Pinkie

Exactly how it was explained to me by the owner of the property out of phase.

Are you retired now or just moved to France to find a better life?

I would love to be retired.  I am hoping to progressively "ease back" but for now I am clinging to every bit of business in a paranoid fashion until we are properly established.

It was for quality of life - based on the realisation that I could continue my UK business remotely (hopefully!). 

We have a three phase supply coming to the house, although I expect now that only one is in use. The others were probably added for storage heaters in the past, which were removed when gas/radiator heating was installed in the 80's. Some of the old wiring is still there though and supply from pole to the switch-banks in the consumer unit, most of which do nothing now.

Ideally you want to balance the 3 phases.  This is how 3 "phase" lines can work with just one "neutral" line of the same cable thickness.  Moreover here in France 3 phase is quite common.  The French have this utterly potty system whereby you pay a variable standing charge depending on your chosen supply capacity.  So you can chose 3, 6,9,12 or 15KVA supplies on monophase.  15KVA is the maximum available monophase, but you can replicate all 5 in 3 phase.  Well - in practice it starts with 18KVA (3x6KVA).  Problem is if you have 3 6KVA supplies and connect your monophase oven - that can be a 7.5kva item on its own.  Combine it with the tumble dryer and you are maybe trying to draw 10KVA on a 6KVA phase - which will duly trip.  The art is to try to balance the loads on each of the 3 boards so that at any time of day, each board is drawing roughly the same current.  It obviously can't be perfect - but it needs to be good enough to avoid tripping the supply on one or more of the phases

Interestingly having come up with this bonkers idea of differing supply power tarrifs, they have a French solution to the problem.  We have electric heating, and as a result, if we used all main circuits (heaters, water heater, oven, tumble dryer ) we would probably draw 18KVA and that was before adding air conditioning and a pool pump, and maybe a pool heat pump.  However, in practice you rarely use all at the same time - so we have a 15KVA (maximum monophase) supply.  The french install each heater radial circuit with a "fil pilote" which is a control wire for that heater.  So brown, blue, green and yellow and purple (only in france its blue orange and green yellow).  Purple is the fil pilote - which can be connected to a "delesteur" which will monitor total current draw, and cut chosen circuits in priority order to avoid tripping the overall limit

Love 'em

Mike, I don't know how you can, properly, compare such sockets, as if it's mains wiring, you need time to swap them over. if the existing sockets are well established, the wires behind could be loose, or terminals slightly corroded, therefore nulling the comparison as a substitute new switched socket would also 'sound' better I think.

I realise that Mike.  But I prefer to buy good speakers amplifiers, sources and records and cd's rather than try to listen to a mains socket.  I have never heard a mains socket so good it made me want somebody's system.  Speakers - another matter altogether.  Actually - I've never heard one mains socket sound different from another** .  Speakers - another matter altogether.

Maybe I should replace my french switchless sockets with English ones to start my HiFi improvement ?  What is it about an English unswitched socket which changes the way equipment works and sounds, but not how it measures?

I actually had English sockets on a switched multiway block plugged into one of the French sockets.  We replaced that with a direct french socket and it made no difference. 

** I had one seriously defective socket - which did affect the sound.  Lots of clicks and bangs.

Surely that depends on the mains and components you already have?
If you have quiet mains, then any "upgrades" will have a negligible effect?

I don't think even the most ardent mains champion groping for a rational explanation to a subjective effect argues sockets affect noise.  We're talking GRUNT sonny boy.  Reactance, impedance, current delivery

If you can reduce the total reactance by a fraction, you will increase the voltage at the power supply by a fraction.  Maybe decimals of a volt.  That can make it sound different.  Of course, as discussed elsewhere the voltage in the wall can vary between 206V and 253v so its a bit hit and miss getting the right wire for the right day (hour) for the right supply company.  But worth it.

Out of interest, I contacted Power Inspired about the current delivery of the AG1500 and it is rated at 6A continuous and 12A momentary. Is this enough for good dynamics in a HiFi system?