Rhodium vs Gold AC connectors

So recently, I came cross to the same challenge … choosing between Rhodium and Gold connector. I had two long cable ended with Furutech Rhodium connectors, I cut them by half and created two more cables using Furutech Gold F-11 connectors. It took more than 180 hours to break-in new Gold connectors. Same cable with Rdodium give this impression of an airier HF and less Bass and midrange compared to Gold connector.

It all depends, to which components they are connected. I use a cable with Rhodium connectors to feed my Tara labs PM2 power conditioner. My LECD-Tv is connected to this PC and picture quality is fantastic with tones of clarity and resolution. The magic of Tara labs PM2 is that it creates an impressive depth in picture and sound (somehow 3D). Using the same cable with F-11 Gold, presented more pleasant sound (better bass and midrange) on LCD-Tv but a little bit of less resolution on Picture. Better picture quality on Rhodium case is certainly related to extended HF bandwidth of Rhodium connector. I know that because I did a lot of academic research on TV signal in the past, and improvements of details on the contour of objects relay on High Frequencies.

However for my preamp (MCintosh C2300) I got an excellent result with F-11 Gold connectors compared to Rhodium connectors with same cable. The bass is more present, midrange is fantastic and HF is very good too (perhaps less airier HF compared to Rhodium case). Overall, Gold connector present more musical sound. Using Gold Connector with my amp (BAT vk-600se) presents the same phenomena.

My experience with my power conditioners: Synergistic Research PowerCell 4, Tara labs Ad6 and Tara labs PM2, brought me to this conclusion that feeding Power conditioners with cables using Rhodium connectors is more suitable. However, using cables with Gold connectors feeding main components gave me an overall better musical sound.
There are a few reviews and comparison on this site that hopefully would be useful. Usually his review are objective:

http://www.hifi-advice.com/Furutech-alpha3-review.html

cheers,

On comparison of different receptacles, there is this interesting review that I thought would be useful:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0114/audiophile_ac_outlets.htm

By the way, Chris from VHaudio, recommends Furutech GTX-D too.

Michel.

Raf, thanks for your comments. in another treat I also posted some complementary information. hope that would help. For break-in period, my cables were already broke-in and connecting FI-11n took more than 180 hours and as I said earlier, after 220-250 you will really hear more refinements.

The original connectors on your power cord, seems to be Wattgate brass NEAM/IEC. So the difference between gold and brass should not be just as a subtle change in sound. I am interested to find out what are your conclusions. Perhaps I could use the same concept with one of my Transparent PowerlinkMM which uses also wattagate connector.

cheers,
Michel

Audiolabyrinth, I'd like to hear your conclusions too.

Last week, I made another experience regarding Rhodium vs. Gold Ac connectors. I put back again my AQ Volcano (Copper) speaker cables (instead of AQ Meteor Silver) and some copper interconnects (instead of AQ SKY silver) that I have. With Fi-11 gold AC connectors, the sound was kind of dark side of warm sound and lacks a little bit the high frequencies. Even though music was alive and resolution details were present and the bass was too much pronounced. Honestly I am not a Bass freak… I put back again my Dynamic Design power cords having FI-11 Rhodium and high frequencies opened up magically with Copper interconnect/speaker cables having wider soundstage. The sound was more neutral and one could hear tiny noises out of the records.

It was a pleasant surprise which confirms the AC connector needs to be matched also with interconnect cables materials and speakers cables. Gold connectors with Silver interconnect/speaker cables and Rhodium connectors with copper interconnect/speaker cables. I continue to be amazed how Power cords and related AC connectors would impressively change my system sound. Of course, AC receptacle play a big role especially matching it with power cords. I use Tesla AC receptacle.

I ordered some Silver and Gold “iego” set AC connectors that I look forward to receive them to make new experiences with Silver connectors and compared them with Furutech. I was told Silver connectors presents the best of Gold and Rhodium, let’s see ...

Michel

I think there are two issues in these discussions: 1- AC power cord with Rhodium or Gold Nema/IEC connectors and 2- Respectable AC outlet Rhodium or Gold.

Obviously, there is a relation between these two. In an exchange mail with Chris Vanhaul he mentioned that too, when I was hesitating to buy Rhodium Connector vs. Gold.
I need to say I don’t have too much experience on different respectable ac outlets. I used to have a Hubbell Cryo and a Synergistic Research Teslaplex and I am happy with it. I am considering to add an Furutech GTX-D (R) in the near future, especially If I find a used one!!! There is a good review on enjoythemusic, January 2014, entitled: Audiophile AC Power Outlet Comparisons
Oyaide, Synergistic Teslaplex, ACME, Hubbell IG 5362, cruzeFIRST Audio Maestro, and Furutech GTX.

