New dedicated line & outlets sound worse, not better- HELP!


About 3 weeks ago I installed a new dedicated power line from my breaker box to the outlets for my stereo set-up.  I used 10 gauge Romex, a new breaker in the panel, and also installed two new Porter Port cryo'd outlets.

My system is comprised of the following:
Gallo Strada speakers
M&K MX-80 sub
Parasound A23 amp
Consonance Cyber 222 line stage pre
MHDT Stockholm 2 DAC
Audio Philleo converter & Pure Power module
Clear Day double shotgun speaker cables
Silnote Epirus USB cable
Silnote Morpheus IC from DAC
Audience PowerChord from DAC
spiked maple stands for pre and amp

So my concern is that my system sounded just about perfect prior to the installation of the dedicated line and outlets- very clean, open, and detailed, yet also a musical and relaxed sounding. I figured the new dedicated line and outlets would just bring more of all of the good things I was hearing.

Instead, following it's installation, everything sounds a bit edgy and fatiguing to my ears. Soundstage depth and separation are improved, as well as bandwidth, but I literally cannot listen for more than 30 minutes before I get irritated. The treble seems too aggressive, which I'm very sensitive to. And there seems to be a slight veil over everything- just not as open as before.
Do I need to just be patient with break-in of the line and outlets? I've heard it can take a month or more for things to settle down. What are others experience after installing a new line and/or outlets?
Any insights or possible issues I might have overlooked are much appreciated!
Lincoln
lincnabby

Showing 4 responses by lincnabby

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I suspected that everything needed much more time to burn in, but I guess I just needed some reassurance. Any recommendations on how to do burn in besides running my rig 24/7?  I've heard running fans works plugged into the outlets, and also that outlets should be burned in via a refrigerator. Any other options that could work?

Thanks again!

I'm encouraged with responses. 
I did not burn in the Porter Ports prior to installation.
I'm currently running fans on two of the outlets and I have kept the Parasound A23 on day and night. 
At this point it's probably just a matter of patience. 
I will update again in a week or so and share impressions. Hopefully there will be some improvements!

Thanks again for feedback fellas.
I've used Porter Ports before and like their sound once broken in. I don't have the budget for the expensive outlets, and really doubt the extra coin is worth it.
And FYI, Albert has his own website, "Porterhouse Audio." besides his ads here on A'gon.
And I should mention that I used a silver paste/grease on all of the ends of the Romex 10awg line. Recommended by a forum I read. I used it quite sparingly. I had also considered cryo treating the entire spool of Romex at a local cryo treatment place here in Tucson, but resisted getting that crazy.
Finally, for everyone's further knowledge, I only ran one (1) dedicated line, as the run is about 100 linear feet from my breaker box. Some might consider this a cardinal sin, but I used 10awg jumper wire and linked two of the Porter Port duplexes together inside one 4 gang plastic box.
Perhaps this was less than ideal for SQ?
And to finish everything off I installed nylon faceplates instead of standard plastic per Albert Porter's recommendation. I'm okay with that versus the $250 carbon fiber plates some hucksters sell to us audiophools.  I love my tunes, but still trying to hang onto some semblance of sanity!

I'm really enjoying all of the advice and suggestions, and for the record, the edginess of the sound has dissipated and the veil is beginning to lift somewhat... this after another 60 hours of the Parasound amp and fans running continually on the new outlets.

I'll update again in another week or so, but I'm feeling confident the ultimate end result will be worth the trouble of installing the new line.

Happy listening,
Linc "lincnabby"


Hello again everyone!

After roughly a month of burn-in time, my "nearly perfect" sound is back and I dare say a bit improved with the new dedicated line. 

Bass definitely has more slam and texture, background noise was quiet before, but is now completely non-existent. The top-end is very clean, airy and, yet all of the grating fatiguing edge I initially heard has gone away, (thank God!), and definition of horns, cymbals, violins, is smoother, cleaner, and more lifelike, The critical midrange is about the same, though playing with various IC's I can most definitely hear the differences more easily and distinctly. With my Silnote Morpheus ICs connected to the MHDT DAC, vocals are very realistic, yet sweet at the same time-e.g Norah Jones. The soundstage depth, width, and sense of three dimensional space have all noticeably improved too.
Overall, I would say every aspect of my listening experience has been improved. Did my neurons burn-in somewhat too... maybe? But all I know is that at first I could hardly bear listening due to the new Romex and Porter Ports, and now I can hardly bear to stop listening to my tunes. For around $250 in materials and about 5 hours labor, I'd say it was a worthwhile experiment with happy results.
 
And as some above have suggested, the burn-in may not yet be fully completed. Perhaps I'll update again sometime around Thanksgiving to see if further changes have occurred.
As always YMMV, but I'm now a dedicated line convert.

Skeptics have a right to their opinion, but as for me the proof is all in the ear of the beholder!
Lincoln