Upgrading wall outlets

Bob bundus:"ALL DOUBTING THOMAS'S SOUND THE SAME"

I take it as a compliment to be aligned with Doubting Thomas, but your analogy is nevertheless a particularly felicitous one, since our conflict--friendly, I hope--does appear to pit the religious against the skeptics. My problem with doubting Thomas is that he didn't doubt enough. In any case, though Thomas fingered the wound, I don't intend to finger a upgraded wall socket. Cheers, or Amen, depending.

Br3098, your points are well made. I have been in HiFi long enough to remember the introduction of 8track. I think it is easier to put in a new outlet than cleaning and adjusting an old one. The present interest in wires (of all kinds) is the result of no real technological advances in audio since CD (besides power switching amps, which I have) and the longevity of today's gear. Turntables, CD players, pre-amps, power amps, speakers; that's about it. If people are not swapping out their gear, you have to sell them something; outlets, power chords, interconnects, speaker terminals, speaker wire, etc for prices that indicate extremely large improvement. One can draw one's own conclusions.

Let's break this down to a basic, black and white level first. The shades of gray can wait.

Will you spend thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars for an amp, speakers, etc., then plug it all into a 20 year old receptacle that is so worn out that it can barely keep the stock plug from falling out?

Saying, "but that's different" is an admission that receptacles make a difference. Saying "of course; why not?" means looking at that sagging cord and wondering and occasionally pushing the plug back in. Or not. Why would you if it doesn't matter?

Which side of the fence are you on? No sitting in the middle; it won't support you. It's too tall to straddle, too.

Whatcha gonna do?

I can tell you - I changed fancy Leviton plugs to Porter Ports this week, and it made a very big difference for the better. The system is cleaner and clearer throughout,lyrics are much easier to understand, instruments I never knew were there, are clearly displayed. Porterports are certainly worth the asking price.