Over the years i'vecome to realize some things when it comes to power transmission. One of the heavy revvies has been the impact of power connectors in sound quality (SQ). If someone had told me 12 years ago just how much connectors impact SQ, I would have yelled "foul", thrown the BS flag and told them they were daft.
Funny. That turned out to be me.
Let's talk about what you have found to work and why.
First off Cryo treatment makes a difference. Plating is huge. Rhodium, copper, silver all sound different. Then the conductor material itself. Gold over copper is warm. Rhodium over copper neutral, Rhodium over silver is bright and so on.
My favorite are all copper with deep cryo treatment. Furutech or Voodo.
charles
I have an older home (doesn't have ground wire) and wonder without it does it change how well the receptacle works sound wise?
Don
Quote from: dflee on February 24, 2016, 09:37:11 AM
I have an older home (doesn't have ground wire) and wonder without it does it change how well the receptacle works sound wise?
Don
Don why certainly it does. It is time for a 20Amp dedicated line unless you rent. No excuses. IMHO one of if not the most affective thing to do.
Now any receptacle will sound better. A isolated ground even better.
Now for you ground is on the neutral wire. :duh Do it do it do it do it. Oh did I say do it. :thumb:
:thumb:
charles
These sturdy P&S 5362 take serious time to break in. One month or slightly more.
I want an all copper deep cryo treated receptacle. No plating. Hear me TWL and Dave. still waiting. :roll:
charles
Quote from: dflee on February 24, 2016, 09:37:11 AM
I have an older home (doesn't have ground wire) and wonder without it does it change how well the receptacle works sound wise?
Don
Don,
If you only have 2 wire receptacles your house is likely to have old fashioned metal (instead of plastic) outlet boxes and is wired with BX wire instead of Romex. If this is the case then you are in luck. The ground should be carried by the metal armor of the BX, which is clamped onto the outlet box, so the box itself is at ground potential. On a standard three prong receptacles, the ground lug screws into the same piece of metal that is used to screw the receptacle into the box. So if you have a grounded box all you need do is change the receptacle and you're good to go.
That said, this will only work if the BX goes all the way back to your service panel. If somebody spliced in a plastic box somewhere else in the house without jumpering the grounds you will have a break in ground continuity and this won't help. I would recommend changing the outlet and then testing it with an outlet checker like this:
http://smile.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1456351980&sr=1-1&keywords=outlet+checker
That will tell you not only if your ground is good, but also if your hot and neutral wires are connected to the right sides. (When I bought my house I used one of these to check every outlet in the house.)
BTW - I went for a dedicated line for my system and it was well worth the expense. Cost me $100 buck for the electrician and it was well worth it. Sounds like a lot just for an outlet, but considering what we all pay for cables I felt it was a bargain for what I got out of it sound wise. Even better, get two lines put in at the same time., I won't cost that much more. If you have a high power amp you can put that on it's own breaker or use the two circuits to isolate digital components from the rest of your equipment. Well worth the effort.
Breaker!!! We don't need no stinkin breakers.
Everything here is fuses and there has been no renovation
in the house Thus all metal boxes. I am changing all the sockets one at a time cause the old ones are wearing out. Some actually have darkness around the slits. Will look into a dedicated some day cause there's a crawl space below so shouldn't be that hard. Any inexpensive sockets worth looking at?
Don
I'm with tmazz. Check to see if you have ground continuity back to the power entrance. Another way to check is to see if you have continuity between the receptacle box and the neutral with resistances of < ~ 4 ohms. If so you can bond to the receptacle box and be good.
OTOH, I typically run my gear Class 2 = ungrounded. I DO NOT recommend this for most installations. I'm absolutely sure of all of my gear, fusing and safety of these pieces of gear. It works for me, but I'm not your typical user. There is a lower noise floor possible as well as the lack of ground loops WHEN PROPERLY WIRED.
Like I said. You have to be very careful and pay attention to run ungrounded.
D.
And if you are going to run ungrounded then it is particularly important to test your outlets with one of those outlet checker gizmos. You will need to use a three pron adapter and the tester will always show "ground Open" but you want to be especially sure that your hot and neutral lines lines are not swapped if you are choosing to give up the safety of a ground connection. And you can't just go by the wire colors because unless it is a home run outlet that you ran yourself you can never be certain that somebody else did not do a sloppy job and reverse the connections either at the box or a some kind of splice point along the circuit. Better safe than sorry.
