Hi-Fi Fuses - SNAKE OIL? - or something in it?

Dragon1952 wrote,

"IMO, to say that an upgraded fuse or power cord can't improve SQ because it "defies the laws of physics", or some other science, implies physicists and other scientists have learned 100% of everything there is to possibly know...which is pretty naive or arrogant if you ask me."

That's tellin' 'em, Dragon!

Expensive aftermarket power cords are seldom offered as part of the deal when purchasing a quality product simply because it comes down to a matter of taste and how one's system is already "voiced".
If you have a systen that tends to be warm or romantic as most tube systems are, you may want more of that or less of that and so you look for a power cord or product that gives you what YOU want.
This is why most gear comes with power cords that cost next to nothing that do the job,but don't really give you the performance that the component is capable of.

Hey, you or I have to do the homework and put in some effort to chhose what's right to our ears.
Some folks are quite content with what comes in the box, others are not.
I have access to some high end gear in another persons system and even gear priced in the $100,000.00 per component don't come with much more than throw away cables.
Needless to say the throw aways are thrown away until the right match , and then the full majesty of the pricey stuff shines thru.
I've heard it and as I said, that's how I was converted to switch my audio purchases from endless gear swaps to investing in things that really matter and improve what I have.And will improve what I purchase in the future ,or on to another round of searching for the right recipe.

The casual listener won't understand any of this stuff,be he a novice or a lover of the old tried and true system he has loved since day one back in the 70's.

But my old 70's Acoustats never sounded as good as they do now since I replaced the RCA and IEC inputs with the best Furutech has to offer,And yes I use HiFI Supremes(4 in total) in these amps also.

Before the changes, the sound was fine, most folks would have not gone any further.
I did, because I experienced what such simple mods using better updated parts can do from lessons learned in my friend's set up.

This is stuff that is voodoo to a lot of people,you are not alone Gvsale, I have a few audio friends like you, who just can't be bothered to try stuff that will improve their sound.In fact one is reluctant to even try a better power cord on his amp, because if he likes it,and can't afford it, he won't ever enjoy his current system again.

And I'm not belittling folks like that.
Everyone has their own take on what level they are willing to take their system to and I'm aware of all the associated
constraints that are involved when one has a family and the more pressing monetary demands of such.

Whether a manufacturer includes designer fuses or power cords doesn't diminish his efforts to bulid the best he can.
But neither do they state that their gear must only use a specific and supplied interconnect or speaker wire, although Naim and Spectral are two who used to share such thinking.

But times and attitudes change,some manufacturers now design their own power conditioners when once upon a time they frowned on them.
Naim now has gone for a more user friendly type of connection.

If some company supplied and I paid extra for a designer power cord that didn't match my sound, then I would be upset about this and feel ripped off.

People like to have the opportunity to pick and chose the sound they want, whether that is different from the designers intention or not, it's a fact of life, that no two people really like all the same things and sound is a very personal thing.

The more exposure I had to a variety of very good systems tended to alter some of the feelings I had about "how great my set up is".
You learn there are many different voicings .
It doesn't matter which one is correct, because none of them are, it's all an illusion and no one has arrived at the perfect cookbook for the perfect sounding 100% accurate system.

Even if you recreated all the same gear as what was used in the mastering studio, you would only approximate the sound in your home and only for that one particular piece of music from that studio at that time.Your listening room would sound different than the recording sound room with all it's differnt dimensions and room treatemnt.

Everythingelse will be different,so one size will not fit all.
One power cord will not fit all, nor will a fuse or anythingelse.

The only piece of gear that is immune to most of the voodoo would be a wind up RCA turntable with cactus stylus and horn.

No power cord, no power conditioning, no dedicated lines or fancy connectors, no interconnects,no speaker wires,no fuses.
Nothing much to argue about.
It was a simpler time, and for the music lovers of that era, state of the art and as good as it can ever get.
Then things changed.

For better or worse I'll let you decide.
I know where I stand.

For now, what does one need to do in order to take advantage of such a marvelous power cord when all (my assumption) amplifiers don't have detachable power cords?

This means you have to "tear" into the chassis & start replacing the leads up to the fuse holder? Then what happens...if on the other side of the fuse holder the type of wire to the the transformer turns out to be "substandard." Is the next order of the day to throw out that transformer & have a custom built one made to replace the OEM? If there was a chance that the unit came with a detachable cord like computers use, what would happen if that socket was "found" to be "substandard." What would be next? I'd like to know what gage of internal wire is used to build all these suprelatively performing electronics VS the "also ran" units.

For one that is accustomed to working on electronic gear; installing an IEC socket, and upgrading the internal wiring, is no big deal. I've performed the job on a number of ARC preamps, and a few brands of older tubed and SS power amps. The differences in performance were consistently dramatic & positive, per the owners(myself included). That's with an upgraded PC as well(of course). Most high-end pieces(old or new) already utilize high quality transformers.

Absolutely correct Rodman,a lot of the old transformers were quite special,and some aren't made anymore so finding replacements is hard to do.

As Rodmann stated just about anyone can change a captive power cord in a component.

Usually the hardest part is to file out the opening and fastening the IEC to the cabinet.I've resorted to contact sealant in some cases, and never had an IEC that was attached like this ever fall out after repeated plugging and unplugging.

But if you have a vintage piece of gear and you would like to keep it that way for resale purposes, then do not alter anything and enjoy the sound and looks as they are.

But for some of us, it's more about improving the sound of that component.
A decent sound when it was first made with as decent components as cost constraints would allow in those days.

It was big bucks back in the day when some of the old macs with captive cords were made, and people seem to forget that a $600.00 amp back in 64 would cost $5000.00 of todays dollars.So while it seems like the gear from the good old days was cheap, it's all relative.
Look what a gallon of gas cost back then.

But this is the joy of doing upgrades to that old stuff or to even not so old stuff.
A fuse replacement requires no special tools or skill sets.
And can cost nothing if you are foolish enough to bypass them as I did before I settled for the HiFi Supremes.
Power cord swaps are easy to do.
You should be able to hear improvemnts or at the least a difference, when you replace the molded rubber ends of a throw away power cord with better upgraded ones from Wattgate, Oyaide, Furutech etc.
Then use those same upgraded ends and attach them to some upgraded wire from the aforementioned companies and you can DIY a pretty decent step up in sound quality.

Gvsale you seem to feel that it's just too overwhelming to do any of these things, and perhaps you aren't cut out for it , so I suggest you quit worrying about it.

The sky's the limit when it comes to modding gear and you can replace everything inside a component and rewire it with silver,gold platinum wire if you wish.
It all makes a difference, and it's just up to you to decide how much you want to spend and how far you want to go.

I've known some folks who "know the math" and completely redesign the gear for better results.

I am not in that league.
And not all who make the stuff we enjoy are either.

But a fuse upgrade is so simple,it's an audio upgrade for dummies like me.