’m guessing that if you know the L/C/R values you can calculate Impedance ... and if you held the L and C values dead fixed in place and varied the R value ... then Impedance would swing in the same direction as series resistance ... If the resistance goes up and L and C are held constant ... wouldn’t impedance go up and vice versa

Let me ask this .. if series resistance rises does impedance also rise and do I want a power deliver component with a high or higher Impedance or a low or lower impedance for current delivery
.

Hi Dave,

To answer your questions clearly, I should probably first state that “60 Hz AC power" consists of a vast number of different frequency components. The highest amplitude/biggest of them is the 60 Hz component, of course. But there are also components at much higher frequencies corresponding to the brief high current spikes you mentioned earlier, probably extending up to tens of kHz, particularly in the case of power amplifiers. And there are frequency components at integral multiples of 60 Hz (i.e., 120 Hz, 180 Hz, 240 Hz, etc.) corresponding to harmonic distortion that will be present in the waveform to some degree. And there are essentially an infinite number of low level frequency components corresponding to noise, extending up into the RF region.

In answer to your questions, yes, strictly speaking a “resistance” at any frequency other than zero Hz (i.e., DC) should be referred to as “impedance,” which reflects a combination of resistance, inductance, and capacitance. And, yes, resistance in series will add to impedance.

In a local (in-house) power distribution system, however, impedance at 60 Hz will be dominated by resistance. Inductance and capacitance will become more significant at the frequencies of the much higher frequency components of the AC waveform. But I would not expect the inductance and capacitance of an outlet to have a great deal of significance in relation to the inductance and capacitance of the power cords and the house wiring. Everything else being equal, the inductance, capacitance, and resistance of conductors are proportional to length (although of course everything else is rarely precisely equal).

In answer to your last question, the impedance of the power delivery system should be low, at least at frequencies up to and somewhat beyond the frequency components corresponding to the brief high current spikes that have been mentioned. (Series impedance that is high at frequencies greater than that may be helpful in reducing noise, but I would not expect an outlet to play much of a role in that regard).

**HOWEVER**, for any design parameter that should be low there exists a point beyond which further minimization will:

1)Be overkill, that increases cost but accomplishes nothing, and/or

2)Be negligible in relation to the contributions of other things in the path that also contribute to the parameter, and/or

3)Be accomplished at the expense of other parameters that may be significant.

The basic point to my previous post was to provide a quantitative perspective on the differences in resistance that were cited in the reference you provided. Consistent with my comments above and in that post, I believe that if in fact there are differences in the behavior of those outlets that are audibly perceptible to some listeners in some systems, the differences in resistance that were indicated in the reference are very unlikely to be the reason. And even if there is a difference and resistance is the reason, the difference could work in either direction (good or bad), depending on the happenstance of the line voltage at the particular location and on the design of the particular components.

Regarding your mention of matching of metallurgy, that is outside of my areas of expertise and I have no particular comments.

Regards,

-- Al

Nice!, Very good post gentleman, I enjoy learning from both of you Dave and AL, cheers.

Hello Al ... thanks for your enlightenment and how do you get your posts up so quick ... mine seem to take forever ..

I couldn’t agree more with both your posts about a point of diminishing returns and how going to far can be detrimental ... also at certain levels things can be insignificant and irrelevant

I seemed to have gotten off course when I received a poke in the eye with a sharp stick over my comment

The most important thing in your power delivery system is “low series resistance

It appears you support this point with your comment

In a local (in-house) power distribution system, however, impedance at 60 Hz will be dominated by resistance. Inductance and capacitance will become more significant at the frequencies of the much higher frequency components of the AC waveform

I never meant to imply that L and C were irrelevant ... only that R was more of a concern when looking at all 3 ... the reason being is rising series resistance would also increase Impedance

And, yes, resistance in series will add to impedance.

And the last piece of the puzzle is high or low Impedance ...

In answer to your last question, the impedance of the power delivery system should be low,

The enemy of my enemy is my friend ... Sun Tzu ... doesn’t inductance act as a low pass filter allowing low frequencies to pass while presenting a rising Impedance to frequencies as they rise ... I think that’s what you are saying

at least at frequencies up to and somewhat beyond the frequency components corresponding to the brief high current spikes that have been mentioned. (Series impedance that is high at frequencies greater than that may be helpful in reducing noise, but I would not expect an outlet to play much of a role in that regard).

OK so the outlet may not play a significant role in reducing RF.. but isn’t the Inductance of the cabling our friend in helping defeat some RF ?

My comments' are much more theory based to try and understand which direction things move in and their possible effects where as you’ve run the numbers and can speak from a practical stand point of the value of those numbers ... but it seems we agree

Increase series resistance will raise impedance and we would prefer to have a deliver system with a low Impedance

Now I would like to share some incite with you ....

If you want to teach your grandchildren about taxes ... eat 30 percent of their Ice Cream (;-

Best Dave

Hi Dave,

Yes, I think we are pretty much in agreement at this point. Apologies if some of my comments came across as a poke in the eye; that certainly wasn't my intent.

I would emphasize that since the contribution to impedance that is caused by inductance ("inductive reactance," which is measured in ohms) is directly proportional to frequency, and increased inductance in the power wiring may therefore be helpful to some degree with respect to reduction of high frequency noise, that potential benefit may trade off against the ability of the power wiring to quickly respond to abrupt changes in demand for current. Such as the brief high current spikes we have referred to, which as I indicated may contain significant frequency components up to tens of kHz, or perhaps even more in some circumstances.

I would expect that concern to generally be greatest in the case of power amplifiers or integrated amplifiers whose output stages operate in Class AB or Class D, for which AC current demand fluctuates widely with the dynamics of the music.

Regarding the first question in your last post, I can't provide a knowledgeable answer.

Good one re taxes :-)

Best regards,
-- Al

Hi Mehdi..!.. I have just ordered an AC outlet HUBBELL HBL 5363 w.
I Will have it hope fully next week.. Apparently i need an other week for breaking in And i would say i may be able to give my p. View. It cost only 32 $ if you buy it from Cabledyne .. I already use oyaide And i am going to see if it´s a good AC wall outlet.. I promesse to whom it may be interesting that i shall give an Honest answer And hope that Will help .

Hey, If this thread becomes TOO "reasonable" I'll have to stop following it. How about some good old fashioned vitriol, recrimination and name calling? Are we becoming genteel in our old age?

Hi Cahed, I look forward to what you have to say,what Oyaide do you have?