Rhodium vs Gold AC connectors


Hi dear fellows.Does anybody tried these type of connectors in power cords?In my case I don`t know which could be the differences in sound performances between them.I heard that rhodium connectors have more extended hights frequences , more airy and fluid than gold connectors, but also that they can produce a non-lively sound, with too much control.Regarding Gold connectors I red that they produce a warmer sound, specially in the mids, but with not so much detail as rhodium.Is it true?I will appreciate your comments to make a proper decision.Thanks in advance!Raf
rafael0054
Bo1972, that was some of the funniest humor from you in a long time, I get it!,you said, The difference is quite clear!!
When you compare the Oyaide with gold against the 004/M1 the difference is quite clear!!

The Wattgate gold can even sound a little harsh sometimes!
Hi Melbguy1, I do not understand why Chris said he uses both the gold and Rhodium in his system, I tried that, it was horrible!, they worked against each other, a real train wreck, weeks of testing revealed someone can only use one version or the other through out a system, atleast that is what happened to my system any way, also, Chris was dead wrong about what his recommendation's were for my system, The Rhodium over and over again was the clear winner on my solid state amp and tube/solid state Hybred digital cd-player that run's direct to amplification, extrodinary transparent hugely, I do not believe at this point untill I do more auditioning that one would have to use the same wall plug's through out, just the wpo's.
@Bol, first of all just to correct you, I used the word "myriad" in the literal sense. I wasn't referring to the UK brand Myryad fyi.

01-22-15: Bo1972
gold is for dummies!!
Really? Since Audiolabyrinth cited Chris from VH Audio, here are comments from Chris regarding Furutech Copper/Gold vs Copper/Rhodium -

Rhodium tends to do better with tubed gear
than SS or digital. I use Rhodium on my tubed gear, and Gold on my SS and digital.

I'd still recommend the Gold, unless you feel your system is leaning towards too much warmth right now.

There is NOT a drastic difference between these,
despite the plating difference. The major mojo is in the base metal (pure copper), and the slight lean towards warmth vs resolution in the gold vs rhodium (respectively) is more related to a slight 'shade' vs night/day difference. Don't think you can go wrong with either. I use both in my own system

I think either will be an improvement, but believe if you are currently a bit too 'warm', or don't want to 'risk' going any warmer, then Rhodium would be the way to go. If, however, you are happy with where things are at (tonally), and you are looking to step up in resolution, dynamics, and better imaging, then the Gold will be terrific. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

If you want to maintain the tonal balance of your system, I'd still recommend the Gold. You're already using a decent receptacle in the R1, so you don't already have 'bright' receptacles to correct. I maintain that either the Gold or Rhodium will provide a significant improvement over what you have, though, and that you really can't go wrong with either. Gold = ever so slightly towards warmer side of dead-neutral, and rhodium is ever-so-slightly on transparency side.

I could probably find just as many reviews in my e-mail inbox that rave about the gold version, as well. My strong preference is for gold in SS and digital sources.

The difference between the gold and rhodium are far less in magnitude than say the difference between gold/rhodium in brass/bronze connectors. I suspect this is because the base metal (copper) dominates the sound in the GTX, whereas the plating has more influence when on brass/bronze. This is why I mentioned that no matter which version you chose, youÂ’ll likely be extremely happy with the improvement.

And this response from a customer of Chris after he mentioned I was having trouble deciding between Rhodium and Gold -

In my opinion your customer would hear the differences between the two with any of the Magico speakers. I believe that he might mirror my own experiences using his speakers. The Gold hands down, was the more natural of the two in my system. The tone and timbre were perfect and could not be any better. It is perfect. The Rhodium seemed to me to affect the naturalness of the tone and timbre slightly and seemed to always call my attention to it.

