I spent $55 on a hospital grade GFCI AFCI receptacle a couple years ago. I bought it more out of curiosity to see how good a hospital grade outlet is, and I got to say it’s amazing. Still grips like new, despite being constantly plugged and unplugged with high current loads.
I have come to the inescapable conclusion that most "audiophiles" are completely out of their minds. Kudos to you for spending that kind of money just to show us what was inside. For that kind of money, I was hoping to see some suppression caps or some other gimmick to make it "audiophile" grade as opposed to $8 worth of receptacle with $42 worth of silk screening and marketing wank. Thanks as always!
That is nothing considering they can put over a grand on just speaker cables .... I take it back, it is over ten grand. www.amazon.com/DH-Revelation-SP-speaker-cables-bi-wire/dp/B00VS63E3A "Only 4 left in stock - order soon." Yeah, I'll take all four.
you haven't see zeos pantera of z reviews. and most audiophiles like that. they are neither stupid enough to pay for this junk nor are they concerned that concerned about the connection from the outlet to their device. A power conditioner is always going to be a better option if you are getting noise from bad dirty power. and power conditioners are used all over the place from servers to audio to medical. the only time an audiophile will be concerned about the connection is if the plug is the actual issue, and then they more often then not are going to just buy a decent quality 15/20amp plug. i only see the stupid of the stupid buying this junk.
@@okaro6595 every audio focused youtuber will tell you those cables are scams. every audio professional will tell you those cables are scams, hell every audiophile that actually knows something and isn't a fucking sheep is going to tell you those cables are scams. there is a difference between high quality and moronic junk. you don't need silver or gold cables for your "audio" experience. it's more a flex to say you have absurd amounts of disposable income then actually benefiting you.
@@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks yep my thing is more copper is better then a bit of 24 K gold at the end and to that end I use 10 awg cable for a 5 foot speaker run A its what I had on hand and B I thought 8 awg was just over the top but their is notable change as compared to 14 awg for the same run is huge no but still worth using the 10 awg
Well said sir! A real audiophile class receptacle WILL have ELECTRONICS inside to suppress over voltages,filter out line noise/ac hum, and yes, be isolated ground, and the metal components would actually be more pure metals like copper, brass, and GOLD or SILVER with nickle plating. Stainless steel yoke(mounting bracket)or bronze bracket as with the OLDER Leviton/Hubbell hospital grade sockets. Yeah this audiophile receptacles I have seen as of the mid 2000s to now, are a gimmick.
I’ve used hospital grade plugs and receptacles for this purpose for years with no complaints. It’s an extremist hobby and lots of marketing hype. The key to using hospital grade is the grip that it has. That positive contact is paramount to those guys. I’d run 10/3 from the box on all dedicated runs for gear. Most electricians aren’t going that far. I’m a specialist and I handle this type clientele. They pay for it and they get it. Both for mains and low voltage work. If you got the bucks, you can have it also! Stay safe mates!😊👍🏻😷
I get why you would oversize the wires to 10 AWG, but what is the extra conductor for? (10/3) Is that for a second isolated ground? I'm just trying to learn. I don't know how you would wire an isolated ground.
@@MarkLawry, let me clarify if you please. 10 gauge. Hot, neutral and ground, three conductor standard. Nothing fancy, straight up unless it uses an isolated ground, then 10/4c. One red, one black, one white and one green usually! Depends on manufacturer. 10/3c is white, black and green. Neutral, hot and ground! Okay, good now? The red is taped with a double green stripe to designate isolated ground. The green tape is used to designate grounded conductors. Use of two rings of green tape designates that it is an isolated ground conductor rather than a single green tape ring designates it as just a standard grounded conductor. The colors designated are black for hot, white for neutral, green or bare copper for the grounded conductor. This is standard 3 conductor circuit. On an isolated ground circuit there are 4 conductors. A hot which is black, a neutral which is white, a grounded conductor which is green and the other wire is to be marked with two rings of green tape on both ends as a designated isolated ground which goes to it’s separate grounding bar. The code is clear on this. The two green ring identifier is not code specific. This is an installation decision and marked on the plans and labeled at the service panel on both ends. Green is the code color for the grounded conductor. By designating the two green rings as an isolated ground on the plans and at the service panel by labeling. You are satisfying the Code enforcement that you care enough to do your job the right way because he/she will be checking you out. Your license bares the Code enforcement’s scrutiny because they are the Authority Having Jurisdiction. This is a permitted job to the Code being enforced per the State’s acceptance at the time the permit and the date of final passed inspection. There is no other way. The individual who pulls the permit is the duly licensed electrician with his/her paperwork and is responsible for the work. You work without a license, that’s on you. Not all states have the same rules. It is up to each individual State to so indicate by ruling. I am a duly licensed electrician in my state. Held license since 2003. Worked under other licenses when I had none. NFPA 70 is the electrical Code. It is the Law of Electricians Practice. You are bound to it’s adherence. Your work is scrutinized by Code enforcement in your State for the current State accepted standard at the time designated for your pulled permit. Any job that hasn’t had a properly pulled permit, is still subject to the State accepted Code book at the time it was done. Unqualified, unlicensed people fall under additional scrutiny. That is not my call. Only qualified persons have a license. No license, not qualified, not tested and passed per your State’s Code enforcement governed test. That’s not smart. If you do electrical work, you better have a licensed electrician check it out to evaluate it. Not doing so is not advised. Competent qualified licensed electrical worker is your best bet. I do not endorse doing work you are not licensed to do and therefore unqualified for. That creates a situation I am not in position to call. That is a Code enforcement issue subject to the Code book accepted by the State at the time. Your call. Not mine! It is about safety, your safety. That is my call and I am responsible. I care. I’m licensed!
@@Hondaguru1122, Mr Tommy, I can tell you that you would be square and then you get a nasty gram for violating some obscure rule. Homeowners are allowed in certain venues to do their own work. Just don’t make it an event. Okay. Hope I don’t get my license pulled for it!
@@MarkLawry Mr. Mark, the problem stems from unlicensed people doing work. the gov is kind of concerned. safety is not to be compromised. they get upset. it is a licensed trade and therefore subject to governmental scrutiny. whether a choice of size of conductor or number of the same is chosen for any given circuit, that circuit is still subject to the code. this horse is taking an unprecedented beating. diy has it's place. unlicensed people can still work under a licensed person. supervision of electrical work is expected by the gov. rules of allowance must be followed per the state's guidelines.that's as plain as i can make it. hope it is clear as i don't want anyone confused.
Thanks for doing the cut-aways of the electrical switches and outlets. PowerPort Classic: A lot of money for an outlet. This outlet costs more because it has so many layers of nickel plating and its low production volume. In aerospace, we do have connectors that have more than one layer of gold plating to help the connector to survive the high vibration environments (aircraft/helicopters). The connectors allow a layer of gold plating to wear through while still having a gold layer to make good contact. The PowerPort Classic is used in the home, a low vibration environment. The comments about the improved audio performance were lacking details. For example, did the isolated ground help? Did cleaning connections help? There were no measurements to show the difference. Need to do a double blind test with multiple outlets and ground configurations to know what is going on and why. For most systems, making sure that the stereo has its own dedicated 20 amp circuit provides the biggest bang for the buck. Most of us, can’t hear the difference an outlet could make. Industry Engineer: Your viewers might like to hear from an engineer from one of the big electrical component companies to talk about the differences between grades of outlets and switches. The engineer should talk about things at an industry level - not bash the competitors. The engineer could also discuss the effect of volume on design. For example, the residential grade should have a much higher unit volume compared to the spec and higher grades. The residential grade would have the volume to make it economical to have its own tooling to save money. I suspect that the spec grade housing is used in higher grades to make the cost of the tooling (tooling is expensive). Most of us buy the brand that is available at our local store. Hubbell is normally available at a supply house or on line - the big box stores don’t normally carry Hubbell because of the higher cost. Hubbell makes some good stuff - Hubbell is one of the few companies that makes a spec grade 15 amp decora outlet.
@@dodgeplow And don't I know IT! In Puerto Rico in the beach side town of Luquillo, I had constant trouble with receptacles and light sockets due to salt water and salt air. But using Marine grade receptacles and lighting in houses and apartments there would be too expensive for the average Puerto Rican so we just had to fight with the corrosion of the electrics and electronics lol!. Thank GOD for EBAY though!! I can buy all the right stuff cheap now.. Now if only I could marine grade my computers and musical keyboards....
Audiophile AC Receptacles DO make a difference in both power quality & sound - here are some measurements using an EXTech model# CT70 AC Circuit load tester - the standard AC Outlet I just replaced in a 60yr old home (not on a dedicated circuit) had an ASCC (measurement of Dynamic Instantaneous current) of 0.29KA ( KiloAmps N-G) - the Voltage Drop on that circuit was 113.2V with a 7.2% on 15A Just replacing this ONE outlet with a Custom OEM Hubble (model SR-Z1 from Shunyata Research) ASCC went up to 0.35KA and Voltage drop to 114.1V or 6.1% Peak voltage test when from 169V to 173V - sound was MUCH Better...especially low frequencies .. even from the PS Audio in this video.. The OEM outlet had been cryogenically treated, triple wipe solid brass, extra space inside for heat dispensation & designed for high current though low impedance . Now is it worth $99 ? we are talking ONE outlet in your home.. NOT all of them.. obviously it would be better to run a dedicated Circuit but that requires hiring an electrician, permits etc when just replacing an outlet makes a difference..... Power Amps also need high ASCC to perform well 1.17KA is good) a cheap 14AWG Power cord lowers ASCC to 0.59KA some Audiophile power cords of the same AWG are 1.01KA they also have noise filters that reduce electromagnetic signal polarization & reduces common-mode noise by up to 12dB at 1 MHz - so can you HEAR the difference between a PS Audio or Hospital grade outlet.. yes I can.. & it can be measured..
I am not an audio person, so I would buy the $2.00 outlet. But putting all of that aside, it is most important in the way the outlet is wired. In order to get a very secure electrical connection, “pigtail” each outlet rather than relying on the 4 screw method. “Push in” or “back stabbing” an outlet can create a weak point in the electrical connection especial when using a heavy electrical load such as an electric iron or vacuum. It can also cause electrical failure in the future for that outlet or other electrical outlets downstream. GFCI where they enter the back of the device and use the screw “plate squeeze method” are also good as they provide a good, secure electrical connection.
I actually use the PS Audio receptacles. In terms of audiophile costs, $50 is pretty cheap. I have three dedicated 20 amp lines, two for amplifiers and one for the stuff that doesn’t draw much current. Another commenter is absolutely correct about using the receptacle without a corresponding dedicated line from the panel; much more bang for the buck to run a dedicated line. It’s not a hobby that everyone can enjoy; you need to be able to hear very well and spend some time training your brain to notice subtle audible changes, which comes from listening to familiar recordings. I've been told that I have "golden ears." I can hear the difference between AIFF & FLAC and S/PDIF & HDMI. FLAC has meatier low bass & AIFF is more natural in the upper mids & and has a more convincing soundstage. HDMI is too edgy and hurts my ears. Thanks for the video, very informative.
@@amglife7386 I concur to your observation. I have Furutech NCF outlets on 4 dedicated 30A circuits on 10GA romex (yes its 30A not 20A) and it sounds way better than hospital Grade outlets I previously had. I guess people with low to mid fi system won't hear the difference and that's where most people have complaints. Also there are people making judgment calls without even trying it🙄. Especially on audio power products and I can clear hear a different between generic power cord vs audiophile power cord.
I installed 4 dedicated circuits on a line power conditioning device with isolated grounds, after the dedicated surge device we installed in the garage! This was for a friend of mine and was mostly installed to protect his expensive equipment as he worked from home making commercial jingles for the audio industry. (Who knew) Everything was fine but he called me a few weeks later saying, every now and again some of the recordings would have noise, came to find out his wife was plugging the vacuum into one of the new spare “handy sockets” by his desk! Didn’t notice as he wore headphones when working! So we added one more socket in the hall to keep the Mrs very happy! Only used $6 sockets, but I was taught to use pigtails to each socket and not let the socket be the path to the next socket in line.
I personally would go with Hubbell; I frequently buy their stuff when quality is important. Much of the “audiophile” stuff (cables and cords) is in my opinion as electronics engineer mostly snake oil. To my ears a basic Belden $10 power cord sounds the same as a $250 power cord made from special braided high-purity unobtanium. But many “high end” audiophiles claim to hear a difference. By the way, PS Audio and is a excellent and well regarded company in the audio field.
Snake oil comes in many forms. What is not snake oil is equipment which reacts to noise occurring on a given line feed by a grid and subject to it’s influence of this noise. There are such pieces of equipment such that they are susceptible to disturbances influenced on that line as it comes into your service. Anyone who believes all power that comes into their place is free from electrical noise on a power line is living in delusion. Power quality studies are full of this. This is a reality not fantasy. Whether a power supply in any given piece of equipment is capable of filtering out this noise is subject to scrutiny. Not an opinion, fact. Unless your equipment can or cannot do this as it effects the performance aspects of it’s operation. By utilizing such products and or methods of dealing with it or not is clearly up to an individual’s own concerns. Use of unlisted items to convey electrical power is simply not advisable. Past the termination point, the receptacle, it is a matter for the client to have responsibility. Use of dedicated circuits is up to decisions made and plans passed by competent authority. Whether you wish to believe or not believe in a product is your call. The fact is there is noise on lines and it can effect product performance if, and only if it has a power supply that is incapable of handling that noise. What frequency it is and what level that noise is influencing that line may be felt inside that piece of equipment. That equipment is designed to operate without any additional help from say a filtration system post termination point, the receptacle it is hooked up to. Does all equipment qualify as meeting this requirement. That is a subject for discussion. There are such things as voltage spikes, hash and other noise elements on any given power grid at any time. Not opinion, fact. How a piece of equipment reacts is of course subject to the filtration in that equipment’s power supply as it is subjected to that noise element. Addressing that acceptance is up to the individual owner. High end is about performance. Not addressing this is a matter of choice. The ones who believe their gear can avoid it, don’t concede to the reality that it may not. I am not an engineer. I am a licensed electrician, that does not mean I know it all. There is noise on any given grid back feeding into to any given power line feeding any service. Power quality is paramount to the performance of any gear serviced by that line. If it is particularly noisy, some equipment may not find that level of noise acceptable and will react based on that and in an unfavorable way. Digital equipment is particularly susceptible to noise on the power line. This is addressed by filtration devices, surge protection, UPS and additional elements. You can say it can handle it, but that is not the last say. Some equipment is not designed to handle it. We could go on over this and it won’t change anything. Power quality matters in high end and any gear designed for that purpose. To delude yourself into thinking it can’t be an influence on a piece of gear is delusion itself. You’ll have to convince me it can’t and be able to back that with facts not opinions. I’ve worked on various equipment and machines. I’ve seen and heard the effects of that equipment reacting to noise elements on the lines feed by those circuits. I’m not saying that it applies to all, that is equally ludicrous. I do not condone using unlisted equipment. That’s unsafe! Using a power wire feeding a piece of equipment that is unlisted is accepting liability for the use of that unlisted device or wire product. A power wire cannot enhance a piece of gear. An underrated power wire can adversely effect equipment performance by limiting that equipment’s current needs and is unsafe. A high dollar cable is not a bandaid for system performance. That must be addressed farther up the chain of power delivery. Dedicated circuits are not isolated from grid and it’s noise products. Poor connections can be an issue. Use of hospital grade or other listed products address the positive retention of plugs and receptacles and offer reduced issues which influence them by offering greater contact surface and reduced influence from any lack of that contact. Better products have no effect on performance, really? I’m sorry, that airplane won’t fly. Whether or not the internal power supply is capable of not being influenced by noise on it is a matter from the design of it. That’s an engineer’s territory. I’m willing to listen. You may convince me. Convincing an obsessed and neurotic audiophile is another matter. That’s not my call. I provide a service. Not up to me to do that. My job is to provide a safe system to yield a positive result under the Code enforced by the AHJ. Past that, is not my say. I do not advocate using unlisted products as that is clearly in violation of safety protocols and the Code. It is a liability issue and comes under insurance scrutiny. What goes on beyond that is outside my means. Your call sir!
