Mehdi, this depends on equipment, I was told, for digital to use Furutech GTX-D Gold, and for solid state amps, use the same, but for tube amps and pre-amps to use the Rhodium version, hope this helps, give me a reply back. |
Lak, I have the furutech frame and cover plate, work's very good. |
The Oyaide R-1 Recepticle is pure Beryllium copper base cryo treated just like the furetech recepticle, I believe it is best to go to vh Audio web-site and look at the differences for your self, I believe the oyaide R-1 is superior, As far as I know, The Best recepticle on the market, However, Between these two recepticles, I do not believe you can go wrong with either of them, The Oyaide R-1 is my choice. |
Chris at vh Audio gives an option to cook the deep cryo treated Oyaide R-1 recepticle for 6 days, ready!, I like furetech as well, I am in the process of getting the furetech cryo treated pure beryllium copper ft-785m chassis XLR out-puts, then I am internally wireing my cd-player with pure-mono crystal copper Tara Labs gen-2 24 gauge insulated conductors, my Tara Labs Cobalt power cord has the top model Oyaide IEC and Plug, I am matching that with The Oyaide R-1 recepticle, The main reason I chose to go with the Tara internal wireing is because I also use the Tara Labs Zero Gold Balanced interconnect, trying to get the Best synergy possible, cheers. |
@ Jebsmith73, Hi, You spoke of the Furetech FI09 IEC, what did that do for your sound? |
Jeb, I did not know that, mmmm, I can see what other modd I will be doing, what is the sound difference between the Rhodium and Gold, I was told that the Rhodium has a forward presatation and can get analitical on certain recordings, where Gold is more forgiving, and still gives you the resolution you want, so what's your take? |
My system is solid state/tube, All these modds are going on my tube cd-player that I mentioned in the post above, did you change out the IEC yourself?, If so, Is it easy?, Thanks Jeb. |
I see, I best get someone else to do my modds, better safe than sorry, Thanks jeb. |
@ Davehrab, If this receptilock recepticle is any thing like the company says it is, I will buy it NOW!, However, who has used it here, and can give honest impressions of the sound, good or bad, instead of what the company claims! |
Great post Davehrab, I undestood it competly!, good stuff., thankyou, cheers. |
@ Minddr, Great post and comparisons with the recepticles, I believe my first choice still remains what I will buy, The Oyaide R-1 recepticle, It's a good all around recepticle, and the post about how so many users like it keep pouring in here!, do you have Rhodium plated or gold plated?, Have you listened to the differences in sound between these two metals?, If so, what's you impressions? |
very good post Almarg, I did not know that a/c voltages could be, and likly higher than 120 volts, if that is true, and I'm sure you have proof, that would change my perspective on the out come of resistance specs for plugs, power cords, and recepticles that you have said here, does it matter?, mmmm, I am learning the opinions from the community, cheers. |
Nice!, Very good post gentleman, I enjoy learning from both of you Dave and AL, cheers. |
Hi Cahed, I look forward to what you have to say,what Oyaide do you have? |
Mehdi, It depends if you need a more forward presatation that Rhodium does, The gold will give a little more laid back sound, which is what I like, I believe the FI50 Gold would be spot on, power cables already give a little imeadiate presatation to me, I would hate it if the sound was in my face at all times, that would cause listener fatigue to me, so my opinion would be, go Furetech gold fI50. |
Almarg, check out that thread about up-grading rca connections, a member posted that he used weed eater line inside the cable around his conductors, LOL!, no, this is not a joke, I hope it's not, maybe, He seemed serious about the improved sound! |
Thanks chahed, I look forward to your impressions. |
Hi Sabai, welcome to the thread, Is the rhodium forward sounding, I do not want to destroy a 3- dimensional sound! |
I would like to know, what is better, The best Furetech or the best Oyaide recepticle, I researched them, they are very similiar, the one thing I cannot come to terms with is the fact neither recepticle has a isolated ground on them, and at the asking price, that's really inadequete! |
