First Impression Music
Cables and AC Outlet

SHOCKED

       The title of this piece perfectly describes my reaction to the improvement afforded by replacing a very simple and inexpensive part of my system. In fact, so significant was the step up; I’d have a hard time equaling the upgrade at anything less than ten times its cost! 
       Let me share with you the results of my experimentation with a device that surely ranks among the most mundane and unexciting parts of an audio system. Yet while the item itself lacks any sex appeal, I’ll bet your interest grows as you read on. 
      Would you believe me if I told you that simply changing the wall outlet could result in an improvement similar to changing out a major component? Probably not, and that would be understandable. I would not have believed it either, had I not heard with my own ears. Here’s the scoop.
       I had heard a few rumblings about a new outlet from First Impression Music; that it could offer sizeable sonic improvement. Maybe, but since I had good quality outlets installed here just two years ago when the rooms were constructed, I expected there was little room for improvement. But what the ‘hey, for $70.00, it was worth a shot.
       T’was a warm spring afternoon that our experiments began. Rick, my trusty sidekick, squeezed himself into the limited confines behind the equipment rack in our front demo room. Simple tools in hand, he proceeded to extricate the two existing AC wall outlets; good quality, commercial-grade Pass and Seymour devices (certainly a far cry from the residential-grade “doo-doo” that is common fare in most every American abode). The electrical system was relatively new, the lines were dedicated, and the outlets in use were decent, so really, how much difference could the simple act of changing an outlet make? The answer came quickly.
       It took only seconds after the music began to know that an incredible transformation had taken place. Huge, my friend, in my system the change was positively HUGE! What I heard on that day surprised, no, astounded me. The level of change was equivalent to that of replacing a major component!
       Clarity, in a word, best describes the enhancement I experienced. Every aspect of the recording was more accurately portrayed, with improved transparency, openness and detail. The Pass and Seymour outlets were pleasing enough when auditioned on their own, but had a softer more veiled character with significantly decreased focus when compared to the FIM. After experiencing the liberating effects of the FIM, there was no going back!       
       How can a simple electrical outlet have such a dramatic effect on the performance? Honestly, I have no idea, but it most certainly did.
       Within the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in AC outlets. With the feeling that standard-issue residential-grade outlets, left something to be desired. Be sure of it, the electrician that wired your house looked for the least expensive parts he could find to fill the holes in the wall, which helps keep his prices reasonable. Hey, I am not knocking electricians; frankly, the lowly residential-grade receptacle is just fine for lamps, alarm clocks and other household appliances, but truly bad news for a high-end audio or video system.
        So, what is the story behind this outlet that makes it so special? I endeavored to find an answer to that question with a call to FIM’s head honcho, the inimitable Winston Ma. I was expecting Winston to unravel a complex tale of exotic materials, unusual processes, leading edge technology and proprietary techniques. Surprisingly, the explanation was disarmingly simple. Winston said he contacted a major outlet manufacturer and asked the question; “If cost were no object, what could you do to make your outlet better.” The answers came back equally simple, and appeared painfully obvious:           

• Greater contact pressure
• Increased contact surface area
• Higher tolerances throughout
• Less resonant housing
• Higher copper-content mating surfaces

       Mr. Ma took them up on the idea and had the outlets produced. And aren't we all glad he did! 
             So, for a paltry $69.00, you can snag yourself an FIM outlet. Will you experience the amount of improvement I did in my system? I honestly can’t say. More time and more trials in other systems will tell the tale. But I will say, that if you experience just a small fraction of the sonic enhancement I did, your sixty-five bucks would be money well spent.  

Postscript: Since writing this article, I've received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the wonderful sonic improvements afforded by this simple tweak. Not only have people reported great sonic gains, but the outlets offer equally significant visual improvements for video. 