Chet Bart. My first question is what audio equipment are you listening too? If you have equipment that will produce high resolution, one can hear differences that mediocre gear just can't reproduce.
@@vinylrules4838 Absolutely. I agree that high end, high resolution audio gear is superior to anything else and vastly superior to cheapo audio, but mains electrical supply is mains electrical supply and the receptacle makes little difference outside of any model that can provide a sufficiently secure contact. If anything, I'd think there would/could be a device that sits between a receptacle and the audio equipment which could rectify or "clean" a "dirty" source of power. But that's about it.
The isolated ground is actually better for music production, reproduction, etc. Studios use those orange isolated grounds to mitigate electrical "noise" on a circuit. Hospital grade is meant to reduce arcing when unplugging which is important when using nearby oxygen tanks to prevent a really bad/explosive day. Hospital grade in the home would be nice if someone at home is on oxygen therapy, otherwise it is expensive overkill.
I think it's more about being durable. The monitors next to the patient beds get unplugged and plugged back in many times. Ever run into an outlet in an airport that's had 8 million phone chargers plugged into it, and the plug doesn't stay in? That's what hospital grade guards against. You're never going to have a high enough oxygen concentration even in a hospital setting to be worrying about tiny little sparks when you unplug an outlet.
I am an extreme audiophile that designs and build my own amps (vacuum tube) and preamps. The quest is for an AC connection that makes a good connection. That can be done with the cheapest outlet there is. The problem is extraneous noise or ripple in the 120 volt sine wave, This is usually caused by as little as 5 millivolts of potential between the ground connections, that are usually tied to the neutral wire. Amps are designed to have the purist DC volts that you can get because the DC is used for component (tubes, capacitors, mos-fets...) biasing to carry the AC audio signal. If the power supply (AC to DC) has any of the afore mention ripple; it will be amplified through several gain stages and manifest itself as a hum. It will be at 60hz, 120hz, or any multiple of 60 or the amp can through aural and spatial exciters cause the hum to be any harmonic frequency of the original 60 cycles. Conclusion: Keep your AC plugs clean and polished and have a dedicated ground for your amps, preamps, EQs, turntable, and so on. Any voltage potential between components is bad. Just have dedicated circuits and ground all your HiFi stuff from a single source; or just use clip leads from metal housings to the other. BTW, All half decent turntable have a ground wire just for that purpose, because a turntable cartridge has a high gain input that will make poor grounding louder than the music. Myth busted.
@@amglife7386 Waisted money. They are just a 1 to 1 isolation transformer with a few caps and a few sets of reverse paired diodes and a bunch of bells a whistles. If I was given one; I would still ground all line voltage devices going from every input to amp. You can still pick up induced line voltages on the individual device power cables. That's all just to reduce 60Hz hum from getting past to the DC power supply. Line spike protection from frying a piece of equipment is a totally different animal. I've seen results of power spikes, say lightning on a transformer a mile from your house, Totally fry a full wave diode bridge so fast that the overload fuse was still good. A diode can die from a spike lasting less than 10 to the minus12th power duration. Personally, if I hear thunder... I unplug. Almost all AC is in perfect phase an never causes a problem as long as well separated from signal lines. if they have to coexist; the signal and power should cross at right angles. Never parallel. Hope this helps and is only my opinion as a builder/service tech. If you would get some sense of comfort or are sold on it improving final analog SPL quality reaching your ears; go for it. Shalom Aleichem.
As a musician and recording engineer, the scenario that is important here is the ground isolation preventing ground loops. Also getting 'clean' power ( without excess humming) are what you would be looking for. I don't see what the extra cost of the A/V plug is getting you.
And would you risk compromising the sound of a $50,000 audio system with a 0.50 cent outlet? Apparently you would . . .about what one would expect from one who uses WIki as a final authority.
I had to install isolated ground recepticals for a bunch of vaccine coolers in isolated communities. Was a huge rush years back during SARS scare. These coolers were temperature monitored and called for isolated ground for all the fancy electronics on them.
I get using gold plated interconnect cable in analog, or large gauge fine stranded speaker wire. But an outlet is not going to make an audible difference.
Exactly. It makes no sense. Say what you want about what all the electrons do between the device and your ears, but 120v at 60hz is 120v at 60hz. No outlet which achieves the low bar of a solid electrical connection is going to change that.
@@Eidolon1andOnly I think isolated ground would eliminate ground loops, which does effect audio quality. But then again you have to have ground loops to begin with.
For all you telling me about ground loops, you misunderstand my sentiment, meaning, as well overblown the problem. Ground looping can be a problem, but easily solved by not plugging in every audio device into the same circuit, the interference is nominal and not worth the $50 receptacle when a $6 or less receptacle could accomplish the same task. Even the cheapest receptacle could be wired for an isolated ground. There is no reason to spend a stupid amount of money for an audio specific receptacle when cheaper and equally adequate options exist at at 1/10th or even 1/20th of the price, disregarding the cheapest receptacle on the market which can also be wored the same way. From everything I seen from this $50 receptacle compared to a $6 one, the nominal changes are not worth the price. You're paying for snake oil, and unless you personally know how to isolate a ground, you're also paying for an expert electrician to do it for you. I laugh in ground loops at your silly assertions. I spent more than 30 years recording sound and never had a ground loop problem because I knew better than to isolate everything on a single circuit.
*WHO CARES* Why do all these commenters make "fun" of audiophiles and say everything is nonsense? Why don't they make "fun" of the person that spent $850,000 dollars on their house because a $250,000 dollar house will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer too. *Buy what you want and makes you happy. Weather it cost 10 times more or not. Once again, WHO CARES.*
What all you people with your opinions,there’s something none of you obviously know,to have a high end system that is very revealing, yes it cost a lot of money and time to achieve this,and every component responsible for current transfer makes a difference on the electronics sound signature you would only know this if you have listened to this type of audio quality playback systems and until you are aware of this quality of playback you should keep your narcissistic know it all opinions to yourself
quite a leap from hospital grade to a use in the audio industry. hospital grade signifies a high quality device highly resistant to damage from the possibility of beds being run into them & possibly electrocuting the patient. isolated ground was developed to reduce the stray static currents to equipment. as an audiophile, i use 15 & 20 amp hubbell wiring devices. for the audio connections, use belden cable & switchcraft connectors. no need to piss money away on the high-dollar hospital grade, unless you plan on slamming your equipment into wall receptacles.
I've seen enough cheap receptacles lose their ability to grip a plug over time to suspect that "hospital grade" isn't overkill. There's much to be said for the peace of mind (and monetary advantage) of knowing that you're almost certainly never going to have to replace a hospital-grade outlet during your lifetime. (More so if you're a studio owner or a landlord.).The receptacles on APC power distribution units are very well engineered, although I don't believe they are officially "hospital grade." (They're not marked as such.) For audio connections, don't leave out Mogami and Neutrik. Each has a solid reputation for making durable, low-noise cables without relying on pseudoscience or ignorance to sell them. As you know, Neutrik SpeakON connectors are ubiquitous in pro audio, and Mogami cable is used in countless high-end studios. If you have a tighter budget, Pro Co is good too, comparable to Rapco; if I recall correctly, each uses Switchcraft connectors. The main problem I've had with Switchcraft connectors is that the screw-together variety tend to loosen over time, but the electrical connections remain intact. The value added by such "audio grade" private-label receptacles as the PS Audio "PowerPort Classic" is questionable and certainly doesn't justify the price tag compared to an equivalent receptacle made by the same company (in this case, the Hubbell IG8300 ).
We wired a 4 booth recording studio last month. They didn’t ask for even isolated ground circuits... they cared NOTHING for the electrical, other than wattage to the outlets.
@@lomni02 15Amps @ 120 Volts = 1800 Watts / 20 Amps @ 120 Volts = 2400 Watts The Voltage stays the same so the Wattage is related to the Amperage. It's Ohms Law for the formulas. You never want to draw more than 80% load continuously from a single Receptacle.
@@FryGuyNS Thank you for that followup line. I was just about to jump in. This is extremely important as circuits can melt under continuous 100% load (experienced first hand)
@@mcbeenb In the US, circuits are generally only continuous rated for 80% of their service power. That means a 15 amp circuit should not ever be made to draw more than 12 amps or 1440 watts continuously.
Audiophiles, to be blunt, are narcissists that validate themselves by spending WAY too much money on useless equipment such as this receptacle. I'm a retired audio engineer, and have worked studios and concerts all over the US and know the industry well. Every studio and sound system installation uses high-quality, but otherwise "normal" wiring for the AC mains, DC power supplies, audio interconnects (wires, connectors) and speaker cables. The ridiculous claims of audiophile components are silly, and the prices speak for themselves. Even the very best studios would never spend that kind of money on those components.
Being an audiophile myself you can tell the difference in a lot of cases. This just happens to be one that's not really going to be it. The nickel plating is going to help prevent tarnish on the plug side but, the main improvement is going to come from the isolated ground. Most people forget audiophiles tend to use analog because it has a warmer sound which is true but, it also makes it very easy to incur noise from the outside. This gets sent to ground. If there is anything else on that ground it will induce feedback. The other thing that is eluding everyone is bass. Nickel is hard and will not tarnish easy but, it also won't burn as easy due to vibration and electrical arching. Audiophiles love bass and normally strive for a very low end which will vibrate the crap out of everything. Until you have a system that puts out true good lows and very lows you are not going to notice it. Think a muscle car or big rig vibrating the ground. A commercial company will just have someone replace the outlet if it gets loose. A residential person is only going to want to pay once. Is it gimmicky yes but, it will last longer due to the coating. Would I buy one if I am replacing the outlet maybe. I am more likely to get the equivalent you listed and spend the extra money running an isolated ground from it to it's own grounding rod outside.
Dedicated ground is worth it, but not all that plating. I can't hear the difference with the copper and/or plated versions, but I and other family members in other houses have had grounding noise issues. So, the proper installation is more important than the contacts IMHO. Having said that, an outlet that indicates dedicated ground is not the same and a properly installed dedicated ground. Make sure you electrician is actually using dedicated ground and not just using the outlet to satisfy you.
For fun you should do a video on the $1000 audiophile Ethernet cable but please don’t buy it. It’s a “very special” cat 8 cable that gives you “better” sound.
After being a licensed electrician for over 30 years, I would never pay 50.00 dollars for a receptacle, and spec grade is plenty good for any home. And if you need a isolated ground for some reason just buy a hospital grade receptacle. And if you do not know what a isolated ground is google it up
I'm an audiophile too. I changed the outlet that connects to my stereo system. When I removed the wall plate and started to remove the old outlet it literally fell apart in my hands. Cheap contractor outlet. If you don't believe in better sound can be had with a better outlet that's okay but I think everyone can agree that a tight connection is a must for any appliance to operate properly. The other audiophile benefits are "gravy" to me.
So, the PS Audio (Hubbel) outlet is a 20A outlet. It is illegal under the NEC to install a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit. I also can just about guarantee that 99% of these 'audiophiles' are also not wiring isolated ground outlets correctly. If you need isolated ground (I mean, if your equipment needs special wiring and outlets to sound correct, its power supply circuit is inferior), the $6 Leviton outlet is going to do the same job and not violate NEC code.
I spend several years on message boards interacting with audiophiles and they ranged from being practical, frugal, and resourceful at one end of the spectrum to insane at the other end--and they would buy this.
I'm currently getting a BA for audio production and I can say that the amount of snake oil in the industry is laughable. any half decent receptacle does just fine for edison connectors, but most of our stuff on tour is IEC. while genuinely more expensive, IEC is locking and water resistant- both really important for us.
@@timramich because Edison Electric popularized it back in the day. Like Hoovering the floor. If you google Edison Connector it seems to be mainly stage hand lingo.
@@menhirmike It depends. There is surely some "audiophile" gear that is well designed, well built, and well worth the extra money. This receptacle is NOT in that domain!
I’m an audiophile, And I only believe in build quality 3 to 10 times fold. Absolutely right all the tinplating at the very end how does that make a difference? All I want is for the Electrical system to hammer proof, waterproof, and fireproof. At least 12 gauge solid wire or stranded 10 gauge wire stranded all in a steel pipe. And ‘ absolutely no voltage on the ground’. No ground loops. No snake oil. Just the integrity (build quality) of the system. I’ve been wondering about these recepsts for years, thanks for taking the time to show us all!
If I were an audiophile I would say it is worth at least $30 to get away from that red/orange outlet and go to a nice baby blue color.. Also, it has more obscure symbols and markings on it than the other outlets which surely show my good taste and technical superiority.
@Scott Luther Orange is the "at a glance" standard for Isolated Ground. But, you can get IG receptacles in about any other standard color (White, Almond, Ivory, Brown, Black, Red, Gray, maybe even Blue and Green) too. Isolated Ground receptacles are marked by the hollow triangle on the face, which is almost always orange when the receptacle itself isn't. Hospital grade receptacles do not have an "at a glance" color. The green dot on the face somewhere is what identifies those. You'll often find gray and red devices (switches and receptacles) in medical facilities. The red signifies that it's connected to a backup power supply, such as a generator.
No. Gold has a higher resistance than copper. They stay shiny longer though. Once you have inserted the plug, it has little effect, and those couple of microns will probably have been scraped away. Connectors on computer equipment have often been gold plated because they have to work first time after coming out of storage, and gold doesn't corrode.
Iso ground Hubbel heavy iso ground are exultant. The more important thing with the most impact on home audio/ visual improvement is to provide a dedicated Maines circuit. Even better 2. 1 for audio & 1 for video. I will add, conduit is king here. What your trying to do is eliminate RF interference and cross talk point to point. That includes using shielded power supply cords & camonat cables. (dissent ones will suffice. $30 on Amazon or Granger).
Using a high end Hubble socket with CAIG spray/coating on plug might give similar results (CAIG is an anti-corrosion chemical used for electronic circuitry). And having worked for a couple of audio manufacturers, I can verify some aspects of "audiophile" are highly subjective and variable (what sounds good to one audiophile may sound terrible to another).
