Comparing outlets is not quite as easy as it sounds. If your system is drawing from more than one receptacle, be prepared to replace every receptacle at the wall and in your line conditioner to really hear the true sound of that receptacle. I've never owned any of the "audiophile" receptacles, as buying 4 of them in Canada would cost what I'd consider to be too much money for my system. I have, however, compared the Pass and Seymour 5262 (the Acme is based on the 5242), various Leviton and Bryants, the Arrow Hart 8200 and the Hubbell 8200 and 8300. The Arrow Hart is very good value for under $10 U.S. and trounced the Pass & Seymours and I used them for quite a while. Further experimentation with the Hubbells (using all Hubbells versus all Arrow Hart) has led me to believe that the Hubbell 8200 and 8300 are definitely superior sounding; they are not as "exciting" as the AH, but they are smoother and in my opinion more accurate and realistic sounding. If you don't need a 20 amp receptacle, I think the Hubbell 8200 is a super deal at $12-$13 U.S. and I'd be curious to see how it compares to the "super receptacles". The contacts in the 8200 and 8300 are slightly larger than in the Hubbell 5362, which is sold cryoed by Jena Labs and Soundlab for the big bucks and touted as a "higher conductivity" receptacle, but the increased size of the contact may just be a result of the nickel plating on the 8200 and 8300 series. The copper content of the receptacle (supposedly the reason for the high conductivity) is exactly the same in the 5362 as it is in the 8200 and 8300 series, but the contacts in the 5362 (a 20 amp spec grade that is a fair bit cheaper than the 8300) are brass finished as opposed to nickel plated. The PS Audio power port is essentially a souped up 8300 with more nickel plating. In any event, I think the 8200 and 8300 Hubbells are superb sounding receptacles and I can't really justify spending any more; I think they'd compare pretty favourably with the "super receptacles" at a fraction of the price and should definitely be included if you're doing a "shootout".