Read what others have said 
about the FIM Outlets:

Galen,
         I just had to write you and tell you my latest experience with the FIM outlets I bought from you. I love it when I can easily convince skeptics about hi-fi tweaks. And in this case, I let the FIM outlets do all the talking.
       As I mentioned, I recently bought a new house and my stereo kept flipping the breaker because the system was drawing so much power. So, I hired electricians to come over and put in a dedicated line. While there, I also asked them to install the new FIM outlets. I handed over the box that contained the outlets and didn't realize I had accidentally left the sales receipt inside. One electrician told the other, "Dude get a load of how much this guy paid for these outlets. No offense sir, but these outlets aren't worth more than a buck a piece."
         I explained my prior experience with these outlets at my previous home and told them how they made a huge difference in cleaning up the sound. Before they got to work I let the two men listen to the stereo for a bit. To sum up their experience, they were floored by the sound. They analyzed all my equipment and figured out what all the components were until they came upon the Shunyata Hydra power conditioner. They asked what it was and I explained. Once again they questioned why I needed the outlets since the power conditioner was obviously doing its job and the sound was incredible. They listened some more and were grinning with pleasure until some deep bass set in and flipped the breaker. They worked hard and when they had finished, they watched me power up the system. Across the room, I could sense their doubt that there would be no difference in sound.
        Now it was my turn to grin. I started the same song they had been listening to before the power kicked off. Simultaneously, their jaws dropped when they heard the music. They were amazed that these little blue faced outlets had actually improved what was already an absolutely stunning system. When I asked them what had changed, they said there was so much more detail, that "You can hear all the instruments better and the singer sounds like he's in the room with us."
        Indeed, the FIM outlets had taken the system to a higher level and it didn't taken a "seasoned ear" or a "longtime audiophile" to notice the difference. Yes, these outlets are a little bit more than "a dollar" but for the money and the benefits, they are quite the audiophile bargain. R. O.  

         "FANTASTIC! Your write-up was very accurate, but you neglected to mention the wonderful improvement it brought to my 32" Sony Trinitron TV, about 7 years old. It is, Galen, almost like going from a very good TV to HDTV...clarity, color, depth, resolution all improved by 25 to 50%. Unbelievable!
Oh, I like the audio, too. Much more detail, blacker background, better focus for my Totem Mani-2s and the Marsh 400 amp. Voila!
Thanks so much for turning me on to this!"
Jim

         "Just installed the FIM outlet on a dedicated line. Wow, the difference is not insignificant !! I think this outlet (and IEC connector) business is totally under-understood and under-rated."  
T. G.

         "...an obvious improvement. Clearly, it is the cheapest improvement I've ever made to my system."
A. B.

       "I replaced the hospital grade outlet that I have on a dedicated line with the FIM outlet. I thought that I heard a nice improvement as I listened right away. But the more I listened, the more significant the improvement. Now I am just blown away at the difference and improvement that simple change made in my system. As I think that you said in your newsletter, this is a major upgrade to any system. The tax for a product that would produce this level of improvement would be more than the cost of the outlet. Thanks!!!!! for the tip. Next tip like that, just send it my way!"
Bob B.

       "I had the FIM receptacles installed last week. They are amazing. Four years ago, I had two 20 amp lines and a 30 amp line installed off of a separate breaker. I thought that made a big difference, but to my ears the FIM products made a bigger change. THANKS!"
Ron T.

      Galen, I've had more time to evaluation the improvements I've had with the FIM outlets.  And it seems like I see and hear even more improvements - as I focus on different aspects of sound and picture quality. 
      Have you had a chance to test video improvements yet?  I would definitely suggest checking it out.  I have seen a number of enhancements so far - color is richer and more detailed, overall resolution seems better (especially noticeable on older DVD's with lower resolution which is much more noticeable now - a sure sign that we have enhanced resolution, right?), and contrast is greater.  Altogether - a major improvement - in my opinion.
      And the sonic improvements continue to impress me very much.  Actually, it all seems better to me.  But overall, it seems most apparent in the enhanced sense of cohesiveness I mentioned in my earlier message to you. For the very first time, I feel a complete sense of surround sound .. in the vertical plane as well as horizontal.  It really is amazing to me that a simple
change in a wall plug can accomplish all of this.  I think it would be hard to convince others that it is even possible.  But it is.  I know.  I experienced it for myself.
      The two things that I, personally, have found to be major sound enhancements to my home theater are: 1) using dedicated 20-amp AC lines and 2) FIM
20-amp wall plugs.  Combined, they seem capable of literally transforming a home theater system.
      I have rarely felt compelled to write in about a product -- that is, until now. 
      Anyone who knows about FIM wall outlets and chooses not to give them a try is missing out on something really special.  At least they were for me.
Brent T.

"The FIM outlet is quite remarkable. I could not imagine how this could improve things to the degree it did! Surprise, Surprise".
Casey B.