Both outlets were the same in other regards. There was no more detail with the Rhodium than with the Gold. The improved solidity of musical images was the same with both. Lowered noise floor was the same with both compared to my previous outlet the Oyaide R-1.
LOL! Bo, Good thing I use all Rhodium!, hey, which wall plug under discussion here sounded the most transparent?
Bo1972, which furutech FI-50M did you have, Gold or the Rhodium?, this make's a substantial difference.
Melbguy1 and Bo1972, I said I was going to E-mail Chris venhaus at vh-audio about wall plug's, here is his quick response, quote-
Chris Venhaus





In my experience, the FI-50 is the better connector. Pure copper is much more conductive than Beryllium copper. DonÂ’t get me wrong, the M1/F1 combo is very nice, but for natural presentation and superb micro/macro dynamics, I prefer the FI-50. In fact, IÂ’d take the FI-28 IEC over the F1. That said, I can see where the M1/F1 might be very synergistic for some peopleÂ’s systems, and as is the case with many parts/components in this hobby- everyoneÂ’s opinion can be different, and also be correct ;-)



I just think the FI-50 offers a bit better value, as well.



Best regards,



Chris VenHaus

VH Audio, Inc: www.vhaudio.com

V-Cap: www.v-cap.com

I think the Furutech is a little warmer. But....to all other parts the F1/M1 outperforms the Furutech connectors.

I would never choose for a speaker with low freq bass units on the side. For example: about 5 weeks ago I auditioned the Rockport Aquila. When we played Jacintha: I'm in the mood for love I got irritated by the double bass. During the solo you could hear that when he got to the lower region of the bass the physical focus got blury. Beside this you often get more acoustic limitations.

I don't use Myriad. Soon my Onkyo 5509 will be modified. We will do the same modification like this oen:

https://upgradecompany.com/upgrade-company-products/upgrade-company-onkyo/product/2-onkyo-pr-sc-5530-thx-ultra-2-certified-av-controller-with-signature-edition-upgrade

The 5509 is superior to the 5530. We also will change the chips and some electronic parts. I goes even further than this one. 4 weeks ago we did a shootout against the Audio Research Ref5SE. We were amazef how much more details the Onkyo with my way of Pro measurment has. The level of blacks was also superior. The stage was a lot deeper and wider. Instruments and voices were also more physical. The articulation of voices was also superior with the 5509.

I already outperformed my old Pass XP-20 with ease. Desmond from Pass Labs know's the whole story. This week he send me an email that he probable will buy a 5509 as well to test.

Audio is always about the best. What gives the best endresults. With my X350.5 I can outperform the XP-20 with ease with the 5509.

Without my pro measurement it is useless. That is why we will use highend parts to get an even higher result. I even think i can outperform pre amps of above 30.000 dollar. I will find some highend pre amps to proof that I a m right. Because audio is all about facts and proof.

In about 4 weeks I will recieve a modified 5509. I will put my Pro measurement on it so I can compare it against mine.

In the last weeks I have had many people visiting my house. I think we will have a new statement in sound. I want to prrof this. Now it are words overhere, but I will proof with sound that it is exactly as I wrote here.
Bol, you have a long equipment list with some expensive gear in their. The BMC Arcadia's are a good example & look impressive. Why such a myriad list of gear? I'm kind of going in the opposite direction & trying to reduce my box count,
Bo1972, Are you saying that the oyaide m-1 has organic, warm, sweet full treble detail with air that is better than the furutech fI-50m?, does this oyaide better the furutech with this type of sound?
I agree with Melbguy1, +1 thankyou for your feedback, Bo1972, I have the p-079 wall plug and IEC on the Tara lab's cobalt power cord, sound's really dynamic, does all the audiophile attribute's very good, I am impressed with the oyaide wall plug's and IEC's, however, nothing I have tried beat's out the furutech GTX-D wpo's!
Thanks for your feedback Bol on the Oyaide P-004 vs M1 connectors. I plan on getting 3 of my Jorma pc's re-terminated initially, and a 4th pc upgraded later in the year. But not cheap, VH Audio are asking $345 for a single cryo'd M1!
It is made of Beryllium copper. The other shielding is from alluminum.