Quote from: P.I. on February 24, 2016, 07:36:59 PM
I'm with tmazz. Check to see if you have ground continuity back to the power entrance. Another way to check is to see if you have continuity between the receptacle box and the neutral with resistances of < ~ 4 ohms. If so you can bond to the receptacle box and be good.
OTOH, I typically run my gear Class 2 = ungrounded. I DO NOT recommend this for most installations. I'm absolutely sure of all of my gear, fusing and safety of these pieces of gear. It works for me, but I'm not your typical user. There is a lower noise floor possible as well as the lack of ground loops WHEN PROPERLY WIRED.
Like I said. You have to be very careful and pay attention to run ungrounded.
D.
Not only that, if he does any work he may be expected to include a ground and bring the dwelling up to code.
Quote from: tmazz on February 24, 2016, 08:57:27 PM
And if you are going to run ungrounded then it is particularly important to test your outlets with one of those outlet checker gizmos. You will need to use a three pron adapter and the tester will always show "ground Open" but you want to be especially sure that your hot and neutral lines lines are not swapped if you are choosing to give up the safety of a ground connection. And you can't just go by the wire colors because unless it is a home run outlet that you ran yourself you can never be certain that somebody else did not do a sloppy job and reverse the connections either at the box or a some kind of splice point along the circuit. Better safe than sorry.
+1
Weekend warriors have left many surprises for the next guy way too often. A polarity checker is good insurance for 5 bucks!
Quote from: P.I. on February 25, 2016, 11:43:54 AM
Quote from: tmazz on February 24, 2016, 08:57:27 PM
And if you are going to run ungrounded then it is particularly important to test your outlets with one of those outlet checker gizmos. You will need to use a three pron adapter and the tester will always show "ground Open" but you want to be especially sure that your hot and neutral lines lines are not swapped if you are choosing to give up the safety of a ground connection. And you can't just go by the wire colors because unless it is a home run outlet that you ran yourself you can never be certain that somebody else did not do a sloppy job and reverse the connections either at the box or a some kind of splice point along the circuit. Better safe than sorry.
+1
Weekend warriors have left many surprises for the next guy way too often. A polarity checker is good insurance for 5 bucks!
Dave, unfortunately it is not just weekend warriors that I worry about. There are too many alleged "professionals" out there that just do shoddy work. And in these not so great economic times too many carpenters and other tradesmen who just run in electric themselves rather than pay an electrician to subcontract.
The bottom line is that electricity fights back and when it does it's not pretty. So I make it a point to check everything, no matter who does the work. Before we bought the house I am in now there was some electrical work that needed to be done before closing so the sellers hired an electrician to come in and fix everything. I pulled out the tester and checked everything he did right in front of him before I would sign off on the job as acceptable.
I have all my outlets loosened in the Torus. In the wall my Furutech is not attached and just hangs. It has to anywys since I need a bigger outlet box to fit the outlet.
I'm looking to do a dedicated line for my AV system. If anyone knows of a good electrician in NJ for the job, please advise me.
I remember many oodles of years ago, Bob Crump recommended those Pass and Seymor outlets, but warned everyone that they required a month of break in. Nobody believed him, I mean what could possibly be breaking in? He actually went so far as to describe the changes he heard over a 30 day period.
So I got some of these outlets he recommended and low an behold, the sound of my system was all over the place for about a month or two. Great one day and flat and lifeless the next, only to be followed by shrill, then boomy, then great, then crap again. Finally everything evened out and the system sounded good again.
That experience convinced me once and for all that break-in is a real phenomenon.
Quote from: BobM on February 29, 2016, 09:28:53 AM
I remember many oodles of years ago, Bob Crump recommended those Pass and Seymor outlets, but warned everyone that they required a month of break in. Nobody believed him, I mean what could possibly be breaking in? He actually went so far as to describe the changes he heard over a 30 day period.
So I got some of these outlets he recommended and low an behold, the sound of my system was all over the place for about a month or two. Great one day and flat and lifeless the next, only to be followed by shrill, then boomy, then great, then crap again. Finally everything evened out and the system sounded good again.
That experience convinced me once and for all that break-in is a real phenomenon.
