I know this is a bit off topic but this is about my tweaks. I recently went to most recent LA and orange county Audio club meeting and I enter the raffle. I won a Synergistic Research blue fuse. Not a bad deal considering I spent $20 to win a $150 fuse. $150 fuse? You’ve got to be s***ting me. So I looked up the fuse values for my audio note dac, let them know what it was, and they sent me a fuse. The power fuse next to the IEC socket on the back of the unit.
My girlfriend and I could not believe the difference. Bigger, bolder, better bass, less edge without losing details, all the good stuff. From a stupid little fuse.
It didn’t make any sense until you think about it. What is really going on with alternating current? First AC is pushing One Direction, then it alternates and pushes the other direction. So not only is it going through that expensive power cord, but it is also going through the IEC socket metal, the fuse, the wire to and from the power switch, and the power switch itself. And it does make a difference when part of that path is better, as most of us have heard by putting in a better power cord. Yes it sounds much better with some power cords, but the power still has to go through the fuse and the other stuff before it gets to the actual guts of the audio gear. So I am convinced that better fuses can lead to a better sound, dammit! One more thing to buy.
It was a quick blow fuse and the fuse blew and I thought I was out a bunch of money. Then I called Synergistic Research and they have a 30 day guarantee that if you blow one of their fuses they will send you another one for free. They increased the amp value and made it slow blow and now it seems to be fine. I think their quick blow might’ve been a little too quick. But I am very happy with the sound and it really got me thinking about what is going on with the power in general.
If you want to put a bunch of money an a gear upgrade you might consider upgrading the power fuse first just to see. This is not vaporware and it is not voodoo, but it is what my ears are telling me. Your mileage may vary.
Gary