Audiophile here. I'm also a physicist and a musician. For outlets, the most important factor is having a receptacle that can support heavy plugs with heavy wires. Your everyday commodity receptacle just isn't going to cut it. As to the snake oil potential...the reality is that using a specialized "audiophile' receptacle does not guarantee that you will hear any perceived difference on 99.999% of systems. This is mainly because most consumer grade products really just aren't that sensitive to minor changes in the system. One of the reason why high-end audio products ARE expensive is because they are generally way more sensitive than, say, and off-the-shelf receiver from your local Best Buy. The mark of a high-end system is that it is what we call "highly-resolving", meaning that the presentation is of a much higher quality. Most professional recording equipment doesn't even reach this standard, and that is evident by the preponderance of terrible recordings from well-known studios; that's just the truth. When it comes to expensive receptacles (>$250) or any receptacle for that matter, any change in a highly-resolving system CAN have some kind of noticeable change in how the system sounds. However, that change may not always be an improvement. There are a lot of capable scientists that work in the high-end audio industry, and many of them do make worthy contributions. But there are also a lot of things that are done in excess and epitomize the meaning of "diminishing returns". Most of the audio enthusiasts that I know are skeptical about throwing their money towards something that appears like snake oil, but in the end, the only thing we can trust are our ears. Is it possible that a more expensive power receptacle CAN make a difference? Sure. But the reality is that that money would probably be better served somewhere else in the system.
I've literally installed sound booths, and recording studios. Specs called for standard 20a receps. I fail to see how a receptacle like this could effect sound to the point where this would ever be worth the money. If for some reason you must have isolated ground, that won't drop the plug. Get a L5-15R PS. If you're going up the line in terms of complexity. Could we get you to do some explosion proof/hazardous location receps?
Countless audiophool products have no basis in science or reality. Unless the outlet is outright defective or worn to the point of introducing arc noise or other continuity fault, it won't make a measurable difference in audio quality.
after the electricity travels hundreds of kilometers through the transmission line, passes through the transformer and reaches your house, an audiophile socket and the last two meters of power cable will make a drastic difference. Certainly, I was with Armstrong on the moon, but I don't brag about not ending up in a madhouse
Personally, I do not think it is worth it at all. Having said that, I understand where the audiophiles were coming from. They are seeking perfection and every little bit helps. Even if things do not really help, mentally they do...to put things in perspective, for the RCA cables that are used to connect audio that come free with the audio equipment (or you can buy for about $5), audiophiles usually pay somewhere between $50 to $2000 for each cable - depending on how deep their pockets are. It is borderline insane. $50 receptacles are pretty cheap, relatively speaking :).
Their OCD has gone to their head, and they had so much that it now affects their ears. Purely designed to line the pockets, but for that price, the clueless think they get bragging rights.
In essence, this receptacle is designed to offer lower electromagnetic noise that have adverse effects of sensitive electronic equipment. You could easily do this by just using one receptacle instead of multiple. This prevents what’s known as ground looping and this is especially important when using copper connections. Fiber connections generally work better as their signals have to be reconstructed to a copper signal typically which helps reduce noise. And typically better equipment and wires do this. Spending $50 on a receptacle is fine if you only plan on using that receptacle as your power source for your AV equipment.
You simply pick the right sounding one and settle on that. In my experience (this is my job), even the cheapest RCA cables have sounded better than expensive ones. The key is the orientation. Flip the direction of the cable and listen to the music both ways. Pick the more realistic and laid back presentation. Now realize that effect is present on every single wire in your circuit from the power line, circuit breaker, Romex cable in your wall, etc... to the crossover wires in your speakers. Imagine how impacting that is when you get every wire in the right orientation. There's more to go still, and it all adds up. A pair of cables can make or break the whole system. The cable direction alone also can. I've witnessed so many times a pair of interconnects break the potential of numerous systems, flipped their direction and BAM, now you can crank it louder and not make people agitated. There's a lot of things going on with tone that even techs don't want to understand.
I'm somewhat of an audiophile, on a very limited budget. First, I'd say that buying specialty receptacles is closer to the end of the audiophile journey than the beginning. You're only doing that when you've gotten as far as you can get with the acoustics, and actual audio equipment. (Unless there was some reason the receptacle needed to be replaced anyway.) Personally, I don't think I'd blow $50 on the PS Audio version, but I might go for the $25 version without the special labels, since I'd only be using 1 or 2. For general purpose around the house, I usually go with the $2 "commercial grade" as well.
@@aayotechnology The Hubbell IG8300 that he does not show, but states the the PS Audio seems to be equivalent to. Listening again, he said he's found it as low as $26 online. It's a extra-heavy duty commercial, and possibly hospital grade. It sounds like the $50 PS Audio Power Port is a rebadged IG8300.
@@etschirm My choice would be Leviton 5352-E. Just as good and reliable as the overpriced Hubbell thing but without the unnecessary Isolated Ground and ridiculous Audio Grade marketing gimmick. It's also $9, though probably available cheaper elsewhere (e.g. eBay).
Even though the info in the videos are next to useless to me (different electrical standards, so different plugs, ...) I really love watching those more detailed analysis of the hardware. Keep up your great work :)
ALL YOU MUSIC AND VIDEO LOVERS regardless if you are an audiophile or not and the system one has determines the AC current draw needed. lets assume $3k system and you may be lucky and have one dedicated home-run for your system either on a 14 or 12 wire with the correct breaker. spend the additional money and get your self an APC pure sine wave out-put on 120 volt battery backup like some have for a PC but IT MUST BE PURE SINE WAVE and your system will preform both in audio and video as if it was 10 time more money pure sine
Před 3 lety+2
I would definitely NOT go with a power port classic receptacle. Commercial grade is good enough for me. I'd like to see more on what makes up an isolated ground circuit, though.
Depends, on your audio equipment digital or anlog, the power coming to building the quality of ground of build wiring, how are ground wire and other electric interference. Real question about that plug is insulation and placement.
I recently discovered your videos, thanks. I needed to replace two worn outlets and bought the $4 ones instead of the 49 cent ones! For what it's worth, it seems my phone is charging faster!
In modern times, only record players tend to have hum problems any more. Everything else is digital and the output stages inside the receiver or amplifier are already isolated. Digital audio is immune to electrical noise so as long as the output stage going to the speaker is good (which is the only analog component left), it just won't matter how noisy the input power is. The solution for a record player is usually pretty simple... if you get hum and are not grounded, try grounding. If you get hum and you are grounded, try removing the ground. If that is not sufficient then your remaining choices are (a) buy a player that runs off of DC instead of AC and get a nice isolated DC power supply or (b) run the player off of a battery (no connection to house wiring at all). No AC == no hum. -Matt
A good power source will reduce EMI/RFI and other electrical noise. Low contact resistance is very important in an AC source. Audiophile power cords (RF shielding) do reduce interference from outside sources. I use dedicated circuits for my A/V equipment. I pulled 10AWG wire for 20Amp circuits. This all helps to provide a quieter source of AC power. All electrical devices have a quieter, and more dynamic sound field. Background "hiss" is reduced to a "black background" and there is less RF modulation riding on all signals. Yes, analog and Digital. Digital lives in an Analog world! PS: you'll need good equipment to realize this. Happy Listening...
Just for clarity neither of the outlets uses copper for the connection, it is brass, copper would be way too soft and deform easily. As for sound quality, my 2 centavos is that a good Hubbel is great, yet the secret sauce outlet is an MRI outlet. Supposedly, because it does not use a steel (magnetic) strap on the back. All I know it the $30 or so MRI outlets I have sound best. Have I tried $100 + outlets, nope, since guy I trust says they are not really any better.
Everybody knows the angry little pixies only dance properly on their way through the device to your listening holes if they first come out of $50 worth of extremely special, totally not ordinary metal and plastic!!! 😂🤣
As an audiophile myself. I want to make this clear. One extreme an audiophile will take to obtain the cleanest, purist, quiet AC signal. Is to run a dedicated 15 or 20 amp line to their stereo or home theater system. To were their system is the only thing on the circuit. So what you need to do is ask yourself if you are willing or able to do such a thing. If the answer is no. Then the answer is no. You don't even need the 50 dollar outlet. Without a dedicated line. You will be defeating the purpose of the 50 dollar outlet. The 6 dollar outlet is the most extreme most need to go. But in most cases the 2 dollar commercial grade outlet will be just fine. Please stay away from the 50 cent residential grade outlet!
Good to know! I'm not an audiophile but as a DIYer I wouldn't call installing a dedicated circuit for a piece of equipment all that extreme. I'm a computer enthusiast and I installed a dedicated 20 amp circuit for my computer setup to ensure the cleanest possible power delivery to help with overclocking stability but I sure as hell didn't spend $50 on an outlet, I spent $6 on a Hubbell industrial grade outlet at Lowe's. Whether the dedicated circuit helped or not I have no idea but it didn't cost much since I already had Romex so why not.
@@averyalexander2303 I installed a subpanel and then _two_ 15 amp (if I remember correctly) circuits for my computers. The second circuit was dedicated to the laser/LED printer.
If I was wiring a yacht and I was going to be on call for failures, the PS Audio ones where the owner might actually use them or be inconvenienced by their failure. But a hubbell hospital grade is good enough for everything else.
The price point of audiophile stuff only makes a difference and only matters when the audiophile buys it with their own money. No audiophile can tell the difference between a $10 audio cable and a $500 one in a blind test. And absolutely none would know the difference between a $2 receptacle and a $50 one, LOL. It's the "Emperor Has No Clothes" routine.
Years ago, Coke dropped their recipe in favor of the New Coke. Some guy is reported to have spent $50,ooo (back when that bought a really, really nice house), and in a blind test he couldn't pick out the Coke from the Pepsi, let alone the 2 different Cokes. I still like Coke better than Pepsi. This is the same difference. If you pour snake oil into your engine, you'll swear it now has eleventeen more horsepowers. Bias, pure and simple. Like @Sans Handlebars says, in a blind test, no one can tell the difference, because this IS none.
an outfit did a blind test with monster cables... and some plain steel coat hangers. the hangers won. consumerist.com/2008/03/03/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables/ there's another instance of an audio mag doing the same thing with several different brands of audio wires... and again, plain steel coat hangers. can't seem to locate that one though. hangers still won. its all psychosomatic. certain materials are better due to resistance thereof, but from an audio quality standpoint from amplifier output to speaker itself? as long as it isn't picking up noise, the material is largely irrelevant, so long as there's enough to handle the current.
Not according to AudioQuest HDMI cables. Go look up their lineup, they have grades from Chocolate to Diamond series that cost over 1500.00 for one 3-5ft HDMI cable. I'm an EE and a stereo guy and I laugh my ass off every time I hear someone talking about getting one of those. It's frickin digital people. Binary. It either gets there or it doesn't. There is no quality difference in that and a decent walmart HDMI cable. I also love the 2 gauge custom wrapped speaker cables from companies like Moon Audio or Cardas Clear Beyond Speaker Cable that cost 8000.00 for 2 meters. hahahahahahhaha.
@@jamescole6846 they used to hit the 30k+ mark on amazon. i don't see any of their older products listed on there anymore. a couple of IEC sonnector power cables get close to 15k, but that's about it. seems they learned that the suckers aren't quite _that_ stupid. to anyone else; the IEC connectors themselves can be had for around $13/each in 'audiophile' grade (24/pr), a decent 12-14awg extension cord of your length choice and boom, sub 50 bucks and you have an 'audiophile' power cord. toss in a few more for woven wire sheathing and you probably couldn't tell the difference from an audioquest, beyond the clear part of the IEC. for comparison, a tripp lite 15A iec C13 (like on most computer power supplies) cord in 14awg runs about $8, and will do the job just fine. the 20A variant is 12awg and uses different end connectors, and they don't make as many of them and that drives the price up. figure somewhere around ~$30. still not really breaking the bank for most people who are buying higher end gear (say, regular studio grade stuff, like my setup is). me? my main input/output device is literally plugged into a furman m-8x by a ~1ft regular old 14awg IEC c13 power cable. no fuss, no muss. my XLR cables are cheap chinese connectors (not bottom of the barrel, but not ridiculously expensive since i'm not swapping them all the time) with moderately okay bulk cable, and they work just fine. tossed some chokes on one end of each for good measure and called it a day. for most of my volume control arc (to about 56%), my setup is silent, and the only noise i get is the noise floor in the eq (my monitors are silent at 100% with nothing plugged in), which i'm looking into replacing with something a bit quieter. there's nothing special in my setup besides the furman, and it doesn't really do all that much. for most people, a step or two up from absolute bottom will usually work fine, so long as it looks like it's decent enough. for instance, i wouldn't trust anything to a $1 iec power cable unless it was old stock from back in the day and came from one of the known brands products (an old brand name monitor or computer or printer or similar) as an accessory, but $8 is plenty to get you something decent from newer stuff. almost 15k is idiot tax territory. heck, more than $15 for an iec cable is idiot tax area, don't be an idiot.
I grew up in Rhode Island and Levington was a major employer. First, you are pronouncing it wrong. Everyone in RI said "Levingtin" even though it spelt Levington. Second, I worked for NCR in the mid '70s programing, installing and training on the first electronic registers. The wiring called for "insulated" isolated ground. The ground wire had green insulation and had to go all the way back to the breaker box for each plug. The plugs were orange, but I don't know if they were hospital grade at the time, if even there was such a thing back then.
you're plugging into the 120 give or take volts coming out of a transformer in your neighborhood. If you want to split hairs then they ought to be hard wiring the stereo into the wall.
A $50.00 receptacle is peanuts in the high-end audiophile arena. I see power cables and interconnects in magazines priced at over $10,000. Speaker cables for over $15,000.00. $50.00 is a bargain.
PS Audio is a good brand and does not push their products like they are the only option. That said they do make several components that manage/clean the power for “audiophile” grade components. Those components can accept power cords that can easily cost many thousands of dollars each and UP and are quite thick/heavy. It’s also common for those people to have dedicated power lines run in their house just for audio components looking for clean power. So an item like this just helps complete the chain in something that can easily reach the cost of a house and UP just for music playback.
Stop shaking and moving the thing around when comparing. Set 'em down, side-by-side, and let us take a moment to visually compare the innards. (still, love your instructional fortitude!)
LOL! Thank you for "delving" into the crazy audiophile world on this one. As an audiophile, I have a real problem with hyped equipment that would make me choose between monthly necessities and supposed "overbuilt" equipment. Thanks to your expert (and more sane) comparisons, looking into the Hubbell to itch that scratch. Probably still overkill, but more than good enough.
I seriously doubt that the spring contacts that actually grip the prongs of the plug could be high purity copper in any of these hospital grade outlets. As far as I know, copper cannot be relied upon to retain it's spring tension after repeated plugging and unplugging. Maybe some of the other parts are high purity copper like the clamping pad for the wire.
As an audio enthusiast, I was a bit appalled at the flimsy “cheap” outlets and light switches in my apartment. The outlets had very light grade metal with mediocre grip and the stab in wiring. I bought some heavier duty - by inspection outlets at Home Depot. It seemed like the circuit of outlets could be improved with more robust outlets? Common sense? I bought some 20amp basic outlets to beef up my audio outlets with. Grip is much improved, and intuitively it seems like the gauge of the wall wiring is better matched with the pass through gauge of outlet internals? Light Switches, a few of these shorted out, and seem dangerously cheap...
The wiring in the wall determines the maximum current which is generally 15A unless otherwise noted. Not sure I understand why you bought the 20A outlets?
