Gb, this is what I did
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I would like to think that after several hundred hours all of these outlets would be as burned in as they were going to get. In my system I found the Teslaplex SE the most "exciting", but it had a slightly artificial quality in the upper mids and lower high end compared to the Maestro. YMMV. I chose the Maestro because it sounds the best of the ones I tried. |
I switched from the FIM and I think it wasn't more than a few hours less than 20 when I felt it had stabilized. Much quieter background and stable image. Since I started using the Tesla Plex I don't think I need to look further. |
Thanks Tonyptony.
I may eventually try a Maestro, but I'm going with a Furutech GTX-D eventually.
And I trust your experience, but I do need to point out that Neil Gader has also had these (although with a Powercell 10SE) and was quite impressed.
I do not doubt at all that the Maestro may be superior, just that it would be strange that the Tesla had an artificial quality in the upper mids/lower treble. How did it manifest - meaning what sounded "wrong" |
I have auditioned Ps Audio Premier, Oyaide R-1, and the Synergistic Research Tesla Plex. Each has their own sonic imprint. The SR is the most open across the entire frequency spectrum. The Oyaide R-1 is darker,but not muffled. The PS Audio more high frequency emphasis. The audio circuit has 5 receptacles. Currently my system sounds the best with 4 Synergistic receptacles plus 1 Oyaide receptacle. This circuit was further improved when I had the circuit breaker "Quantum Tunneled" by Synergistic Research. |
Well, I'm going by memory at this point, but as I recall there was something in the upper mids / lower treble that just - over long listening sessions - seemed not as natural in my system as the overall feeling I got with the Maestro. The difference was minor in the grand scheme of things, but I just felt over hours of listening that I got a more realistic, natural sound and presentation top to bottom with the Maestro. I suspect I could have changed some ICs in my system and the choice could have easily been the Tesla. I didn't dislike it by any means. The Maestro just helped my system sound more like what I hear when I go to classical and jazz performances. Sorry I can't recollect it at this point with the standard audio jargon.
If it helps, I liked the Tesla SE better than the Oyaide R1. |
I think many people may get better results with Furutech GTX-D rhodium receptacles. |
+1 with Sabai, Agreed, The Furutech GTX-D Rhodium! |
My audio equipment is on one circuit that has 5 recepticles. I am still using a mixture of outlets. I have replaced the Oyaide R-1s with the Furutech GTX-R. The Furutech is less dark, better details. It does not present as much overall sound, for this the Teslaplex is still king. The combination of outlets seems to give me the best balance without any one type of sound dominating.
The outlets take two weeks to break in and reach their final sound. |
Davidpritchard, Hi, Give the Furutech time to settle in, three weeks or so, are you saying you have the Rhodium version of the GTX-D outlet? |
I agree with Tonyptony, the Maestro seemed to be more natural than the S.R Teslaplex SE. The Teslaplex sounded liquid and vial compared to the Maestro. I haven't tried the Furutech GTX-R but have heard great things. |
Yes I am using the Furutech Rhodium version. All my outlets have been in place for several months and are fully settled in. The point I wish to make is for me, there is not a one best recepticle but that in a circuit with multiple outlets a mixture of recepticles can give an optimized sound.
To get superior sound takes a lot of trials with different recepticles and combinations of recepticles. Try to audition several that offer a return policy. I like the Furutech but I do not know of any vender that offers a money back trial. It also is by far the most expensive. Putting more than two Furutechs in my circuit does not help. One is better, two is better still, three is too much. The same happened with putting in the Synergistic TeslaPlex outlets. There is a certain number that yield the best sound. |
I also have changed to all Furutech GTX-D rhodium receptacles. They are the best for my system. But,I am also using Oyaide outlet covers. I think they look better than Furutech.
I still own several Oyaide R1's, Maestro's and SR outlets but are not currently being used. |
@ Ozzy, That is very interesting that you have a stable of such good outlets, but the furutech outlets are in use, what is the difference in sound between all of them that you have ozzy? |
can the synergistic research receptacle be burned in my the sound system for 20 hours.
thanks |
To burn the outlet in the quickest, put it on the heaviest load you have. For example I installed mine in a PS Audio UO and ran my plasma TV from the UO for 100 hours.
As for outlets themselves, I settled on the Oyaide R0 installed in a WPC as the main outlet in my main rig and the HT rig.
The R0 is an R1 but without the plating and sounds like a refined R1. Picture quality of my plasma visibly improved with better color saturation. It was the same in the main rig with improved soundstage and instrument tonal density along with bass definition.
Cheers |
Well, true to my own dictum to give it at least a year, now it's been 3.