I decided on getting the furetech GTX-D recepticle gold, the spring clamping and the way the conductor is put in a hole on the back, then tighten the screw on the side all the way down on the raw electrical conductor was the deciding factor to me, I believe this will sound better just by the way it is designed, cheers. |
Mehdi, This is funny, I was in deep thought about changing the terminations Of my Tara Labs Cobalt power cord, My cobalt has Oyaide terminations, however, I discovered the model is oyaide p-079 and c-079, not bad sounding at all really, But believing state of the art terminations, if it's Oyaide or furetech, would be hugely beneficial, alot cheaper than buying a whole new power cable, I could be the only audiophile out there to have a custom Tara Labs Cobalt power cord, If I did this, of course I would get Tara Labs To do the termination, they say, alot of a cables sound depends on the quality of plugs and IEC, If this was not true, why does Tara Labs themselfs offer this power cord in either wattgate or oyaide?, this model oyaide on my power cord is extreme resolution with a touch of warmth, so I do not know exactly what would be a good match, I would have to consult with chris Vanhaus of VH-audio for opinions if I decide to do such a possible up-grade? |
Thankyou Mitch2, your contribution was well welcomed by me!, your recepticle link was very informative, Though the Furetech GTX-D gold may be my pick, after reading what was said in the link, the outlets seem to be about system matching, the Hubbell outlet was interesting at what it does for the mid-range, I would have liked to read a direct comparison of the Furetech GTX-D Gold versus Rhodium, The reviewer did not have a Gold on hand, maybe you can find a reviewer comparison of the two?, I will study your link more precisely, I do not know if this may be of interest to anyone, Chris Vanhaus of Vh-Audio sells many recepticles, and even gets some cryo treated that did not come that way, My point here is that he swears by the Furetech GTX-D gold for my Krell 700cx amp and my vincent cd-s7 tube digital player that consist of 4 tubes, on another note, have any of you got into place before a product in your system that was so revealing that you could clearly reconize your weakest point in your audio chain?, I am in that position, clearly, LOL!, My $6.50 20 amp recepticle on the amp, and $1.00 recepticle that came with house has to go, I have found out that with a profound after market power cord compaired to the stock power cord, the stock power cord hid many factors I was not aware of, now that they are exsposed, The recepticles are the weak link!, cheers gentleman. |
Recommendations? The furutech GTX-D gold or Rhodium?, one recepticle for the Krell 700cx, the other for a lovely sounding tube vincent cd-s7 digital player. |
Hi RJa, My aftermarket power cord has the Oyaide plug-079 and IEC-079 gold plated, I talked to chris there at vh-audio, He still recommends the Furutech GTX-D gold for my amp and tube digital, so I believe I may be going that direction, I just wanted to know what the community thinks of the sound differences between the two, gold or rhodium Furutech GTX-D recepticles? |
Hi Zd542, The vincent cd-s7 that I have has tube gold plated tube sockets, I am at 134 hours of burn-in on the modded Krell 700cx, and I have 534 hours of burn-in on the vincent player, and of course all my cables are re-burning in as well, the krell sounds different!, totally better, the treble is the best I have ever heard from a amp at any cost, griainless pure bliss, 1 year and a couple of weeks is a long time Zd542 to be without high-end tunes, I have more hours on the vincent from useing it thru the tube dedicated headphone amp that is on the player to burn-in the Tara Cobalt power cord and do critical listening of the power cord, Zd542, Do you own any tube products?, cheers. |
Ha, ha, Zd542, so you run all solid state?, or you are getting me to laugh, which is good, you got some tube equipment in your system? |
@ Zd542, Thats funny you mentioned solid state,In the late 90s, solid state was far and away better than tube equipment, then tube equipment got alot better, everyone wanted tube equipment, now in the last two years, solid state has come full circle again, that is what I am considering in the next two years, going all solid state, the vincent sounds great, however, I have been keeping up with a digital thread about red-book dacs, The Imperical Audio ODSE has sparked interest, I bet it is a fine sounding machine, and for the asking price, It has beaten out much more exspensive Dacs in matt's shoot out, including tube dacs!, right now I plan on doing tweeks like these Furutech GTX-D Gold recepticles and Etc.... |
