Replacing generic RECEPTACLES

@folkfreak    Thank you for sharing your experience with the Oyaide plates and covers..I really am glad now that i didnt buy them ..

@elizabeth ....Thank you for your explanation on the Brass outlet covers...I am going to take you opinion and fly with it...Thank you for saving me about $ 615, on those 2 carbon fiber covers from Oyaide. I will now use Brass dual duplex , and a Brass single duplex with my 3 Furutech GTX-d r 

Agree with the last 2 posts regarding the inexpensive but quite effective Porter Ports and hospital grade +cryo treated = why not, doesn’t cost too much more. Funny to me how so many folks I KNOW spend 100.00 or more for fancy fuses and STILL have .35 cheap contractor track house grade recepticles, they’re garbage and should be immediately replaced prior to plugging in expensive audio electronics. I haven’t tried some of the pricier receptacles but would venture still a wiser investment FIRST over boutique fuses. At the very least commercial grade at a few bucks each would provide a better more effective grip without the  worry of arcing caused by a weighty furtech plugged into a .35 receptacle.

I have the Oyaide outlet plates and covers and I’m darned if I can tell if they make a difference ... certainly pretty low on the value for money scale. They’re also a pain to fit and I have had threads stripped due to poor manufacturing tolerances.

Whatever outlet face plate you choose it will still vibrate as the small number of and poorly positioned screws don’t hold any outlet plate securely. Adding some fOQ material to damp the plate to the outlet surround will be both cheap and audible (but look as ugly as hell)

I recently bought cryo-ed 10-2 romex from VH audio and had an electrician install two Oyaide R1 duplexes with two runs of 10-2 romex to my breaker panel, so each duplex has it's own 10-2 dedicated run. One run is the cryo-ed wire from VH Audio and one run is standard 10-2 from Home Depot. Why? Well I thought I bought enough cryo-ed romex for both runs but I was short. I did not buy any fancy faceplates for the Oyaide R1 duplexes. My electrician covered them with standard cheap plastic faceplates. If anyone wants to try to convince me that the faceplate makes a difference, have at it but I am not buying it. I have an Isotek Syncro plugged into the Oyaide and than it goes to an Isotek Aquarius conditioner and all my gear is in turn plugged into the Aquarius. My electrician informed me that higher quality breakers were not an option with my Cutler-Hammer breaker box-that it would only accept one breaker. I am skeptical of that, but I went with what he told me anyway. My first observation was that it took a ton of force to install the male plug on my Isotek Syncro into the Oyaide duplex. In fact, I thought I had it all the way in and then noticed days later that there was an 1/8" gap that required more pushing to eliminate. Point; incredibly tight fit on the Oyaide female blades. Do I hear any difference between the new duplexes and the old "standard" hospital grade plug and 12-3 romex that was my pre-existing dedicated line? Nope. Maybe a tiny bit but not worth the $600 I spent for the materials and installation. The biggest change to my ears was the Isotek Syncro and Aquarius. They made my ARC Ref 6, Arc Ref 150 SE and DeVore 0/93's collectively snap into focus and made my bass sound more authoritative and real. The Isotek gear and Cardas Clear cabling made the biggest differences overall compared to my pre-existing power conditioning (none) and cabling (a mixture of Black Cat and Acoustic Zen). 

@elizabeth  Brass is just as good as carbon fiber? Can you explain that Elizabeth please? 

lowrider57...They {Oyaide} look like regular 4 and 2 outlet face plate. But i will call VH Audio and make sure they will fit before i buy them.  

<double face plate for 4 from Oyaide (WPC-Z2} from VH AUDIO. $374.99  And the single (WPC-Z) $239.99..>

Are you sure the Oyaide plates fit the 
Furutech GTX -d r ?
They're pretty expensive.

Possibilities are endless:
How about replacing your 12-3 nomex from the panel to the receptacle with some exotic wire? Maybe the circuit breaker itself on the dedicated line should be replaced with a high end breaker.
Also, isolating (not touching the other wires) the power line between the panel/breaker and the dedicated receptacle would eliminate the possible interference from the other circuit lines (microwave, refrigerator, etc,).
To totally eliminate the vibration issues originating from the framing of the dwelling, one can encase the dedicated line in a foam filled solid conduit (not sure if this complies with national electrical codes).
;-)

tomfoolery

And yes, you can replace a 15 amp outlet with 20 amp one. It makes thing safer!