Pretty much my experience. Cryoing them mitigates a lot of the up and down of the break-in cycle, but it is still there to a point. Takes less than a week when cryoed. It is a great receptacle. It is even better when the contacts are polished.
D
I'm looking at these Maestro outlets. Cryo'd and broken in for 2 weeks.
Anyone using high end outlet covers? This site has $60 ones. I've seen others for even more $$.
http://www.cruzefirstaudio.com/maestro_outlet.htm (http://www.cruzefirstaudio.com/maestro_outlet.htm)
Before I met Dave, installed a pair of the PS Audio power outlets in my room's dedicated 20amp service. They hold the socket better than even the hospital grade outlets previously installed. Just moved my Uberbuss over to that outlet last night from one of the hospital grades and sounds a bit cleaner overall to me.
Got a pair of cryo'd outlets from Dave and will have to give them a try once I get the DigiBUSS with plenty of time on it. It is at the opposite corner of the room with the hospital grade outlet at this point.
Quote from: HAL on March 01, 2016, 05:48:35 AM
Before I met Dave, installed a pair of the PS Audio power outlets in my room's dedicated 20amp service. They hold the socket better than even the hospital grade outlets previously installed. Just moved my Uberbuss over to that outlet last night from one of the hospital grades and sounds a bit cleaner overall to me.
Got a pair of cryo'd outlets from Dave and will have to give them a try once I get the DigiBUSS with plenty of time on it. It is at the opposite corner of the room with the hospital grade outlet at this point.
I've tried every available receptacle that is possible over the last few years. For an off the shelf receptacle. The P&S 5362A that I cryo is the best receptacle that I know of under $100.00. The polished version I sell for $35.00 is a stone killer.
D
For me I like the Hubbell based Porter Port receptacles. I've used these receptacles in all the isolation transformers I have. I didn't bother auditioning other outlets because of cost and the music already sounded good to me. Thanks
Here we go again!
People that remember my Circle at AC will probably recall the Furutech GTX(R) discussion. I am the first to admit that I was WRONG about rhodium for years. I got in a fairly contentious discussion with Benjamin Zwickel of Mojo Audio over this topic a few years ago. Man, was I wrong. I had never given rhodium the break-in that it needs to develop the wonderfulness that it can bring to an AC application. [I'm still on the fence about signal applications, but I'm slowly coming around]. During that time @ AC I sang the praises of the GTX(R) and associated connectors. Well, those guys at Furutech have done it again and raised the bar with the new NCF products. They are better. Not night and day better, but incrementally better.
If I had an array of Furutech copper/rhodium connectors, I would not replace them outright. They totally rock! However, if I were looking at the highest performance possible in new purchases, I would bite the bullet and get the new NCF rhodium Furutech products... and I have. I just wish they would stop developing bleeding edge products and guit screwing with my ears. Even at my decrepit age of 68 it is not that subtle of a change.
From a objectivist skeptic that I used to be to the constantly amazed music lover that I am now just boggles my mind. Who knew?
Certainly, not me!
Quote from: P.I. on March 09, 2016, 09:49:31 PM
Here we go again!
People that remember my Circle at AC will probably recall the Furutech GTX(R) discussion. I am the first to admit that I was WRONG about rhodium for years. I got in a fairly contentious discussion with Benjamin Zwickel of Mojo Audio over this topic a few years ago. Man, was I wrong. I had never given rhodium the break-in that it needs to develop the wonderfulness that it can bring to an AC application. [I'm still on the fence about signal applications, but I'm slowly coming around]. During that time @ AC I sang the praises of the GTX(R) and associated connectors. Well, those guys at Furutech have done it again and raised the bar with the new NCF products. They are better. Not night and day better, but incrementally better.
If I had an array of Furutech copper/rhodium connectors, I would not replace them outright. They totally rock! However, if I were looking at the highest performance possible in new purchases, I would bite the bullet and get the new NCF rhodium Furutech products... and I have. I just wish they would stop developing bleeding edge products and guit screwing with my ears. Even at my decrepit age of 68 it is not that subtle of a change.
From a objectivist skeptic that I used to be to the constantly amazed music lover that I am now just boggles my mind. Who knew?
Certainly, not me!
Dave,
Me too... It also depends on the manufacturer... IMHO, both Cardas & Furutech get rhodium plating RIGHT!... others, I'm not so sure of...
Will be installing a NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a GTX(Gold)...