Hi Chahed, which model Hubbell HBL 5362 did you get?, the model with isolated ground, or without?, you are one of the few that has echoed these findings, years ago, I owned Hubbells best recepticles, I cannot remember the model, just hospital grade, they sounded great to me too, I still have not made my purchase yet, I have been sold on to buy the furutech GTX-gold recepticles, I have had many reputible dealers and audiophiles alike swear they are the best money can buy for sound?, do you have exsperience with the Furutech GTX Rhodium or Gold recepticles?, cheers. |
Chahed keep us posted here with you findings, thankyou for telling us of the hubbell outlet. |
Chahed, Hi, I really do not know the answer to your question, if you find an answer, let us know here, cheers. |
Hi Mehdi, I would put the GTX-D Gold on the Emm labs XDS1 digital player for sure and leave it, this goes for the FI-50 plug too, Put the Rhodium GTX-D on your line level pre-amp, put the GTX-D Gold on your amp and phono pre-amp, reply back when you can, congrats! Happy Listening. |
HI mehdi, Go with the Gold on your big solid state amp, when you get all this burned in, let me know what your impressions are, cheers. |
ozzy, have you tried the Furutech GTX-D Gold?, Has better mid-range, textured, vocals sound more realistic, cheers. |
I am conterplating getting the wall frame and carbon fiber face plate, is there substantial benefit in noticable sound to get this with a Furutech GTX-D Gold recepticle, or is the improvement subtle? |
How does the synergistic research best recepticles compaire to the Furutech GTX-D Gold recepicles?, of course when I spoke to SR about their red fuses, they claim their outlets were the best!, I do not believe that at all, what do all of you say about these two? |
The same ole question!, please give your opinions, I know what the dealers have told me, I repeated the same to Mehdi that Chris Vanhause said there at Vh-Audio, however, what is all of your opinions Furutech GTX-D Gold versus Rhodium, which sounds out right better for pure class A Krell 700cx amp?, I will be getting the complete package deal, the wall frame and cover plate, the entire deal, so I need to be sure of what I am doing here, Thankyou in advance, Mehdi, try rotating your Gold in and out with the Rhodium you have and give me your personal impressions. |
which Furutech GTX-D puts the vocals further into the room and sound fuller? |
Hi mehdi, I am getting Both the Furutech GTX-D Gold and Rhodium, after 500 hours on them, I will give my feed back of my impressions, cheers. |
January 2014
Audiophile AC Power Outlet Comparisons
Oyaide, Synergistic Teslaplex, ACME, Hubbell IG 5362, cruzeFIRST Audio Maestro, and Furutech GTX.
Review By Jonathan Lo
Most audio reviewers dislike writing cable reviews, especially if it involves comparing multiple cables, since the amount of time, effort, and concentration required makes it a laborious challenge. What is even more onerous? It has to be audiophile AC outlet comparative reviews because changing out outlets to compare outlet A to B to C, then back to A severely tests one's perseverance, patience, memory, and sanity. There is good reason one does not see this type of reviews very often, but it has to be done, so here it is.
The reason one cannot simply ignore AC outlets in the audio system is that they can make rather large differences in sound quality, as much as different cables, tubes, and even entire audio components can make. The fact these audiophile outlets tend to be relatively affordable compared to major components is the other reason audiophiles should experiment with them to find ones that synergize with their systems. However, it would be a mistake to assign absolute rankings to various outlets and expect the same results for different people's systems and tastes, so this article is an attempt to describe some sonic characteristics and personalities that others may find useful when they decide to choose outlets they would like to experiment with. In order to maximize the ease of comparison as well as to preserve consistency and repeatability, the outlets were installed in my DIY outlet boxes, which enabled fast switching.
