| dorkus |
hot tweak tip i just discovered... :D
i've found a power strip that sounds absolutely incredible in my system - and i got it for $29 on eBay! it's a 16 outlet power distribution strip originally made by SL Waber for telecom/datacenter use primarily, original retail over $200. it's in a shallow 19" rack mount chassis with two separate banks of 8 industrial-grade outlets. each bank has its own power light, 20 amp circuit breaker, and heavy duty 12 gauge power cord - long too, at least 10 feet or so. perfect for separating video/digital and analog components. they're terminated with 20 amp twist-lock plugs, which are great if you have such outlets, but if not you can easily change it out for a standard plug. there's no filtering, switching, or superfluous parts of any sort, just the two 20 amp circuit breakers and a power light. i've included a picture below.
when i got it on ebay, it was $20 + $9 shipping, currently it's running for $30 from the same seller:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=2081755642
unfortunately the chassis cannot be opened (secured with rivets), but after listening to this thing i don't think it needs much modification. so how does it sound? i just got around to wiring in a regular Pass-Seymour plug and swapping it into my system, replacing the cheap Home Depot strip i've been using for a while. WOW!!! i had no idea my system could be this dynamic! the sound is bigger, fuller, more open, less grainy and restrained. the difference is akin to an amplifier upgrade, i kid you not... it sounds amazing, as good, maybe better than a very good $800 "audiophile" strip i reviewed a few months ago.
any drawbacks? it might be slightly forward-sounding, but methinks it is more accurate. i don't think you'll find anything better for this little money. |
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| dorkus |
| oops, forgot the picture. |
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| Peter Daniel |
| Home Depot carries those orange receptacles (Lutron?). They are around $10 in Canada and I use them a lot. |
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| dorkus |
| yeah, should not be hard to make one of these yourself, though for $29 i think i saved money on just the parts, not to mention the trouble of getting a chassis, assembling it, etc. it's UL approved too, something our gear is never. :p got some nice spare twist-lock plugs on the side too, though i doubt i will ever use them as long as i live in NYC... |
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| BrianGT |
Looks great. I was thinking of building my own power strip soon. We will see how high the price goes.
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Brian |
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| dorkus |
| last time i got it, there were no bids at all except my own, so if a bidding war starts you can bet it's just you DIY folk. :p |
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| BrianGT |
Well... I put my bid in...
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Brian |
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| fdegrove |
Hi guys,
Anyone knows how this actually works?
I'd like to know what's inside.
Just out of curiosity,have any of you thought about just hooking up a TV set to one of these and check if the picture quality actually improves?
I usually find that method a reliable indicator of quality.
Cheers,;) |
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| dorkus |
frank! you're back. :)
it's completely passive, nothing inside other than circuit breaker and power light. that's why it sounds so good. :p
my TV is plugged into it, indirectly... i have my own power filter after this strip for the video/digital stuff, it's just some filter caps and series inductors from the TrippLite Isobar strip i hacked up. have not really look at the TV picture quality carefully but i think the blacks might be a little better now... |
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| Circlotron |
Looks like this I think:
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:.... :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:.... :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: |
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| fdegrove |
Hi everyone,
| quote: | | frank! you're back. |
Keep it quiet.;)
Thanks anyway Dorkus.:cool:
What I don't get is how this strip can improve things that much.
If one already uses a powerline filter of some sort adding a strip with some passive filtering (X and Y caps,some inductors) only goes to show that there is something missing with the other powerconditioner wouldn't you say?
I'm a bit:xeye: by that.
Cheers,;) |
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| dorkus |
| the previous strip i was using was not a conditioner, just a strip... but it was not good quality. this one has better power cord and outlets, so i feel the sound is more open and less restrained. in particular when playing loudly, the sound is much cleaner and more dynamic. |
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| BrianGT |
| quote: | Originally posted by dorkus
the previous strip i was using was not a conditioner, just a strip... but it was not good quality. this one has better power cord and outlets, so i feel the sound is more open and less restrained. in particular when playing loudly, the sound is much cleaner and more dynamic. |
You should upgrade your wall socket to a hospital grade socket also (the orange ones are hospital grade, right?). Home Depot sells them.