You can replace a 15A outlet with a 20A outlet provided the wire connecting  the outlet to the panel is of the gauge specified under the NEC and your local code for a 20A circuit. Otherwise, you have a code violation and a definite safety hazard. And there is nothing inherently "safer" about a 20A line compared to a 15A line. If they are each properly installed, they are of equal safety.

tomfoolery...... Thats what i would have done if i already had a 15A dedicated line. Since i do not , I will just put a 20A dedicated line in for my CDP and the 20A Furutech. 

I own apartments, and sometimes have Section 8 tenants! When I have an inspection, the inspector uses a classic polarity tester to twist and wrench each outlet. If he tester flickers at all (continuity break) I have to replace it! (If they weren’t shot before they test them they definitely are afterwards.) Now I just replace them all.
And yes, you can replace a 15 amp outlet with 20 amp one. It makes thing safer! I often do it to “high stress” areas such as kitchen counters!

Just found a Carbon Fiber / Aluminum base , double face plate for 4 from Oyaide (WPC-Z2} from VH AUDIO. $374.99  And the single (WPC-Z) $239.99......Good thing i only need 1 and 1....

Are there any Carbon Fiber Quad Covers? Ive been looking on line but cant find any....

You can always purchase the Furutech outlets now and install them and then down the road get whichever wall plate you chose.
The bigger question is which Furutech outlet best suits your needs?
The Rhodiun, Gold or NCF(R)?

In my research the most important element seems to be a layer of carbon fiber on the cover to protect against RFI and vibration.
Some forums recommend using a non-magnetic stainless steel cover. Available for quad receptacles.

These were highly recommended for duplex outlets...

Furutech 104-D Carbon Fiber Hi-Performance Duplex Outlet Cover Plate

Oyaide Electric High-grade Outlet Wpc-z

audiosens........Also i just forgot , 2 of the Furutech GTX-d r  will be going into a 2 gang wall box, and will need a 2 gang wall plate. I will not be able to use the covers and the frames for those 2.  Looked  to see if Furutech has the 2 gang wall plate... They do not have it. 

audiosens........I will be installing 3 Furutech GTX -d r.   I see  that the GTX 105-D  Wall Plate  $220.....The GTX Wall Frame is $160.....Thats $380....Plus the cost for each of the Furutech GTX-d r....$250 x 3 + $220 x 3....+ $160x3 = $1890 .....Wow that is alot for 3 total receptacles...  How important is the wall covers and wall frame ?????

tatooedtrackman,
Yes, I have tried first Hospital grade, then Telsa Plex, but the greatest and significant improvement is with Furutech, but not cheap.  The Furutech Wall Plate is also your futur
upgrade, but not cheap, but it works very well.  Enjoy music.

@laserjock163.........It is NOT on a dedicated line. 

laserjock1963

If you have 12ga wire and a 20A breaker, just change the receptacle

Check NEC and local codes. How long is the branch circuit? Is the wire in conduit or confined space? 12ga might not be sufficient and even when it is, it's a minimum spec. You can reduce voltage drop, for example, by using 10ga wire.

If you have 12ga wire and a 20A breaker, just change the receptacle. 

If you have 12ga wire and 15A breaker, change the breaker and receptacle. 

The Pangea receptacles I recently had installed seem to work well.

@lowrider57 ..........Will do and thanks very much and to all that replied to my post...Very much appreciated all the help.... 

lowrider57

Running both lines to the ground bar in the panel means that they will share the same ground, less chance of a ground-loop.

This is required by NEC in the US. All grounds must be connected to the ground bus at the service panel.

OK, I've got it now. It sounds like a solid plan.
Running both lines to the ground bar in the panel means that they will share the same ground, less chance of a ground-loop.

Please let us know how it all comes together. You have great components.

