JAH I think you've been away too long,and like Rip van Winkle much has changed over the years.Not all for the best.
Snakeoil is still here, but then back in your day lifting speakers off the floor on spikes and anything more costly than lamp cord was suspect.
I've been at this for 40 years, have many friends who have tinkered with this hobby for just as many years and what been great is that we have all benefitted one anothers mistakes and fortuitous discoveries.
Most recently a friend of mine(a gear swapping,never satisfied tortured soul) audiophile has discovered the joys of room tuning devices.
He always suspected snakeoil but now has seen the folly of his old ways thinking.
He could never hear differences in power cords and as such was always disappointed when a new fix proved to be no better than the last.
I kept telling him, the only thing that never changes is his room, and it is imposing it's presence on his components.Or, the room was masking any improvemnts to his sound.
And so it is with most any upgrade,power cords or fuses,if the room and power are not taken seriously, then most upgrade's effects will be compromised, or get tossed under the category of snakeoil.
Back in the old days it was easy to set up a system, plug it in and spin the tunes, and be contented.
Discontent only arrived with exposure to systems and gear that let you hear things in the music that you never heard in your own set up at home.
You had two choices:
1-accept what you have and live with it
2-set about doing something to improve your sound.
Choice 2 is not a choice to be taken mildly.
It can be expensive,can lead to years of regret,angst or it can lead to joy,and can go on for as long as you want it to.
Or you can simply walk away from it all as JAH has done.
But all is not lost when you buy that upgraded power cord.
It will still improve whatever component it's attached to.
I've used my Annacondas on everything from solid state and tube mono blocks, to a nice headphone amp,while overkil, it still made for a major improvemnt over the one that came in the box.
So it's back to the two choices- accept or move on.
Snakeoil is still here, but then back in your day lifting speakers off the floor on spikes and anything more costly than lamp cord was suspect.
I've been at this for 40 years, have many friends who have tinkered with this hobby for just as many years and what been great is that we have all benefitted one anothers mistakes and fortuitous discoveries.
Most recently a friend of mine(a gear swapping,never satisfied tortured soul) audiophile has discovered the joys of room tuning devices.
He always suspected snakeoil but now has seen the folly of his old ways thinking.
He could never hear differences in power cords and as such was always disappointed when a new fix proved to be no better than the last.
I kept telling him, the only thing that never changes is his room, and it is imposing it's presence on his components.Or, the room was masking any improvemnts to his sound.
And so it is with most any upgrade,power cords or fuses,if the room and power are not taken seriously, then most upgrade's effects will be compromised, or get tossed under the category of snakeoil.
Back in the old days it was easy to set up a system, plug it in and spin the tunes, and be contented.
Discontent only arrived with exposure to systems and gear that let you hear things in the music that you never heard in your own set up at home.
You had two choices:
1-accept what you have and live with it
2-set about doing something to improve your sound.
Choice 2 is not a choice to be taken mildly.
It can be expensive,can lead to years of regret,angst or it can lead to joy,and can go on for as long as you want it to.
Or you can simply walk away from it all as JAH has done.
But all is not lost when you buy that upgraded power cord.
It will still improve whatever component it's attached to.
I've used my Annacondas on everything from solid state and tube mono blocks, to a nice headphone amp,while overkil, it still made for a major improvemnt over the one that came in the box.
So it's back to the two choices- accept or move on.