Oyaide SWO-XXX
There has been a lot of ink spilt over Oyaide outlets. Since many audiophiles have tried the SWO-XXX and are familiar with their sound, they may be a good reference for comparing sound signatures. SWO-XXX, which is often thought of as their "palladium" outlet, utilizes highly polished deoxidized phorphor bronze as base metal, which is plated with 1.5 micron thick gold, then again plated with 0.3 micron of palladium. Oyaide has since come out with SWO-XXX Ultimo, which uses the same base metal and plating, without a clear explanation of what exactly has changed. Comparatively, SWO-DX series uses the same base metal plated with silver, then rhodium, while SWO-GX series is basically gold over gold, resulting in extra thick (2 micron) gold coating.
Audiophiles who have not experimented with "audiophile" AC outlets may be shocked at first to hear the sonic difference between a normal household AC outlet and Oyaide SWO-XXX, especially as the quality of AC outlets seems to keep going down in these new track homes being built. SWO-XXX will redefine what a mere outlet can do for "air" and "smoothness" in a system. There is oodles of air cushioning each sonic note and performer, seemingly lifting them upwards in the soundstage, while traces of brittleness, hardness, and grit are removed, resulting in a more liquid, smooth textures. Having a good amount of experience with palladium or platinum based conductors and cables, I recognize the great air and speed as a trait shared by both materials, usually with palladium sounding softer and smoother than platinum which tends to be airy yet more immediate, less soft. The final layer of palladium gives Oyaide R1 its unique flavor of smooth liquidity, which numerous audiophiles have loved and settled in with.
All is not perfect, however, as when one part of the sonic spectrum is so spectacularly noticeable, long-term listening usually bears out issues elsewhere. In the case of SWO-XXX, there is a sense that quite a bit of editorializing has been done to the sound, akin to photo's that have had slightly too much "photoshopping" done to them. One keeps thinking "this recording shouldn't sound this liquid" or "that note was never that airy." Also, the deep bass foundation appears to lose a bit of quantity and aggression. Now, many systems out there sound the exact opposite, i.e. rolled-off highs with dry textures and overblown bass, in which case SWO-XXX will do wonders to push those parameters the other end. SWO-XXX can certainly be an impressive life-saver for many systems out there, but as usual with these tweaks, try in your own system before deciding.
Oyaide R1
After the SWO series have become very popular, Oyaide rolled out the R1 as their premium AC outlet. While the SWO series starts out with phosphor bronze as the base metal, R1 uses beryllium copper as the base metal. What's the advantage of beryllium copper? To quote Be Cu Manufacturing Co, Inc:
"This malleability provides outstanding precision for critical miniature parts. However, unlike pure copper, beryllium-copper can be heat treated to harden the alloy into an extremely strong and durable metal. Stamped and formed shapes, such as springs, retain their performance characteristics for long spans of time. The inclusion of up to 2% of beryllium to copper enables the alloy to retain high electrical conductivity. Equally important, heat-treated beryllium-copper features excellent dimensional stability, fatigue resistance and corrosion resistance. Its strength is greater than ordinary copper alloys and many steels."
Oyaide takes beryllium copper, polishes it highly, then plates it with platinum, then again with palladium. Basically, R1 uses platinum plating instead of gold plating stage of SWO-XXX while outside stays palladium. Platinum and platinum alloys in past have struck me as having a bit more immediate, resolved nature compared to palladium while still leaning to the fast, neutral mien instead of warm and romantic like gold. This trend bears out for R1, which sounds significantly more resolved, less soft, and less ethereal than SWO-XXX. There is more definition to images and more bass foundation compared to SWO-XXX. While many loved SWO-XXX after its release, there were some grumblings on the net talking about how SWO-XXX was too cool or lean in their systems. The R1 should fit in more comfortably into many more systems, providing meaningful improvement over generic outlets. Compared to something more upfront and vivid like Teslaplex, R1 still has the Oyaide signature of refinement and liquidity, just not to the same degree as SWO.
