Outlet shoot out

Both of the last two responses are right on. I use the Hubbell non-plated and had them cryo treated by Purist Audio. This makes the highest performance outlet even better.

By the way, Hdm has described the Hubbell PERFECTLY, it is not "in your face," but has layers of depth, very low distortion and a neutral sound.

Hi Tim; I've used and more or less compared FIM (wrote a rave review on them), Acme silver plated (non-cryo); Hubbell audio grade, and P&S hospital grade. I've concluded that the outlets that will sound best in any given system depends on on the character of the AC power supply itself. My AC system tends to be bright and so (I think) copper outlets provide a richer, warmer and more musical character than the silver Acmes which are too bright for my taste (in MY system).

That said, I use four 20 amp Hubbell audio grade outlets for all source components and pre-amp. I plug my amp into a FIM or a Hubbell (the FIM is a little more dynamic, more live, and smoother, but slightly brighter too). I got the Hubbells (don't know the numbers) from The Cable Co. @ 2/$25.). These outlets are all installed on dedicated AC lines, so unlike Hdm's excellent observations, I CAN change one outlet and compare it to others. I tried using all FIMs and music became overall too bright, and I went back to mostly Hubbells-- with just my amp plugged into a FIM.

BTW, I plug my Vand. 5 speakers subwoofer amps into non-dedicated lines with Acme silver plated outlets, and the Acmes work well here because these amps only handle 125 HZ and below, and the Acmes provide for quick and articulate bass.

I haven't tried PS Audio or Wattgates. Outlets are every bit as important as power cords IMO. I think you need to do some experimenting. Cheers. Craig

I agree with Garfish. It is impossible to call any one outlet the "Best". I have a combination of FIM outlets and Hubbell outlets in my system. As component changes occur in my system, so do my choices of the combination, making me believe that our choices directly reflect our systems. (Sounds like cabling, doesn't it?) Knowing the change desired (tonality, dynamics, bottom end, etc.) that is desired is only half of the battle. I can say that from my experience, those offset screwdrivers available at your local electrical supply house are well worth the money!

Has anybody tried the outlets that Purist Audio offers ? If i remember correctly, these are cryo treated Leviton's that have the contacts coated with copper. Sean
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I installed PS Audio Power Port in the wall (hubbell 8300)and got PS Audio Ultimate Outlet (high current) version which sets on the floor for my amp , got much more open/3D sound for my efforts. Hard to isolate what difference the the PS Audio wall outlet made, but you really notice the much tighter grip it has on plugs inserted in this unit. Also when installing wires to Power Port I cleaned the oxidation and used Kontak before re-connecting.

In the literature PS Audio makes a big deal about the 15 coats of polished nickel plating and claims this is much better than standard brass contacts. I am sure if I took the time to try other wall outlet brands subtle tonal differences would show themselves, there was even a thread here recently where author claimed he could hear difference between plastic, brass, or no cover plate on AC outlet.