The Madness Continues...Just Ordered One of These

PS Audio Power Port



Yeah, that's right, one of those audiophile-grade AC receptacles.

And now I'm thinking of picking up one of those PS Audio Lab Cables (probably the Mini Lab if I do).

Sigh...

Oh, guys, don't even get me started -- if you only knew! I came this close to ordering a WATTGATE 381 wall receptacle, and you don't even want to know what that thing retails for.

Okay, outside of the fact that (a) I'm going a bit nuts (just a bit?), and (b) I'm trying to leave little to question in the variables before my audio equipment in the chain, there was some (at least a wee bit of) rational thought attempted as I made this purchase. Let me 'splain (save the rolling of eyes for at least another 30 seconds)....

I have a little Pelican flashlight that I carry with me pretty much everywhere. To turn it on, you twist the headcap to tighten it down -- the headcap screws down making the bulb's metal contact close the circuit. Okay....you still with me? Don't write me off yet... Anyway, I noticed a long time ago (long before I had the idea to buy an expensive outlet) that if I turn the flashlight's head very slowly, there is a point where the contacts are just barely making contact, the bulb turns on, but it's actually very dim. A slight turn of the head to tighten it down fixes it right up, making the flashlight as bright as it's supposed to be. Okay....stay with me one for a few more moments....

Well, the receptacle that my Brick Wall plugs into seems to have a very loose connection. That is, the receptacles don't grip anything I plug into them tightly -- wallwarts I used to plug into its receptacles would always sag. A quick thought back to my twist-head flashlight, and, voila, the monster-gripping $50 receptacle!

Okay, let the eye rollings, confused looks and teasing commence!

You mean there are caps that are even more expensive than my Cardas ones? Where? Don't give me any ideas.

Actually, that's a funny thing about audiophiles... When I worked at the hi-fi store many years ago, one of the first things that surprised me was the profile of our typical customer. I expected that the clientele would be mostly the rich and famous. Yes, we did have some rich folks and we did have some famous folks, but, for the most part, our diehard customers were just average cats who spent a disproportionately large amount of their income on audio stuff.

One of our customers was a famous athlete, and he didn't buy our best stuff. He bought a Rega turntable, a bunch of NAD stuff, and some Linn speakers if I remember correctly. He probably made 30 times what our average customer made in terms of income (probably even more now, as his career has blossomed since then) . Yet our average customer was far more likely to come in and buy a $1600 Linn Troika cartridge than the athlete guy. Of course, some of our wealthiest customers also bought some of the best stuff too. The hi-fi store I worked at was a wonderful place... you could come in there in torn and tattered clothes, beat-up sneakers, and a Timex watch -- or a Brioni suit, A. Testoni shoes, and an Audemars Piguet watch -- and you'd be treated just the same. It was a great place! Ahhh, memories......

Actually, I had considered doing that, but I figured that that wouldn't necessarily maximize the contact surface area, but would simply increase tension on one side of each of the prongs. I know I'm not going to get many people going "Yeah, that makes perfect sense!" but I'll continue anyway....

The outlets I was looking at ranged in price from $50 to $160 (collective gasp!). Among the features I wanted in the receptacle I chose was "triple wipe" contacts that place pressure from three different directions on each prong for a firm grip and more contact area. Again, I don't expect any of you to buy into my madness...

Did someone say something about vibration absorbers? Don't be surprised if, in my next gear pics, you see something(s) underneath my SACD player. Yes, I kid you not, I have been looking for something to better mechanically "isolate" my player from vibrations... And I'm sure I'll have to explain my thought process on this one when I make a decision on what to go with!