Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ.

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Depends on the level of your system's refinement.

Posted by Al Sekela (A) on May 7, 2007 at 09:56:24

In Reply to: how big a difference does an "audio" AC outlet make? posted by cporada@cabnr.unr.edu on May 6, 2007 at 19:54:20:

It can make anywhere from negligible to profound differences, depending on what is the present limitation on your system's performance. If you have a lot of RF noise pollution, you may not like enhanced resolution of the RF noise artifacts that an outlet with improved contact stability can deliver. Other weaknesses can mask the benefits of improved AC connections.

Outlets differ in two basic areas. First is plug contact stability and freedom from modulation from acoustic vibration. The tighter the spring force, and the smoother the surface, the better the performance will be. In this regard, hospital-grade outlets are superior to commercial or residential-grade units, because they have more robust metal parts and tighter springs.

Second is in how the materials interact with the audio signal. Yes, the equipment power supply allows a ghost of the audio signal to be present on the AC line, and how the AC hardware interacts with this ghost helps determine the purity of what comes out of the equipment.

The metal parts' composition, states of mechanical stresses, platings, and method of wire connection, all affect this. A robust but nickel-plated hospital outlet may sound horrible due to the plating. A steel back-strap will interact with the power current's magnetic field, so that an outlet made with non-magnetic materials will avoid a midrange coloration added by the steel. Your hospital-grade outlet is likely made with a steel back strap for strength. You would recognize the coloration most easily by its absence.

The plastic body material has to be strong but have a benign dielectric and ability to dampen mechanical vibrations. The better audio outlets have attention to the body plastic composition for these reasons. The present crop of audiophile outlets offers improvements in areas that other improvements cannot duplicate or replace.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Kimber Kable

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