As for power cords, based on my own experiences. I think AC connectors play a big role on the output sound. Obviously, there are plenty parameters to consider too, like cable materials, no. of gauges, device equipment (CD player, DAc, preamp, AMP), power conditioner(s), the interconnect cables materials, speaker cables and most importantly the SPEAKERS. Devices being Tube based or Solid-State could also play a role in term of overall dynamic and revealing different frequency ranges. One could use Rhodium connector for CD player or preamp and Gold for Amps. For example, I use Dynamic Design power cord with Rhodium for one of my power conditioners feeding my LCD TV and AMP, CD player with an excellent clarity and results. The Dynamic Design Challenger cable with Gold connectors are used on my CD player. On my second system, I use a DD power cable with Rhodium feeding my preamp/processor.

I am afraid there is no any objective way to make rules on using Rhodium or Gold on CD player or amp. It is a multi-dimensional problem without any theoretical answer. The best way is to try and test.

Beyond all of these, THE MOST PROMINENT PARAMETER is the PERSONAL TASTE on type of music (Classic, chamber, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal), preference of being a bass freak or not, preference to have a more lively midrange, preference on more articulated vocal voices and enjoinment of hearing more pronounced instruments on high frequency or not.
I tested and have a lot of power cords and put some for sale. Some present an excellent sound especially with big orchestra and some are more suitable for jazz or chamber music. Of course, some cables present a reasonable compromise between the two. One might also choose to have entire power cords sets for each of these configuration. Some are very good for power conditioner, some are better for CD player or preamp or amps.

Regarding expensive power cords (>$800 used!), I am not sure, the subtle improvement that they might bring to your system could be really justifiable. I don’t believe neither reviews on Magazines that could be biased. One could learn some notions from that but buying based on review is not recommended. Based on my experiences, buying a reasonable and not expensive cable and changing the nema/iec connectors would present a much better result. I think Rafael0054 did that too on his Purist audio cables.

Audiolabyrinth, Your Krell amp is a beast (in a good way) and I guess it comes with its own internally attached power cord. Have you ever considered to change that power cord and see what you get instead?! I was reading an interview with Dand’agustino of Krell saying up to a few years ago he didn’t believe on importance of Power cords! I guess it was the eras of before ~2004, where all these fancy/sophisticated Ac connectors didn’t exist. Since then there has been more improvements and people pay more attentions on their connectors, not only Ac connectors but also interconnect and speaker cable connectors.

Happy new year...

I received my two sets (NEMA/IEC) of IEGO AC connectors as Gold and Silver plated over copper. I just installed them on Power cords and would let them break-in for 200 hrs, as it is recommended by David Wei from acoustic-fun.com.

Once it's done I will let you know how it is compared to Furutech Fi-11n.

By the way, acoustic-fun is a really reliable vendor based in Taiwan with a serious customer service.

cheers,
Michel

Furutech Fi-50 Rhodium over copper(Nema+IEC) will cost almost $600, where IEGO (Rhodium) set cost about $100! Does 6 times higher price would offer >6 times of superiority on quality sound? I don't think so.

I read some objective comparisons done by Christiaan Punter on Hifi-advice which seems IEGO plugs (vs. Fi-25)could sound better. Obviously it also depends to power cable materials too.

Besides, I was looking for Silver Nema/IEC, and it is the only brand which does carry Silver Ac connectors. I am going to compare also IEGO gold vs. Fi-11n Gold. I will post my observations after break-in period in the next 10 days.

Audiolabyrinth, the IeGO Ac connectors are also G/Ag/Rd plated over pure copper. Furutech series from Fi-28 and FI-50 uses G/Rd plated over copper. The rest (Fi-11 and Fi-25)are G/Rd plated over brass. Besides, IeGO founders are ex-Furutech designers. IeGo carries also AC connectors, with G/Rd over pure Silver. I would like to try them in the future and compare them with G/Rd over pure copper. The reduced cost of these experiences using IeGo compared to Furutech is interesting to point out. This is not an advertisement for IeGo or any other brand!!!!

