hospital grade or commercial grade receptacles ?

Rushton! Welcome to the down-with-knowledge-fest! So let me guess, you don't know anything about electricity, electronics or psychoacoustics either?

I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. Perhaps you can educate me. Forget about electrical outlets for just a second. They're too simple for argument. Lets go with power cords. So one can measure a 60Hz AC current at a certain voltage level coming into the cord at the male end of the plug, and there's exactly the same 60Hz AC current at the exact same voltage (within .1 volts, or a loss of less than 1 part in a 1000) coming out the other end. The AC power is about to go into a transformer to be stepped down in voltage by a bunch, and then rectified to DC. Then it flows into a rank of capacitors that meter it out to a couple of amplification stages. Oh yeah, that transformer has a bunch of inches of wire in it. And then there's a bunch of feet of wire in the wall, before you even get to the power cord. Don't these wires make the power cord a little moot? Now tell me again how the power cord affects the sound of the amplifier's output? I must be missing something... can you help?

Robin, as Albert already pointed out, electrical/electronics knowledge is not needed for assembling a musical system. Again, shut up and listen. Get a cryo'ed outlet, install it and fasten your seat belt...

WOW !!!
So can anyone respond to my post of 11-12-04 ?
Is the isolated ground system a decent path to take ?
I didn't mean to stir-up a hornets nest !!

Psychicanimal, it's little rude to tell somebody to shut up in the public forum.

Those of you who heard a difference with power cords, good for you. Those who have not, also good for you. I for one am with Irvrobinson but I do replace the stock power cords of all my equipment with some cheap but decent ones. My system certainly looks more *complete* with the cords. Sound-wise Irvrobinson maybe you're right it's in my head. Oh well who cares. The cords look impressive anyway.

Irvrobinson, keep up your postings as I find them quite informative.

Saki70, you've received good advice from some of the posts above. Running the two dedicated 20 amp circuits will be the biggest gain for you. Installation choices that will enhancing those dedicated circuits would include:

..Use 10 gauge wire

..Make the leap to using an isolated ground in your wiring (which means using the hospital grade connector that will not self-ground when installed in a metal box, and 4-wire cable with a ground wire -- I think the current color-coding standard is for that type cable to be manufactured in a green sheathing)

..Get both dedicated cables run to the same phase of your electrical panel, if you can. And try to put them on the other phase from heavy-duty motors and compressors: often easier said than done.

..Use non-plated all brass receptacles, as Rcrump suggests. Hubbell makes a non-plated all-brass hospital grade receptacle, but I can't find the part number right now. Pass and Seymour may have something comparable. Definitely try to stay away from nickel plated parts.

Or use one of the receptacles from: Jena Labs or Walker Audio or Albert Porter (if he still has any, often referred to here as "Porterport", a cryo'd Hubbell). The Jena Labs and Walker Audio receptacles are special production runs by Hubbell using their 30-watt chassis for heavier gauge internal parts, no steel and no plating, configured as a 20-watt receptacle, then cryo'd like Albert's. Other people will have had experience with other "audiophile" receptacles, but these would be my recommendation.

..Get some SST silver contact enhancer from Walker Audio for your electrician to use on all the connections in the circuit. Your electrician will be familiar with electrician's paste: explain that this is just a much higher grade, higher quality paste (which it is, by a huge margin). Then also use it on your power cords, interconnects and speaker cables. Try it on you main system and I think you'll be amazed at the improvement.

This is a summary coming from my experience; it's worked well here.
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