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THE GREAT AC OUTLET SHOOTOUT.

Just to satisfy my own curiosity and because of the very passionate debate by some relating to this issue, I have decided to perform a controlled listening test of AC outlets, basically most of the ones suggested in this tread AC Outlets that I could get a hold of. I’m basically putting my own money where my mouth is.

I have procured the following AC outlets, all are new and unused.

Audio Magic NanoStream, $ 69 and WattGate 5266i AC Plug $10

Porter Port by Albert Porter, $41 and TBD AC Plug $ ?

Furutech FPX-G $95, and Furutech FI-11M-G AC Plug $55

Pass Seymour CR6300 Cryo $44 with Pass Seymour 5366XCCV4 AC Plug $10

Teslaplex SE by Synergistic Research $95 and TBD AC Plug $ ?

Hubbell HBL5362-I Heavy Duty Spec. Grade Grande Duplex $16 and HBL5266C AC plug $10

Levitron 5362-W Industrial Heavy Duty Grande, Straight Blade, Self Grounding Duplex $7 and AC Plug Levitron 5266-C Industrial grade $10

El Cheapo HomeDepot Outlet $0.54 with “regular” Cheap moulded power cord $5

Technical Description of the Test:

To ensure that all the outlets will be equally represented in this test they will be mounted in a test fixture evenly spaced. They will all be fed via a single piece of 12 gauge romex cable directly hardwired to a dedicated 20 amp breaker in our main panel. The wire will be uncut when wired between the different outlets - basically simulating a “single run” dedicated line as only one outlet will be energized at any time.

As you can see if have ordered AC Plugs of the same manufacture and grade as the outlets, I have asked the suppliers of the Audio Grade outlets what AC plug they recommend to get the best performance from the outlet, that way there should be synergy within the - connection point - that is to be evaluated.

The AC plugs will be wired with 3x12 Gauge SJOOW about 12” long these will be hardwired to each their own 3 pole 20Amp relay that will be controlled by a PLC (programable logic controller) this to enable remote controlled switching between the 8 different outlets. The control will be programmed so that the next circuit will energize prior to the past one is de-energized to ensure uninterrupted current flow to the system that will be used for the test. The Complete Audio system will be fed from this one test jig, one outlet at a time. The individual power cords for each piece of equipment will be hard wired into a common terminal strip that is fed from the output of the relays. With this setup the ONLY variable is the AC outlet and its associated AC Plug. The test jig with the outlets will be run in prior to the test for at least 24 hours to insure “break in” for the ones that feel that this is important.

I want to run it as a blind test at first to ensure a completely unbiased result. As each outlet is energized it will be represented by a LED indicating that now outlet “A” for an example is energized, enabling the test panel to identify which outlet they deem the “best sounding”. Many of you have stated that the AC Outlet a Audio System is connected to profoundly changes the sound of the Audio System, so it should be beyond obvious to the test panel which one “sounds” the best. Later on the same test jig can be used for testing AC Cables should the opportunity arise.

We will use a Audio System similar to the system I have listed here on AudioGon for the test, it may change a bit by time of the test based upon what I have available at the time. The total current consumption of the system is in the range of 6 - 8 Amp at idle I estimate at this time but a complete listing of the system used, with actual current draw will be published here on this forum, along with the results of the test for those interested. System

The Test Panel:

On December 2nd. we will host the San Diego Music and Audio Guild here at our facility from 2P to 5P. We host that great group of folks here about every two years or 3 years, usually in December so this coinciding presents a great opportunity to do the AC Outlet test as there will be plenty of Audiophiles available for a unbiased opinion. I ran it by the President of the group this morning and he thought it would be a great thing to do along with of course auditioning our demo system in our factory show room, see and hear our new offerings, discuss audio etc. For more information about our facility you can go to our website and take a peak at the video, there is footage there from our showroom as well. Website

Everyone is welcome to participate in this catered event, there will be food and beverage served. Slider Burgers, Finger Sandwiches, Draft Beer and Soft Drinks etc. If you want to attend just shoot me an email so I can plan ahead with the caterer making sure we will have enough for everyone.

If any of you have any suggestions on on how to conduct the actual test, ie how long do you think each AC outlet should be “on” for, how many times the test should be repeated etc. suggestions are more than welcome. Also, if you have any suggestions to as how the test jig could be technically improved, let me know and I’ll be happy to discuss further.

As Always, Good Listening

Peter
128x128pbnaudio
rja's avatar
rja
2,372 posts
 
I think many of us are very interested to the learn the results of your proposed "battle of the outlets".

