AC Outlet w/ Clairity, Trasparency, Bass Weight

perceived relative leanness goes along with with increased transparency and clarity usually.
07-30-10: Mapman

On that we agree totally Mapman. I've had that same experience almost exclusively. If a high end power product can improve clarity, and transparency without adding leanness then for me that's a winning piece. I can't remember such a piece.

The thing is how one reacts to perceived "leanness". Lean to me does not mean lacking bass, but more that the bass is tight, well damped and articulate with detail. The other extreme is a fatter and looser bass, which works well with some kinds of acoustic music but can sound noticeably sloppy with say more electronic or pop/rock forms and somewhat mushy as well with other forms.

Bass is largely about listening venue acoustics and listener preferences. There is no absolute right and wrong. What sounds good to one listener most likely will not to another.

I do not use the power strip on my amps in order to not inhibit current delivery as needed, but do use it to good effect with everything else.

relating to the concept of 'leanness' is the issue of 'bloat'. when bass becomes over ripe or boomey then that is a much bigger problem than a touch of leanness. and some power products particularly power cords can just sound too heavy. there is an overlay of excess bass energy.

agility is more important to me than bass weight.....i'll tend to balance a system more toward neutrality. bass bloat will sometimes be enjoyable on some music; but over time it detracts from the music. and a 'fat' bass balance will obscure deep bass artricualtion and ambience retrieval.

Oyaide R-1 outlets and WPC-Z covers are not lean; however, they will tend to clean up 'fuzz' in the signal path and detail will pop out. if your system is edgy maybe you might prefer the 'fuzz'.

My Full Review on the Maestro outlets is in the Member Reviews here on audiogon in the Accessories. You can go read it there.