I've bee using the Furutech GTX-D ® for the past 2 1/1 years. Due to needing another dedicated outlet, I put in the Synergistic and had the electrician come over. After he finished, I listened to the the music with just an integrated amp plugged in to the Teslaplex SE. While the sound was dynamic and exciting (and it had better low-level detail than the Furutech I lated installed), I have to agree that its upper midrange and treble are exaggerated (bright and edgy). Simply unplugging the power cord from the wall and plugging it in to a PS Audio Power Plant lessened the brightness, and this brightness persists, no matter what music was playing, unless it was say, Blood, Sweat and Tears, a pop CD with a slightly muted upper end, for which the Teslaplex SE compensated, providing a more "brilliant" upper midrange. But on Mercurys - and even RCAs made in Boston Symphony Hall, which is NEVER bright when hearing music in it - the sound is a bit edgy. An "Enjoy the Music" review of several years ago also found the Teslaplex to be "crisp" in the upper mids and treble.
My only problem with the Furutech is that it slightly masks low-level detail and while it has dynamics, it does not do it in "0-60mph". It sounds just a bit more slow off the mark, like 0-45. And I have two of them, so it's not sample-to-sample variation. I was surprised, but then, it may be that the Synergistic hypes the detail along with subtle information. I'll have to put in a Maestro or some other outlet to test that out. For now, just posting.
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Look forward to more impressions, btw, enjoyed reading your post. |
I think it's clear that the Synergistic Tesla Plex SE (not the original Tesla Plex) is a bit bright and glaring in the upper midrange. The other side of that is that it excavates voices in a way that no other outlet does - not even the Furutech, but this is what happens when a component is hyped, particularly in the lower treble: it makes voices breathy, so you can hear every exhalation, inhalation, hell, even if the singer is wearing a crinoline dress (they a rough fabric, so if the singer moves, you can hear the dress swish!)
Back to the Tesla Plex SE. I have one installed in my PS Audio Power Plant and a Maestro in the new dedicated outlet in the wall. Just moving the power cord from the Maestro showed me that the Synergistic moved the singer closer to me. Along with that, and doing a lot of listening to 'The Best of Blood, Sweat and Tears (doing a lot of listening to that these days, along with the Byrds, Cream and other 60s groups), the lead singer's inflections are simple to hear and how he shapes the notes. Blood Sweat and Tears uses a BIG brass section, and brass shows brightness very easily. So, it's great, yet fatiguing at the same time. And I'm switching between Shunyata ZiTron power cords, PS Audio Statements and ESP power cords. The only cord that allows the brightness to be ameliorated using a Synergistic is the second generation Shunyata Python power cords, which were still - in that generation (circa 2005-2006) - sucked out a bit in the upper midrange and lower treble, so the Syngeristic outlet works in a complementary way. Still, there is the matter of grain: the Tesla Plex SE DOES have a bit of grain. I wonder why it is not as obvious in their Powercell line conditioner, but I suppose they've compensated for it. Besisdes, live music doesn't compensate in the way audio components do. Rarely have I heard brash sound (except when Carnegie has Pop Concerts, such as Nancy Wilson with the Count Basie band, and Carnegie uses those huge, Glassy-Sounding, BRIGHT speakers. Those things will shear your ears off, even from 2nd Tier seats. I dislike them intensely.
It's a struggle to enjoy the Maestro, natural though it is, due to its not penetrating as much "into" the subtle vocal details in the throat (humming, for example) as the Tesla Plex, so both male and female singers sound good, but not completely mesmerizing. If you listen to male and female voicals, you'll love the Tesla Plex. On the other hand, the Maestro has great bass weight and dynamics (just FEEL the drums knock your eyeballs out when they get going, classical, rock or jazz). The Maestro is very clean, but, due to being in row J or M of the orchestra in contrast to the Tesla Plex SE (row F ALL THE WAY!!!), the soundstage is ALWAYS a bit less exciting with the Maestro. Not all recordings are recessed, nor are they all, like the Tesla Plex SE, Row F. So, it's a tossup, except the Maestro being finer grained (aka "natural") the way 100 speed (the Maestro) film is compared to 400 speed film (The Tesla Plex with more apparent grain, especially evident on massed violins and brass more than any other instrument in an orchestra) - for those who remember film.
I agree completely with DavidPritchard's assessment. I've had Oyaides, PS Audio. Synergistic, Furutech GTX and SWO-XX, but not the new Furutech (nano-based) outlets.
Incidentally, PS Audios are a little bright in the upper midrange, but not the degree to the Teslas, but they don't have the clarity, transparency and punch of the Teslas. Nor do they excavate subtle voice inflections as well.
Well, that's all I got. Hope it helps others. And The Oyaide R-1 doe move the soundstage forward. Initially it sounds great, but then it sound a bit 'hi-fi.' Whew….I'm going to bed!
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