The Best Tweak I’ve ever heard: Summary: Friday morning I installed a FIM 880 AC outlet. This receptacle is made of high purity copper with ceramic insulation. I plugged my amp into it and was treated to the best music I have ever heard in my stereo system-- rich, warm, natural and beautiful.
        Story: Last Oct. I got Vandersteen 5 speakers. In preparation for them, I had to go to 15 ft. ICs, short speaker cables, and Syn. Res. Master Couplers for the powered subs in the speakers, and a 14 ft. Master Coupler to reach from amp to a dedicated outlet. I also put in 3 Acme silver plated outlets, two went in non-dedicated circuits for the speaker subs, and the other was put on a dedicated line for my amp. So, I had to break-in or burn-in a lot of different "stuff" at the same time-- not the best way to do it, but to put the amp between speakers, I had to go this route.
       I immediately liked the V5 speakers and even though they were very revealing, somewhat bright, and somewhat lean, I expected all the new wires and speakers to mellow as they broke in, and they did smooth out greatly over a 30 day period, and have continue to improve even now. But, even though very smooth and non-fatiguing, they were still very revealing and brighter than I prefer.
        I considered everything but most suspected the 15 ft. Syn. Res. silver/copper active shielded ICs, but to correct that would be expensive, and I didn't know what to replace them with anyway. I also remembered that the Acme outlets were silver plated, and of course silver has a reputation of being fast, bright, detailed, zippy, clean etc. But recently another A'Gon member, Eagle, recommended the FIM outlet so I bought one-- not cheap at $70.00 either.
        Immediately after exchanging the Acme outlet for the FIM for my amp, I listened to some well known music. To be honest, it was a "jaw dropping" experience (and I seldom "gush"), Alison Krauss' vocals became warm, rich, immediate, live, natural, seductive. Timbral richness is now incredible. I had also just gotten 3 XRCDs and on Thursday night, (with Acme outlet) could only say the XRCDs were very revealing but that's all. But Friday with the FIM outlet, the Jacintha XRCD2 "Autumn Leaves, The Music of Johnny Mercer", music became truly breathtaking. It had ALL the positive characteristics I've noted above, and most of all was beautiful, natural, musical.
        The same thing happened with the XRCD Robert Lucas "Luke and the Locomotives"-- a hard driving Blues/Rock CD. With the change of outlets, piano sounded like piano (it was glassy before in the treble range), a Fender 'Strat at full scream now sounds "right", and soft acoustic guitar was better than I've ever heard. But vocals was where the magic really was-- Jacinths' voice was rich, warm, natural, and "in the room with me".
         This review is not meant to criticize Acme outlets, as in a dark sounding system, they may be "just right-- they are fast smooth and detailed once broken in. BUT IN MY SYSTEM-- well, the FIM has transformed it-- I admit to a definite preference for a warm, rich, sweet presentation, and I have FINALLY found it with a simple outlet change. Also, my Vandersteen 5s now sound like Vandersteen speakers.
        If my house was burning down, and there was only one of these FIM outlets in existence, I'd save my wife, the cat, and the FIM outlet. The FIM 880s are "Dyno-Supreme", IMO. Sorry for the long-winded gushing, but I wanted to share this 4 month journey and experience with A'Gon brethren, and I also needed an "outlet" for my excitement CHEERS. Craig - (posted on Audiogon, reprinted with Author’s permission)

I bought a FIM outlet last week and installed it right away. Immediately after installation, I found my 10-year old 32" Hitachi TV was rejuvenated. Color is much richer, looks like a new one. Sound didn't improve immediately, though. The sound improvement didn't occur until the third day. Now the sound of my system is unbelievable - smoother highs, more layers, much better defined mid-range and lows, anything you name it. It was a very pleasant experience visiting your show room. Although I only met you twice, you look like an old friend - not like those salesmen in other hi-fi stores. Thank you very much, Galen. A. Liu

          Note: To achieve optimum performance, it is important to replace all* the outlets on a circuit. Outlets are wired in parallel with one another and a poor connection at any of them can introduce noise into the system. Further, try not to plug anything else into the circuit (lamps, appliances, etc.) feeding your audio or video system. Your system needs all the capability a typical 15 Amp circuit can deliver. 

* This is especially important if the electrical system in your home is more than five years of age. Ideally, use FIM outlets, however, if this proves too expensive, at least replace them with new hospital or commercial grade outlets.