brass outlet covers...anyone try them? Sound good

Has anyone considered bacteria? Some types of bacteria will break down petrochemical products, albeit very slowly.

Theory: The cover acts as a drum head and amplifies the sound of the bacteria mulling about along the surface.

Of course, brass is of no interest to bacteria - so it is better than plastic. Wood has natural toxins that kill bacteria - so it might be even better still.

As long as there are no termites in your climate, I 'd go for wood, brass would be a close second!

Artizen,
I am no scientific wizard, but theres seems to be some logic with what you said.

I think the RFI has at least a part in this. One reason I say this is when I have installed stillpoints ERS in the wall behind the outlets I have had great results. Within the same wall studs I have 5 outlets. Two in the home theater side and three on the other side oposite in the walk in closet which houses all the components. Theres a lot going on within that one wall cavity which may be why I used quite a few sheets of ERS. I know living only 15 miles from all the radio towers in the city suburbs don't help.

Like I said before, I will keep trusting in my ears and enjoying the home theater!

Freemand, you are going down the wrong track. The difference in sound you are hearing from the wall plate has nothing to do with RFI.

Here is some more reading material.
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/search.mpl?forum=tweaks&searchtext=Oyaide+WPC-Z+wall+plate

If you truly want to interact with others that are interested in why a wall plate can effect the sound from your audio system you are on the wrong audio forum. You need to post your thread on the "Tweakers' Asylum"
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/bbs.html
You will find a more open minded audience.
Jim

I'm with Albert & Tom ( Audiotweek ) on this one.

Anything that physically touches or connects to your componentry becomes a transducer for mechanical energy. This mechanical energy alters the sonics that we hear and can be excited at a variable rate acoustically. If one doubts this, try hooking up a cable to a distortion analyzer and watch the distortion measurements jump around as you move or "flick" or tap on the cable lightly.

This is probably one of the reasons why cables that make use of mechanical damping can sound "blacker" than cables that are more sensitive to microphonics, either airborne or mechanically coupled.

With all of that in mind, i really don't know how much "damping" a wall cover can offer, but i do know how much more metal rings compared to a composite material. Given that the power cords are mechanically coupled to the outlet cover / wall receptable box, maybe a mechanically damped metal shielded plate would work best.

Anyone want to market a highly damped composite material outlet cover with bits of metal impregnated for shielding purposes? With this kind of stuff, the sky is the limit.... Sean
>

10-23-06: Elizabeth
I found some very heavy cast brass covers at a second hand store years ago. they are all 3/16" to 1/4" thick in a lovely design. I use them in the living room with my stereo, but I NEVER put them in there to alter the sound. Lucky for me they are very nice loking, and what they do to the sound is obviously not actually hearable. What soap I bathed with, and what shampoo I used may have more influence than outlets....
Are you 'super' tweakers displaying other psychotic symptoms, IMO.
(8^Q...

Elizabeth, If you are still using the brass plates and they are installed on grounding type electrical duplex outlets chances are the brass plates are degrading the sound of your audio system. You may want to replace the brass plates with nylon outlet cover plates.

Here is a post of Bob Crump's posted in 2003 on AA.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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want to hear insane?
24.167.92.81

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Posted by rcrump ( M ) on March 21, 2003 at 01:28:05
In Reply to: Genuine insanity: What kind of cover plate do I need? posted by rhizomatic on March 20, 2003 at 09:10:15:

I made some power strips probably fifteen years ago using some black plastic boxes and ordered some really beautiful cast brass plates for the fourplex boxes only to find that the solid brass made the sound just bright as the devil....A couple of nylon screws and some tape on the backside of the plate took care of the problem....Aluminum doesn't have that sort of problem BTW....
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=tweaks&n=79013&highlight=oyaide+outlet+cover+plate&session=