I have found that the quality of the power supply voltage significantly affects your sound quality. With all the talk of power cords, outlets and everything here. I would say the biggest inexpensive element I have found are Isoclean fuses. These are the cheapest fuses ($49 retail) and they have improved things in every piece of equipment I have put them in. I have tried other fuses, including Hi-Fi Tuning, SR 20, SR RED, Furutech. Each of them had good points and bad points. Each introduces a character to the sound. Some of these may be good in your system depending on system synergy. However, I feel the Isoclean made the best and most neutral improvement overall. It provides a very natural and full sound and fixes a lot of brightness problems with stock fuses. Other fuses may compensate for different problems. The SR RED can improve a system that is too bright (it's actually the most non-intrusive fuse, but it reduces the resolution of the sound). The SR 20 can improve a slow system, such as tube, but it's too bright and bass lean for most solid state. Hi-Fi Tuning put a metallic edge on the sound that I didn't like.
Has there been any inexpensive item that enhanced your system's sound?
For me it was an inexpensive power cord that was laying around for years, a Pangea AC9. I have it connected to my Yamaha A S2000. I've tried the stock cord on the Yamaha and then some of my other cords, (Wireworld, VH Flavor 4, Acronlink/Oyaide custom cord and a MAC). I've had lots of amps and integrated amps over the years, and this is the first time the Pangea contributed to making better sound. It surprised me because I had tossed it aside and forgot about it. Power cord performance is such a crap-shoot and dependent on so many other variables in the audio chain. Any inexpensive item you've come across that enhanced your system's sound?
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- 109 posts total
- 109 posts total