Has anyone upgraded power cord connectors?

The last couple of houses I have lived in are only grounded where there is running water; kitchen, laundry and bathrooms, but I would attach the drain wire to the wall plug end only....

Bob, Since 19364 is just plain old unshielded multistrand 14AWG in cheap PVC, why not just use the thinner-PVC 19354, and save 25%? Or use the double-shielded Teflon-insulated 12AWG 83802 for just $2/ft? Very clearly a superior cable for audio use. I can understand using the 19354/64 series for long cheap extension cords for HT, etc., but for better-sounding audio PCs I would expect that DIY'ers would prefer prefer an all-Teflon shielded 12AWG cable at only $10 more per PC.
More interestingly, I do agree that using good duplexes is important, but as long as minimum criteria of large-mass, triple-wipe contacts and strong screw-clamps, why would there be any difference among those that share these necessary, and perhaps sufficient criteria? I've torn apart Pass & Seymour, Cooper, and Hubbell 20 amp 5352, 5362 and 8300 dupes, and they're remarkably identical. Do you think the all-brass backstrap of the "62" and 8300 is important?
I wouldn't think so, and like the 5352s for value and VERY tight contact in all three of these manufacturers. The only one that seems to fall short is the Leviton, so far.
Thanks for your help.

Ernie: I beg to differ with you on the receptacles being "remarkably identical". There are pretty substantial "build quality" differences between, say, the Arrow Hart (Cooper), Hubbell and Pass and Seymour and what I would say are major differences in the blade configuration of these receptacles. This difference in blade configuration or contacts, along with possibly the materials the contacts are made of (although Bob says the P&S and Hubbell both use the same 688 Olin brass and I have no reason to disbelieve him) probably contribute most to the difference in sound quality between the various receptacles.

Hi Hdm,
I just received a few Hubbell 5352, 5362 and 8300, as well my standard P&S 5352 and there's probably an A&H (Cooper) somewhere. I'll take 'em all apart (except maybe the $$$ 8300) and see for myself. Sure look damned similar on the outside and through the ports....

Ernie: Look closely at the contacts. Both the Arrow Hart and Pass and Seymour use (even in their 15 amp rated receptacles) a contact that can be, and is used in their 20 amp receptacles, allowing either a 15 OR 20 amp male plug to be inserted. Furthermore, the AH and P&S both use contacts that, if flipped around, would still work exactly the same way. The result is that the both the "live" and "neutral" contact accepting a 15 amp male plug (which probably 90% of users are going to have) are only going to make full contact along one side of that blade that is inserted. On the other side (again, when you are using a 15 amp male plug) of the contact, which is designed to accept a 20 amp plug, the surface area of the contact touching the blade of the male plug is going to be minimal.

The Hubbell contacts are totally different. If they are flipped by mistake during manufacture, they simply will not accept a 20 amp male plug. The "live" side of the contact in the receptacle is identical on both sides of the contact, resulting in a more complete and full connection (via surface area of both sides of the contact) gripping both sides of the male plug being inserted. The "neutral" contact in the 20 amp Hubbells is still going to suffer the connection problems of the Arrow Hart and P&S when a 15 amp male plug is used, but I am guessing the neutral side is less important, although I've wondered about this too, and think that for 15 amp male plugs, the 15 amp Hubbell receptacles may be even better, because, unlike the Pass and Seymour or Arrow Hart, the 15 amp Hubbells do not use contacts that will (if the face of the receptacle had the horizontal slot) accept a 20 amp plug. In the 15 amp Hubbells (ie. 5262), both the live and neutral side contacts grip the blade of the male plug fully along both sides of the plug. Thus, unless you're inserting a 20 amp male plug (how many audiophiles are really doing this?), the Hubbell 5262 may actually be the best choice, at least if the neutral side has anything to do with sound quality.

Apart from that, to me, the Hubbell's are overbuilt compared to the others and more solid. But I see this fairly substantial difference in the contacts as being pretty significant and probably the main reason why the Hubbell's perform so well.