Audiophile General Power Outlet (GPO)

[agent_kith]

The quality of input power feeding the electronics intrigues me, and always looking for ways to improve that part of the audio chain (and frankly, to bling up the system). I was away in HongKong/Singapore recently, and along the way I purchased a EMF/RF meter (TM-190):

This to me is an incredible useful tool as it allows me to check:

• shielding of power cables
  
• if my audio equipment is grounded properly
  
• general noise interference
  

This TM-190 replaces the Deta voltage tester. So instead of a binary measurement (beep vs no beep), the TM-190 now gives me proper readings so I can make better subjective correlations between interference vs sound quality (and perhaps find out if there are any ghosts!).

So the first thing to test is naturally is the GPO (switched dedicated 15A dual outlets). This is the measurement with switch in the OFF position:

The measurement is 577 V/m. OK that sets the baseline, so let's see what happens if we turn both outlets to the ON position:

Now it reads 1063 V/m, nearly 2x the reading! What does this mean? To be honest, I don't have a clue, and if I'm to guess - probably nothing!

But bling up the GPO try I must, and here's the new GPO which I hope will be an easy fit. Introducing, the SW-2XT(L) US from SineWorld:

And here's the outlet out of the box (pun?):

That is one thick metal block (platinum over bronze):

The metal faceplate is actually earthed. That has to be a good thing (I hope):

Notice how the live and neutral has 4 holes, and only one earth? There are potential benefits of improvement by using different cabling strategies here. But I'm not going to explore them as I only have one dedicated power cable in the wall.

Hopefully I can take some measurements when the GPO's fitted. Watch this space.