Sean: Yes, it is Bob Crump who has stated that nickel is "bright", and while I respect Bob very much and appreciate much of the advice he has given me over at Audioasylum, I can only state that, with respect to the receptacles I've used, the nickel plated ones (Arrow Hart and Hubbell) were considerably smoother, less congested, and less bright (and at the same time, more open and natural sounding) than the receptacles with brass contacts, particularly the Pass and Seymors that Bob likes. In my opinion, they are a horror story compared to the Hubbell 8200/8300. Perhaps Craig is able to comment on this too, as he has the silver plated Acme, based on the P&S that Bob likes. I would guess that the Acme shares the basic character of the Pass and Seymor it is based on, and in my system that was fairly congested in the midband, quite forward and very bright (and yes, they were fully broken in). This is initially very "exciting" but when compared with the Hubbell 8200/8300 or even the Arrow Hart 8200, it is very quickly quite apparent that there is lots and lots of distortion. The Arrow Hart has a more open midband than the Pass and Seymor, but when compared to the Hubbells, even it suffers by comparison, and that is a nickel to nickel comparison. What I'm saying is that the so-called brightness of the nickel (I don't actually believe this) is in no way translating into the "open-ness" of what I hear in the Hubbells-to my ear they are anything but bright-sounds emerge from a blacker and quieter background in what I would describe as a more "mid-hall" kind of presentation. Yes, they are more open, but this is not based on "brightness". There is clearly less distortion than with the Pass & Seymor or Arrow Hart. I may be able to comment further on this in month or two as I may actually have a chance to compare the Hubbell 5362 (brass contacts) to the 8300, but for now I can't accept Bob's generalization about nickel being "brighter" in terms of power applications with receptacles.