Synergistic Research Teslaplex
The outlet under comparison is the original Teslaplex, which has since evolved into Teslaplex SE, which has different material for the back strap apparently. Reading about the Teslaplex outlet on the Synergistic Research website will likely cause a non-audiophile to burst into laughter or question whether it's April Fool's:
"The Synergistic Research TESLA Plex SE is our Quantum Tunneled duplex outlet. Quantum Tunneling is a process that changes the way a conductor works at the sub atomic level, impacting the entire TESLA Plex SE assembly. By applying a two million volt signal to each individual unit, at a specific pulse modulation and an ultra-high frequency, for an exact duration of time, we transform the outlet at the molecular level. This process is also performed on all TESLA Series cables, from Accelerator to Apex. The before and after' is startling, with a lower noise floor and improvements in inner detail, air, low frequency extension, and overall transparency."
Yup, it's a tough pill to swallow even if you are an audiophile. Frankly, there is a lot of language on Synergistic's website that describes some incredulous stuff like active shielding for cable, "quantum" fuses, EnigmA valve power supply for active shielding, and Acoustic Art room resonance control cups. Putting all the baggage aside for a moment, the jist of Teslaplex seems to be zapping an outlet with very high voltage (two million volts) to change its sound. Well, what does that do?
Apparently, the extreme-voltage zapping really makes Teslaplex sound clear, vivid, and involving. This is not a ethereal, warm, or forgiving outlet; instead, it's very "open," super-resolving, crisp, dynamic, and engaging. In some systems that already accentuate upper-mids and lower-treble, it may even come across as unforgiving and bright, but in well-balanced systems, it is all about throwing away that veil and making music come alive. Perhaps because it tends to enhance edge-definition and highlight outlines, it seems to present more defined images to voices and instruments compared to outlets like Oyaide and ACME.
Its personality tends to suit tube-based systems better, especially the single-ended triode variety, when the main voice or instrument is helped to project energetically into the room with exciting clarity and bite. Still, as usual, one will need to be careful which components would work best with Teslaplex and how many is too many in one system.
ACME Audio Silver Plated Outlet
ACME Audio Labs outlet is definitely an "oldie but goodie." ACME takes the Pass and Seymour 5242 outlets, silver-plates the metal parts and screws, then cryo-treats whole thing. The ACME outlet has been around a very long time, and while many other audiophile outlets have been brought to market since, it still sounds excellent while maintaining a budget price. The main hurdle to enjoying the ACME is the seemingly ridiculous amount of time it takes to break in, and it's probably a good idea to just install them into other rooms, connect some lights, refrigerator, etc, and just forget about them for a few weeks before actually installing them into the audio system.
If hastily installed and listened to right away, the ACME will likely introduce the proverbial Audio Hell to the owner, who will likely be disappointed and give up on this great outlet before the good stuff starts. At first, music will sound rigid, bright, rough, without any natural flow, and over the next few weeks, there will be a rollercoaster ride of improvement here and there while some things take a step forward then a step backward. When all said and done, the ACME presents a clear, resolute view into the recording with superb dynamics and definition. While it's probably not an outlet to use to soften and hide system faults, it will likely secure a place in a system, perhaps to feed some good tube amps, while another outlet that's a little more forgiving feeds the digital source, for example. It's difficult to beat the price-to-performance ratio of ACME outlets in this day and age when boutique outlets can cost an order of magnitude more.
Hubbell IG 5362 Double Cryo'd AC Outlet
Hubbell IG 5362 should not be confused with the regular Hubbell 5362. "IG" stands for Isolated Ground, and this model also happens to be built from phosphor bronze, which is very rare in non-audiophile, off-shelf outlets.
Unlike the ACME, which took an extremely long time to settle down, the Hubbell sounded good right out of the box and didn't exhibit much "nasties" during break-in. Compared to a "normal" household outlet, both IG5362 and ACME cleared away a veil, removing a wooly gauze' over music. Images snapped into focus with better 3-D density. Bass was warm and popped with authority when called for, but not cyborg-uptight. While it is possible to imagine a system that is very rough around the edges that may benefit from the defocusing effect of a "regular" outlet, in order to extract that last 10% from the system, strategic use of good outlets is a must.
