Sunday, January 03, 2010

Feel The Powah!



This is the world famous Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket - which sells for $147.72 in quantities from one to three. From the product page:
If you are building your own audiophile power cord to improve component performance, you need the WattGate 381 receptacle. Why build a performance power cable only to plug it into the same receptacle that's been in use for almost 100 years? WattGate's 381 is a no compromise solution for the demanding AV enthusiast. Construction of the 381 is top-notch and features glass-filled, nylon front and rear housings. Mounting strap, rivets and grounding strip are gold plated, solid brass for the ultimate in corrosion resistance and power transfer. Installation of the 381 is simple and efficient due to rear wiring and large, #10 brass terminal screws. Terminal clamps are gold plated, solid brass and shaped to better grip the conductors. Like the 330 and 350, the 381 leaves the competition behind with its contacts. Configured in a triple-wiper design allows the plug blades to be gripped at three separate points. Additionally, the heavy-duty contacts maximize the clamping spring-rate and ensure conductivity. A three-layer plating process is also completed on the 381: Oxygen free copper plating, electrolysis nickel, and finally 24k gold plating. Receptacle contacts are cryogenically heat treat hardened. Receptacle is rated at 125 VAC, 20A.
  • Cryogenic heat treat hardened contacts
  • Solid brass contact construction
  • Three step 24k gold plating process
  • Triple wiper design increases contact area
  • Superior performance over standard receptacles


Of course, the reviews for this highly developed bit of electrical engineering are virtually glowing:
I didn't believe all the hype... but at this price (bought 4 to get the reduced pricing $561.32 + $25.00 shipping) I figured the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket was cheap enough to experiment with. Besides, 4 regular sockets at your local Home Depot would cost you around $12.50 and there is no multi-unit discount with them! So really I would have been crazy not to buy them...

I am a big-time Bass Fisherman. I would rather go Bass Fishing than anything. So it should come as no surprise that I bought the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket to go in my Bass Fishing boat.
It s kind of an old clunker though, 6 aluminum job. Single seater, with only a trolling motor for power. I installed a super cheapo fish finder a few years ago... it works ok in shallow water (knee-deep or less) as long as the fish are really big!

So I installed one of the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket to run the fish finder.
I didn t run any wiring to the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket I just cut a hole in the bottom of the boat and screwed it in.
I was afraid it would leak, but to my surprise it was completely water tight. In fact some other holes that used to be in the boat stopped leaking also...
Next thing I noticed was that the trolling motor that used to strain to push the boat along at 5 mph was now kicking up a 30 Rooster Tail behind me and was pushing the boat along at hydro-plane speeds approaching 300 mph.

And finally with the fish finder plugged directly into the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket I am making a fortune from all the sunken treasure that the fish finder is able to detect now!

...on a side note, me and the wife have been trying for 12 years to have a baby, well lo and behold I come home from a month long fishing trip and she informs me she is 2 weeks pregnant! Thanks Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket!!! You have made my life complete!!

Of course, there are "green" benefits:
Before installing the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket, I was only able to pick up a few local radio stations on my HD receiver. The stations I could hear had a lot of static and where hard to listen to. Since installing the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket I can now pick up nearly ever station on the planet and even a classic rock station from Alpha Centuari system.
The 25% increase of amperage as well as the power sine wave interpolation without a doubt prove that the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket is worth at least five times the full retail price.
After some calculations I have determined that if were to use the Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket to recharge my Prius, I will obtain close to a 35% increase in mileage using batteries alone.
I further hypotheroize that if one Wattgate 381 Audio Grade Duplex Socket was installed in every household in America the global carbon dioxide levels would be significantly reduced.

Let's not forget the Chuck Norris effect:
I was given the wattgate 381 as a gift from my wife, I was not impressed with it. Yeah it was shiney and sure did look the part but come on, it is an outlet!!! I have a nice entertainment system so I thought I would give it a try, after installation I put in my favorite movie The Delta Force starring Chuck Norris, this time he killed everyone the good and the bad, it was so loud my ears are still bleeding. When the movie was over my TV exploded and Chuck Norris stood in the carnage. Then he picked up my wife and gave her the best rogering she has ever had (the doctors say she might be able to walk again after intensive physical theropy). Two thumbs way up!!

Wow! This sounds super fabuloso - I'd bet this socket would blow away Gold Plated Monster Cables even! Like totally worth the money, dude!

H/T Purple Avenger at Ace's

2 comments:

drjim said...

Yep, this goes in the same category as the $1500, 3' power cord that has "Absolute Sonic Purity" and all the other crap that these hucksters sell.

CGHill said...

Of course, God only knows what sort of horrid 60-cycle malfeasance your local electrical utility is committing on the far side of the socket.