Any one try the new Synergistic Research BLUE UEF Duplex receptacle?
I sprung for a $19 Pangea outlet recently (my bedside Schiit Magni 3 headphone amp has what seems like a 14 lb power supply) as it was cheaper than the PS Audio ones I'd previously installed elsewhere...I'm mostly interested jn the grippy-ness of these things (and they're both simply a more substantial design than the crappy el cheapo standard ones), and the Pangea is certainly grippy...well done. The PS Audio outlets took 4 minutes to break-in (actually one was 4 minutes, the other one was closer to 18 seconds), and the Pangea sadly never broke-in at all, but does convey electricity from the wall cable to anything plugged into it which is all I ask of it...that and the grippy part. |
@elizabeth I completely agree. I wish I didn’t believe in break in and/or could not tell the difference. It sometimes goes through many changes - better, worse, then better again, etc. I wish it was placebo. It’s easy to blame it on placebo when one does not believe in break in or cannot tell the difference. Not much more to say - neither side will convince the other. Dave |
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Could someone please explain why a fuse or receptacle needs to break in? I'm thinking it has more to do with the return policy of these over-priced gimmicks. Just wait more than 30 days and it will sound amazing! And... the window to return will have passed. Also, the only job of the entire AC power feed is to supply voltage and current with minimal sag or reduction during transient demands of the highest power consumers in an audio system like amplifiers. If I may suggest a far cheaper and much more effective method to improve sound quality. If you're reasonably handy and careful you can run a dedicated branch circuit from your power panel to feed your amplifier(s). This will result in much less droop in the voltage when amplifier demands are high. This will then result in better control of your speaker drivers. You may even notice that your house lights don't dim when you really crank up the volume. A nice side benefit. I'll admit that I've fallen for the placebo effect a few times in my audio adventures. Caveat emptor and all that... |
jea48: Thank you for a great summary of the linage of many of the popular Audiophile outlets. This is most informative. Both systems here are sounding very special with the additional Blue outlets. I am sure Elizabeth is enjoying her system with the Furutech outlets. These outlets are definitely worth trying. David Pritchard |
lak OP3,458 posts01-09-2019 7:48am lak Just because Synergistic Research uses Pass & Seymour 5362 outlets for their SR Blue and SR Black outlets does not mean their treated outlets will not improve the sound of an audio system over that of the stock OEM outlet. Synergistic Research is not the only company that uses already manufactured outlets for their own modified, treated, outlets. Shunyata Research uses Hubbell outlets. Kimber Kable Wattgate branded outlets are made by Leviton. PS audio, I believe, uses Leviton outlets as well. Maestro AC outlet uses Cooper outlets. And there are others that are doing the same thing. That doesn’t mean what you are buying is just the stock OEM outlet. https://www.musicdirect.com/best-budget-tweaks-under-99/shunyata-sr-z1-ac-outlet https://www.thecableco.com/wattgate-381-tr-rh-receptacle.html https://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PSPP https://www.lowes.com/pd/Cooper-Wiring-Devices-20-Amp-125-Volt-Brown-Duplex-Electrical-Outlet/100005... http://blog.cruzefirstaudio.com/maestro_outlet.htm On a different note. I would caution anyone buying an audio grade rebranded OEM outlet used unless the rebranded audio grade outlet has the company’s name or model number, or model name, somewhere on the outlet. Otherwise you maybe just buying the original untreated stock OEM outlet. Jim . |
@davidpritchard, why don't you purchase one and report back to us if it sounds the same as your other Blue outlets? https://www.gordonelectricsupply.com/index~text~5630064~path~product~part~5630064~ds~dept~process~se... |
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@ maplegrovemusic It’s a Pass & Seymour 5362-BL industrial spec grade outlet. https://www.amazon.com/Pass-Seymour-5362-BL-Receptacle-Industrial/dp/B01C7R292A Pass & Seymour 5362-BL Duplex Receptacle Industrial Spec 20A 125V, Blue Here’s the same duplex outlet in white. https://www.amazon.com/Pass-Seymour-Specification-Heavy-Duty-Receptacle/dp/B008SBH18M Pass & Seymour 5362-W Specification Grade Corrosion Resistant Extra Heavy-Duty Straight Blade Duplex Receptacle 20 Amp 125 Volt AC NEMA 5-20R Auto Grounding White . |
+1 @davidpritchard In a direct comparison between the Furutech (F) GTX-D NCF(R) and GTX-D Gold and the Synergistic Research (SR) Black and Blue outlets: SR Blue >> SR Black >> F NCF(R) >> F Gold The SR Blue outlet breaks in sooner than the SR Black, but both resulted in much higher and enjoyable performance than fully (and I mean lengthy) broken in Furutech outlets. I'm a fan of Furtech and use their NCF terminations with all of my power cables. Outlet performance is a different story, in my system. |
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lak: I have used and still own 5 Furutech GTX-R outlets. I now prefer the Synergistic Research Blue outlet. They have the big spaceous sound and detail of the GTX-R but the detail is more relaxed, and there does not seem to be any one frequency that is emphasized. These are two excellent outlets, I simply prefer the Blue. I have no uneasy feelings about the "build quality" of the Blue Outlets and the grip on the inserted plugs is just the right amount. The Blue plugs are easy to try in a system. They are well-stabilized after 12 hours of being in place and total break-in is done by 10 days. The GTX-R break-in is all over the place for 3 to 4 weeks. I think auditioning a Blue Outlet is a fun experiment and easy to do. David Pritchard |