Cheers,
Pete
Quote from: Triode Pete on March 10, 2016, 04:22:56 AM
Quote from: P.I. on March 09, 2016, 09:49:31 PM
Here we go again!
People that remember my Circle at AC will probably recall the Furutech GTX(R) discussion. I am the first to admit that I was WRONG about rhodium for years. I got in a fairly contentious discussion with Benjamin Zwickel of Mojo Audio over this topic a few years ago. Man, was I wrong. I had never given rhodium the break-in that it needs to develop the wonderfulness that it can bring to an AC application. [I'm still on the fence about signal applications, but I'm slowly coming around]. During that time @ AC I sang the praises of the GTX(R) and associated connectors. Well, those guys at Furutech have done it again and raised the bar with the new NCF products. They are better. Not night and day better, but incrementally better.
If I had an array of Furutech copper/rhodium connectors, I would not replace them outright. They totally rock! However, if I were looking at the highest performance possible in new purchases, I would bite the bullet and get the new NCF rhodium Furutech products... and I have. I just wish they would stop developing bleeding edge products and guit screwing with my ears. Even at my decrepit age of 68 it is not that subtle of a change.
From a objectivist skeptic that I used to be to the constantly amazed music lover that I am now just boggles my mind. Who knew?
Certainly, not me!
Dave,
Me too... It also depends on the manufacturer... IMHO, both Cardas & Furutech get rhodium plating RIGHT!... others, I'm not so sure of...
Will be installing a NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a GTX(Gold)...
Cheers,
Pete
Did you use the Audio Dharma on it? I'm wondering just how high a current a GTX will need to get the job done?
Replaced a Furutech GTX-D (G) with a Furutech GTX-D(R)NCF last week.
Ran my Hagerman FryCorder into it for three days before any listening.
I agree with Dave, that it's not night and day better, but incrementally better.
Seems to have lowered the noise floor and sounds a bit faster.
I'm sure things will further improve when I install my new power cord with the Furutech FI-50 NCF (R) connectors and
new PLC with NCF components.
Quote from: mauidan on March 15, 2016, 11:24:40 AM
Replaced a Furutech GTX-D (G) with a Furutech GTX-D(R)NCF last week.
Ran my Hagerman FryCorder into it for three days before any listening.
I agree with Dave, that it's not night and day better, but incrementally better.
Seems to have lowered the noise floor and sounds a bit faster.
I'm sure things will further improve when I install my new power cord with the Furutech FI-50 NCF (R) connectors and
new PLC with NCF components.
I can pretty much guareantee you that it will change over the next week or so. Let us all know where it ends up.
Hey Dave! Paul here.... I had to find out from "Rotney" :roll: that you were over here... What is up with that?? :? :lol:
I currently have 20 amp Levitrons from your hardware store.
What's every ones thought on the entry level PS Audio receptacles? Better? Same?
They are installed in a dedicated circuit for my music room so that part is good! :)
Quote from: paul79 on March 18, 2016, 02:24:32 PM
Hey Dave! Paul here.... I had to find out from "Rotney" :roll: that you were over here... What is up with that?? :? :lol:
Hmmmmmm, I dunno. I included you in a mass mailing that I sent out. Maybe it ended up in the spam folder.
Funny as I typed that I was reminded of just how good that mystery meat can be with eggs for breakfast. Maybe tomorrow.
Welcome aboard, Paul. How's tricks?
The new Furutech GTX9R) NCF receptacles are even better than the GTX(R) versions. They are getting that technology pretty well figured out. The nano crystalline ceramics are something pretty special. Wish I knew what they are. Buckminsterfullerenes? Nano flux capacitors? Dunno, again! :?:
Quote from: jessearias on March 19, 2016, 09:17:06 AM
I currently have 20 amp Levitrons from your hardware store.
What's every ones thought on the entry level PS Audio receptacles? Better? Same?
They are installed in a dedicated circuit for my music room so that part is good! :)
PS Audio uses nickel plating on their receptacles which is something that I find curious. It is magnetic and has only 22% the conductivity of tough pitch copper. It is normally used in receptacles that are exposed to reactive atmospheres for copper. Had a pair. Not my cup of tea. A little on the hard and hazy side in my system at the time.
[/quote]
Dave,
Will be installing a NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a GTX(Gold)...