In my humble experience in general and especially on Audio equipment, More expensive does not mean a better performance, may be it translates on better packaging material. I tried different expensive power cables and compared them to some cheaper versions and found just by changing AC connectors one could get a superior quality out of cheaper PC. For example, I tried Tara labs The One AC PC (~$2000) and Gold AC PC (~$4000)with my Tara labs AD6 Power conditioner and compared them with some Old Transparent audio PC that changed their NEMA/IEC connectors. With my DIY/modified cables I got better sound-staging with more details on extreme frequencies. That's why everyone in this treat tries to do. As always, it all depends to our system and synergy between different gears.

That' a very good public/online review from Enjoy the music.com written by Jonathan Lo. It also provides price list of these power outlet. I have already recommended this article about a month ago, before all those gross and non-sense comments mentioned recently!!!!!!

Melbguy1, "gross and non-sense comments" are those calling others whom are not sharing the same thoughts as dummies. Using f. words as abbreviation, to express and push their non-sense logic. The bottom line is to respect other Audiogon fellow's opinion even though if is not the same as ours.

As for the articles and generally the reviews, I need to add that I don't believe on them. Most of reviewers are biased toward certain brands (go find why!!???!). If not. their system is totally different than ours, therefore their opinions on a particular product should not be generalized. Obviously, one could learn some stuffs from those reviews but accepting a review as is, it is not advised. Of course, some sites/journals are more honest like tonepublication, soundstage and the absolute sound. others that I usually don't trust, are like Stereomojo, steretimes, daggo, etc..., their reviews mostly consist of saying hey, it is a good product ... without going through any concrete detail and or/and any comparisons. Once again this comment is only my personal opinion, not a rule.

As for this funny battle of Gold vs. Rhodium, one should express his/her system and related experience to inform other audiogon fellows on their path toward perfectness. If that experience is different compared to any other person, so be it!!! One could feel to be musically more connected toward a Gold ac plug or Rhodium Ac plug, so be it! Our audio systems and our taste for music genre, are different from one to another, therefore we might prefer Gold over Rh. and vice versa, so be it!!! I use mostly Gold plated Ac plugs, some Rhodium ones and very recently some Silver plated plugs, dependent on power cable material, source device, power conditioner, So be it !!! If someone is happy with his audio system plugged either with silver, Gold, Copper, bronze or Rhodium, SO BE IT!!!!

Audiolabyrinth, I bought some IeGO Silver and Gold AC plugs that I am on last phase of breaking period. I will post the results/ comparison to Furutech soon. So far, I just tested Silver AC plugs and they are wonderful, having best features of Rhodium & Gold ac plugs. My AC outlets are TESLA Plex SE and I very happy using them. If I could find any AC outlet made of Silver plat over Copper, I will certainly go for it.

BTw, I appreciate your kind words ...

cheers,

Unfortunately, the purpose of this thread has been moved toward non-sense comments. Expensive audio gears doesn’t mean better quality! The essential is to enjoy music on what we have, cheap, middle range price or expensive …

Some have older but good audio gears and knows how to set it up properly with special cables, so be it… Some JUST pretend (!?) to have expensive audio device in order to make their opinion more plausible, so be it …

On my second system, I have a B&W 804 with MCintosh MX135 and a Denon 100anniversary amp, I enjoy listening to music as I do with my Tannoy Canterburry SE + special tweeter, BAT 600se, Viva Linea XP, Mcintosh c2300. Using more appropriate cables on my modest second system made an enormous improvement on sound quality. The sound quality that I didn’t hear even on Audio shows with some >$80K systems.
Some audio manufacturers offering expensive devices/cables to make the statement that their products are the best that’s why it is so expensive. Some of them they went out of business and some are struggling with serious financial problems because of lack of sales. They change name of company with same product but cheaper price! They hire some cheap reviewers to present those products as the best in the market! And most dramatic is that some People without a brain follow every reviewer like groupies. That’s is why I don’t trust reviewers, expectation (with cautious) of some honest ones like Paul Bolin, Marc Mickelson, and some on theabsolutesound.

The bottom line is: One could feel to be musically more connected toward a Gold ac plug/outlet or Rhodium Ac plug/outlet, so be it!

I am looking for an AC outlet with Silver plating on Copper. Waatagate used to sell those, and it seems they are going release new models.
Do you know if there is any other vendor selling Silver AC outlet?

I recently replaced some of my AC plugs with Silver plated over copper NEMA/IEC and having excellent results.

Audiolabyrinth, thanks for your message. I just got back from two weeks business trip and I am planning to post a review on IEGO Silver AC connectors. So far I am very pleased with Silver plugs on my preamp. Besides, Look forward for new release of Wattagate AG Duplex Receptacle Outlet.