I compared the 004 with the M1/F1. I was amazed how much more dynamics the M1/F1 had. The shielding is a very important part for the difference. The 004 has a simple shielding of plastic.

When I compare the F1/M1 with the Oyaide I have almost the same outcome. I guess that the shielding is an important part for the reason that the M1/F1 outperforms the Furutech.

The problem is that Oyaide is still difficult to get. These days Purist Audio Design uses Wattgate connectors. Only becauae they had problems to get enough connectors. Audioquest stopped with Oyaide for the same reasons.

But for a perfectionist I am only interested in the F1/M1. For me there is not room for less. That will be a no go. But Jim from Purist Audio always give F. idiots like me the option to get it with Oyaide plugs. That is a nice thing.
Bo1972, what is the material made of on the oyaide F1/M1, Gold, Rhodium, pallidium,copper, what about the houseing too?
01-19-15: Bo1972
100% identical, even the length is the same.
Yeah I plan on upgrading all my Jorma Prime pc's at some stage with Oyaide F1/M1 connectors. The Prime pc's are factory terminated with Oyaide P-004/C-004 connectors which are very good. The combination of platinum and palladium-plated beryllium copper with the Furutech GTX-D(G) should be a great combo in my ss system.
Bo1972 my Tara power cord has the oyaide second from the best by them IEC and wall plug, sound's really good, Oyaide is a great company, I will Talk to chris Vanhause of vh-audio and get his opinion before I do a final move here, thank's for chiming in.
TBG, Oh no, I would not take any thing apart, good call, something like this carrol power cord on the krell is easy to do, I will not take the Tara power cord apart either, life time warranty, do not want to void that out.
I have some demo KLEI Copper Harmony RCAs with Mogami 2549 for sale at a very reasonable price if anyone is interested in trying them. PM me if you are interested...
Bo1972, are the pcs otherwise identical?

Audiolabyrinth, I have not taken them apart, but the IEC plug is much longer and probably contains many magnets.

My fear in taking them apart is whether I could get put back together.
I have the same powercord with Furutech F50 and the other with Oyaide F1/M1. Big difference in dynamics and details.
Bo1972, might I ask how you came to this conclusion? Personally I have liked the Oyaides R0 more than the R1.
The F1/M1 from Oyaide are superior to the Furutech F50. I own them both, bu later I will sell the Furutech for the M1/F1 combo. It is superior in dynamics and in details as well. As you know only the best is good enough. Everything what is less, doesn't count in my world!
Hi TBG, Are you talking about the IEC end of the HF power cable?, interesting, Do you know what modification was done?
TBG, are you talking about the IEC end of the HF power cable?, intersting, what modification was done?
Audiolabyrinth, ironically, when I put my dedicated line in 26 years ago, I had big tube amps and on turn on they kept tripping the 20 amp breakers. The electrician warned me about 30 amp breakers and I had them installed.

I think a furutech fi-50(r) is what the female output connection on the HFC pcs was before modification.
Rafael0054, I had always thought that any plating had adverse effects on sound. I have two quite technically competent friends with the one hating rhodium and one loving it. I have no negative reactions to rhodium on power cords or outlets. I do have my continued negative reaction to gold wires or gold plating. With no pun intended, gold in ics, on ac power anywhere, and for speaker wires always has a glow to it that is slow and smeared.

The real question is whether or not there is anything better than rhodium. What about platinum, silver, palladium. We all know that copper oxide is not very conductive.

