Upgrading Fuses

Jedinite24,
I have been advised that the fuse next to the power cord is the only one you should change at first. If you hear improvements, only then you should proceed with changing the other fuses. I will do this sometimes in Jan, since I have much more higher priorities now.

I am lucky, I only had single fuse per component to change, but I would tend to agree that the fuse nearest the power cord would be the place to start, and perhaps that's as far as you need to go if you are pleased with the results.

Personally spending 200 dollars on gear worth 800 doesn't seem right to me,but if you feel the need then why should my opinions matter?

You see it doesn't bother me one way or the other how you spend your money.

No one has the right to say you shouldn't or that it is foolish.

But, spending money on things you have never heard is something that I think needs some thought.

Buying anything unheard has a 50/50 chance of you liking it or not.
That's why there's stuff on Gon.

So, unless you have some experience about what certain things like fuses or power cords or conditioners or dedicted lines can do to the sound of the music you listen to, then you are buying on faith, and relying on all of "us" and the advertising industry and are easy prey to the snake oil salesman.

I really can't say when the last time I was bitten by a snake oil salesman.

I usually do my homework and "listen with MY ears" before I decide to break out the wallet.

I would think this is the norm with most normal people ,hence no need for the evangelists to save our souls.

And yes to be able to discerne differences, good and bad or indifferent, is something that has to be learned.
Some have learned how and others have not, and so the need for measurements to soothe their insecurities in whatever white paper mumbo jumbo floats your boat.

It always helps if there is a fellow in a white lab coat or EEG attached somewhere.

I also feel that the specs of most gear made today(not vintage-sorry to say)are quite good and you might not see very much measured differences from one amp to the next for example.

And yet, people can and do buy one amp over the other and continue to do so, over and over.Look at the amp ads on Gon.
Now tell me, that all those amps for sale are bought and sold because of how they measure on paper or because of how they "sound"?

To belittle anyone's hearing ability is as bad as saying you must have golden ears.
Yet I know of many normal people not in this hobby, who can tell the differences between a tube amp and a solid state amp.

And despite what someone has said about musicians, the real one's are not tone deaf.

They futz about with transfomers, different raw speaker drivers and tubes, all in search of the "sound" that they want to get.
Why are modelling amps(they sample the tones of several makes and types of amps) so popular if musicians are unable to differentiate tonal differences?
It's the very essence of a modelling amp.
Sorry,that's one for the musicians, and a strike against the ears not being significant to a musician.
A musician's stuggle to find the right sound be it a violinist or a rocker is pretty much out there for all to read about,most guitarists have several amps and guitars and prize each one for it's own unique sound.
Are his ears being fooled?
He would laugh at that.

The only fellow who would settle for a cheap solid state guitar amp over a vintage tubed Fender reverb is the guy without the cash to buy the Fender amp.

And so to for the audiophiles who turn down their noses to the folks who can afford the stuff they can't,if they could they would.

Jedinite,

If you haven't experimented with a good power conditioner or after market power cords, you might consider that before fuse upgrades. The advantage of power conditioners is that they can improve every component plugged into them. They also lower the noise floor to such an extent that you'll hear tweaks and adjustments to your system more readily. Shunyata and PS Audio gear can be found for reasonable prices on a'gon. Not that it proves anything, but my father was thrilled with the improvements he heard recently after we applied power conditioning to his midfi system. He has the NAD 326BEE and Meadowlark speakers, which are hardly pricey. Good luck on your journey.

Sebrof - "To me, this is the crux of the debate. When someone's limit is above or below their own some people simply cannot deal with that."

Good point.

I am firmly in the camp that upgraded power cords, whether DIY or store bought name brand and upgrades to the power delivery are crucial if not mandatory today.

Wallplugging your gear , or going straight into the wall which was the norm back when I started in the 1970's,for me, isn't the way to get the most bang for your audio buck.

And neither is a stock fuse.

So, if you are in the camp that can hear the differences that power cords and power line upgrades can do for your system then you owe it to yourself to go the next step and purge your gear from one of the last bottlenecks to good sound.

That they cost so little, is a novelty in this day, when you hear what they can do.

Those upgraded power cords are still at the mercy of the stock fuse.

Replace the fuse and finally hear all the improvements that the power cords and conditioners can deliver.

It's really that simple and cheaper than the countless amp,speaker trials and errors audiophiles submit themselves to.

It's all in the little details, add them up and you start to see the big picture.