Before I started my A’gon addiction about 5 years ago my introduction to “hi-fi” - or so I presumed - began in 1994 with the purchase of a pair of Klipsch Epic Series CF-3 floorstanding loudspeakers. I had just purchased my current residence and was in dire need of some furniture to fill what was then and is now my listening space. (Living room)
I didn’t buy the Klipsch merely for their size. Prior to this time I had lapsed out of the stereo chase for around 10 years. My subscriptions to Stereophile and the like had lapsed, the amount of time I could devote to enjoying music had diminished, so my earnest and eager return to the fold utilized the familiar.
Fast forward a few years, perhaps ten or more. House renovations, redecorations, life in general saw my beloved Klipsch speakers become speckled with paint, dinged from moving them about, all the usual indications of a fairly long life. Sometime during this period I grew weary of the horn loaded tweeter’s harshness so - this was way before this site or any other - I started “tweaking” the horn by stuffing the face with foam, even a pair of throw pillows once.
Then I went so far as to pop the horns out out of the cabinets. Lo and behold...all of the internal wiring was your basic speaker wire, the kind sold on spools at Radio Shack, Newmark & Lewis, Crazy Eddie, etc. Kinda surprised this audiot even back then.
Fast forward again...
Audiogon. My system deviates in value somewhere between $6-$12k depending on what I’ve bought and sold. That’s hi-fi in my world. Following many threads here, curious about virtually everything to get the most of what I’ve got, I’ve invested in power conditioning, power cords, speaker cables, (formerly “speaker wire”) isolation platforms, various interconnects, and the whole plethora of stuff championed and dissed here and afar.
And ya know what? Most of the suggestions and tweaks HAVE had impact on improving my enjoyment. Most of them by comparison with purchasing the major components have been inexpensive as well. Whether or not treating my connections with products scientifically purported to eliminate bad stuff will be immediately tangible to me, the relatively minor expenditure to investigate the possibility continues to be extremely attractive.
I’m about to investigate the fuse thing with the new Blue fuses. I have to. The whole argument for replacing stock fuses makes sense to me. If spending approximately $150 can better my current setup’s performance methinks the investment is validated.
Improving the contacts on my equipment? Worth a try.
Sure beats the snot outta replacing amps and preamps and speakers, oh my!9