@ lak, (OP) Thanks. I should have read through your entire thread again before assuming you were using the Synergistic Research Blue outlet. Jim |
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@lak I believe you when you say the Synergistic Research Blue outlet improves the sound of your audio system. One problem I have with the outlet it starts out as just a regular nothing special spec grade "Legrand - Pass & Seymour TR5362BKCC12 Receptacle Duplex Tamper Resistant Back and Side Wire 20-Amp/125-volt, Black" outlet that sells for $5.98. https://www.amazon.com/Seymour-TR5362WCC12-Receptacle-Resistant-125-volt/dp/B0052EDREA?th=1 And of all things the outlet has a ferrous galvanized steel supporting back strap. That defies everything we have been told about the use of ferrous materials used in an outlet. Just look at all the high end receptacle outlets being sold. Not main stream mass produced outlets rebranded as audio grade outlets, but from companies that design and manufacture their own outlets. You won’t find any ferrous steel supporting back straps in them. Jim . |
Installed the Synergistic Research Blue fuses and Blue outlets first thing this morning at Mother's. I just got back from a Sunday night dinner and listening session. Her system is a Pass Lab First Watt F-7 amp, PS Audio Direct Stream DAC, and Terasonic high-efficiency single driver speakers with the silver voice coil upgrade. She streams her music via Windows 10 computer. Everything is left on 24/7 Her description: There is better layering of the instruments front to back. A sense of greater relaxation and tranquility. Better detail. The brush work by the drummer is now more complex. I left the apartment with her continuing to listen to "her music". My impression was the music has an enhanced sense of ease with better 3D soundstage placement and improved and enriched harmonics. The sound is very addictive. David Pritchard |
Installed 3 Synergistic Research Blue outlets today. What is interesting to me is how fast the sound improves when these Blue outlets are installed. Immediately there was a perceived increase in dynamics. Over the next hour, the soundstage widened and then became deeper. Unlike many other audiophile grade outlets, the SR Blue outlets do not have a prolonged break-in process to go thru. Tomorrow I will be installing Blue outlets in Mother's system. It will be fun to see how the single driver Terasonic speakers + Pass Lab amp responds. David Pritchard |
You can get a free fuse for any SR Blue Outlets ordered in December. E-mail or call highend-electronics, Apple Valley California and simply tell them the fuse size: small or large, slow or fast blow, and amperage rating needed. Alfred and Betty Kainz at highend_electronics are very good to work with. 760-490-2410 David Pritchard |
Elizabeth: It must be as I just finished ordering an additional 5 Blue Outlets to take advantage of the special offer. They will be utilized in two stereo systems and one headphone system. I am happy for you that your Furutech outlets plus Pangea power cord upgrades are working well in your system. I utilized your positive reports about Pangea to upgrade my Sony 4K Television power cord from stock. It is a significant improvement over the stock cord. David Pritchard |
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thezaks: Indeed, I have replaced the SR Tesla Plex SE wall outlet with the SR Blue. The improvement is significant and worthwhile. After installation, I heard an immediate increase in detail of the soundstage ( with no brightness) and a sense that the music flowed with less effort. After 24 hours the improvement was even greater. I felt the sonics then continued to improve over the next 10 days. Synergistic Research is having their special until December 31 where you buy a Blue outlet and you get a free Blue fuse. Perfect to put in your amp, subwoofer, or source. The Blue fuse does make a difference. The combination of a Blue fuse and Blue outlet on sound improvement is quite remarkable. The SR outlet comes with a 30 day trial so you can try it without worry. The audio improvements are not subtle. David Pritchard |
Has anyone gone from the SR Tesla Plex SE to the SR Blue? If so, what was the result? I have my amp plugged in directly to one of the outlets in the duplex (SR Tesla Plex SE), and the power conditioner is plugged into the other outlet. I have a second duplex (another SR Tesla Plex SE) for my sub, but I am not replacing that outlet at this time. I’m not sure if it would make that much of a difference. Dave |
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When I finally had 1200 hours on NCF (in the wall) it was a love hate thing with it. Good bass detail but just wasn't musical for me, so I bought outlet for conditioner, a furutech gold to fix problem , I was wrong. I tried SR black. Haven't tried blue. I ended up with PI Audio outlet, it may be just a modded Pass Seymour outlet but is a perfect match with NCF. Nothing is lost from NCF all detail is there plus you get extra. It just adds body to the music, it's relaxed without slowing things down or losing jump factor if that makes sense. I didn't think it was going to work just a modded outlet playing with top end outlets, but it did for me. Got me off outlet merry go round, it just plays music together with NCF. |