Right now I'm sticking with rhodium on the HFC power cords and waveguided power center and no gold anywhere.
Hi Dear fellows.
So according to what Tbg was told at CES copper is the best conductor material for any outlet, connector etc etc and the plating is only the final touch that could give you either bigger mids, velvety character or higher resolution in the upper frequencies and dark background depending on your choice if gold or rhodium plating and of course the interaction with the components in each system.I think in future I `ll try a gtxd R.I`m a bit afraid that my system prefers gold versus rhodium( I have tried a FI 11 N 1 R connector in my Krell kav 300 cd player and it was a disaster as a result and I ended up with the gold version)So may be, as Michelzay said before, for feeding power conditionners rhodium is better than gold.So I think it will be my next try.Any other comments will be appreciated.Cheers!Raf
TBG, I am still burning in my second wpo, damn, the first one does not have 400 hrs on it yet, however, I am happy to tell you that the second one has 234 hrs as of friday, I do 10 to 13 hrs a day, the sound has dramtically improved the last two day's, each time I get impressed, it gets better from there, I tell you Norm, that single pole 30 amp breaker I put on the amp that took 17 hrs to burn in made my sound incredible for $5.00, best $5.00 I ever spent in my life, really!, a 20 amp breaker must have been chocking this amp, speed and dynamics, and open sound is off the chart's, I thought about what you said to me Norm about the stock power cable on the amp, I believe putting a furutech FI-50 R on that may do really good?
Audiolabyrinth, at CES I talked with Furutech about why they did not have beryllium copper GTX-Ds. The answer was conductivity. I asked whether solid copper with gold or rhodium plating was better. He said yes, if it was thin plating. My present wall plug is an R0 which is solid beryllium copper. I am awaiting another GTX-Dr for it.
TBG, very impresive, I was also saying, you should list that you have 10 furutech GTX-D R's wpo's in your system equipment compilation you have, which is also impresive, this show's you are convinced enough that the furutech GTX-D R was better to your listening tast that you bought many of them, cheers
Audiolabyrinth, presently in NM I have the LSA speakers, stands for them and a H-Cat preamp and amp. I also have Zilplexes which have made the tiny 10 x 13 x 8' room usable. The rest of my system when I'm there has to be shipped or transported from Texas and then back. I really can only do x versus y reviews there.
Hi TPG, wpo means, wall power outlet's, you do have alot of equipment, you seem to love music as I do considering your investment, you must have system there in New Mexico?, if not, from what I read, you certainly could have a system there permently, cheers.
Audiolabyrinth, please tell me what wpos are.

I guess I could put two systems together but I only have one real listening room. I know many with two if not three listening rooms.
Tbg, very nice, however, this seem's to be two system's?, also, you did not list your wpo's, which considering who you are talking to, you should.
Melbguy1, I gave up on having my system on Audiogon. It kept getting deleted and screwed up. Here is my system.

Associated Equipment
Digital Front End

Empirical Audio Apple Mac Mini (mod.) with a raid TuneBank, now playing double DSD
BMC PureDac
Analog Front End
Nantais Lenco L78 with Ikeda 407CR1 long tone arm and 9TT cartridge
B.M.C. MCCI phono stage
Dalby D7 Record Stabilizer
Amplification
Robert Koda Takumi K10 preamp
Exemplar XP-2 Mk II balance tube line stage
LSA Statement Plus stereo amplifier
B.M.C. M2 mono block amplifiers
H-cat P-12R X9 linestage
H-cat DF-100.2 stereo amplifier
Loudspeakers