@@michaellacaria910 If you go down to your local home depot or watch more of the videos on outlets, compare $0.50 ( which is what were in my walls ) outlets to heavy duty or commercial or 20 amp, and the differences will be pretty obvious. While technically it's true 15 amp for 15 amp, the difference in internals is substantial moving up in quality. As I said in the first post, the grip is like 10x or more, all the metal bits are thicker. You have the option to use a screw based connection on either side vs a stab with a flimsy flap... It seems to me that cheap $0.50 outlets would be a weak link in a circuit especially for audio. I wouldn't attempt to run 20 amp equipment of course, just like the higher grade outlets for reasonable money.
@@ScottoGrotto I see your logic now, and I see your caveat that you wouldn’t plug in 20A equipment, but, respectfully, by code, if the plug is 20A it means you can. I know it’s your house and you know, but if you ever move I’m sure you see the potential problem this can cause.
As a collector and lover of outlets from around the world, I would NOT buy a so called Audiophile outlet for those inflated prices! MOST audiophile receptacles are actually made in JAPAN and are slightly modified versions of commercial grade Japanese made receptacles by American Denki, Meikosha, Jimbo Electric, and Panasonic Electric. The way to tell the receptacle is JAPANESE is that it only has ONE live, ONE neutral and ONE ground terminal screw. There are SOME Japanese made receptacles that have the 2 screw terminals per side but usually the terminals DO NOT have the break off tabs for making the receptacles switched receptacles like in the USA. So just on the IMPORT value factor, those Audiophile receptacles are already inflated in price due to being sourced from Asia rather than your local electric supply house in downtown USA. Now the USA made/sourced audiophile receptacles I am seeing lately like the one you feature here, ARE USA sourced and are only slightly modified(IF AT ALL), commercial grade, spec grade or Hospital grade(ding ding ding ding..chaching!)receptacles from the higher end brands like HUBBELL, BRYANT, and P&S. There are some, that I recognize the face as LEVITON(low end and higher end commercial grade), and Eagle(Cooper/Eaton). ALOT of knock off brands are used as well that come from Mainland CHINA that have a face like Hubbell or Leviton or Cooper, but are NOT made in the USA and have very inferior components as expected from Cheap Chinese made products. The nickle plating is for corrosion resistance? Buy a Yellow Corrosion resistant Hubbell, or Bryant or OLDER Leviton, receptacle! Want isolated ground too? Those brands have you covered. The highest price in a supply house I have seen so far for ONE receptacle is the HUBBELL 5352IGTR isolated ground tamper resistant duplex orange receptacle for $33 each back in 2019. MOST of these higher end receptacles HAVE corrosion resistance, isolated ground, and hospital grade level features all incorporated in them, but you have to KNOW what you are seeing. I have a set of older(1980s) Leviton hospital grade, YELLOW face, corrosion resistant, isolated ground receptacles that are rare as heck. Those cost me a few bucks now, and they are the same or darn close to the Audiophile receptacle for $50. Audiophile sockets are just another money racket.
I would be very interested to see you take impedance measurements from the input connections on the receptacle to the output connections of an IEC Power cable that was plugged into each of those types of receptacles… To see what the complex impedance was for each. I have a feeling it any relevant frequency to US AC power that it would be irrelevant the difference.
It's only worth it if you have a highly resolving system. That means a system where you are hearing the slightest nuances of the Music. These are high-end systems that usually cost a lot of money. Believe it or not, something as simple as an electrical outlet switch (swap) can have a slight effect on the sound. It's like, if you have already spent this much money on high-quality components, why would you want a cheap link in your chain so the speak. Not necessary for most people though. I personally chose a Leviton 5262.
I'm thinking it has some type of noise suppression type of electronics in it? Maybe some type of shielding or noise suppression coil? I dont see anything like that. If it doesn't have anything like that then the lesser grade recepticle would be just fine
Hey Will, yeah I didn't see anything like that. From the best of my knowledge the biggest difference is the "15 coat nickel plating." Which I don't think will do anything for the Audio setup. Thanks for the feedback!
No. It's just a regular better-than-Residential grade outlet with isolated ground configuration and some fancy after-marker graphics on the face. Do not buy into this marketing buzz. It's a waste of money. Spend your money on better equipment!!
I am an die hearted audiophile enthusiast and I have learned 1 very important trick. I use studio quality along with some reputable audiophile companies. If PS Audio doesn't make the plug then don't buy it.
I like my audio equipment which is OK quality stuff but I'm not going to spend $50.00 on an outlet. I just don't see how it's going to make a difference. If I was changing the outlet for my electronics, I'd just go with an orange one since it's overall good quality and affordable. Of course Hubbell is a good name brand and make good stuff but I see no reason to spend the extra money in an everyday situation but If you have professional stuff that is crazy expensive then OK go with Hubbell.
I have no basis for disagreeing with the assertion that the PS Audio receptacle is no better than the $6 Leviton. For my home audio/video set-up I bought the nicest one they had at the store - about $8 if I remember correctly. That said, lets also remember that the PS Audio receptacle is basically a Hubbell IG 8300 which seems like you could buy for as low as $26, but is for example sold by Grainger for $55. Grainger's not selling them to Audiophiles. Sooooo . . . there are other places/people/devices that apparently seem to want/require a $55 receptacle. Are they all "nuts" as well or does it make a difference. I can't say yes, but I also can condemn. In the grand scheme of things, a single $50 receptacle is hardly "crazy" compared to the kind of money that can be spent on a truly high end set-up.
So an isolated ground receptacle absolutely must be wired into the box with a specialized configuration, or can it still be wired as if it were a standard ground configuration (white to white, black to black, ground to ground screw on side)? PS audio's instructions just say to wire it "conventionally" www.psaudio.com/ps-how/how-to-install-a-power-port-ac-receptacle/ Is this then an unsafe installation since the PS power port is an isolated ground? I'm still just going to get a Hubbell!
I didn't check the link, but as long as the ground wire into the box is connected to the box (if metal) and the receptacle, it should be okay. If the box is plastic, then the screw that holds the cover on the receptacle will _not_ be grounded as it's only electrically connected to the mounting strap. On an isolated ground receptacle, the ground screw only goes to the ground pins on the outlet(s). To ensure that an IG receptacle in a plastic box has the mounting strap and plate screw grounded, you'd need to make a ground wire connection to one of the mounting screws ... which is getting a bit away from Code. "Conventional" wiring for an Isolate Ground receptacle is pointless because it's not Isolated Ground. You're wasting money on a fancier receptacle that you don't need.
No good explanation for coating with nickel except that it improves durability but the issue is the nickel impacts the sound and it's not recommended so why do they do this so please someone explain
I think what you are missing in your video to justify the cost of the PS AUDIO is to put out howmuch it cost to change the production to accomodate the 15 coats of nickel, extra labor and smaller batch of production. Another is know howmuch hi purity copper compared to cheap recycled copper. There will be parts in this outlet that is specifically made for it that is not in the production line. People like to rant and do not know the cost of making the product and running a business.
The point of isolated ground is so that noise from _equipment ground_ doesn't interfere with audio equipment. I myself, have never had the problem, but I'm not an audiophile. I suppose in theory you would only want to directly connect to _system ground_ if your audio gear was so sensitive. I would only spend money on a Leviton Isolated Ground receptacle. I assume most audiophiles have climate control for their homes to protect their equipment, the added corrosion resistance is a bit redundant. Sure, this probably cost less than 50USD to make, but the search for perfection never ends for some.
What you should also do is a feature on audiophile power strips which sell for stupidly huge sums and compare those to high quality commercial grade power strips.
maybe not 50, but the psaudio actually seemed nice... at least not some cookie cutter thing...? You could visibly see the others were less beefy, and just raw tarnished copper.
The green dot depicts hospital grade and passes contact retention tests in excess of lesser grade listed electrical devices. Additional plating offers greater protection from corrosion. How it may effect it in any other way is not my call. The fact of it’s listed state is the subject of passing tests for it’s rating. It only stands to reason if a plug or receptacle that enhances contact by greater retention and contact area is going to provide a more positive contact of that power. It however is not going to enhance or change any influence that noise on that power line, circuit feed from the grid will influence that gear. There are those who believe noise has no influence past the internal power supply of a given piece of gear. That is the subject up for debate. Digital equipment is by it’s nature subject to power quality issues. How much is another matter. I am bound by compliance to the Code as a licensed electrician. My license is governed and defined by that Code, NFPA 70 generally, also 70E and any others that may apply to that job. Listed components meet a specification determined by UL listing and has well defined terms! Compliance is defined as shall or shall not, will or will not and are hard definitions as under these terms, no deviation is tolerated. Whether something is worth a price is one thing, whether or not it meets a specification is determined by UL or other competent authority or Code, regulation, state or local provision as these things apply with what force is defined by them in their wording.
$50.00 Dollars seems ridiculous for duplex receptacle; just because an individual installs an IG receptacle does not make it isolated. The ground needs to be isolated in the panel and grounded properly (The biggest section in the NEC book!). Bottom line if the ground in the panel is shared with anything with a motor (I.e. refrigerator, dishwasher even a TV) some ground noise will occur, so there will be some fluctuations in the electrical signal. If a $50.00 receptacle makes your system sound better to you, maybe its worth it...
Since the design and materials for an outlet are determined by NEMA and the NEC ,I dont think its even possible to design a "high quality" outlet. I'd feel sorry for the "Audiophiles" if it wasn't for the fact that they practically beg to be taken advantage of like this. Most of them are trying to convince people they have "studio grade equipment" when all they have is $2,000 set up they spent $15,000 on. They actually see a high price as something to brag about. My sound system is two Guitar amps and a Bass amp that I got at a pawn shop and then impedence matched to my TV. At first I had some trouble with "ground loops" but it only took about $10 worth of diodes and resistors to clean it up. It sounds great,looks cool and it only cost me about $500.
I've seen "audiophile" grade receptacles for over $100 - high purity gold plated terminals, etc. I think what these companies are taking advantage of is that so-called audiophiles tend to get hyper-focused on details. There are miles of aluminum wire feeding the hi-fi system going through multiple transformers and meters, with harmonics introduced from neighboring customers all affecting the quality of the power getting to the sound equipment, but somehow a $50 or $100 receptacle is going to fix all that?!? The $50,000 amplifier should have enough filtering circuitry in it to deal with that anyway, so a good quality receptacle is more than enough. Very similar to the people spending $3,500 on a coffee grinder for their espressos. They need to get out more often and watch the sun rise or set and just enjoy life a bit more...
Have you ever listened to High-end audio receptacle before making a judgement. I do have both hospital grade and high-end audio receptacle (Furutech NCF GTX-D) both on 20A circuit in same room. Without doubt the Furutech sounds way better. On the contrary if you don't have high-end audio gear than you won't hear any difference.
@@arshadmalik6869 I'm sure there's a difference for you, but i don't think anyone else will hear it since they didn't spend the money. If you could pass a blind listening test ten times in a row between that receptacle and it's branded counterpart, i would be truly amazed.
There is a TON of snake oil in audiophile gear. As far as power goes, really all you need is a good power conditioner for any analog equipment. Good digital equipment wont really benefit from power conditioning unless it has analog outs. Then, only maybe. The only thing a power plug needs to do is, as you said, securely hold the plug and be rated for the voltage and amps running through it. From that point on it's all down to the other components in the stack.
You can't appreciate what an "audiophile" sound system sounds like until you compare it with what you listen to music on. If your standard is a live concert, preferable full symphony orchestra, getting as close to that sound is worth spending more money on. The power outlet will, in my opinion, make no difference since it is not the weakest link in an audio system. Mainly because the path the atoms take to get into your equipment is not high quality, it's only as good as it needs to be. Electrician probably did a sloppy job wiring your place to. Including using the holes on the back of outlet instead of the screws. So spending a lot of money for the last few feet, makes no sense to me. I'm a service tech in an audiophile shipment store. My speakers probable cost more than two average complete audio systems. And the sound is thrilling.
I'm an audio engineer and I cant see myself ever needing anything better than that $6 outlet. However, I'm perfectly content using a $2 outlet with a power conditioner if necessary
I spent $55 on a hospital grade GFCI AFCI receptacle a couple years ago. I bought it more out of curiosity to see how good a hospital grade outlet is, and I got to say it’s amazing. Still grips like new, despite being constantly plugged and unplugged with high current loads.
I guess nothing to do with sound and picture quality
@@jackryder6732 it does not effect sound or video quality.
The nickel plating will prevent contacts from being tarnished such as brass and copper do
Wow! Another simple video that lights up a firestorm! I'll remember this for a topic of conversation when 3 electricians walk into a bar...
Oh yeah, a few beers and bringing up the topic of a $50 receptacle would make for hours of conversation.
I have come to the inescapable conclusion that most "audiophiles" are completely out of their minds. Kudos to you for spending that kind of money just to show us what was inside. For that kind of money, I was hoping to see some suppression caps or some other gimmick to make it "audiophile" grade as opposed to $8 worth of receptacle with $42 worth of silk screening and marketing wank.
Thanks as always!
That is nothing considering they can put over a grand on just speaker cables .... I take it back, it is over ten grand.
www.amazon.com/DH-Revelation-SP-speaker-cables-bi-wire/dp/B00VS63E3A
"Only 4 left in stock - order soon." Yeah, I'll take all four.
you haven't see zeos pantera of z reviews. and most audiophiles like that. they are neither stupid enough to pay for this junk nor are they concerned that concerned about the connection from the outlet to their device. A power conditioner is always going to be a better option if you are getting noise from bad dirty power. and power conditioners are used all over the place from servers to audio to medical. the only time an audiophile will be concerned about the connection is if the plug is the actual issue, and then they more often then not are going to just buy a decent quality 15/20amp plug. i only see the stupid of the stupid buying this junk.
@@okaro6595 every audio focused youtuber will tell you those cables are scams. every audio professional will tell you those cables are scams, hell every audiophile that actually knows something and isn't a fucking sheep is going to tell you those cables are scams. there is a difference between high quality and moronic junk. you don't need silver or gold cables for your "audio" experience. it's more a flex to say you have absurd amounts of disposable income then actually benefiting you.
@@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks yep my thing is more copper is better then a bit of 24 K gold at the end and to that end I use 10 awg cable for a 5 foot speaker run A its what I had on hand and B I thought 8 awg was just over the top but their is notable change as compared to 14 awg for the same run is huge no but still worth using the 10 awg
Well said sir! A real audiophile class receptacle WILL have ELECTRONICS inside to suppress over voltages,filter out line noise/ac hum, and yes, be isolated ground, and the metal components would actually be more pure metals like copper, brass, and GOLD or SILVER with nickle plating. Stainless steel yoke(mounting bracket)or bronze bracket as with the OLDER Leviton/Hubbell hospital grade sockets. Yeah this audiophile receptacles I have seen as of the mid 2000s to now, are a gimmick.
I’ve used hospital grade plugs and receptacles for this purpose for years with no complaints. It’s an extremist hobby and lots of marketing hype. The key to using hospital grade is the grip that it has. That positive contact is paramount to those guys. I’d run 10/3 from the box on all dedicated runs for gear. Most electricians aren’t going that far. I’m a specialist and I handle this type clientele. They pay for it and they get it. Both for mains and low voltage work. If you got the bucks, you can have it also! Stay safe mates!😊👍🏻😷
I get why you would oversize the wires to 10 AWG, but what is the extra conductor for? (10/3) Is that for a second isolated ground? I'm just trying to learn. I don't know how you would wire an isolated ground.