Compared to the double-cryo'd Hubbell, the ACME seemed to have a slight amount of glare and hardness riding on top of upper-midrange to low-treble area, which is an effect very similar to silver-plated solid-core copper wire relative to plain copper. It's not very noticeable with most music, but with music containing lots of energy in this area, such as a trumpet or female vocals at top of the range, there's a certain "tearing" effect with the ACME. Luckily, having used the ACME outlets for many years in various rooms, I can report that when they are truly well-used, like many months, this hardness eventually disappears, leaving a nicely extended, dynamic, clear-sounding outlet, if not exactly forgiving.
When thus fully burned-in, ACME can demonstrate what may be a bit of a problem with double-cryo'd Hubbell, which is a mild attenuation of frequency extension at the extreme top and bottom. IG 5362 probably has the most rich and bloomy midrange of all the outlets mentioned here, a delight and an almost tube-like response curve. Certain solid state or class-D amps with strong top and bottom response but somewhat reticent midrange may in fact pair beautifully with the Hubbell, as well as digital front-ends that exhibit similar subjective response. My personal reference systems revolve around tubes and refined digital sources, which is the reason my system synergizes better with Teslaplex and ACME.
cruzeFIRST Audio Maestro Outlet
cruzeFIRST Audio takes a completely different approach to audiophile outlets compared to a company like Oyaide. Their Maestro outlet eschews any plating, which cruzeFIRST Audio strongly believes benefits the unobstructed power flow. Instead, they concentrate on starting with sound materials by the way of commercial-spec outlet made to their specifications with high-purity copper/brass alloy. This is not a simple off-the-shelf outlet one can buy anywhere. This outlet then undergoes precise deep cryogenic treatment, special coating to reject RFI / EMI, then mechanical dampening applied. That's not all, as it then goes through a two-week break-in process before being sealed into its packaging.
The very first thought that occurred when plugging into the Maestro outlet was how supremely clean it sounded. It's not so much that other outlets did not sound clean before; many of them certainly sounded quite clean, especially when compared to run-of-the-mill household outlets. However, Maestro outlet seemed to open a new level of clean sonics that's revealed best in direct comparison. The lack of any plating may have something to do with this impression, among other factors, as there was almost a subliminal sense of less "stuff" between my ears and the music signal, less make-up and gloss being placed on music. This meant that less-than-perfect recordings with passages with some irritating texture or peaky brightness came through without these imperfections being thrust into one's face. They are still there but not as aggravating, which allows a deeper relaxation into one's favorite tunes, a boon for sure.
The second thought that came into mind was how delightfully natural the Maestro sounded. "Natural" is not exactly a heart-pounding, exciting description and is easily lost in the sea of audiophile verbiage; but it also happens to be one of the toughest attributes to achieve in an audio component. Take for example the Teslaplex, which at times comes across as more spot-lit, exciting, and engaging, which is a pleasing effect for many systems out there. Unfortunately, with certain recordings, it can have almost a "crispy" type of brightness which is unpleasant and distracting. The Maestro presents the performers a bit less forward and less thrusted toward the listener, more properly set back within the soundscape. There is less tension in the audio frequency "presence region" with the Maestro as well as a bit more natural bloom and weight in the mid-bass; as a result, some tracks that are overcooked and close-mic'ed are more enjoyable via Maestro, but all without losing true resolution or detailing because they are just slightly less forward. In fact, it is evident that the Maestro is neutral and natural enough to fit into a vast majority of audio systems out there without throwing off the system balance way too much, which cannot be said about many other audiophile outlets out there.
Some audiophiles might not be very impressed by an outlet that is described as "clean and natural," but that would be a mistake. The Maestro clearly has been painstakingly tweaked and optimized to arrive at those underappreciated goals, and what is truly wonderful is this outlet sounds natural because it is transparent, not because it smooths over details. It seems kind of odd to call an outlet transparent, but the Maestro certainly deserves that credit.
