Your Favorite AC Outlets

I use PS Audio Power Port Decora style outlets and I find them to be a good value at their price point. I've had no issues with grip and I believe I had an improvement with noise floor with the Power Ports in place.

I've also used the Albert Porter Porter Port Hubbell outlets. I use these outlets in all of my isolation transformers. Again no issues with grip at all for even the heaviest power cords I have. The improvement I believe I got when these were installed was lower noise floor and an overall cleaner sound.

Believing one can hear difference's in AC Outlets. Is to think that a medium with long nails on Long Island,can talk to the dead.

Have you considered an isolation transformer? Plitron sells good ones; see the Medical Isolation line of transformers. For $500 or so, you can do yourself a lot of good. It might have been Absolute Audio who did an article on this 10-15 years ago. The only downside is that they growl if they are doing much of anything, so you want to install them in their own electrical box outside the listening room. Of course, that means the electrical inspector.

I use an isolation transformer in front of every major power supply and every component, and skimp on wall connectors - just industrial grade, isolated ground. Hubble is very fine, but I use them very sparingly. Oh, and oversize wire, especially for long runs. You might want to try that too.

Slight correction to my previous post. Revise the last major paragraph to read as follows:

Finally, if an IG receptacle were to be installed where there is no conduit or other path for the junction box and the non-isolated metal parts of the outlet to be connected to ground, aside from via a single ground wire in the cable, from a safety standpoint the isolated ground connection on the outlet and the non-isolated metalwork on it and the box would have to be connected together. Which would essentially convert the IG receptacle into a non-IG receptacle. And I suspect doing that would not be code compliant because the triangle marking on the outlet would be incorrect in that situation.

Best regards,
-- Al

I think for the amount of money one has invested in their audio systems that it makes sense to upgrade the standard cheap outlet that is used by most electricians. Given that, I think the PS Audio, the Porter Port and the Voo-Doo Audio outlets represent a good value and I personally wouldn't spend anymore money on an outlet above and beyond the three mentioned above.

Chuck