@@MarkLawry, let me clarify if you please. 10 gauge. Hot, neutral and ground, three conductor standard. Nothing fancy, straight up unless it uses an isolated ground, then 10/4c. One red, one black, one white and one green usually! Depends on manufacturer. 10/3c is white, black and green. Neutral, hot and ground! Okay, good now? The red is taped with a double green stripe to designate isolated ground. The green tape is used to designate grounded conductors. Use of two rings of green tape designates that it is an isolated ground conductor rather than a single green tape ring designates it as just a standard grounded conductor. The colors designated are black for hot, white for neutral, green or bare copper for the grounded conductor. This is standard 3 conductor circuit. On an isolated ground circuit there are 4 conductors. A hot which is black, a neutral which is white, a grounded conductor which is green and the other wire is to be marked with two rings of green tape on both ends as a designated isolated ground which goes to it’s separate grounding bar. The code is clear on this. The two green ring identifier is not code specific. This is an installation decision and marked on the plans and labeled at the service panel on both ends. Green is the code color for the grounded conductor. By designating the two green rings as an isolated ground on the plans and at the service panel by labeling. You are satisfying the Code enforcement that you care enough to do your job the right way because he/she will be checking you out. Your license bares the Code enforcement’s scrutiny because they are the Authority Having Jurisdiction. This is a permitted job to the Code being enforced per the State’s acceptance at the time the permit and the date of final passed inspection. There is no other way. The individual who pulls the permit is the duly licensed electrician with his/her paperwork and is responsible for the work. You work without a license, that’s on you. Not all states have the same rules. It is up to each individual State to so indicate by ruling. I am a duly licensed electrician in my state. Held license since 2003. Worked under other licenses when I had none. NFPA 70 is the electrical Code. It is the Law of Electricians Practice. You are bound to it’s adherence. Your work is scrutinized by Code enforcement in your State for the current State accepted standard at the time designated for your pulled permit. Any job that hasn’t had a properly pulled permit, is still subject to the State accepted Code book at the time it was done. Unqualified, unlicensed people fall under additional scrutiny. That is not my call. Only qualified persons have a license. No license, not qualified, not tested and passed per your State’s Code enforcement governed test. That’s not smart. If you do electrical work, you better have a licensed electrician check it out to evaluate it. Not doing so is not advised. Competent qualified licensed electrical worker is your best bet. I do not endorse doing work you are not licensed to do and therefore unqualified for. That creates a situation I am not in position to call. That is a Code enforcement issue subject to the Code book accepted by the State at the time. Your call. Not mine! It is about safety, your safety. That is my call and I am responsible. I care. I’m licensed!
@@Hondaguru1122, Mr Tommy, I can tell you that you would be square and then you get a nasty gram for violating some obscure rule. Homeowners are allowed in certain venues to do their own work. Just don’t make it an event. Okay. Hope I don’t get my license pulled for it!
@@markphilpot4981 Thank you, sir!
@@MarkLawry Mr. Mark, the problem stems from unlicensed people doing work. the gov is kind of concerned. safety is not to be compromised. they get upset. it is a licensed trade and therefore subject to governmental scrutiny. whether a choice of size of conductor or number of the same is chosen for any given circuit, that circuit is still subject to the code. this horse is taking an unprecedented beating. diy has it's place. unlicensed people can still work under a licensed person. supervision of electrical work is expected by the gov. rules of allowance must be followed per the state's guidelines.that's as plain as i can make it. hope it is clear as i don't want anyone confused.
Thanks for doing the cut-aways of the electrical switches and outlets.
PowerPort Classic: A lot of money for an outlet. This outlet costs more because it has so many layers of nickel plating and its low production volume.
In aerospace, we do have connectors that have more than one layer of gold plating to help the connector to survive the high vibration environments (aircraft/helicopters). The connectors allow a layer of gold plating to wear through while still having a gold layer to make good contact.
The PowerPort Classic is used in the home, a low vibration environment. The comments about the improved audio performance were lacking details. For example, did the isolated ground help? Did cleaning connections help? There were no measurements to show the difference. Need to do a double blind test with multiple outlets and ground configurations to know what is going on and why.
For most systems, making sure that the stereo has its own dedicated 20 amp circuit provides the biggest bang for the buck. Most of us, can’t hear the difference an outlet could make.
Industry Engineer: Your viewers might like to hear from an engineer from one of the big electrical component companies to talk about the differences between grades of outlets and switches. The engineer should talk about things at an industry level - not bash the competitors.
The engineer could also discuss the effect of volume on design. For example, the residential grade should have a much higher unit volume compared to the spec and higher grades. The residential grade would have the volume to make it economical to have its own tooling to save money. I suspect that the spec grade housing is used in higher grades to make the cost of the tooling (tooling is expensive).
Most of us buy the brand that is available at our local store. Hubbell is normally available at a supply house or on line - the big box stores don’t normally carry Hubbell because of the higher cost. Hubbell makes some good stuff - Hubbell is one of the few companies that makes a spec grade 15 amp decora outlet.
Audiophile grade is a lot like gamer, marine, or RV grade; a few letters drives the cost up.
Only difference is that marine-grade actually matters in a salt water environment.
@@dodgeplow And don't I know IT! In Puerto Rico in the beach side town of Luquillo, I had constant trouble with receptacles and light sockets due to salt water and salt air. But using Marine grade receptacles and lighting in houses and apartments there would be too expensive for the average Puerto Rican so we just had to fight with the corrosion of the electrics and electronics lol!. Thank GOD for EBAY though!! I can buy all the right stuff cheap now.. Now if only I could marine grade my computers and musical keyboards....
Audiophile AC Receptacles DO make a difference in both power quality & sound - here are some measurements using an EXTech model# CT70 AC Circuit load tester - the standard AC Outlet I just replaced in a 60yr old home (not on a dedicated circuit) had an ASCC (measurement of Dynamic Instantaneous current) of 0.29KA ( KiloAmps N-G) - the Voltage Drop on that circuit was 113.2V with a 7.2% on 15A Just replacing this ONE outlet with a Custom OEM Hubble (model SR-Z1 from Shunyata Research) ASCC went up to 0.35KA and Voltage drop to 114.1V or 6.1% Peak voltage test when from 169V to 173V - sound was MUCH Better...especially low frequencies .. even from the PS Audio in this video.. The OEM outlet had been cryogenically treated, triple wipe solid brass, extra space inside for heat dispensation & designed for high current though low impedance . Now is it worth $99 ? we are talking ONE outlet in your home.. NOT all of them.. obviously it would be better to run a dedicated Circuit but that requires hiring an electrician, permits etc when just replacing an outlet makes a difference..... Power Amps also need high ASCC to perform well 1.17KA is good) a cheap 14AWG Power cord lowers ASCC to 0.59KA some Audiophile power cords of the same AWG are 1.01KA they also have noise filters that reduce electromagnetic signal polarization & reduces common-mode noise by up to 12dB at 1 MHz - so can you HEAR the difference between a PS Audio or Hospital grade outlet.. yes I can.. & it can be measured..
Bullshit.
I am not an audio person, so I would buy the $2.00 outlet. But putting all of that aside, it is most important in the way the outlet is wired. In order to get a very secure electrical connection, “pigtail” each outlet rather than relying on the 4 screw method. “Push in” or “back stabbing” an outlet can create a weak point in the electrical connection especial when using a heavy electrical load such as an electric iron or vacuum. It can also cause electrical failure in the future for that outlet or other electrical outlets downstream. GFCI where they enter the back of the device and use the screw “plate squeeze method” are also good as they provide a good, secure electrical connection.
I actually use the PS Audio receptacles. In terms of audiophile costs, $50 is pretty cheap. I have three dedicated 20 amp lines, two for amplifiers and one for the stuff that doesn’t draw much current. Another commenter is absolutely correct about using the receptacle without a corresponding dedicated line from the panel; much more bang for the buck to run a dedicated line. It’s not a hobby that everyone can enjoy; you need to be able to hear very well and spend some time training your brain to notice subtle audible changes, which comes from listening to familiar recordings. I've been told that I have "golden ears." I can hear the difference between AIFF & FLAC and S/PDIF & HDMI. FLAC has meatier low bass & AIFF is more natural in the upper mids & and has a more convincing soundstage. HDMI is too edgy and hurts my ears.
Thanks for the video, very informative.
Hey man what amps do ya have hooked up to those dedicated circuits? I’m guessing they are Class A and need lots of amperage lol
@@amglife7386 I concur to your observation. I have Furutech NCF outlets on 4 dedicated 30A circuits on 10GA romex (yes its 30A not 20A) and it sounds way better than hospital Grade outlets I previously had. I guess people with low to mid fi system won't hear the difference and that's where most people have complaints. Also there are people making judgment calls without even trying it🙄. Especially on audio power products and I can clear hear a different between generic power cord vs audiophile power cord.
I installed 4 dedicated circuits on a line power conditioning device with isolated grounds, after the dedicated surge device we installed in the garage! This was for a friend of mine and was mostly installed to protect his expensive equipment as he worked from home making commercial jingles for the audio industry. (Who knew) Everything was fine but he called me a few weeks later saying, every now and again some of the recordings would have noise, came to find out his wife was plugging the vacuum into one of the new spare “handy sockets” by his desk! Didn’t notice as he wore headphones when working! So we added one more socket in the hall to keep the Mrs very happy! Only used $6 sockets, but I was taught to use pigtails to each socket and not let the socket be the path to the next socket in line.
I personally would go with Hubbell; I frequently buy their stuff when quality is important. Much of the “audiophile” stuff (cables and cords) is in my opinion as electronics engineer mostly snake oil. To my ears a basic Belden $10 power cord sounds the same as a $250 power cord made from special braided high-purity unobtanium. But many “high end” audiophiles claim to hear a difference. By the way, PS Audio and is a excellent and well regarded company in the audio field.
The new Sanchezium cables are where it's really at! 😀
Snake oil comes in many forms. What is not snake oil is equipment which reacts to noise occurring on a given line feed by a grid and subject to it’s influence of this noise. There are such pieces of equipment such that they are susceptible to disturbances influenced on that line as it comes into your service. Anyone who believes all power that comes into their place is free from electrical noise on a power line is living in delusion. Power quality studies are full of this. This is a reality not fantasy. Whether a power supply in any given piece of equipment is capable of filtering out this noise is subject to scrutiny. Not an opinion, fact. Unless your equipment can or cannot do this as it effects the performance aspects of it’s operation. By utilizing such products and or methods of dealing with it or not is clearly up to an individual’s own concerns. Use of unlisted items to convey electrical power is simply not advisable. Past the termination point, the receptacle, it is a matter for the client to have responsibility. Use of dedicated circuits is up to decisions made and plans passed by competent authority. Whether you wish to believe or not believe in a product is your call. The fact is there is noise on lines and it can effect product performance if, and only if it has a power supply that is incapable of handling that noise. What frequency it is and what level that noise is influencing that line may be felt inside that piece of equipment. That equipment is designed to operate without any additional help from say a filtration system post termination point, the receptacle it is hooked up to. Does all equipment qualify as meeting this requirement. That is a subject for discussion. There are such things as voltage spikes, hash and other noise elements on any given power grid at any time. Not opinion, fact. How a piece of equipment reacts is of course subject to the filtration in that equipment’s power supply as it is subjected to that noise element. Addressing that acceptance is up to the individual owner. High end is about performance. Not addressing this is a matter of choice. The ones who believe their gear can avoid it, don’t concede to the reality that it may not. I am not an engineer. I am a licensed electrician, that does not mean I know it all. There is noise on any given grid back feeding into to any given power line feeding any service. Power quality is paramount to the performance of any gear serviced by that line. If it is particularly noisy, some equipment may not find that level of noise acceptable and will react based on that and in an unfavorable way. Digital equipment is particularly susceptible to noise on the power line. This is addressed by filtration devices, surge protection, UPS and additional elements. You can say it can handle it, but that is not the last say. Some equipment is not designed to handle it. We could go on over this and it won’t change anything. Power quality matters in high end and any gear designed for that purpose. To delude yourself into thinking it can’t be an influence on a piece of gear is delusion itself. You’ll have to convince me it can’t and be able to back that with facts not opinions. I’ve worked on various equipment and machines. I’ve seen and heard the effects of that equipment reacting to noise elements on the lines feed by those circuits. I’m not saying that it applies to all, that is equally ludicrous. I do not condone using unlisted equipment. That’s unsafe! Using a power wire feeding a piece of equipment that is unlisted is accepting liability for the use of that unlisted device or wire product. A power wire cannot enhance a piece of gear. An underrated power wire can adversely effect equipment performance by limiting that equipment’s current needs and is unsafe. A high dollar cable is not a bandaid for system performance. That must be addressed farther up the chain of power delivery. Dedicated circuits are not isolated from grid and it’s noise products. Poor connections can be an issue. Use of hospital grade or other listed products address the positive retention of plugs and receptacles and offer reduced issues which influence them by offering greater contact surface and reduced influence from any lack of that contact. Better products have no effect on performance, really? I’m sorry, that airplane won’t fly. Whether or not the internal power supply is capable of not being influenced by noise on it is a matter from the design of it. That’s an engineer’s territory. I’m willing to listen. You may convince me. Convincing an obsessed and neurotic audiophile is another matter. That’s not my call. I provide a service. Not up to me to do that. My job is to provide a safe system to yield a positive result under the Code enforced by the AHJ. Past that, is not my say. I do not advocate using unlisted products as that is clearly in violation of safety protocols and the Code. It is a liability issue and comes under insurance scrutiny. What goes on beyond that is outside my means. Your call sir!
Hubbell also created and patented the first one around 1913 so I'd say they probably know what they're doing.
Chet Bart. My first question is what audio equipment are you listening too? If you have equipment that will produce high resolution, one can hear differences that mediocre gear just can't reproduce.
@@vinylrules4838 Absolutely. I agree that high end, high resolution audio gear is superior to anything else and vastly superior to cheapo audio, but mains electrical supply is mains electrical supply and the receptacle makes little difference outside of any model that can provide a sufficiently secure contact. If anything, I'd think there would/could be a device that sits between a receptacle and the audio equipment which could rectify or "clean" a "dirty" source of power. But that's about it.
The isolated ground is actually better for music production, reproduction, etc. Studios use those orange isolated grounds to mitigate electrical "noise" on a circuit.
Hospital grade is meant to reduce arcing when unplugging which is important when using nearby oxygen tanks to prevent a really bad/explosive day.
Hospital grade in the home would be nice if someone at home is on oxygen therapy, otherwise it is expensive overkill.
I think it's more about being durable. The monitors next to the patient beds get unplugged and plugged back in many times. Ever run into an outlet in an airport that's had 8 million phone chargers plugged into it, and the plug doesn't stay in? That's what hospital grade guards against. You're never going to have a high enough oxygen concentration even in a hospital setting to be worrying about tiny little sparks when you unplug an outlet.
Hospital Grade is to keep plugs in outlets when lives are on the line. Has nothing to do with sparking oxygen.