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Brian |
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| dorkus |
yeah, i've been meaning to do that. the socket in my apartment is really bad. just been too lazy.
actually, i hear "hospital grade" is not always best-sounding. i hear good quality Eagle sockets, not hospital grade, work very well. even the cheap Eagles are ok too. i do not think the ones on this strip are hospital grade, but they are heavy duty and work well. |
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| fdegrove |
Howdy fellas,
May I take it for granted that you all occasionaly clean all these outlets' contacts with a cotton tip doped in "deoxit"?
Or I'm I wihshful thinking here?
Should I also mention cable continuity or am I pushing things ?
Cherio, ;) |
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| cowanrg |
nah, the green is hospital grade.
| quote: | Originally posted by BrianGT
You should upgrade your wall socket to a hospital grade socket also (the orange ones are hospital grade, right?). Home Depot sells them.
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Brian |
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| BrianGT |
| quote: | Originally posted by dorkus
yeah, i've been meaning to do that. the socket in my apartment is really bad. just been too lazy.
actually, i hear "hospital grade" is not always best-sounding. i hear good quality Eagle sockets, not hospital grade, work very well. even the cheap Eagles are ok too. i do not think the ones on this strip are hospital grade, but they are heavy duty and work well. |
I assumed that the orange with the green triangle (i thought I saw one on the bottom left corner) signifies hospital grade. I have read good things about the hospital grade receptacles, and they are easily available from home depot for not too much money. How much are the Eagle sockets?
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Brian |
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| BrianGT |
On hubbell's website, most of the hospital grade ones appear to be orange.
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Brian |
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| dorkus |
yeah, i have deoxit, but i've been too lazy to use it regularly. not good for signal contacts i hear, but i should use it on my AC plugs. also, bicycle chain oil works well as an AC plug treatment... you may have heard about those "contact oils" that became popular several years ago. KryTech bike oil, which is very light and has wax particles in it, cleans up the sound nicely. apply after cleaning first of course. it's a few dollars for a bottle that'll last you forever.
Eagle makes a range of products, but i heard even their cheap outlet you can get for 99 cents at Tru Value Hardware sounds very good. i have one that i've never used, but it seems to grip more tightly than standard outlets. i didn't mean to imply hospital grade was bad, but that "hospital grade" labelling doesn't guarantee good audio performance. i think some consider the expensive Hubell outlets overrated and overpriced. |
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| Peter Daniel |
| I've just switched off my Pioneer CDR, which was connected to the same outlet as my DAC. I've always kept it on, and for some reason disconnected today. The sound from my DAC became much cleaner.:) So experimenting with AC power is definitely worth consideration. |
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| dorkus |
i generally don't like isolation transformers, but i think they are useful for digital components. you can avoid their drawbacks by using one that's good quality and large enough, and it'll improve the sound of the rest of your system. the Ensemble isolation transformer was an exceptionally good performer in my system - all the benefits of isolation (decreased noise and hash, better dynamic contrasts, purer tonal quality, improved imaging, etc. etc.) with none of the problems (coloration, dynamic compression, etc.). too bad it cost $2600 for a pair of transformers. in its defense though, it was exceptionally well made, and performed as advertised. my system took a definite step or two back in sound quality after i had to return the unit.
i do have some leftover inductors stripped out of my TrippLite Isobar isolation strip. i may try sticking them in some digital gear. |
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| moses |
| At the local hospital here the outlets are orange, the green mark on them signifies that they are on the generator in case of a power failure. |
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| Rarkov |
Moses:
I am sorry to hear that you study hospital plug sockets so much...Get well soon! ;)
Everyone:
I am highly skeptical about the sound improvements from cleaning a plug socket's contacts. Fair enough - power droop at certain time of the day...So mains regeneration seems like a good idea...But lets face it...All these cables are doing is delivering 5 volts to a digital circuit or +-V to an amp...
I find it very hard to believe that it can make so much difference...I am certainly not about to rewire the house in copper / silver / gold or any thing else. I have seen articles on UK specific problems (Russ Andrews), but I'm afraid I'm a non believer.