Cheers,
Pete
[/quote]OK, Petah. Time's getting close to weighing in on your findings.
Whatcha hear?
Not ready? We'll wait... Tick, tick, tick...
Quote from: P.I. on March 20, 2016, 07:48:29 PM
Dave,
Will be installing a NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a GTX(Gold)...
Cheers,
Pete
OK, Petah. Time's getting close to weighing in on your findings.
Whatcha hear?
Not ready? We'll wait... Tick, tick, tick...
Dave,
Got side-tracked & I didn't install it yet... However, it currently resides in my high power audiodharma Cable Cooker for a preliminary "burn-in"... Will advise...
Cheers,
Pete
Quote from: Triode Pete on March 21, 2016, 04:52:52 AM
Quote from: P.I. on March 20, 2016, 07:48:29 PM
Dave,
Will be installing a NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a GTX(Gold)...
Cheers,
Pete
OK, Petah. Time's getting close to weighing in on your findings.
Whatcha hear?
Not ready? We'll wait... Tick, tick, tick...
Dave,
Got side-tracked & I didn't install it yet... However, it currently resides in my high power audiodharma Cable Cooker for a preliminary "burn-in"... Will advise...
Cheers,
Pete
Cool.. 8)
Quote from: P.I. on March 19, 2016, 04:25:02 PM
Quote from: jessearias on March 19, 2016, 09:17:06 AM
I currently have 20 amp Levitrons from your hardware store.
What's every ones thought on the entry level PS Audio receptacles? Better? Same?
They are installed in a dedicated circuit for my music room so that part is good! :)
PS Audio uses nickel plating on their receptacles which is something that I find curious. It is magnetic and has only 22% the conductivity of tough pitch copper. It is normally used in receptacles that are exposed to reactive atmospheres for copper. Had a pair. Not my cup of tea. A little on the hard and hazy side in my system at the time.
Nickel plating is the bane of all SS. Maybe we are stuck with it in our toroidals but that plating over copper (everywhere else) is its problem.
All complaints about SS can be routed back to the use of that plating. Sterile, unemotional, dry, bright are all symptoms of nickel plating.
Get rid of it! I hate that shit.
Quote from: Werd on March 22, 2016, 09:38:27 AM
Anybody know here where I can get power cord connects (male) rated in 240V that are not covered in nickel plating? :thumb:.
Remove the nickel yourself:
"Alkaline non-cyanide metal stripping technology also provides a means for the removal of both electrolytic and electroless nickel deposits from steel, brass, copper and zinc die castings. Typically, these process solutions consist of an amine compound to complex or chelate the nickel metal being brought into solution, an oxidizing agent and ingredients to accelerate the stripping action while promoting passivation of the base material. Unlike their cyanide counterparts, these alkaline non-cyanide processes generally run at elevated temperatures (140–195°F) and have a much faster stripping rate. Additionally, some processes are very effective in removing high-phosphorous electroless nickel deposits."
quote taken from here: http://www.pfonline.com/articles/stripping-of-plated-finishes
You could send the parts to a reputable plating firm who already has the baths setup. Like http://www.paulschrome.com/
PS Audio is out.
What do people think about the Shunyata SR-Z1 High content copper brass for a basic receptacle?
I have seen good reviews on these as well Oyaide XXX, DX and GX
XXX Paladium over gold
DX, GX Rhodium over silver
Opinions? Thoughts?
How bad can it be ? I would ask if it has a sound character. Meaning warm ? bright ? Neutral ? Then it becomes economics.
I like the VOODOO Cryo all copper receptacle and Furutech rhodium over bronze. Both are excellent. However the bang for the buck is Pass & Seymor by PIAudio.
charles
Nickel adds a gritty, hashy quality to the sound compared to its absence. This improves some what if a demagnetizing device is used on the part like a bulk magnetic tape eraser.
Nickel plating is not impossible to avoid if you use direct gold plated connectors and jacks in your gear and cabling.
Nickel alloy in an AC transformer core is an entirely different application and it would very difficult blame it for a problem particularly if a transformer using a nickel alloy in its core sounded better than one without it.
Scotty
Quote from: jessearias on March 22, 2016, 03:58:50 PM
PS Audio is out.
What do people think about the Shunyata SR-Z1 High content copper brass for a basic receptacle?