I am an extreme audiophile that designs and build my own amps (vacuum tube) and preamps. The quest is for an AC connection that makes a good connection. That can be done with the cheapest outlet there is. The problem is extraneous noise or ripple in the 120 volt sine wave, This is usually caused by as little as 5 millivolts of potential between the ground connections, that are usually tied to the neutral wire. Amps are designed to have the purist DC volts that you can get because the DC is used for component (tubes, capacitors, mos-fets...) biasing to carry the AC audio signal. If the power supply (AC to DC) has any of the afore mention ripple; it will be amplified through several gain stages and manifest itself as a hum. It will be at 60hz, 120hz, or any multiple of 60 or the amp can through aural and spatial exciters cause the hum to be any harmonic frequency of the original 60 cycles. Conclusion: Keep your AC plugs clean and polished and have a dedicated ground for your amps, preamps, EQs, turntable, and so on. Any voltage potential between components is bad. Just have dedicated circuits and ground all your HiFi stuff from a single source; or just use clip leads from metal housings to the other. BTW, All half decent turntable have a ground wire just for that purpose, because a turntable cartridge has a high gain input that will make poor grounding louder than the music. Myth busted.
I’m looking into getting a PS Audio regenerator. This should help keep my system happy and clean. What do you think about Regeneration?
@@amglife7386 Waisted money. They are just a 1 to 1 isolation transformer with a few caps and a few sets of reverse paired diodes and a bunch of bells a whistles. If I was given one; I would still ground all line voltage devices going from every input to amp. You can still pick up induced line voltages on the individual device power cables. That's all just to reduce 60Hz hum from getting past to the DC power supply. Line spike protection from frying a piece of equipment is a totally different animal. I've seen results of power spikes, say lightning on a transformer a mile from your house, Totally fry a full wave diode bridge so fast that the overload fuse was still good. A diode can die from a spike lasting less than 10 to the minus12th power duration. Personally, if I hear thunder... I unplug. Almost all AC is in perfect phase an never causes a problem as long as well separated from signal lines. if they have to coexist; the signal and power should cross at right angles. Never parallel. Hope this helps and is only my opinion as a builder/service tech. If you would get some sense of comfort or are sold on it improving final analog SPL quality reaching your ears; go for it. Shalom Aleichem.
As a musician and recording engineer, the scenario that is important here is the ground isolation preventing ground loops. Also getting 'clean' power ( without excess humming) are what you would be looking for. I don't see what the extra cost of the A/V plug is getting you.
And would you risk compromising the sound of a $50,000 audio system with a 0.50 cent outlet?
Apparently you would . . .about what one would expect from one who uses WIki as a final authority.
@@jamesthomas1628 A 5 dollar outlet would really do.
I had to install isolated ground recepticals for a bunch of vaccine coolers in isolated communities. Was a huge rush years back during SARS scare. These coolers were temperature monitored and called for isolated ground for all the fancy electronics on them.
I get using gold plated interconnect cable in analog, or large gauge fine stranded speaker wire. But an outlet is not going to make an audible difference.
Exactly. It makes no sense. Say what you want about what all the electrons do between the device and your ears, but 120v at 60hz is 120v at 60hz. No outlet which achieves the low bar of a solid electrical connection is going to change that.
The isolated ground can actually make a difference, as well as a generally solid power connection, but this outlet is ridiculous.
@@wcvp not in terms of audio quality, LOL
@@Eidolon1andOnly I think isolated ground would eliminate ground loops, which does effect audio quality. But then again you have to have ground loops to begin with.
For all you telling me about ground loops, you misunderstand my sentiment, meaning, as well overblown the problem. Ground looping can be a problem, but easily solved by not plugging in every audio device into the same circuit, the interference is nominal and not worth the $50 receptacle when a $6 or less receptacle could accomplish the same task. Even the cheapest receptacle could be wired for an isolated ground. There is no reason to spend a stupid amount of money for an audio specific receptacle when cheaper and equally adequate options exist at at 1/10th or even 1/20th of the price, disregarding the cheapest receptacle on the market which can also be wored the same way. From everything I seen from this $50 receptacle compared to a $6 one, the nominal changes are not worth the price. You're paying for snake oil, and unless you personally know how to isolate a ground, you're also paying for an expert electrician to do it for you. I laugh in ground loops at your silly assertions. I spent more than 30 years recording sound and never had a ground loop problem because I knew better than to isolate everything on a single circuit.
*WHO CARES* Why do all these commenters make "fun" of audiophiles and say everything is nonsense? Why don't they make "fun" of the person that spent $850,000 dollars on their house because a $250,000 dollar house will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer too. *Buy what you want and makes you happy. Weather it cost 10 times more or not. Once again, WHO CARES.*
Because it's fun to laugh at people wasting their monies on snake oil. It's free entertainment, at (literally) their expense!
@@gorak9000
Maybe they *have* money to waste. Maybe you don't.
What all you people with your opinions,there’s something none of you obviously know,to have a high end system that is very revealing, yes it cost a lot of money and time to achieve this,and every component responsible for current transfer makes a difference on the electronics sound signature you would only know this if you have listened to this type of audio quality playback systems and until you are aware of this quality of playback you should keep your narcissistic know it all opinions to yourself
No.
A sucker is born every minute...
It is immoral to allow a sucker to keep his money.
And no, I'm not going over two bucks for an outlet.
quite a leap from hospital grade to a use in the audio industry. hospital grade signifies a high quality device highly resistant to damage from the possibility of beds being run into them & possibly electrocuting the patient. isolated ground was developed to reduce the stray static currents to equipment. as an audiophile, i use 15 & 20 amp hubbell wiring devices. for the audio connections, use belden cable & switchcraft connectors. no need to piss money away on the high-dollar hospital grade, unless you plan on slamming your equipment into wall receptacles.
Thanks for the feedback Gary.
And definitely don't piss you money away on "audio grade" marketing garbage.
I've seen enough cheap receptacles lose their ability to grip a plug over time to suspect that "hospital grade" isn't overkill. There's much to be said for the peace of mind (and monetary advantage) of knowing that you're almost certainly never going to have to replace a hospital-grade outlet during your lifetime. (More so if you're a studio owner or a landlord.).The receptacles on APC power distribution units are very well engineered, although I don't believe they are officially "hospital grade." (They're not marked as such.)
For audio connections, don't leave out Mogami and Neutrik. Each has a solid reputation for making durable, low-noise cables without relying on pseudoscience or ignorance to sell them. As you know, Neutrik SpeakON connectors are ubiquitous in pro audio, and Mogami cable is used in countless high-end studios. If you have a tighter budget, Pro Co is good too, comparable to Rapco; if I recall correctly, each uses Switchcraft connectors. The main problem I've had with Switchcraft connectors is that the screw-together variety tend to loosen over time, but the electrical connections remain intact.
The value added by such "audio grade" private-label receptacles as the PS Audio "PowerPort Classic" is questionable and certainly doesn't justify the price tag compared to an equivalent receptacle made by the same company (in this case, the Hubbell IG8300 ).
We wired a 4 booth recording studio last month.
They didn’t ask for even isolated ground circuits... they cared NOTHING for the electrical, other than wattage to the outlets.
@@lomni02 Power (watts)= Volts x Amps
@@lomni02 15Amps @ 120 Volts = 1800 Watts / 20 Amps @ 120 Volts = 2400 Watts The Voltage stays the same so the Wattage is related to the Amperage. It's Ohms Law for the formulas. You never want to draw more than 80% load continuously from a single Receptacle.
@@FryGuyNS Thank you for that followup line. I was just about to jump in. This is extremely important as circuits can melt under continuous 100% load (experienced first hand)
@@mcbeenb In the US, circuits are generally only continuous rated for 80% of their service power. That means a 15 amp circuit should not ever be made to draw more than 12 amps or 1440 watts continuously.
Audiophiles, to be blunt, are narcissists that validate themselves by spending WAY too much money on useless equipment such as this receptacle. I'm a retired audio engineer, and have worked studios and concerts all over the US and know the industry well. Every studio and sound system installation uses high-quality, but otherwise "normal" wiring for the AC mains, DC power supplies, audio interconnects (wires, connectors) and speaker cables. The ridiculous claims of audiophile components are silly, and the prices speak for themselves. Even the very best studios would never spend that kind of money on those components.
Hey Dean, thanks for sharing the knowledge and really appreciate your engagement 👍
Thank you! Took the words out of my mouth.
You pay for the label. Audio power bars, high fidelity electrical nonsense.
Ok, Dr. Phil
Being an audiophile myself you can tell the difference in a lot of cases. This just happens to be one that's not really going to be it. The nickel plating is going to help prevent tarnish on the plug side but, the main improvement is going to come from the isolated ground. Most people forget audiophiles tend to use analog because it has a warmer sound which is true but, it also makes it very easy to incur noise from the outside. This gets sent to ground. If there is anything else on that ground it will induce feedback. The other thing that is eluding everyone is bass. Nickel is hard and will not tarnish easy but, it also won't burn as easy due to vibration and electrical arching. Audiophiles love bass and normally strive for a very low end which will vibrate the crap out of everything. Until you have a system that puts out true good lows and very lows you are not going to notice it. Think a muscle car or big rig vibrating the ground. A commercial company will just have someone replace the outlet if it gets loose. A residential person is only going to want to pay once. Is it gimmicky yes but, it will last longer due to the coating. Would I buy one if I am replacing the outlet maybe. I am more likely to get the equivalent you listed and spend the extra money running an isolated ground from it to it's own grounding rod outside.
@@UberArchangel
I'm an electrician. A ground rod (by itself) is not a good ground. You want to run the ground wire to the ground bar in your panel.
Dedicated ground is worth it, but not all that plating. I can't hear the difference with the copper and/or plated versions, but I and other family members in other houses have had grounding noise issues. So, the proper installation is more important than the contacts IMHO. Having said that, an outlet that indicates dedicated ground is not the same and a properly installed dedicated ground. Make sure you electrician is actually using dedicated ground and not just using the outlet to satisfy you.
For fun you should do a video on the $1000 audiophile Ethernet cable but please don’t buy it. It’s a “very special” cat 8 cable that gives you “better” sound.
I hear that the ones and zeros glide through the twisted pairs faster if they're solid gold with platinum terminations. Is this true?? 😂😂😂
@@marcberm that is why it’s so expensive, the cables slows down the ones so they don’t all arrive before the zeros.
@@MassimoTava Well of course, that makes perfect sense! Take my money!!! LOL
High end HDMI cables are pointless. In digital it either works or doesn't.
Cat8 is NoT recognized by the Tia/Eia.
After being a licensed electrician for over 30 years, I would never pay 50.00 dollars for a receptacle, and spec grade is plenty good for any home. And if you need a isolated ground for some reason just buy a hospital grade receptacle. And if you do not know what a isolated ground is google it up
If they don’t know what an isolated ground is, they probably shouldn’t be doing the work themselves.
I'm an audiophile too. I changed the outlet that connects to my stereo system. When I removed the wall plate and started to remove the old outlet it literally fell apart in my hands. Cheap contractor outlet. If you don't believe in better sound can be had with a better outlet that's okay but I think everyone can agree that a tight connection is a must for any appliance to operate properly. The other audiophile benefits are "gravy" to me.
So, the PS Audio (Hubbel) outlet is a 20A outlet. It is illegal under the NEC to install a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit. I also can just about guarantee that 99% of these 'audiophiles' are also not wiring isolated ground outlets correctly.
If you need isolated ground (I mean, if your equipment needs special wiring and outlets to sound correct, its power supply circuit is inferior), the $6 Leviton outlet is going to do the same job and not violate NEC code.
Exactly!
I spend several years on message boards interacting with audiophiles and they ranged from being practical, frugal, and resourceful at one end of the spectrum to insane at the other end--and they would buy this.
I'm currently getting a BA for audio production and I can say that the amount of snake oil in the industry is laughable. any half decent receptacle does just fine for edison connectors, but most of our stuff on tour is IEC. while genuinely more expensive, IEC is locking and water resistant- both really important for us.
What's an edison connector? It's a NEMA standard.
@@timramich because Edison Electric popularized it back in the day. Like Hoovering the floor.
If you google Edison Connector it seems to be mainly stage hand lingo.
What's the difference between regular and audiophile gear? About $500, no other differences.
@@menhirmike It depends. There is surely some "audiophile" gear that is well designed, well built, and well worth the extra money. This receptacle is NOT in that domain!
audiophile outlet: $50
Audiophile headphones: $50,000
bowl of noodles: 20¢
Thanks! It's commercial grade for me.
I’m an audiophile, And I only believe in build quality 3 to 10 times fold. Absolutely right all the tinplating at the very end how does that make a difference? All I want is for the Electrical system to hammer proof, waterproof, and fireproof. At least 12 gauge solid wire or stranded 10 gauge wire stranded all in a steel pipe. And ‘ absolutely no voltage on the ground’. No ground loops.
No snake oil. Just the integrity (build quality) of the system. I’ve been wondering about these recepsts for years, thanks for taking the time to show us all!
If I were an audiophile I would say it is worth at least $30 to get away from that red/orange outlet and go to a nice baby blue color.. Also, it has more obscure symbols and markings on it than the other outlets which surely show my good taste and technical superiority.
I think you have the esthetic down perfectly.
I used the orange outlet on a dedicated line in my apartment. Audiophile plugs are large and cover any orange you would worry about.
@Scott Luther Orange is the "at a glance" standard for Isolated Ground. But, you can get IG receptacles in about any other standard color (White, Almond, Ivory, Brown, Black, Red, Gray, maybe even Blue and Green) too. Isolated Ground receptacles are marked by the hollow triangle on the face, which is almost always orange when the receptacle itself isn't.
Hospital grade receptacles do not have an "at a glance" color. The green dot on the face somewhere is what identifies those. You'll often find gray and red devices (switches and receptacles) in medical facilities. The red signifies that it's connected to a backup power supply, such as a generator.
That's the most affordable (Power Port Classic), try oyaide or furutech receptacle, that's when angels start to sing!
280$ receptacles from Furutech! Crazy.
If was silver or gold plated would consider. Perhaps nickel might add surface resistance to contact point causing heat and eventual breakdown.
No. Gold has a higher resistance than copper. They stay shiny longer though. Once you have inserted the plug, it has little effect, and those couple of microns will probably have been scraped away. Connectors on computer equipment have often been gold plated because they have to work first time after coming out of storage, and gold doesn't corrode.
Iso ground Hubbel heavy iso ground are exultant. The more important thing with the most impact on home audio/ visual improvement is to provide a dedicated Maines circuit. Even better 2. 1 for audio & 1 for video. I will add, conduit is king here. What your trying to do is eliminate RF interference and cross talk point to point. That includes using shielded power supply cords & camonat cables. (dissent ones will suffice. $30 on Amazon or Granger).
Using a high end Hubble socket with CAIG spray/coating on plug might give similar results (CAIG is an anti-corrosion chemical used for electronic circuitry). And having worked for a couple of audio manufacturers, I can verify some aspects of "audiophile" are highly subjective and variable (what sounds good to one audiophile may sound terrible to another).
I'm partial to Leviton but any commercial or industrial grade receptacle should be fine for "best and longest-lasting connection."