@lowrider57 .........I will tell the electrician about what you said about installing the ground wires from both dedicated lines to the Ground bar in the circuit panel.. I dont know what you mean by that but i will tell him. 

lowrider57......The 20A dedicated line right now that my electrician installed with 2 duplex receptacles says TR . They are white. I dont know what you mean by commercial. From what i found on line TR stands for taper resistant and sell for $3.50 ea.Very cheap and prob garbage for audio. Right now im using that for my amp and preamp until my 2 Furutech GTX -d r come in the mail and will replace the TRs. Also right now my CDP is on a non dedicated 15A. And waiting for the 20A Furutech GTX-d r to come also in the mail , then i will have my electrician run the dedicated 20A line and put in the Furutech for my CDP and have him replace the 2 cheap duplex TRs and install the 2 Furutechs for the amp and preamp.

@tattoo, just so I understand, the 20A dedicated line is installed with 2 duplex receptacles. 20 amps would require commercial receptacles. Is this correct?

Does a receptacle and 15 amp line already exist for your CDP?
In any event, you will be adding the Furutech and I assume running new 12 gauge Romex to a 20A breaker at the circuit panel.
Make sure your electrician installs the ground wires from both dedicated lines to the Ground Bar in the circuit panel.

elizabeth

The requirement for a 20 amp service line is 12 gauge wire....As long as we are getting all technical

Not necessarily. Check the NEC and your local code. Code also almost always (there are some exceptions) requires that any "device" (receptacle) connected to the circuit have the same rating or better as the breaker.

elizabeth. Yes that is what i would do if i could , I would use my dedicated 20 amp quad circuit also for my cdp. But unfortunately that quad dedicated 20a circuit is right in back of my amp and preamp. My cdp is a distance from that quad circuit. So thats why i have to put in another dedicated line for the cdp. So i will then just put in a 20a dedicated line with the Furutech GTX-d-r .

aniwolfe

You can use a 20a receptacle on a 15a line.

Correct. But it's a violation of the NEC and potentially hazardous, because the 15A breaker can 't protect against the potential 20A load, would could cause overheating of the wire inside the wall.

I do replace bad teeth no snit with good ones, but if a tooth is good, no need for root canal right?

elizabeth

... 20 amp duplex on 15 amp wires NEC says no. The NEC is not the wire police. They are guides used by electricians as to what they can and cannot do since they are contractors and THEY have legal and liability concerns ... Those concerns are not a law, You cannot go to jail for using a 20 amp duplex on a 15 amp line!

o, you will not go to jail. But in the US, almost all jurisdictions rely primarily on the NEC, so it will be a violation of local code to put a 20A receptacle on a 15A line. That's because the breaker would not reliably trip if the load exceeded 15A. The breaker's primary purpose is to prevent the wire in the wall from overheating.

I have all Shunyata power cords and replaced my audio outlets (on dedicated lines) with the Shunyata 

The 2 double receptacles on your 20 amp line equals one 20A dedicated line.
It's fine to run an amp plus preamp on the same line; the 2 components will draw less than 20 amps. It would not be a good idea to run monoblocks on the same AC line due to the high current draw.

have a dedicated line for my Krell FPB 600 amp and my ARC Ref 6 preamp which i will be adding the Furutech GTX-d r. But not for my Rega Isis cdp. Would you also recommend a dedicated line for the cdp too?

It would make sense to add a second 20 amp dedicated line. You can use your CDP, and in the future add another digital device such as a dac or streamer. It’s best to isolate analogue from digital.

Or you can keep the 15A line as long as it is properly grounded at the receptacle and at the circuit panel.

You can use a 20a receptacle on a 15a line. You just can’t use a 20a powercord plug on a 15a line / 20a receptacle, otherwise you will have an ISSUE! Only use 15a powercords.

secretguy.........Any excuse to waste money?????? I dont understand your comment....Please explain...

Also when my electrician installed my dedicated 20 a for my amp and preamp he also installed  (2) double receptacles outlets side by side on the one dedicated line. Would this still be considered a dedicated line for my amp and preamp? Or do each component have to be on their own dedicated line?

czarivey....No u are wrong. My cdp is not on a dedicated line. So i will be adding a dedicated line for that. But i already bought a Furutech GTX-d r 20 amp. At first i thought i could use it for my non dedicated 15a line with my Furutech GTX-d r . But not according to Elizabeth if i am reading her answer right.  But since i want to have a dedicated line for my cdp i might as well go with a 20a dedicated line so i can use my 20 a Furutech with my cdp. Does this make sense?

Any excuse to waste money.

it looks to me like replacing a healthy tooth with nicer looking one. many celebrities do that.