B.M.C. Arcadia speakers
LSA1 Statement speakers
Cabling
High Fidelity CT-1 Ultimate Reference full loom
Exemplar Audio Silver Portal balanced & single-ended ics
BMC PureUSB1 Active USB cable
Entreq Audio Firewire and USB cables
High Fidelity Ultimate Reference Rhodium power cords
Exemplar Portal charged power cords
Accessories
TriPoint Troy Signature with Troy power cord and Troy SE grounding wires (3)
High Fidelity Magnetic WaveGuide power filter ac filter (helix)
Star Sound Tech Apprentice Platforms (7)
StillPoints Racks (2) with Grids, Component Stands, Ultra Five, SS, and Mini isolation feet
Zilplex resonators room treatment
Anti-Vibration-Magic (AVM) paint
Hi Audiolabyrinth.
Interesting news about the 30amp breaker for your Krell 700cx power amp.Current is a crucial factor for any Hi End audio system.Have you looked this video about Greek audiophlies??I never forgot what one guy said.....^Electricity is 50% of the sound^Please take a look at it.Cheers.Raf
http://youtu.be/xs1aUws0Lrs
Hi Michelzay.
Very interesting what you have said about IeGo products regarding there low costs, differents base metals for conductors and the designers( ex Furutech`s).I`ll be very interested in reading your experience with these AC connectors.Also I`ll be very curious when you´ll try the silver conductors plated with gold or rhodium.It is very useful to know about other brands that makes high quality products with and affordable price, specially in this hobby that gets very expensive anytime you want some changement in the sound.I agree with you in that not all expensive products neccessary makes a relevant changement.So this brand is to be taken into account as well.Cheers!Raf
Tbg, your System thread links into a thread about Spot welding, so I'm not sure about what kind of gear you own. If you have a tube-based system, have an analogue front end or use gold-plated plugs on your pc's then yes, the GTX-D(R) would likely have better synergy. It's all system dependent. Both versions are convincingly better than a cyro'd Oyaide R1.
Melbguy1, yes I did try the GTX-Dgs but didn't like them as much as the GTX-Drs.
01-11-15: Tbg
I think that there is little question that copper is the best cabinet as well as the best material for ac transfer. But it is just too soft. I talked with Furutech at the CES, and was told that Beryllium copper is just insufficiently conductive. I have tried the Oyaides R1 and R0 outlets and prefer the R0s. I do hate gold plated contacts, preferring the rhodium plating. So right now I will live with the rhodium plating.
Have you tried the Furutech GTX-D (G) Tbg? That is a different animal to normal gold plated wpo's, as the plating is minimal & the major mojo in terms of the sound is the base metal (copper). Which works best depends on your system. I have a solid state, all digital system & my pc's use Oyaide P-004/C-004 connectors. If I were using gold-plated connectors, or had a tubed system the GTX-D (R) would have been the better choice...it's all a balancing act.
I think that there is little question that copper is the best cabinet as well as the best material for ac transfer. But it is just too soft. I talked with Furutech at the CES, and was told that Beryllium copper is just insufficiently conductive. I have tried the Oyaides R1 and R0 outlets and prefer the R0s. I do hate gold plated contacts, preferring the rhodium plating. So right now I will live with the rhodium plating.
Michelzay, yes, you got my interest now with your last post,thankyou, please keep me informed with your comparision's, speaking of saving money, I recently installed a single pole 30 amp breaker in place of a 20 amp, it costed $5.00 for the new breaker, talking about the wow! factor, best money I ever spent in my life in audio, I would have spent $300.00 for what the 30 amp breaker did for my amp, I look forward to all you have to say.
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.
Michelzay, the furtech I specified is pure copper, and it is the best of cryo treated, alpha is a new treatment that is better than the norm cryo, and yes!, the furutech FI-50 Rhodium is supperior!, you get what you pay for, tring to get you to absolute nirvana, you may go through the motion's of spending money, I alway's go to the top, then decide impression's, if it does not work, on to the next.
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.
Hi Rafael0054, under guidance from audiogon memeber's and krell, I installed a single pole 30 amp breaker on my modded krell 700cx with the 4awg speaker cables, after 17hrs of play time on the new breaker, talking about wow!, this was an incredible tweak, the Furutech GTX-D Rhodium's said, bring it!, they are cold to the hand when most recepticles would get warm to hot under this kind of unlimited current, bigger sound stage, vocals are deep organic real!, deeper bass, slam like a bomb going off in my home, snare drum sounds like a real one in my listening room, most people go through all their lifes and never get this synergy throughout their entire system, I am extremly Happy with the trancedence of all this, each day this system is getting better.
Hi Michaelzay, I look forward to what you have to say, however, you should consider the Furutech FI-50 Rhodium wall plug's and IEC's, Rhodium over pure copper twice cryo treated, called alpha treated, this treatment is the new best of cryo money can buy, Happy listening.