Cheap tweaks...What would YOU reccomend?

Lacee,

There was a thread somewhere else and a guy was being pounded for building and selling an extreme power cord of some type. The fellow that was taking all the abuse indicated he had tried all the Furutech models and materials as well as other brands of the same sort and settled on the copper version as the best balanced sound. He described what each material presented when used with his cable design. Not as a discussion as to his design but rather to the pains that he went to auditioning the termination quality. The Furutech copper is treated in some fashion to reduce oxidation potential. I am now using these copper connectors and not the rhodium I used previous.
Mechanical grounding at these junctions will be my next step.Tom

Thanks for the reply Theaudiotweak.
I had considered the rhodium plug so that the amp sees a rhodium to rhodium connection, despite the fact that the romex is copper.

I guess I should have used a copper IEC on the amp for continuities sake.

I have the copper IEC's for my amps but have not yet put them in. They are pretty generic any way. Having new boards laid out for my amps that will have about 40% more copper content and will have them and all the parts that can with stand a double shock of cryo treatment. It's always something or something else.

Here's something I'd like to put "out there" to get some response concerning a tweak that's not mentioned or is one of the last unchartered territories of tweakdom.

I am curious about on/off power switches.

My amps are old and have the ancient toggle switch.

I've upgraded the fuses, IEC,wirng from the IEC inlet,RCA, and now I am wondering about the quality of that toggle switch.

Does anyone think it would make a difference in quality to replace it with something newer?

If so what type of switch and from what source?

I am certain that some of the upper tier electronics must use on/off switches that are above the normal ones we most often see.

Then again, maybe the power swich doesn't matter that much?

My positive past experiences with upgrading power related items leads me in the direction that the off/on switch just has to be doing something to the sound, and that some just have to be better than others.

It may or may not be a cheap tweak, but I am looking for answers from those who have experience with power switches.

This also goes out to anyone from the audio industry,is there a need for a designer power switch and if you felt so, which one did you use?
I hope Ralph will enlighten me for instance.

I used some heavy duty 20 amp toggle switches on my power supply to my phono stage.

Like this
http://www.delcity.net/store/Heavy!duty-Toggle-Switches-!-Flat-Terminal/p_788975

The rational being the 20 amp continuous rating was more than adequate for most hi-fi components - even amps i.e. under 2000 watts :-)

It seems to work very well and due to the heavier internal mechanism it makes and breaks contact quickly with no arcing (i.e. that I can hear :-)

Just Google "toggle switches with silver gold contacts" and you will find a large selection that may be suitable. I would go with 20/30 amp models for an amplifier, preferably made in the US :-)

Switches are perhaps the most hard working component in any electrical circuit due to arcing when turning off

Well made switches have a mechanism that release very quickly - in most cases eliminating the possibility of arcs forming - when I used to work in the switchgear industry silver contacts were preferred for their durability and if I recall correctly, it helps prevent arcing - that could have changed since then.

Since yours are old I would recommend changing them. Will they sound better? It doesn't hurt to try :-)