brass outlet covers...anyone try them? Sound good

Ok here we go.

I have been racking my brain over this thread for three days now trying to figure out how a cover plate can make an audible difference. First of all I don't seem to be the typical audiophool as in the fact that I seem to be looking for scientific reasons behind the sound/tone we are trying to acheive.

So here is the hypothisis. Reduction in RFI that is leeching into the plug at the receptical. As long as the receptical is properly grounded the center screw that attaches the cover plate is connected to ground. Although brass is not a great conductor it is still a conductor connected to ground through the screw. That may be one reason Freemand had poor results with the screw loose, not having a solid ground for the RFI from the plate to flow through. I am still working on why he had poor results with the screw really tight because unlike Albert I cant figure out how EMI will have an effect.

Surface electrical charge. Say on plastic cover plates, in theory it should go to ground through the screw but we are talking thousands even tens of thousands of volts of static electricty that can build up. Can some of this voltage leech into the receptical due to its close proximity? Could be why plastic is not the best choice. As for nylon which Albert says he has had the best luck with. Nylon is a better insulator than plastic therefore it rejects static charge build up reducing the available voltage that could possible leech into the receptical. As for brass and static it being a better conductor then either plastic or nylon there should be little or no static build up as it should all flow to ground.

The RFI or stray static voltage leeching on to the line through the receptical or plug corrupts or adds noise to the electrical line that your equipments power supply may or may not be able to filter out.

Have fun and remember PFM.

Has anyone considered bacteria? Some types of bacteria will break down petrochemical products, albeit very slowly.

Theory: The cover acts as a drum head and amplifies the sound of the bacteria mulling about along the surface.

Of course, brass is of no interest to bacteria - so it is better than plastic. Wood has natural toxins that kill bacteria - so it might be even better still.

As long as there are no termites in your climate, I 'd go for wood, brass would be a close second!

Artizen,
I am no scientific wizard, but theres seems to be some logic with what you said.

I think the RFI has at least a part in this. One reason I say this is when I have installed stillpoints ERS in the wall behind the outlets I have had great results. Within the same wall studs I have 5 outlets. Two in the home theater side and three on the other side oposite in the walk in closet which houses all the components. Theres a lot going on within that one wall cavity which may be why I used quite a few sheets of ERS. I know living only 15 miles from all the radio towers in the city suburbs don't help.

Like I said before, I will keep trusting in my ears and enjoying the home theater!

Freemand, you are going down the wrong track. The difference in sound you are hearing from the wall plate has nothing to do with RFI.

Here is some more reading material.
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/search.mpl?forum=tweaks&searchtext=Oyaide+WPC-Z+wall+plate

If you truly want to interact with others that are interested in why a wall plate can effect the sound from your audio system you are on the wrong audio forum. You need to post your thread on the "Tweakers' Asylum"
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/bbs.html
You will find a more open minded audience.
Jim

I'm with Albert & Tom ( Audiotweek ) on this one.

Anything that physically touches or connects to your componentry becomes a transducer for mechanical energy. This mechanical energy alters the sonics that we hear and can be excited at a variable rate acoustically. If one doubts this, try hooking up a cable to a distortion analyzer and watch the distortion measurements jump around as you move or "flick" or tap on the cable lightly.

This is probably one of the reasons why cables that make use of mechanical damping can sound "blacker" than cables that are more sensitive to microphonics, either airborne or mechanically coupled.

With all of that in mind, i really don't know how much "damping" a wall cover can offer, but i do know how much more metal rings compared to a composite material. Given that the power cords are mechanically coupled to the outlet cover / wall receptable box, maybe a mechanically damped metal shielded plate would work best.

Anyone want to market a highly damped composite material outlet cover with bits of metal impregnated for shielding purposes? With this kind of stuff, the sky is the limit.... Sean
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