1. Is there a difference in "sound", for want of a better term, between various outlets? (To me this assessment is more objective)

2. If so is the "sound" of any outlet "better" than the
"sound" of any other outlet/s? (Answers to this question
might tend to more subjective)

3. Biases: Listeners might describe an outlet as "warm". To
a person who prefers "neutral" this could be a negative
quality while another listener might consider this a
desirable quality. Even so the person who prefers "neutral" might consider a "warm" outlet to tame a "cool" or "dark" component.

Each listener will get an brief impression of each outlet relative to the others being tested. However, the possibility exists that longer term listening, say a month or two, may negate or reinforce opinions formed during the "shoot out". Such long term listening would obviously be difficult with a group since the audio system and listening environment being used should remain constant.

Another variable may be the components used. For instance, outlet A may "sound" better with high powered SS amplifiers while outlet B may "sound" better with front end components and outlet C may "sound" better with tube amps etc. PCs and their terminations could also come into play. Of course if no difference in sound is discerned at #1 then this whole discussion is moot. 8^)

This is in way a criticism of your proposed test, you have to start somewhere, I'm just throwing some ideas out.
ivan_nosnibor's avatar
ivan_nosnibor
1,052 posts
 
Peter, let me say I much admire your efforts here. I don't know if you can swing it exactly, but, if at all possible, I would like to see one alternative and that is for one of your duplex choices to be, in fact, no duplex at all - in effect, a true bypass - if in fact that could somehow be arranged, practically speaking. Naturally, in the real world, there just isn't much call for hardwiring straight into the romex (although I've done it). But, doing so temporarily can be a real eye-opener. As I understand it, the system duplex is actually a real chokepoint for harmonic distortion in particular and I know firsthand that temporarily removing it can be a very practical and effective (and very audible!) demonstration for everybody of what a given duplex's contribution to system distortion actually is. No duplex at all should give you all a clear baseline, or rather a 'ceiling', of system performance. As it is now, ahead of the test, I have no reason to expect that any duplex would indeed have the potential of "sounding better than" no duplex at all. That is, I'm expecting that all duplexes will sound, to one degree or another, inferior to the bypass. But, having the ability to compare individual duplexes to a true bypass, in my mind, should give folks a better basis from which to more readily reach a more informed conclusion for themselves as to which one they feel is actually the most transparent of these in this application. As a matter of fact, I personally think this approach can do a lot in the minds of many to cut straight through a lot of manufacturer's hype when you consider that, after all, it may not be a matter of how 'gloriously engineered' a particular duplex can be, but rather how well it can perform its job while simply doing the least amount of harm. I would only add that if you try this idea out yourself, you may find that this is such a good "white-glove test" that further dependence on measuring alone may cease to be as important for you. Your ears will not lie. What do you think on all this? I'm on the other end of the country or otherwise I'd be there for it. Regards, John
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Pbnaudio wrote,

"To keep prying fingers out, I'm not so sure my insurance company would like me to leave live points exposed at my place of business with 60+ folks around :-)

Prying fingers? How old are the attendees? :-). Just use masking tape to cover the exposed areas. The advantage of no cover plates, of course, is results for outlets will be clearer.
pbnaudio's avatar
pbnaudio OP
1,613 posts
 
Rja,

I'm still contemplating how to conduct the actual test, I'm hoping that someone that have some insight on this will contribute to this tread.

As far as an outlets compatibility with a certain piece of equipment, maybe, don't know. First things first, the test is to determine if there is any difference at all between the outlets.

John, What a great idea, I'm definitely going to incorporate the "ByPass" option into the test jig.

Good Listening

Peter
jallen
502 posts
 
You may want to talk with vhAudio and speak with Chris, or someone you know who has access to a lot of these. He is familiar with many of the outlets mentioned here, and has auditioned many of those used here. His opinions and conclusions have thus far been very accurate with those products I have bought from him. Perhaps he will share how he auditioned them. Apparently from my discussions with him, the materials and plating process are a very important factor. Thus, mixing different materials in the path from AC outlet to IEC female, and male receptacle, and into a component, will be difficult to distinguish what is contributing to the changes in sound, if any. If you test copper, you should test a copper AC outlet in the wall all the way to the preamp, amp, etc. Not having all the materials or even the brands similar would in my mind make a better understanding more difficult. There is always the mix and match philosophy, but knowing what a material does versus another is intriguing in itself. Silver interconnects or speaker cable sound different than copper. Will other materials in another part of the audio chain be as significant or less, or not at all? I too am intersted in this shootout. I have talked with Chris about these outlet upgrades, but not pulled the trigger yet.
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