Furutech GTX-D Rhodium Outlet
The Furutech GTX-D is built like a jewel and sounds like it, too. Unfortunately, such quality does not come cheap, and those who are used to $1 light-weight, plasticky outlets used in most large residential developments these days may be somewhat shocked by the $239 price tag for the Furutech GTX-D Rhodium. Going straight to the source, Furutech, there are reasons their top-of-the-line outlet costs what it does.
In an ideal world, pure copper would be used for power connectors and outlets, but unfortunately, pure copper is quite soft and malleable, which would deform and loosen over repetitive use, leading to a potential disaster for AC power chain. This is the reason most power connectors and receptacles are made with materials with worse conductivity such as brass or phosphor bronze. Furutech has developed a technique that allows the use of their best conductor material, Alpha-treated pure copper, as the base conductor. Alpha-copper means being blessed with Furutech's patented cryogenic treatment and demagnetization process, good enough to be used in Furutech's premium signal cabling products. This copper is strengthened with nonmagnetic stainless steel spring system that maintains a very firm grip on power blades while avoiding damages to male connector blades. These receptacles receive the world-renowned Furutech rhodium or gold plating, becoming (r) or (g) versions of GTX-D.
Attention to detail does not stop there, and in order to minimize vibration and resonance, the receptacle body is made from a heavy-duty composite of nylon and fiberglass, which is impregnated with carbon powder and "piezo nano" ceramic. This technique is used to convert mechanical resonance into heat while performing shielding duties from EMI. Some of the other features include a curved pressure clamping system that increases surface contact area between the electrical line and the receptacle, accommodation for either spades or bare wire, special protective clamp cover, patented wire clamping system, nonmagnetic stainless steel mounting strap, and an anti-resonant rear dampening clamp.
If still not convinced regarding the price, one just needs to hold the GTX-D in his hand to realize this has to be the best built, most sturdy, meticulously thought-out, non-resonant piece of audio outlet available. Every moving part, screw, strap inspires confidence that this jewel will last for generations and still deliver. If still not convinced, one only needs to listen to it. Before listening to the Furutech, I was initially worried the rhodium plating may sound too analytical, which is the somewhat accepted reputation for rhodium; the corollary is that gold plating yields warm and euphonic sound. This description somewhat matches my previous experiences with these plating methods with other products, but GTX-D (r) managed to walk the fine line between resolution and warmth, while definitely avoiding any hash, grit, sheen, brightness, or harshness.
GTX-D achieved the highest levels of both resolution and smoothness, something usually not seen together in one product. If one switched from the $1 house outlet to GTX-D, the staggering amount of previously-unheard resolution, clarity, and dynamics will likely be startling to the listener. All that extra information and energy is delivered in a defined, controlled way, without various sound bites getting out of control and ragged as can happen with lesser outlets. Bass is not overblown or obscuring; instead, it is tight, defined, and extended with energetic dynamic punch. Tiny sounds from various nooks of soundstage come alive with crystalline and pure delivery while instrument positioning, layering, and depth become effortlessly obvious. To make matters worse (?), GTX-D delivers a gorgeous, tasteful, 3-dimensional solidity in the all-important midrange without going overboard with overly round and thick presentation. This outlet is not held back by a overly "balanced" but boring presentation with polite, reticent midrange presence, either. The voices have superb reach into the room and soundstage, vivid and forward enough to be engaging while not overcooked, especially in the sibilance and presence region.