I have seen good reviews on these as well Oyaide XXX, DX and GX
XXX Paladium over gold
DX, GX Rhodium over silver
Opinions? Thoughts?
I had Oyaide Gold & Rhodium outlets when they first came out. I hated the Rhodium and wasn't that impressed with the Gold compared to croy'd Hubbell 5362s.
The Furutech GTX Gold and Rhodium are very good. Better than the Hubbell 5362, and Furutech FPX Gold and Cu.
Charley is right about the PI Audio polished Pass & Seymour 5362A being a fantastic moderate priced receptacle.
Quote from: richidoo on March 22, 2016, 11:07:52 AM
Quote from: Werd on March 22, 2016, 09:38:27 AM
Anybody know here where I can get power cord connects (male) rated in 240V that are not covered in nickel plating? :thumb:.
Remove the nickel yourself:
"Alkaline non-cyanide metal stripping technology also provides a means for the removal of both electrolytic and electroless nickel deposits from steel, brass, copper and zinc die castings. Typically, these process solutions consist of an amine compound to complex or chelate the nickel metal being brought into solution, an oxidizing agent and ingredients to accelerate the stripping action while promoting passivation of the base material. Unlike their cyanide counterparts, these alkaline non-cyanide processes generally run at elevated temperatures (140–195°F) and have a much faster stripping rate. Additionally, some processes are very effective in removing high-phosphorous electroless nickel deposits."
quote taken from here: http://www.pfonline.com/articles/stripping-of-plated-finishes
You could send the parts to a reputable plating firm who already has the baths setup. Like http://www.paulschrome.com/
This is good info, although I would be more incline to Drevel off the nickel and then apply a gold plating. Or just polish up the copper. Some stuff is really hard to reach. If the toroidal is nickel then all the run off cable will be too. You do not see it because it's covered by cable jackets.
This all came apparent when I inserted my Furutech GTX gold into an outlet position on my Torus. Even using cheap 12 gauge solid-core home -wiring from Home Depot moved it away from nickel sounding. Anyone with a Torus or a Bryston Conditioner should re wire the outlet cables and junk the supplied power cables. Including IEC inlets and all wiring, fuse sockets and fuses. The whole thing actually....lol. I have yet to do the IEC and fuse sockets but I plan on it. It's all nickel including the fuse platings. Cheap stuff and why generic cabling is junk. Makes a good case for aftermarket cabling.
Quote from: P.I. on March 21, 2016, 09:58:53 PM
Quote from: Triode Pete on March 21, 2016, 04:52:52 AM
Quote from: P.I. on March 20, 2016, 07:48:29 PM
Dave,
Will be installing a NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a GTX(Gold)...
Cheers,
Pete
OK, Petah. Time's getting close to weighing in on your findings.
Whatcha hear?
Not ready? We'll wait... Tick, tick, tick...
Dave,
Got side-tracked & I didn't install it yet... However, it currently resides in my high power audiodharma Cable Cooker for a preliminary "burn-in"... Will advise...
Cheers,
Pete
Cool.. 8)
Finally got around to installing a new NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a gold GTX, after cooking the NCF receptacle in my Cable Cooker for ~ 3 weeks...
Wow, not a subtle change... Definitely noticeable... More of everything... a bit more bass and bit more airy highs & details... NOT hi-fi sounding since everything remained balanced, unlike normally plated (much cheaper) Rhodium connectors, which accent the highs in an unnatural way...
Furutech is definitely onto something with these NCF receptacles. I understand the technology & have used it in a few of my designs but they really "have it down"... I'm impressed...
BTW, I haven't been a huge fan of rhodium-plated components in the past (& still not a fan), but to my ears, premium Furutech & premium Cardas rhodium-plated components sound excellent. Both of these companies know what they're doing...
My $0.02,
Pete
[/quote]
Finally got around to installing a new NCF receptacle this weekend, replacing a gold GTX, after cooking the NCF receptacle in my Cable Cooker for ~ 3 weeks...
Wow, not a subtle change... Definitely noticeable... More of everything... a bit more bass and bit more airy highs & details... NOT hi-fi sounding since everything remained balanced, unlike normally plated (much cheaper) Rhodium connectors, which accent the highs in an unnatural way...
Furutech is definitely onto something with these NCF receptacles. I understand the technology & have used it in a few of my designs but they really "have it down"... I'm impressed...
