But sales of expensive amplifiers depend on the audiophile's belief that quality/expense of any component is correlated with beautiful sound. In most amplfiers the single most expensive item on the BOM will be be the beautiful thick brushed steel face plate. The control knobs are often the second most expensive item. The same goes for speakers - the woodwork and veneer is the most costly item. So nice high end gear is indeed truly expensive becuase teh actually are more costly to make. |
Bob bundus:"ALL DOUBTING THOMAS'S SOUND THE SAME" I take it as a compliment to be aligned with Doubting Thomas, but your analogy is nevertheless a particularly felicitous one, since our conflict--friendly, I hope--does appear to pit the religious against the skeptics. My problem with doubting Thomas is that he didn't doubt enough. In any case, though Thomas fingered the wound, I don't intend to finger a upgraded wall socket. Cheers, or Amen, depending. |
Another good Hubbell receptacle is the HBL5252 and the HBL5352.Correction: Hubbell HBL5262, (15 amp) and HBL5362, (20 amp). Page #6 Note they are not hospital grade receptacles. No little green dot...... |
Br3098, your points are well made. I have been in HiFi long enough to remember the introduction of 8track. I think it is easier to put in a new outlet than cleaning and adjusting an old one. The present interest in wires (of all kinds) is the result of no real technological advances in audio since CD (besides power switching amps, which I have) and the longevity of today's gear. Turntables, CD players, pre-amps, power amps, speakers; that's about it. If people are not swapping out their gear, you have to sell them something; outlets, power chords, interconnects, speaker terminals, speaker wire, etc for prices that indicate extremely large improvement. One can draw one's own conclusions. |
Let's break this down to a basic, black and white level first. The shades of gray can wait. Will you spend thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars for an amp, speakers, etc., then plug it all into a 20 year old receptacle that is so worn out that it can barely keep the stock plug from falling out? Saying, "but that's different" is an admission that receptacles make a difference. Saying "of course; why not?" means looking at that sagging cord and wondering and occasionally pushing the plug back in. Or not. Why would you if it doesn't matter? Which side of the fence are you on? No sitting in the middle; it won't support you. It's too tall to straddle, too. Whatcha gonna do? |