What are the flaws? Well, Furutech must have a reason for making the gold plated version of GTX-D as well for a different flavor. Some of the Furutech vendors recommend the rhodium version for neutral to warm systems, probably with tubes, which may mean the gold version, may fit better in neutral to cool systems. Not having the GTX-D Gold in house to compare to Rhodium, it is difficult to say for sure, but going by prior experience with gold vs. rhodium plating, one might presume that GTX-D (g) might have a warmer tonality with possibly more bass quantity, albeit with less tightness. It may also have more forgiveness but not as much detail resolution. Would that make (r) version any less worthy and flawed? Any well-heeled audiophile would already know that systems are different and that one does not fit all. One outlet may serve a certain type of system better while the other outlet may synergize a little better with a different type of system, with final results heavily being dependent on the listener's personal tastes as well. Once again, there is no substitute for actually trying the product in one's own system, and for those audiophiles who are willing to pay the tariff and do the hard work, the Furutech should be on the rather short list. |
This by far is the best outlet review!, The reviewer was spot on with what I heard with the Furutech GTX-D Rhodium and Gold, only I believe the Rhodium works best on copper cable's, on extreme High-end power cable's, you can significantly hear a difference between the Rhodium and Gold version's, It is my opinion, That The Rhodium clearly is better sounding with the resolution of such after market power cables. |
Stringreen, what did you put the Maestro wpo's on? |
Jebsmith73, allow 500 to 700 Hrs before final impression's of your Furutech GTX-D Rhodium wpo's, congrat's Jebsmith73. |
Hi Jebsmith73, warning, these Furutech GTX-D wpo's are a bitch to break-in!, Steve Klein of Sound of Silence has told me that these take 700 hrs, I believe him, you will get good sound out of 300 to 400 hrs, but it will still sound a little compressed untill they reach their total hrs. |
Jebsmith73, yea, the first 3 hrs of listening is a high pitch squelch beyound belief, I threw my head phones off my head, I thought my ears were fricken bleeding from the brightness!, all that goes away quite quikly, I still do not have 400 hrs, 700 hrs is said to me to be the magic number, I believe 500 should get most?, Jeb, I will not have the other GTX-D Rhodium until monday or tuesday, to be honest here, I hate burning in the outlet's, only one other item in my system took this long for burn-in, my digital player, that's it, The fricken krell only took 500 hrs, LOL. |
Jebsmith73, How many hrs do you have now on the wpo's?, also jeb, I might add, I did many test with different screws on the out let's, believe it or not, different metal's sound different!, stay away from none magnetic pure brass screws, the magnetic Zinc screw's are not bad at all, if you can get your hand's on the Furutech none magnetic stainless steal screw's it's the best fit, unfortunally, the out-let's do not come with screw's, I do have a brand new Furutech wall frame and cover plate here that does come with 2" stanless none magnetic furutech cryo treated screw's, I went to Lowe's and checked out their stanless steal screw's, they were of poor grade!, they were still a little magnetic, I did not get them, maybe I will try them and see how they sound for experimentation reason's, at the end of the day, I will be useing the Furutech alpha cryo treated 2" stainless steal screw's, I have two now, I may go ahead and get two more, even though they come with the furutech wall frame that I will be buying for the digital wpo, the wall frame and cover plate I have now will be going on the amp wpo after I hear the complete break-in of the new GTX-D R that will be here monday or tuesday, reason being, I want to listen for any sound benefit's of this wall frame and cover plate, they were more exspensive than any of the furutech outlet's, reply when you can jeb, Happy new year. |
Hi Jebsmith73, I recieved my furutech GTX-D R saturday, sounds incredible running all Rhodium, you must have got you wpo's from the cable company?, good deal, however, the wall frame's and cover plates are $265.00 everywhere, I have some now new in the box, waiting to fully burn-in my wpo's, The new Rhodium is new out the box to the modded krell 700cx, very good sound,very listenable, I am shocked over that!, so the ones that have 300 hrs on them, are you pleased this far of the sound of them Jeb? |
what is the community's view on wall plug's?, Is the oyaide M-1 better than the furutech FI-50m? |
Hi Roxy54, it's been a while since I have seen you on the board's, hope you are doing well, yes, these are the two I would like to choose from, Do you have some idea's that you could introduce me to?,I am tring to get the best available, although opinion's may differ, Thankyou Roxy54 |
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Roxy54, Hi, I was hoping for some thought's from you, in this hobby, I listen to everyone, do like all other's, make my own decision's, I never get enough of learning period, an addict to high-end education! |