BTW, I haven't been a huge fan of rhodium-plated components in the past (& still not a fan), but to my ears, premium Furutech & premium Cardas rhodium-plated components sound excellent. Both of these companies know what they're doing...
My $0.02,
Pete
[/quote]Yeah, an ear blower, huh!?
All of those years I kept going back and trying rhodium just reinforced my general disdain for that finish. I got into several semi-heated discussions about it and frankly, I was wrong. Don't get me wrong it is certainly not the perfect finish. It "can be" a tad on the sterile side. For me, 70% rhodium, 20% gold, 5% unobtainium would be ideal. I'm not sure what the "unobtainium" might be.
All I know is that the Furutech rhodium is the schiznitz for major electrical connections. For some systems combos of gold and rhodium cand yield amazing results.
Next up? Custom surface finishes on Furutech beryllium copper parts/pieces.
Pete, Dave; how does the GTX-R NCF compare with the GTX-R?
I've listened to several outlets recently in my new Digi-Buss and Buss-Stop, (more on these later) and wall: Pass & Seymour croy'd 5362, polished, croy'd P&S 5362, Furutech FPX Cu, FPX Gold, GTX Rhodium, GTX Gold.
I found the Pass & Seymour croy'd 5362 in my various Busses (including in my now departed Mini-Buss) to be a solid outlet that does not do any harm and I actually preferred Dave's polished and croy'd version to the FPX Cu, which seemed to be very slightly harsh in comparison. I did prefer the FPX Gold to both of them in tonal accuracy, the main difference between these receptacles.
The GTX outlets are, as everyone has stated, significantly superior to these others. They are more resolving, more dimensional and more tonally accurate, with the rhodium version having a bit more emphasis on leading edge transients and greater soundstage depth and detail. At first I thought it was thus the best receptacle. But, with extended close listening, I find the GTX Rhodium - on some material - to have a slight touch of the glare and "glaze" that have always been prominent on inferior rhodium connectors. I found having one GTX rhodium in a system with multiple receptacles does provide some additional clarity without any drawbacks even though I prefer having most of my gear into the GTX gold.
Given that much of the quality of the GTXs is supposed to be due to the high level of polishing, and given that I have always preferred un-plated copper connectors for their tonal accuracy, I asked Dave if he would polish the FPX Cu as he had the P&S. He kindly did so and the result was clarity, resolution, and tonal accuracy that easily surpasses the polished P&S & the Furutech FPX Gold in direct comparison (same wall outlet location with the identical configuration of Digi-Buss > Buss-Stop > the wall receptacle).
I then switched my amp from the GTX Gold in the Buss-Stop to the polished FPX Cu in the wall. More wow. A small increase in dynamics (because of the outlet, or because of going direct into the wall instead of into the Buss-Stop? I don't know) but, again, even more tonal accuracy and resolution.
Although I couldn't compare them directly (yet; I hope to do so in the future) I suspect the polished FPX Cu is superior to both of the GTXs.
I just installed Dave's cryo'ed and polished Pass & Seymour 5362 Receptacles in my wall outlets and they are solid performers. Just waiting on the mailman to deliver my TWL cables and power cords to complete the transformation. The icing will be one of Dave's Buss Stops to handle all the digital stuff.
I had a great time at AXPONA and got to meet Triode Pete. That place is worse than going to the drag races. :-P Just makes you want to soup up your stereo system even more. :) I have a hard enough time trying not to soup up the cars all the time. :shock: Like my dad always says, son, you have two of the most expensive hobbies. :)
Quote from: jessearias on April 19, 2016, 08:33:04 AM
I just installed Dave's cryo'ed and polished Pass & Seymour 5362 Receptacles in my wall outlets and they are solid performers. Just waiting on the mailman to deliver my TWL cables and power cords to complete the transformation. The icing will be one of Dave's Buss Stops to handle all the digital stuff.
I had a great time at AXPONA and got to meet Triode Pete. That place is worse than going to the drag races. :-P Just makes you want to soup up your stereo system even more. :) I have a hard enough time trying not to soup up the cars all the time. :shock: Like my dad always says, son, you have two of the most expensive hobbies. :)
Hey Jesse,
Great to meet you at AXPONA, too! :thumb: I hope you enjoyed yourself!
BTW, your cables shipped today!
Cheers,
Pete