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In Reply to: RE: Wall Outlets (again) posted by throwback on June 22, 2007 at 21:42:30
I have an SWO-XXX and an SWO-GX sitting in my closet, along with a few other also-rans. The cryoed Hubbels that I got from Albert Porter have a more full-bodied sound than either of the Oyaides and complement my system far better. There is more refinement in the Oyaides, but the "house sound" of these outlets tend towards the bright side. If your system already leans in that direction, you will probably not like them. The argument gets made that they only reveal what was there all along, and while this is undoubtedly true, revealing detail with an intense spot light is not necessarily desirable in the overall context of a music system.
An interesting aside (at least to me) is that Jena Labs, a company not known for low budget compromises, features cryoed Hubbels as their premium AC solution. Another note on Hubbels: all Hubbels are not created equal. The blades are made with different alloys, so it's important to know what you're buying, or buy from a well-regarded vendor whose focus is the sound of the outlets. And about whether the outlets are important or not: yes they're very important, and the better (more resolving) your equipment is, the more of a difference they will make, and for the same reason, the more you will notice the differences between different brands.
And one final comment: don't forget to break them in before judging them. Their sound can change dramatically over the first couple hundred hours. Before listening to an outlet, I hook up each side to my fridge for three weeks (six weeks total). To save time, I've gotten three junction boxes with short cords, so I can daisy chain three outlets together and break them in all at once.
Follow Ups:
....and continue to say it. It's all a matter of personal preference, and of course, system synergy. You stated it quite well...."complement my system far better". That's what it's all about, and why there are many flavors to choose from, and for our differing tastes.
The Hubbell's that Jena Labs uses are the heavy-duty, spec-grade HBL5362's (in black). Albert Porter uses a different non-plated, hospital-grade model in the HBL series (in white and ivory). Both are deep cryogenically treated via immersion, and both were chosen by Jennifer and Albert respectively for their sonics....also on point.
The Oyaide offer sonic presentations that many are enjoying immensely, some feeling they outperform these afore-mentioned outlets after having previously experienced the others. Let them eat cake!
But things are rarely perfect, or we wouldn't change and/or upgrade. I totally agree about the long break-in (although I've never experienced the "spotlit" or "bright" quality you describe....brightness usually describes an outlet that hasn't seen enough conditioning....and I know a thing or three about that phenomena).
yep, synergy is very important. I went from cryoed Hubbell to Oyaide SWX-OOO with the expensive cover. It tips toward bright which was what the doctor ordered. I couldn't believe how much less bass there was/is as well. This too was a benefit as I can't even put my speakers 3 feet out into the room. BUT now the bass is more detailed and less bloated. It didn't seem to "lessen" much under 60hz but more between 60-120-240hz. HF and image improved as well. The overall presetation became more relaxed however. It was kind of like going from a bad CD to a nice LP in terms of grunge loss and sound improvement. HOWEVER sometimes people just loook at tonal change and forget to see the other differences. I'm gonna stick my cryoed Hubbell back in since I now have that wild coverplate (WPZ?). I think the plate plays a roll in the sound change and I'm going to find out just how much. I think I will like the Oyaide better. I will use my three reference recordings and find out. I can still return the Oyaide for a refund if I want. I doubt I will. We will see. I like when cheaper stuff out performs higher $ stuff.
ET
AC outlets are just another variable in the system that can be tweaked to tune the OVERALL system sound. My experience with Oyaide vs. others mirror yours.
Well-reasoned response. With all the hubub over Oyaide (much of it deserved, IMO), I think some other great outlets have gotten lost in the shuffle, including the Jenas and Furutechs. I have two of the Oyaide R1s, and used to own the XXX, but I also have the Jena Labs Hubbells. Both are first-rate outlets, and I’ve yet to decide which I prefer—I’m waiting to put my main system back together until I do a formal A/B. But my initial impressions are that the Oyaides, which have over 500 hours on them, are a tad more “spotlit” than the Jenas, which may be a benefit or drawback, depending on the recording.
Hey, Quint, are you getting back into it? A/Bing power outlets? I have no patience to do that.
Norm:
Initial impressions don't mean A/Bing. I'm not back in it, but am still observing. :)
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