Repeating an SR Blue outlet post on another thread: I replaced the SR Black outlet powering my main system with a Blue outlet three days ago. It sounded good right out of the box and into the wall. My first impression was that it in no way was a step back from the Black. After giving it and all the cables and gear I had to move around several hours to warm up and settle, I noted better detail and texture due to a much quieter background as well as greater air and extension. Drive and pacing seemed improved as well. At 24 hours, I thought things took a bit of a step back, the sound seeming a bit bright and threadbare. I am now over 72 hours in at this point and I am loving what I am hearing. Dynamic contrasts are much more apparent with quicker transients--especially clear on percussion instruments such as congas. Bass has better weight and definition has taken another big step forward. The sound was very relaxed with great clarity and detail. By far the biggest difference I detected between the Blue and the Black outlets was the much blacker background against which instruments and voices were placed. Imaging was improved with the sound-stage being more clearly rendered placing instruments and voices more in their own spaces. Even audience noise and applause was dramatically clearer and more distinct. I don't know how they did it, but the Blue outlet is another big step forward. Next week I will introduce three more SR Blue UEF High Current AC cables into my system as I shift more and more away from earlier generation Nordost AC cables (Brahma and Vishnu). I thought that my first Blue cable was a great addition at a quite reasonable price and with the October special of three for the price of two and a 30 day trail period I'm jumping in with both feet. Geronimo! |
There's another variable that I forgot to mention. The ground wire that connects from the receptacle to the circuit board now runs at the top of the case and no longer touching the other live and neutral wires that rest at the bottom of the case. I don't know how much this may have helped but it is a modification when comparing to the previous configuration. |
(There are three new components in my system that are not fully broken in including a blue fuse in my amp; therefore, take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt.) Just today I installed the Blue receptacle into my power conditioner. The Cardas 4181US was replaced by the Blue UEF as the first receptacle in the series of 3 receptacles. The reason was so that the benefits, if any, can be shared or passed along to the rest of the receptacles. The conditioner's transformer is connected directly the the Blue UEF being the first receptacle in the series. The conditioner's current configuration consists of a Blue UEF, GTX-D NCF with a .47uF copper VCAP in parallel , and a Cardas 4181US as the last receptacle in the chain also with a .47uF CuTF in parallel. The Blue UEF has the computer (source) and Pass XA-25 amp connected to it. The GTX-D NCF has the Lampizator Amber II DAC and computer monitor connected to it. The Cardas 4181US has a hard drive reader connected to it. My first listen was very positive. The imaging is more solid/vivid; improved 3D image. The sound is very dynamic from top to bottom including more bass than I've had in my system. The bass is solid and not bloated so it does not sound artificial. Soundstage seems larger and has improved layering and separation. It appears that the Cardas may have been restrictive to the sound system. Remember that it fed power down stream to the other receptacles. The Cardas receptacle is now last in the chain so it cannot contaminate any other receptacles. I'm not trying to bash the Cardas receptable at all. It is definitely the best constructed receptacle that I've seen. The build quality is top of it's class. It's sound quality will be investigated further. http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h162/triggr_357/20181010_180726.jpg http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h162/triggr_357/20181010_174211.jpg |
ihmeyers48: Congratulations on trying more than one wall outlet. I do find it fascinating that wall outlets do effect the sound as much as they do and that different brands definitely do sound different. The Synergistic Research will definitely become more dynamic and the soundstage will expand over the first 14 days after installation. In my opinion after installing three of the Blue outlets, they do not need a lot of current passing thru to break in. I think the Power Cell being on 24/7 will do the thick. David Pritchard |
I purchased and installed a Synergistic Blue outlet to replace my Oyaide - XXX. The Blue immediately seemed quieter to me (less grain) but right out of the box it’s compressed dynamically and in terms of soundstage. Everything does sound pretty ’organic’ though (I hate that description but that’s all I can come up with).
I’m sure it will get better with break-in time.
What’s the best way to break it in? I have my equipment plugged into a PowerCell 10 UEF which is plugged into the Blue outlet. I hope I don’t need to keep the system running for 14 days to break it in. Maybe the PowerCell will draw enough to break-in the outlet. Maybe not... As far as the cost, yeah it’s not cheap within the context of outlets but in the world of high-end audio it’s not bad. I know people that have $10k amp & preamp and $20k speakers that refuse to pay $150 for an outlet or a fuse. That’s just foolish to me but to each his/her own. |
Just installed my Blue duplex and glad I did as the old duplex had very loose wire connections on it, could not have been helping and quite possibly a fire hazard as it was. Now I have solid wire too and yes it is a bear to get the Blue to tighten down on it securely, I redid it three times before happy but I am definitely going to pull it out and recheck in a month or so too. |
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