None of those high end models are any better. I tried everything. Your only goal is a high clamping force. Get some Hubbell hospital grade outlets for $16. Nothing sounds better, and they may be worse. Tellurium alloys are junk. Get a conduction chart for copper alloys and you will be shocked. Stick with as pure a copper alloy as you can get. Then you can afford to put more everywhere.
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I second what @sandthemall said. "Hospital grade" receptacles are built to higher mechanical - not electrical - characteristics. They are designed not to fail from heavy usage, not to break or to release a plug if it is yanked inadvertently. Hospital grade receptacles are not allowed to have isolated grounds in patient care spaces. https://www.electricallicenserenewal.com/Electrical-Continuing-Education-Courses/NEC-Content.php?sectionID=353.0 Hospital receptacles power equipment that is typically far more sensitive and expensive than a stereo set up, equipment which, should it fail or falter, could have life-threatening consequences. Spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on an outlet, beyond one that has good solid connections and has sufficient amperage rating, will not provide any improvement, electrical, audible or otherwise. An exception might be for an isolated ground, if that is indeed a problem in your space, i.e., you’re having trouble with ground loops.
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How many are you replacing? If you are talking about the whole house, almost any good 20 amp Pass/Seymour, Hubbell, etc. with a nylon body will be a large improvement over those bags full of duplex outlets for ten-twenty bucks used by most builders. The difference? Friends, I know who bought homes new here, after 12-18 months the receptacles would start to sag when you plug into them. My parent's home, an old English Tudor, clay tile roof, copper gutters, still have these ancient looking brown Hubbell outlets in the basement from the ’50s, early 60s, and to my amazement, there is tight as anything made today. |
Sorry - sarcasm was intended. I use higher end receptacles just because. Can I hear a difference, probably not. Some of this stuff I just use in case I might be missing out on something, but I certainly do not sit around doing A/B comparisons or obsessing over the result. My general order of the factors I believe make the most noticeable improvement/difference in the sonic quality of a home audio system goes like this: speakers, electronics, room, supports/isolation/damping, cables, and finally other doo-dads and add-ons. The receptacles fall somewhere between cables and doo-dads - IMO.
Huh? - Tellurium copper is by far the most conductive of the copper alloys at 93% of IACS. Here is a chart. |
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