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

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.

Lacee: Not all designs lend themselves to that kind of modification. From power cords to internal wiring.

I still think its a stretch that a fuse, now as simple as it is could be such an object of desire, so to speak. At some time, I'll just let that go.

If the gear priced in the statosphere (today's reality) has been built with a cost is no object way, it still seems kind of odd that someone might still find shortcomings (non "audiophile" fuses). No one has mentioned if any products such as that actually have gold cryo treated fuses, fuse holders etc. Aren't many or most of these "mods" driven by the aftermarket?

Certainly, my particular stuff would suffer greatly from such changes. But that's neither here nor there...If, for example the power cord on my 7T can handle 1100 watts, that is 9 amps, & the tested load as I use it, averages 1.5 amps or less, how much more overcapacity might one need for something to show up? It is also fused @ 1/8 amp. & comsumes 9 watts. And, let's not for purpose of those questions, consider audio performance as subjectively as some do here.

Gvsale,is your gear so perfect that it cannot be improved?
You fear your "stuff would suffer greatly from such changes".
You are 100% certain of that?

You are throwing a lot of stuff out there such as "how much more overcapacity might one need for something to show up".

That may make sense to you, but you are missing the point about upgrades.
It's not about how much bigger,it's about how much better.

I used an upgraded fuse in a DecWare Zen 2 watt amp that cost 1/6 the price of the amp.
I plugged a Shunyata Annaconda power cord into the amp,the power cord was almost 4 times the cost of the amp.

Neither upgrade morphed the amp into a Krell with a 1000watts,but, Mr.Deckert and others will tell you that it's how good the first watt sounds that matters most, not how many.
So gear that can handle 1100watts /9 amps using a 1/8 amp fuse means moot to me.
I'm just concerned about how good I can make those all important first few watts sound.

So irregardless of what you think audio is all about,it means somethingelse to others.

In my experience, the amp just performed better with the fuse and power cord upgrade.
Those two watts were cleaner, more robust and would lead you to believe they gave you a few more watts than the two I started out with.

Of course that wasn't what was happening.
What was happening was that those important first few watts were given a bit less distortion, and because the electricity was cleaned up, or made to flow a bit more freely, the sound also was able to bloom.
More of what makes an SET low watt amp sound so pure and good,just became more apparant than before.
Subjective,yes, but repeatable results none the less.
Switching things back to normal, or stock, was a step back in information detail, clarity,and there was a loss of body.
Put the power cord and fuse back in and the little DecWare sprang back to life, able to reveal just how good this little wonder is.

But the same results are there when I use upgraded power cords and fuses in my cd player,and speakers, and phono stage.

That spare Annaconda is now used to power up my $60.00 TerDak power supply!
And yes way overkill, but it makes my Lightspeed Attenuator sound so much better than the wallwart.
Remember, it was a spare, I certainly don't think anyone needs a power cord of this price to make the TeraDak sing, but it hasn't hurt it's performance or made the gear "suffer" because of it.

So a pretty decent amp for the money can sound even better with upgraded fuse and power cord.The amp doesn't have to be 1100watts, it can be a two watt amp.

The power cord was a spare from when I ran mono blocks, I wouldn't suggest that anyone with a DecWare amp needs an expensive power cord or fuse to make it sound good.
But it is also good enough to let you hear the improvements such stuff can make.

If there was no difference in sound I could have concluded two things.
The first would be that which you might conclude, that the amp was so good it didn't need any help.

The second conclusion would be one that I would make, the amp was of such poor design and so distorted that nothing could make it sound any better.

I have personally never owned any piece of audio gear that was so good or so bad that it's sound couldn't be improved with an upgraded part or two.
That goes for vintage and new tube gear, solid state, and any speakers that were fuse protected.
It was easy to hear how anything with a power cord or a fuse was hindered by the quality of the fuse and power cord.

I hate to keep rehashing the fuse issue, but it was Peter Aczel from the Audio Critic of the late 70's early 80's who brought this to my attention way back when.

Nothing has changed,except that we now have some alternatives to using stock, sound degrading fuses, if we choose to.

Until this happened I was bypassing them,enjoying better sound, but was skating on thin ice.

Thankfully that's no longer necessary.

Snake oil, plain and simple. And, unless your power cord cannot handle the amperage required, spending uber bux on a PC is a fool's game.

Think about it, why is it that NO hi-end mfgr. I'm aware of includes these magic beans (fuses and PCs) with their gear? If these things *really* improved the sound, they would be installed at the factory. This is a prime example of audiophilia nervosa trumping common sense and basic electrical physics...

-RW-