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Zinc die cast AC outlet wall plate

Posted by Duster (M) on June 1, 2007 at 13:21:04

Image: Brainerd 64330 zinc die cast AC outlet wall plate (Liberty Hardware Mfg. Corp.)

I find the Oyaide WPC-Z wall mount system to be a thing of beauty and well worth the coin, but I can only afford to use one for my main system’s Oyaide R1 Beryllium AC outlet. That issue left my bedroom system’s Oyaide SWO-XXX AC outlet with lesser-cost wall plate options to choose from. I considered a Furutech wall plate, but stuck to a Cooper non-magnetic stainless steel wall plate found at Lowe’s (for 2 bucks), instead.

Besides the Cooper brand selections, Lowe’s has a rather full selection of Brainerd and Betsyfieldsdesign decorator wall plates available (both brands are Liberty Hardware Mfg. Corp. products). I had previously passed on them since the stainless steel models are magnetic -- even the wood models implement a magnetic steel backing for mounting strength. However, I recently noticed a few very hefty feeling zinc die cast wall plates that are non-magnetic and pretty nice looking designs (a plus). A Brainerd model 64330 zinc die cast wall plate caught my eye, so I bought one to see how it might compare with a far more low-mass Cooper non-magnetic stainless steel wall plate.

While the Brainerd zinc die cast wall plate’s design level is nowhere near that of an Oyaide WPC-Z milled aluminum frame, I do find that I like what it does for a mere 6 bucks vs. the 2 buck Cooper non-magnetic stainless steel wall plate. While not jawdropping, it does provide better fleshed-out imaging and a more solid soundstage presentation, IME. Not a huge betterment, but notable nonetheless.

BTW, while zinc die cast is non-magnetic, the screw that comes with the wall plate *is* magnetic, so a non-magnetic stainless screw replacement would be a good thing. FYI, some types of audio product designs implement diecast Zinc, such as XLR jack shells, loudspeaker driver baskets/frames, etc., so it’s not such a taboo material for an audiophile to give a try :-)

The Liberty Hardware Mfg. Corp. web site shows a number of zinc die cast wall plate model designs to choose from (other than the 64330) including double duplex wall plates, and Lowe’s carries a few of them (some models offered as special order), so take a look around the web site using their search function:

• http://www.libertyhardware.com/search/detail/?searchType=retail&ID=64330&FIN=BSP   (Open in New Window)

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