I own a decent solid state integrated. I put in some hi fi tuning fuses that I'd bought on sale and was satisfied with the results. Not dramatically different but noticeably better, though not nearly of the magnitude of improvement resulting from the Nordost Frey 2 power cord.
Recently I bought my "last amp" (don't laugh.) A new Cary sli-80 integrated, an all tube unit with all the factory upgrades.
After burning it in for over a hundred hours, the first order of business was replacing the abysmal stock Electro Harmonix tubes with nos Amperex, RCA, and Psvane kt120 output tubes. These tubes completely changed the amp for the better.
Somehow, the SR Blue fuse caught my eye. Even though I'd exceeded my budget and burned through all my "fun money", I decided to take a chance. Heck, I could always send it back.
Shocked, stunned and amazed are adjectives a bit too strong for my reaction but it's safe to say that I'm more than pleasantly surprised.
It ticks all the audiophile boxes but I'll particularly mention that activity deep in the soundstage that was previously vague is now clear and easily identified.
I've been in the audio hobby for decades, including 12 years in retail (c-j, Airtight, Accuphase, Verity Audio, etc.) I've heard many tweaks. I'm pretty confident in saying that, for me, in my system, this is the most cost effective improvement I'm aware of.
Recently I bought my "last amp" (don't laugh.) A new Cary sli-80 integrated, an all tube unit with all the factory upgrades.
After burning it in for over a hundred hours, the first order of business was replacing the abysmal stock Electro Harmonix tubes with nos Amperex, RCA, and Psvane kt120 output tubes. These tubes completely changed the amp for the better.
Somehow, the SR Blue fuse caught my eye. Even though I'd exceeded my budget and burned through all my "fun money", I decided to take a chance. Heck, I could always send it back.
Shocked, stunned and amazed are adjectives a bit too strong for my reaction but it's safe to say that I'm more than pleasantly surprised.
It ticks all the audiophile boxes but I'll particularly mention that activity deep in the soundstage that was previously vague is now clear and easily identified.
I've been in the audio hobby for decades, including 12 years in retail (c-j, Airtight, Accuphase, Verity Audio, etc.) I've heard many tweaks. I'm pretty confident in saying that, for me, in my system, this is the most cost effective improvement I'm aware of.