Audiophile here. I'm also a physicist and a musician. For outlets, the most important factor is having a receptacle that can support heavy plugs with heavy wires. Your everyday commodity receptacle just isn't going to cut it. As to the snake oil potential...the reality is that using a specialized "audiophile' receptacle does not guarantee that you will hear any perceived difference on 99.999% of systems. This is mainly because most consumer grade products really just aren't that sensitive to minor changes in the system. One of the reason why high-end audio products ARE expensive is because they are generally way more sensitive than, say, and off-the-shelf receiver from your local Best Buy. The mark of a high-end system is that it is what we call "highly-resolving", meaning that the presentation is of a much higher quality. Most professional recording equipment doesn't even reach this standard, and that is evident by the preponderance of terrible recordings from well-known studios; that's just the truth. When it comes to expensive receptacles (>$250) or any receptacle for that matter, any change in a highly-resolving system CAN have some kind of noticeable change in how the system sounds. However, that change may not always be an improvement. There are a lot of capable scientists that work in the high-end audio industry, and many of them do make worthy contributions. But there are also a lot of things that are done in excess and epitomize the meaning of "diminishing returns". Most of the audio enthusiasts that I know are skeptical about throwing their money towards something that appears like snake oil, but in the end, the only thing we can trust are our ears. Is it possible that a more expensive power receptacle CAN make a difference? Sure. But the reality is that that money would probably be better served somewhere else in the system.
I know this is 2 years ago. I was looking to see if you ever took apart the $200 Audioquest outlet
I've literally installed sound booths, and recording studios. Specs called for standard 20a receps.
I fail to see how a receptacle like this could effect sound to the point where this would ever be worth the money.
If for some reason you must have isolated ground, that won't drop the plug. Get a L5-15R
PS. If you're going up the line in terms of complexity. Could we get you to do some explosion proof/hazardous location receps?
I like the idea and will start investigating. Thanks for the feedback!
Countless audiophool products have no basis in science or reality. Unless the outlet is outright defective or worn to the point of introducing arc noise or other continuity fault, it won't make a measurable difference in audio quality.
after the electricity travels hundreds of kilometers through the transmission line, passes through the transformer and reaches your house, an audiophile socket and the last two meters of power cable will make a drastic difference.
Certainly, I was with Armstrong on the moon, but I don't brag about not ending up in a madhouse
Personally, I do not think it is worth it at all. Having said that, I understand where the audiophiles were coming from. They are seeking perfection and every little bit helps. Even if things do not really help, mentally they do...to put things in perspective, for the RCA cables that are used to connect audio that come free with the audio equipment (or you can buy for about $5), audiophiles usually pay somewhere between $50 to $2000 for each cable - depending on how deep their pockets are. It is borderline insane. $50 receptacles are pretty cheap, relatively speaking :).
Their OCD has gone to their head, and they had so much that it now affects their ears.
Purely designed to line the pockets, but for that price, the clueless think they get bragging rights.
In essence, this receptacle is designed to offer lower electromagnetic noise that have adverse effects of sensitive electronic equipment. You could easily do this by just using one receptacle instead of multiple. This prevents what’s known as ground looping and this is especially important when using copper connections. Fiber connections generally work better as their signals have to be reconstructed to a copper signal typically which helps reduce noise. And typically better equipment and wires do this. Spending $50 on a receptacle is fine if you only plan on using that receptacle as your power source for your AV equipment.
Belief and feelings don't matter. Facts and results matter.
You simply pick the right sounding one and settle on that. In my experience (this is my job), even the cheapest RCA cables have sounded better than expensive ones. The key is the orientation. Flip the direction of the cable and listen to the music both ways. Pick the more realistic and laid back presentation. Now realize that effect is present on every single wire in your circuit from the power line, circuit breaker, Romex cable in your wall, etc... to the crossover wires in your speakers. Imagine how impacting that is when you get every wire in the right orientation. There's more to go still, and it all adds up. A pair of cables can make or break the whole system. The cable direction alone also can. I've witnessed so many times a pair of interconnects break the potential of numerous systems, flipped their direction and BAM, now you can crank it louder and not make people agitated. There's a lot of things going on with tone that even techs don't want to understand.
well said
@@ChonkTek
I'm somewhat of an audiophile, on a very limited budget. First, I'd say that buying specialty receptacles is closer to the end of the audiophile journey than the beginning. You're only doing that when you've gotten as far as you can get with the acoustics, and actual audio equipment. (Unless there was some reason the receptacle needed to be replaced anyway.)
Personally, I don't think I'd blow $50 on the PS Audio version, but I might go for the $25 version without the special labels, since I'd only be using 1 or 2. For general purpose around the house, I usually go with the $2 "commercial grade" as well.
Yeah, $2 commercial grade are a solid purchase.
@Tobor Which one is $25? You don’t mean the orange one I guess.
@@aayotechnology The Hubbell IG8300 that he does not show, but states the the PS Audio seems to be equivalent to. Listening again, he said he's found it as low as $26 online. It's a extra-heavy duty commercial, and possibly hospital grade. It sounds like the $50 PS Audio Power Port is a rebadged IG8300.
@@etschirm My choice would be Leviton 5352-E. Just as good and reliable as the overpriced Hubbell thing but without the unnecessary Isolated Ground and ridiculous Audio Grade marketing gimmick. It's also $9, though probably available cheaper elsewhere (e.g. eBay).
@@EverydayHomeRepairsnot tonally
Even though the info in the videos are next to useless to me (different electrical standards, so different plugs, ...) I really love watching those more detailed analysis of the hardware. Keep up your great work :)
Currently, the Hubbell IG8300 is $63.
better check the plug too. tight connection is most of the equation..
ALL YOU MUSIC AND VIDEO LOVERS regardless if you are an audiophile or not and the system one has determines the AC current draw needed. lets assume $3k system and you may be lucky and have one dedicated home-run for your system either on a 14 or 12 wire with the correct breaker. spend the additional money and get your self an APC pure sine wave out-put on 120 volt battery backup like some have for a PC but IT MUST BE PURE SINE WAVE and your system will preform both in audio and video as if it was 10 time more money
pure sine
I would definitely NOT go with a power port classic receptacle. Commercial grade is good enough for me. I'd like to see more on what makes up an isolated ground circuit, though.
Thanks for the feedback!
Depends, on your audio equipment digital or anlog, the power coming to building the quality of ground of build wiring, how are ground wire and other electric interference. Real question about that plug is insulation and placement.
I recently discovered your videos, thanks. I needed to replace two worn outlets and bought the $4 ones instead of the 49 cent ones! For what it's worth, it seems my phone is charging faster!
It's not charging faster.
In modern times, only record players tend to have hum problems any more. Everything else is digital and the output stages inside the receiver or amplifier are already isolated. Digital audio is immune to electrical noise so as long as the output stage going to the speaker is good (which is the only analog component left), it just won't matter how noisy the input power is.
The solution for a record player is usually pretty simple... if you get hum and are not grounded, try grounding. If you get hum and you are grounded, try removing the ground. If that is not sufficient then your remaining choices are (a) buy a player that runs off of DC instead of AC and get a nice isolated DC power supply or (b) run the player off of a battery (no connection to house wiring at all). No AC == no hum.
-Matt
A good power source will reduce EMI/RFI and other electrical noise. Low contact resistance is very important in an AC source. Audiophile power cords (RF shielding) do reduce interference from outside sources. I use dedicated circuits for my A/V equipment. I pulled 10AWG wire for 20Amp circuits. This all helps to provide a quieter source of AC power. All electrical devices have a quieter, and more dynamic sound field. Background "hiss" is reduced to a "black background" and there is less RF modulation riding on all signals. Yes, analog and Digital. Digital lives in an Analog world! PS: you'll need good equipment to realize this. Happy Listening...
Matt you are god! Nothing but truth and whole truth.
Just for clarity neither of the outlets uses copper for the connection, it is brass, copper would be way too soft and deform easily. As for sound quality, my 2 centavos is that a good Hubbel is great, yet the secret sauce outlet is an MRI outlet. Supposedly, because it does not use a steel (magnetic) strap on the back. All I know it the $30 or so MRI outlets I have sound best. Have I tried $100 + outlets, nope, since guy I trust says they are not really any better.
Can you do a video showing the difference between standard outlets and tamper resistant outlets?
This video opens up a Tamper Resistant Outlet czcams.com/video/e1A-wlS97Lg/video.html
Great review as always, and yes I would not purchase that as well. I have bought the orange outlet and believe it is a quality product.
Everybody knows the angry little pixies only dance properly on their way through the device to your listening holes if they first come out of $50 worth of extremely special, totally not ordinary metal and plastic!!! 😂🤣
I am in the wrong business. Need to open an audiophile store 🤑
@@EverydayHomeRepairs “A fool and his money are soon parted.” - Thomas Tusser
As an audiophile myself. I want to make this clear. One extreme an audiophile will take to obtain the cleanest, purist, quiet AC signal. Is to run a dedicated 15 or 20 amp line to their stereo or home theater system. To were their system is the only thing on the circuit. So what you need to do is ask yourself if you are willing or able to do such a thing. If the answer is no. Then the answer is no. You don't even need the 50 dollar outlet. Without a dedicated line. You will be defeating the purpose of the 50 dollar outlet. The 6 dollar outlet is the most extreme most need to go. But in most cases the 2 dollar commercial grade outlet will be just fine. Please stay away from the 50 cent residential grade outlet!
Good feedback, thanks for the example 👍
Good to know! I'm not an audiophile but as a DIYer I wouldn't call installing a dedicated circuit for a piece of equipment all that extreme. I'm a computer enthusiast and I installed a dedicated 20 amp circuit for my computer setup to ensure the cleanest possible power delivery to help with overclocking stability but I sure as hell didn't spend $50 on an outlet, I spent $6 on a Hubbell industrial grade outlet at Lowe's. Whether the dedicated circuit helped or not I have no idea but it didn't cost much since I already had Romex so why not.
@@averyalexander2303 I installed a subpanel and then _two_ 15 amp (if I remember correctly) circuits for my computers. The second circuit was dedicated to the laser/LED printer.
If I was wiring a yacht and I was going to be on call for failures, the PS Audio ones where the owner might actually use them or be inconvenienced by their failure. But a hubbell hospital grade is good enough for everything else.
No. If you're wiring a yacht, you would use corrosion-resistant receptacles.
The price point of audiophile stuff only makes a difference and only matters when the audiophile buys it with their own money. No audiophile can tell the difference between a $10 audio cable and a $500 one in a blind test. And absolutely none would know the difference between a $2 receptacle and a $50 one, LOL. It's the "Emperor Has No Clothes" routine.
Years ago, Coke dropped their recipe in favor of the New Coke. Some guy is reported to have spent $50,ooo (back when that bought a really, really nice house), and in a blind test he couldn't pick out the Coke from the Pepsi, let alone the 2 different Cokes.
I still like Coke better than Pepsi.
This is the same difference. If you pour snake oil into your engine, you'll swear it now has eleventeen more horsepowers. Bias, pure and simple. Like @Sans Handlebars says, in a blind test, no one can tell the difference, because this IS none.
@@hotflashfoto Thank you.
an outfit did a blind test with monster cables... and some plain steel coat hangers. the hangers won.
consumerist.com/2008/03/03/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables/
there's another instance of an audio mag doing the same thing with several different brands of audio wires... and again, plain steel coat hangers. can't seem to locate that one though. hangers still won.
its all psychosomatic.
certain materials are better due to resistance thereof, but from an audio quality standpoint from amplifier output to speaker itself? as long as it isn't picking up noise, the material is largely irrelevant, so long as there's enough to handle the current.
Not according to AudioQuest HDMI cables. Go look up their lineup, they have grades from Chocolate to Diamond series that cost over 1500.00 for one 3-5ft HDMI cable. I'm an EE and a stereo guy and I laugh my ass off every time I hear someone talking about getting one of those. It's frickin digital people. Binary. It either gets there or it doesn't. There is no quality difference in that and a decent walmart HDMI cable. I also love the 2 gauge custom wrapped speaker cables from companies like Moon Audio or Cardas Clear Beyond Speaker Cable that cost 8000.00 for 2 meters. hahahahahahhaha.
@@jamescole6846 they used to hit the 30k+ mark on amazon. i don't see any of their older products listed on there anymore. a couple of IEC sonnector power cables get close to 15k, but that's about it. seems they learned that the suckers aren't quite _that_ stupid.
to anyone else;
the IEC connectors themselves can be had for around $13/each in 'audiophile' grade (24/pr), a decent 12-14awg extension cord of your length choice and boom, sub 50 bucks and you have an 'audiophile' power cord. toss in a few more for woven wire sheathing and you probably couldn't tell the difference from an audioquest, beyond the clear part of the IEC.
for comparison, a tripp lite 15A iec C13 (like on most computer power supplies) cord in 14awg runs about $8, and will do the job just fine. the 20A variant is 12awg and uses different end connectors, and they don't make as many of them and that drives the price up. figure somewhere around ~$30. still not really breaking the bank for most people who are buying higher end gear (say, regular studio grade stuff, like my setup is).
me? my main input/output device is literally plugged into a furman m-8x by a ~1ft regular old 14awg IEC c13 power cable. no fuss, no muss. my XLR cables are cheap chinese connectors (not bottom of the barrel, but not ridiculously expensive since i'm not swapping them all the time) with moderately okay bulk cable, and they work just fine. tossed some chokes on one end of each for good measure and called it a day. for most of my volume control arc (to about 56%), my setup is silent, and the only noise i get is the noise floor in the eq (my monitors are silent at 100% with nothing plugged in), which i'm looking into replacing with something a bit quieter.
there's nothing special in my setup besides the furman, and it doesn't really do all that much.
for most people, a step or two up from absolute bottom will usually work fine, so long as it looks like it's decent enough.
for instance, i wouldn't trust anything to a $1 iec power cable unless it was old stock from back in the day and came from one of the known brands products (an old brand name monitor or computer or printer or similar) as an accessory, but $8 is plenty to get you something decent from newer stuff. almost 15k is idiot tax territory. heck, more than $15 for an iec cable is idiot tax area, don't be an idiot.
I grew up in Rhode Island and Levington was a major employer. First, you are pronouncing it wrong. Everyone in RI said "Levingtin" even though it spelt Levington. Second, I worked for NCR in the mid '70s programing, installing and training on the first electronic registers. The wiring called for "insulated" isolated ground. The ground wire had green insulation and had to go all the way back to the breaker box for each plug. The plugs were orange, but I don't know if they were hospital grade at the time, if even there was such a thing back then.
There was such a thing back then.
"Insulated isolated ground" is redundant.
you're plugging into the 120 give or take volts coming out of a transformer in your neighborhood. If you want to split hairs then they ought to be hard wiring the stereo into the wall.
A $50.00 receptacle is peanuts in the high-end audiophile arena. I see power cables and interconnects in magazines priced at over $10,000. Speaker cables for over $15,000.00. $50.00 is a bargain.
All overpriced predatory marketing.
PS Audio is a good brand and does not push their products like they are the only option. That said they do make several components that manage/clean the power for “audiophile” grade components. Those components can accept power cords that can easily cost many thousands of dollars each and UP and are quite thick/heavy. It’s also common for those people to have dedicated power lines run in their house just for audio components looking for clean power. So an item like this just helps complete the chain in something that can easily reach the cost of a house and UP just for music playback.
These things are ripoffs and do not help.
Stop shaking and moving the thing around when comparing. Set 'em down, side-by-side, and let us take a moment to visually compare the innards. (still, love your instructional fortitude!)
LOL! Thank you for "delving" into the crazy audiophile world on this one. As an audiophile, I have a real problem with hyped equipment that would make me choose between monthly necessities and supposed "overbuilt" equipment. Thanks to your expert (and more sane) comparisons, looking into the Hubbell to itch that scratch. Probably still overkill, but more than good enough.
