fuses - the $39 ones or the 85 cent ones

I don't buy the premise that one's opinions of audio gear are invalid if one has limited, or no, exposure to live music.

Really strikes me as elitist.

I played drums and percussion starting at age 9. I played in orchestras, wind ensembles, marching bands and big bands. During high school and college, I played semi-professionally in rock and jazz bands. I know the sound of live instruments, both acoustic and amplified.

Rodman99999 says it well! I wonder how many audiophiles are grounded in the sense of having experienced live music on a regular basis and or have had the opportunity to experience various venue acoustics. The room your in is the main component of your system. Charles Hansen is doing just such a demo, illustrating how a cheap stereo can sound better than a high end rig given a better acoustical environment. The fuses add more acoustic pixelation to the music...clarity, energy and tonality all improved.

Mr Tvad- Anyone that is not intimately familiar with live music and all it's nuances may have any opinion they choose and that's fine with me. That opinion will be totally and completely lacking in merit to me, however, as that is what my experience and judgements rest on with regards to reproduction. Just like anyone that has not experimented with an item (of any description) to see whether it does, or doesn't do, what's claimed(in my opinion) has no opinion but an abysmally empty one! But- I live in America and have fought for the rights we have to voice our opinions(empty or not). Happy listening!

Tvad, since most live music events use amplifiers in poor rooms, I tend to agree, but I would not go so far as to suggest that live music is unobtainable and that we should be happy with good music reproduction rather than realism. I typically do not have access to quality performances so it thrills me to have such performances well captured on my system. That is always my quest.

I agree, Tbg, and if my post somehow suggested to you otherwise, then it was misconstrued.