Do you believe in Magic?

Hi Bryon,

Thanks for the update. My one comment is that in assessing the effects of the upgraded fuses on the power amp I would suggest that you make a point of separately assessing the results with music having narrow dynamic range and modest peak volume levels, that presumably would not cause your amp to leave Class A, and, for example, symphonic music having wide dynamic range and brief peaks that reach very high volume levels.

My expectation is that the fuses would be most likely to make a difference when the amount of current flowing through them fluctuates widely and rapidly with the music, which it will not do in the case of analog components that are operating in Class A.

Best regards,
-- Al

the original subject of this thread "magic", may be irrelevant, as one's perception of sound is influenced by unconscious bias or expectations. its a form of the placebo affect.

what i am saying is that explantions as to why one hears something may be inaccurate, as they discount our unconscious expectations of what we expect to hear.

04-17-12: Almarg
...I would suggest that you make a point of separately assessing the results with music having narrow dynamic range and modest peak volume levels, that presumably would not cause your amp to leave Class A, and, for example, symphonic music having wide dynamic range and brief peaks that reach very high volume levels.

My expectation is that the fuses would be most likely to make a difference when the amount of current flowing through them fluctuates widely and rapidly with the music...

Your expectation was borne out by my experience. It went like this: I installed a Hifi Tuning fuse in my Meridian preamp. Sat down, listened...

Hmm, not sure. Is it a little better? I think it's a little better. Maybe I'm imagining it. I can't tell. I better order one for the amp to make sure.

That's an exact transcript from my brain, which I am sorry to say, reflects very poorly on my judgment as a consumer. I buy a frivolous item for $35, and when I'm not sure whether it does anything, I buy another one for $50. Good thing my wife controls the money around here. But that's not the point. The point is: I bought another fuse for the amp. Installed it, sat down, listened...

Well, that's definitely something. A little less grunge. A little more relaxed. Neat. Let's enjoy some music.

And I did. Here's the important part: When I went from John Lee Hooker's acoustic blues to this recording of L'Estate 2 from Vivaldi's Four Seasons...

What the [expletive deleted]!!

The headroom had increased by, say, 30%. I was stunned. I scratched my head...

Maybe the old fuse was dirty. Or defective. Or maybe these things actually work.

My money is on #3. All $85 of it. Plus shipping.

And btw, Al, all of this happened BEFORE you posted your comment about trying music with a wide dynamic range. So my experiences aren't so easy to dismiss as a product of my overactive imagination (I'm looking at you, MrT).

Bryon

"Maybe the old fuse was dirty. Or defective. Or maybe these things actually work."

Or perhaps the old fuse was installed in the wrong direction. What are the odds, 50%?

G

Now someone, tell me again this hobby is about music enyoyment, musical artists and artisans, and not about gear, tweaking and ''sound''.

Reading this thread, I am torn between memories of reading Polular Science and the British Journal of Psychology.

Must admit this is all quite entertaining all the same, while being SO serious at the same time. Think about it...