This type of product is definitely hyped, and worthless. Do not spend your money on such a farce.
I seriously doubt that the spring contacts that actually grip the prongs of the plug could be high purity copper in any of these hospital grade outlets. As far as I know, copper cannot be relied upon to retain it's spring tension after repeated plugging and unplugging. Maybe some of the other parts are high purity copper like the clamping pad for the wire.
As an audio enthusiast, I was a bit appalled at the flimsy “cheap” outlets and light switches in my apartment. The outlets had very light grade metal with mediocre grip and the stab in wiring.
I bought some heavier duty - by inspection outlets at Home Depot. It seemed like the circuit of outlets could be improved with more robust outlets? Common sense? I bought some 20amp basic outlets to beef up my audio outlets with. Grip is much improved, and intuitively it seems like the gauge of the wall wiring is better matched with the pass through gauge of outlet internals?
Light Switches, a few of these shorted out, and seem dangerously cheap...
The wiring in the wall determines the maximum current which is generally 15A unless otherwise noted. Not sure I understand why you bought the 20A outlets?
@@michaellacaria910 If you go down to your local home depot or watch more of the videos on outlets, compare $0.50 ( which is what were in my walls ) outlets to heavy duty or commercial or 20 amp, and the differences will be pretty obvious. While technically it's true 15 amp for 15 amp, the difference in internals is substantial moving up in quality. As I said in the first post, the grip is like 10x or more, all the metal bits are thicker. You have the option to use a screw based connection on either side vs a stab with a flimsy flap... It seems to me that cheap $0.50 outlets would be a weak link in a circuit especially for audio. I wouldn't attempt to run 20 amp equipment of course, just like the higher grade outlets for reasonable money.
@@ScottoGrotto I see your logic now, and I see your caveat that you wouldn’t plug in 20A equipment, but, respectfully, by code, if the plug is 20A it means you can. I know it’s your house and you know, but if you ever move I’m sure you see the potential problem this can cause.
Yes, and thanks for your concern Michael.
I hope you read your lease before tampering with the wiring devices in your apartment. It's usually a violation of the lease.
PS Powerport seems to have more surface area on the plug contacts
As a collector and lover of outlets from around the world, I would NOT buy a so called Audiophile outlet for those inflated prices! MOST audiophile receptacles are actually made in JAPAN and are slightly modified versions of commercial grade Japanese made receptacles by American Denki, Meikosha, Jimbo Electric, and Panasonic Electric. The way to tell the receptacle is JAPANESE is that it only has ONE live, ONE neutral and ONE ground terminal screw. There are SOME Japanese made receptacles that have the 2 screw terminals per side but usually the terminals DO NOT have the break off tabs for making the receptacles switched receptacles like in the USA. So just on the IMPORT value factor, those Audiophile receptacles are already inflated in price due to being sourced from Asia rather than your local electric supply house in downtown USA. Now the USA made/sourced audiophile receptacles I am seeing lately like the one you feature here, ARE USA sourced and are only slightly modified(IF AT ALL), commercial grade, spec grade or Hospital grade(ding ding ding ding..chaching!)receptacles from the higher end brands like HUBBELL, BRYANT, and P&S. There are some, that I recognize the face as LEVITON(low end and higher end commercial grade), and Eagle(Cooper/Eaton). ALOT of knock off brands are used as well that come from Mainland CHINA that have a face like Hubbell or Leviton or Cooper, but are NOT made in the USA and have very inferior components as expected from Cheap Chinese made products. The nickle plating is for corrosion resistance? Buy a Yellow Corrosion resistant Hubbell, or Bryant or OLDER Leviton, receptacle! Want isolated ground too? Those brands have you covered. The highest price in a supply house I have seen so far for ONE receptacle is the HUBBELL 5352IGTR isolated ground tamper resistant duplex orange receptacle for $33 each back in 2019. MOST of these higher end receptacles HAVE corrosion resistance, isolated ground, and hospital grade level features all incorporated in them, but you have to KNOW what you are seeing. I have a set of older(1980s) Leviton hospital grade, YELLOW face, corrosion resistant, isolated ground receptacles that are rare as heck. Those cost me a few bucks now, and they are the same or darn close to the Audiophile receptacle for $50. Audiophile sockets are just another money racket.
I would be very interested to see you take impedance measurements from the input connections on the receptacle to the output connections of an IEC Power cable that was plugged into each of those types of receptacles… To see what the complex impedance was for each. I have a feeling it any relevant frequency to US AC power that it would be irrelevant the difference.
There's not going to be any difference.
It's only worth it if you have a highly resolving system. That means a system where you are hearing the slightest nuances of the Music. These are high-end systems that usually cost a lot of money. Believe it or not, something as simple as an electrical outlet switch (swap) can have a slight effect on the sound. It's like, if you have already spent this much money on high-quality components, why would you want a cheap link in your chain so the speak. Not necessary for most people though. I personally chose a Leviton 5262.
Off the shelf outlets, yes. Not this Audio grade marketing gimmick.
Very cool progressive series of analysis of receptacles.
Wow. Paul at PS AUDIO isn’t going to be happy. I have purchased a few of these
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Next step, Synergistic Research Tesla Plex SE Duplex Receptacle Outlet :D
Audiophile components contain a TON of snake oil products, especially related to power and cables,
Is Monster Cable still around?
I'm thinking it has some type of noise suppression type of electronics in it? Maybe some type of shielding or noise suppression coil? I dont see anything like that. If it doesn't have anything like that then the lesser grade recepticle would be just fine
Hey Will, yeah I didn't see anything like that. From the best of my knowledge the biggest difference is the "15 coat nickel plating." Which I don't think will do anything for the Audio setup. Thanks for the feedback!
No. It's just a regular better-than-Residential grade outlet with isolated ground configuration and some fancy after-marker graphics on the face.
Do not buy into this marketing buzz. It's a waste of money. Spend your money on better equipment!!
I am an die hearted audiophile enthusiast and I have learned 1 very important trick. I use studio quality along with some reputable audiophile companies. If PS Audio doesn't make the plug then don't buy it.
$50 is a steal for anything audiophile. They sell power cables costing thousands to those guys.
I like my audio equipment which is OK quality stuff but I'm not going to spend $50.00 on an outlet. I just don't see how it's going to make a difference. If I was changing the outlet for my electronics, I'd just go with an orange one since it's overall good quality and affordable. Of course Hubbell is a good name brand and make good stuff but I see no reason to spend the extra money in an everyday situation but If you have professional stuff that is crazy expensive then OK go with Hubbell.
I'm afraid that this is not "professional stuff". Professionals are happy with the $6 outlets.
I have no basis for disagreeing with the assertion that the PS Audio receptacle is no better than the $6 Leviton. For my home audio/video set-up I bought the nicest one they had at the store - about $8 if I remember correctly. That said, lets also remember that the PS Audio receptacle is basically a Hubbell IG 8300 which seems like you could buy for as low as $26, but is for example sold by Grainger for $55. Grainger's not selling them to Audiophiles. Sooooo . . . there are other places/people/devices that apparently seem to want/require a $55 receptacle. Are they all "nuts" as well or does it make a difference. I can't say yes, but I also can condemn. In the grand scheme of things, a single $50 receptacle is hardly "crazy" compared to the kind of money that can be spent on a truly high end set-up.
It may not be crazy, but it's not sane.
Great Info. Thank you. Cheers
So an isolated ground receptacle absolutely must be wired into the box with a specialized configuration, or can it still be wired as if it were a standard ground configuration (white to white, black to black, ground to ground screw on side)? PS audio's instructions just say to wire it "conventionally" www.psaudio.com/ps-how/how-to-install-a-power-port-ac-receptacle/ Is this then an unsafe installation since the PS power port is an isolated ground? I'm still just going to get a Hubbell!
I didn't check the link, but as long as the ground wire into the box is connected to the box (if metal) and the receptacle, it should be okay. If the box is plastic, then the screw that holds the cover on the receptacle will _not_ be grounded as it's only electrically connected to the mounting strap. On an isolated ground receptacle, the ground screw only goes to the ground pins on the outlet(s). To ensure that an IG receptacle in a plastic box has the mounting strap and plate screw grounded, you'd need to make a ground wire connection to one of the mounting screws ... which is getting a bit away from Code.
"Conventional" wiring for an Isolate Ground receptacle is pointless because it's not Isolated Ground. You're wasting money on a fancier receptacle that you don't need.
No good explanation for coating with nickel except that it improves durability but the issue is the nickel impacts the sound and it's not recommended so why do they do this so please someone explain
Any magnetic parts in the cheap outlets ?
Shouldn't be.
I think what you are missing in your video to justify the cost of the PS AUDIO is to put out howmuch it cost to change the production to accomodate the 15 coats of nickel, extra labor and smaller batch of production. Another is know howmuch hi purity copper compared to cheap recycled copper. There will be parts in this outlet that is specifically made for it that is not in the production line. People like to rant and do not know the cost of making the product and running a business.
The point of isolated ground is so that noise from _equipment ground_ doesn't interfere with audio equipment. I myself, have never had the problem, but I'm not an audiophile. I suppose in theory you would only want to directly connect to _system ground_ if your audio gear was so sensitive.
I would only spend money on a Leviton Isolated Ground receptacle. I assume most audiophiles have climate control for their homes to protect their equipment, the added corrosion resistance is a bit redundant. Sure, this probably cost less than 50USD to make, but the search for perfection never ends for some.
There's no need for an Isolated Ground receptacle unless you have a properly-wired isolated ground circuit for it.
?!!?!!? the Power Port Classic, in Grey, is currently (8/23/22) $49 on Amazon. The IG8300 is $63.
What you should also do is a feature on audiophile power strips which sell for stupidly huge sums and compare those to high quality commercial grade power strips.
Oh, dear God, help us!
@@jovetj Don’t tell me you are scared to see inside high cost power distribution units worried it might ruin the image for you lol
@@DJWerkz More overpriced garbage for gullible people with more money than sense... yes.
maybe not 50, but the psaudio actually seemed nice... at least not some cookie cutter thing...? You could visibly see the others were less beefy, and just raw tarnished copper.
It's not any nicer than an off the shelf outlet from Hubbell.
Does the green circle signify hospital grade? The triangle is isolated ground.
The green dot depicts hospital grade and passes contact retention tests in excess of lesser grade listed electrical devices. Additional plating offers greater protection from corrosion. How it may effect it in any other way is not my call. The fact of it’s listed state is the subject of passing tests for it’s rating. It only stands to reason if a plug or receptacle that enhances contact by greater retention and contact area is going to provide a more positive contact of that power. It however is not going to enhance or change any influence that noise on that power line, circuit feed from the grid will influence that gear. There are those who believe noise has no influence past the internal power supply of a given piece of gear. That is the subject up for debate. Digital equipment is by it’s nature subject to power quality issues. How much is another matter. I am bound by compliance to the Code as a licensed electrician. My license is governed and defined by that Code, NFPA 70 generally, also 70E and any others that may apply to that job. Listed components meet a specification determined by UL listing and has well defined terms! Compliance is defined as shall or shall not, will or will not and are hard definitions as under these terms, no deviation is tolerated. Whether something is worth a price is one thing, whether or not it meets a specification is determined by UL or other competent authority or Code, regulation, state or local provision as these things apply with what force is defined by them in their wording.
TL;DR
_“Does the green circle signify hospital grade?”_
Yes.
Great job and video
Going to have to update that to the grip of Big Papi
$50.00 Dollars seems ridiculous for duplex receptacle; just because an individual installs an IG receptacle does not make it isolated. The ground needs to be isolated in the panel and grounded properly (The biggest section in the NEC book!). Bottom line if the ground in the panel is shared with anything with a motor (I.e. refrigerator, dishwasher even a TV) some ground noise will occur, so there will be some fluctuations in the electrical signal. If a $50.00 receptacle makes your system sound better to you, maybe its worth it...
Since the design and materials for an outlet are determined by NEMA and the NEC ,I dont think its even possible to design a "high quality" outlet.
I'd feel sorry for the "Audiophiles" if it wasn't for the fact that they practically beg to be taken advantage of like this.
Most of them are trying to convince people they have "studio grade equipment" when all they have is $2,000 set up they spent $15,000 on.
They actually see a high price as something to brag about.
My sound system is two Guitar amps and a Bass amp that I got at a pawn shop and then impedence matched to my TV.
At first I had some trouble with "ground loops" but it only took about $10 worth of diodes and resistors to clean it up.
It sounds great,looks cool and it only cost me about $500.
It is better to invest in room padding and isolation, room dimensions and even better wall paint, carpets...
I've seen "audiophile" grade receptacles for over $100 - high purity gold plated terminals, etc. I think what these companies are taking advantage of is that so-called audiophiles tend to get hyper-focused on details. There are miles of aluminum wire feeding the hi-fi system going through multiple transformers and meters, with harmonics introduced from neighboring customers all affecting the quality of the power getting to the sound equipment, but somehow a $50 or $100 receptacle is going to fix all that?!? The $50,000 amplifier should have enough filtering circuitry in it to deal with that anyway, so a good quality receptacle is more than enough. Very similar to the people spending $3,500 on a coffee grinder for their espressos. They need to get out more often and watch the sun rise or set and just enjoy life a bit more...
Have you ever listened to High-end audio receptacle before making a judgement. I do have both hospital grade and high-end audio receptacle (Furutech NCF GTX-D) both on 20A circuit in same room. Without doubt the Furutech sounds way better. On the contrary if you don't have high-end audio gear than you won't hear any difference.
@@arshadmalik6869 I'm sure there's a difference for you, but i don't think anyone else will hear it since they didn't spend the money. If you could pass a blind listening test ten times in a row between that receptacle and it's branded counterpart, i would be truly amazed.
@@arshadmalik6869 You are delusional. You want to hear a difference, and so you do.
You're spot on. Couldn't have said it any better myself. It's a scam!
Same goes here. U r blind and wants everyone to be blind.
The contacts are twice as wide and heavier and I own lots of real screwdrivers. Retired IBEW 292.
There is a TON of snake oil in audiophile gear. As far as power goes, really all you need is a good power conditioner for any analog equipment. Good digital equipment wont really benefit from power conditioning unless it has analog outs. Then, only maybe. The only thing a power plug needs to do is, as you said, securely hold the plug and be rated for the voltage and amps running through it. From that point on it's all down to the other components in the stack.
Yup! Utility electricity is sewage and fancy, overpriced outlets won't fix that.
You can't appreciate what an "audiophile" sound system sounds like until you compare it with what you listen to music on. If your standard is a live concert, preferable full symphony orchestra, getting as close to that sound is worth spending more money on. The power outlet will, in my opinion, make no difference since it is not the weakest link in an audio system. Mainly because the path the atoms take to get into your equipment is not high quality, it's only as good as it needs to be. Electrician probably did a sloppy job wiring your place to. Including using the holes on the back of outlet instead of the screws. So spending a lot of money for the last few feet, makes no sense to me. I'm a service tech in an audiophile shipment store. My speakers probable cost more than two average complete audio systems. And the sound is thrilling.
I'm an audio engineer and I cant see myself ever needing anything better than that $6 outlet. However, I'm perfectly content using a $2 outlet with a power conditioner if necessary
Spot on!
You're only an audio engineer then...