My thoughts are that if you are so prone to hearing defects, when will you ever hear the music?! Just a thought to leave you with...
BTW: I'm not knocking anyone who thinks they can hear a difference or indeed can hear a difference...I hope you find what you're listening for in the end.
Gaz |
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| fdegrove |
Hi,
| quote: | | I am highly skeptical about the sound improvements from cleaning a plug socket's contacts. |
Any contact resistance degrades the performance.
Cleaning the wall outlets and distribution strips occasionally is not going to break the bank.
Especially for older houses where no one ever bothered you will notice an improvement in sound from a clean tightly fitting mains outlet.
When the socket is too worn out from abuse,just replace it.
Cheers,;) |
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| dorkus |
| yes, it's not a lot of work, costs pretty much nothing (cost of cotton swabs and some alcohol or other solution), and as long as you turn your breakers off is completely benign. cleaning any contact helps too - one time i throughly cleaned all my RCA pugs, jacks, and speaker connections, and was surprised at the subtle but worthwhile "cleaning up" of the sound (no pun intended). |
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| dorkus |
| someone just mentioned to me that a lot of hospital grade plugs/sockets have heavily tinned contacts to better resist corrosion, which is what kills the sound (tin plating sounds bad). so you may want to check what the contacts are made of... straight brass works well, which is what's on these sockets. |
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| moses |
[QUOTES] I am sorry to hear that you study hospital plug sockets so much...Get well soon! [/QUOTES]
Comes from working at the hospital once upon a time, actually. |
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| Rarkov |
Just joking...;)
Gaz |
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| Sparhawk |
I glanced through this thread, and it seems no one has mentioned this, so I'll take the bait.
These orange plugs are orange for a reason. Any orange plug with a green triangle next to the ground slot is an Isolated Ground (IG) receptacle.
In a normal receptacle, the ground prong is connected to the metal mounting tabs, which in turn make contact with the metal box that the plug is mounted in. This ensures that the box, the ground plug, and the centre screw that holds the receptacle cover are all grounded.
In an IG receptacle, the ground prong is not connected to anything else. This must be taken into consideration when using these in household situations. Normally, these are used in commercial and industrial situations, where all wiring is in metal conduit. In this case, the conduit is also grounded, and provides the safety ground for the receptacle box and cover plate. The ground prong is connected to an isolated ground wire which goes back to the building's main ground, to reduce common mode noise on the ground prong of the receptacle.
When these are used without conduit, in a household situation, one of two things can happen. If the ground wire is connected to the receptacle box, then the ground prong will not be grounded, which causes a safety hazard. If the ground wire is connected to the ground screw on the receptacle, then the outlet box and cover are not grounded, which, although not as bad, is still not good. When IG receptacles are used without an isolated ground, a jumper wire should be added between the ground screw and the receptacle box.
:xmas: |
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| dorkus |
| these are not isolated ground, i am pretty sure, but i will measure to verify. there is no green triangle on the sockets. |
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| Sparhawk |
Since we're talking about IG...
Many people don't really understand this, and often implement it in an unsafe manner.
An isolated ground is not a separate ground rod placed in the earth, and wired to an IG receptacle. This is very dangerous, and a violation of most electrical codes, including the NEC in the US. There can only be one ground point, and this is the 0V point where the neutral is bonded to ground. This one main ground point can be improved, but adding a second ground point is not the way to do it.
An isolated ground is a ground wire which runs directly to the main ground point (or the nearest neutral-ground bond, in the case of multiple transformers).
Some links:
http://www.liebert.com/support/whit...ts/sl_24275.asp
http://www.ecmweb.com/ar/electric_b...ated_grounding/ |
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| Sparhawk |
| quote: | Originally posted by dorkus
these are not isolated ground, i am pretty sure, but i will measure to verify. there is no green triangle on the sockets. |
If they are IG receptacles, it is likely that the ground prongs are wired to the metal chassis, effectively making them regular receptacles. |
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| dorkus |
| ok. somehow i doubt it, as this power strip is intended for standard computer/telecom equipment, electronics, etc... |
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