Outlet shoot out

Comparing outlets is not quite as easy as it sounds. If your system is drawing from more than one receptacle, be prepared to replace every receptacle at the wall and in your line conditioner to really hear the true sound of that receptacle. I've never owned any of the "audiophile" receptacles, as buying 4 of them in Canada would cost what I'd consider to be too much money for my system. I have, however, compared the Pass and Seymour 5262 (the Acme is based on the 5242), various Leviton and Bryants, the Arrow Hart 8200 and the Hubbell 8200 and 8300. The Arrow Hart is very good value for under $10 U.S. and trounced the Pass & Seymours and I used them for quite a while. Further experimentation with the Hubbells (using all Hubbells versus all Arrow Hart) has led me to believe that the Hubbell 8200 and 8300 are definitely superior sounding; they are not as "exciting" as the AH, but they are smoother and in my opinion more accurate and realistic sounding. If you don't need a 20 amp receptacle, I think the Hubbell 8200 is a super deal at $12-$13 U.S. and I'd be curious to see how it compares to the "super receptacles". The contacts in the 8200 and 8300 are slightly larger than in the Hubbell 5362, which is sold cryoed by Jena Labs and Soundlab for the big bucks and touted as a "higher conductivity" receptacle, but the increased size of the contact may just be a result of the nickel plating on the 8200 and 8300 series. The copper content of the receptacle (supposedly the reason for the high conductivity) is exactly the same in the 5362 as it is in the 8200 and 8300 series, but the contacts in the 5362 (a 20 amp spec grade that is a fair bit cheaper than the 8300) are brass finished as opposed to nickel plated. The PS Audio power port is essentially a souped up 8300 with more nickel plating. In any event, I think the 8200 and 8300 Hubbells are superb sounding receptacles and I can't really justify spending any more; I think they'd compare pretty favourably with the "super receptacles" at a fraction of the price and should definitely be included if you're doing a "shootout".

Sean: Yes, it is Bob Crump who has stated that nickel is "bright", and while I respect Bob very much and appreciate much of the advice he has given me over at Audioasylum, I can only state that, with respect to the receptacles I've used, the nickel plated ones (Arrow Hart and Hubbell) were considerably smoother, less congested, and less bright (and at the same time, more open and natural sounding) than the receptacles with brass contacts, particularly the Pass and Seymors that Bob likes. In my opinion, they are a horror story compared to the Hubbell 8200/8300. Perhaps Craig is able to comment on this too, as he has the silver plated Acme, based on the P&S that Bob likes. I would guess that the Acme shares the basic character of the Pass and Seymor it is based on, and in my system that was fairly congested in the midband, quite forward and very bright (and yes, they were fully broken in). This is initially very "exciting" but when compared with the Hubbell 8200/8300 or even the Arrow Hart 8200, it is very quickly quite apparent that there is lots and lots of distortion. The Arrow Hart has a more open midband than the Pass and Seymor, but when compared to the Hubbells, even it suffers by comparison, and that is a nickel to nickel comparison. What I'm saying is that the so-called brightness of the nickel (I don't actually believe this) is in no way translating into the "open-ness" of what I hear in the Hubbells-to my ear they are anything but bright-sounds emerge from a blacker and quieter background in what I would describe as a more "mid-hall" kind of presentation. Yes, they are more open, but this is not based on "brightness". There is clearly less distortion than with the Pass & Seymor or Arrow Hart. I may be able to comment further on this in month or two as I may actually have a chance to compare the Hubbell 5362 (brass contacts) to the 8300, but for now I can't accept Bob's generalization about nickel being "brighter" in terms of power applications with receptacles.

Sean: The 8300/8200's I use are not isolated ground, but the Hubbell website shows those models also available in isolated ground, with no nickel plating on the contacts (contact area is smaller, so I'm just assuming the extra contact area is the plating itself-about 1/10 of mm.) Haven't heard them so can't comment and no idea of price. I have had experience with the Leviton isolated ground (with bronze contacts) at both the wall and in my line conditioner (they were the standard receptacles in my line conditioner) and they were no match for the Hubbells I currently use.