Well I never, wall sockets

[Intenso]

Recently changed the caps in my amp to Audyn True Copper Max from those cheap Green Russian PIO ones.

This brought about much improved detail but at the expense of some sharpness in the top.

I've been diligently waiting for the caps to burn in but today unplugged the amp from the wall, flipped the wall socket switch a few times, plugged it back in and...

Voila, the sharpness is gone WTF?

I've decided to buy some unswitched socket to replace mine and may pull the switch on some silver plated ones.

I can't beleive the difference this has made as I was about to drop the old PIOs back in...

Got me thinking about what else I could do to improve the mains.

[walpurgis]

How do you know the perceived improvement was due to mains? It could be the amp benefited from a 'reboot'?

[Intenso]

I've rebooted the amp numerous times today as part of the burn in process.

It was only when I unplugged from the mains and flipped the switch a few times that the improvement happened.

It may all be in my head but I'm now listening to a killer track that I had to skip before and now I can happily listen to it...

[walpurgis]

Ah, OK. :)

[Intenso]

Geof, to be honest its this type of sensitivity of hifi kit that leaves me fed up.

It seems to become a real labour of love to keep the sound sparkling.

Still when it sounds good...

[Mike Reed]

I guess you've simply removed some oxidisation from the switch mechanism, but single (preferably) UNSWITCHED sockets are superior, simply on the basis that you've removed an impedance increasing contact. Silver contacts (at a price) should prove more resilient, but even silver oxidises.

People clean their plug pins to good effect, but with the best will in the world, not many are going to dismantle their sockets for a good spruce-up, almost, but not completely, defeating the purpose. !

Especially if you have s/s amplification (with toroidal tranny), dedicated radial circuits is the way to go, but you (a) need to be a house/flat owner, and (b) have kit which would justify this installation, and (c) be able to route thick twin and earth cables from hifi vicinity to incoming mains or armoured cable outside as an alternative if necessary, with dedicated consumer unit adjacent to the hifi.

Failing that, If you can interrupt your domestic ring to install other sockets, so much the better, but it remains a ring main, with all the caveats for hifi that this entails. A mains regenerator (or more) is another, rather expensive, option but you're adding yet another tranny plus box(es)etc.

NB. JUst noticed that you have (I think) valved amplification, which may not benefit from dedicated mains as much as s/s.

[anthonyTD]

Silver oxidising is not a problem, as far as conductivity is concerned.:) Although" your best silver tea set always looks better with a polish! :D
I guess you've simply removed some oxidisation from the switch mechanism, but single (preferably) UNSWITCHED sockets are superior, simply on the basis that you've removed an impedance increasing contact. Silver contacts (at a price) should prove more resilient, but even silver oxidises.

People clean their plug pins to good effect, but with the best will in the world, not many are going to dismantle their sockets for a good spruce-up, almost, but not completely, defeating the purpose. !

Especially if you have s/s amplification (with toroidal tranny), dedicated radial circuits is the way to go, but you (a) need to be a house/flat owner, and (b) have kit which would justify this installation, and (c) be able to route thick twin and earth cables from hifi vicinity to incoming mains or armoured cable outside as an alternative if necessary, with dedicated consumer unit adjacent to the hifi.

Failing that, If you can interrupt your domestic ring to install other sockets, so much the better, but it remains a ring main, with all the caveats for hifi that this entails. A mains regenerator (or more) is another, rather expensive, option but you're adding yet another tranny plus box(es)etc.

NB. JUst noticed that you have (I think) valved amplification, which may not benefit from dedicated mains as much as s/s.

[Barry]

Silver oxidising is not a problem, as far as conductivity is concerned.:) Although" your best silver tea set always looks better with a polish! :D

Silver oxide (Ag2O) is an insulator (resistivity + 109Ohm.m). In practice the 'tarnish' of silver is usually silver sulphide (Ag2S) and this appears as a grey surface colouration, becoming a dark grey to black colour with heavy tarnishing. Silver sulphide is a conductor (resistivity ~ 1.5 - 2.0 .10-3Ohm.m), although this is ~ 105 times higher than that of pure silver.

Regardless of the chemical composition of silver tarnish, it is soft, so wiping contacts will 'cut through' the thin tarnish layer, as will unplugging and re-plugging.

[walpurgis]

Silver oxide (Ag2O) is an insulator (resistivity + 109Ohm.m). In practice the 'tarnish' of silver is usually silver sulphide (Ag2S) and this appears as a grey surface colouration, becoming a dark grey to black colour with heavy tarnishing. Silver sulphide is a conductor (resistivity ~ 1.5 - 2.0 .10-3Ohm.m), although this is ~ 105 times higher than that of pure silver.

Didn't know that.

[MikeMusic]

Unswitched sockets for me every time.

Have swapped a few over the years now and each time they make the sound better.
Yes. I double check and fiddle about