Do you believe that two amplifiers with identical specs but different topologies and components would sound the same?Would one amp using cheap caps, transformers and wire and another using upgraded caps, silver wound transformers and silver wire sound the same?
Are all mods just snake oil?
Lacee
Lacee, two amps that have the same specs (or similar) will sound totally different. They even tried Emulators, Bob Carver and his Sonic Transfer Function, and others all sound different. Poor specs are usually heard in my experience. Good specs can't assure anything, in my opinion.
I should have said, when a tech scopes an amp out, different brands of part will give you different results, in the gear when it's measured after the part change. This could be tubes, transistors, coupling caps, plus other parts. These parts may measure the same value wise, such as two brands of tubes tested for transconductance, gas etc.
Replacing coupling caps in an amp is a great tweak in my opinion. Sometime the different brands will make the amp sound so different, it's hard to believe it's the same one.
This can be measured, and my audiophile friends, and I all hear the same changes. Fuses no. We don't hear any change going to a different type of fuse, with a total different construction, such as the old spring type of slo-blow fuses, vs. the spiral wound used nowadays.
I don't remember jumping the fuse with with anything else, although I may have. I didn't hear any changes if I did. Before these new fuses came along, I only changed a fuse, if it blew.
It's hard at times to get two monoblocks to sound the same, and the left and right channels also. A lot of Hi-end companies match parts while building their amps. Some also scope their amps out to make sure the amps also don't show anything different enough, to be heard. I doubt they measure the fuses for anything. I've never heard of it.
Another thing is the fuse holder. I would think that changing to a totally different design would have more of an effect on the sound, than just a fuse. The wire, printed circuit trace, or even one that is totally tinned with solder, is something that no one mentions, except maybe a small few.
I don't believe I would hear any changes here either, but electrically, it would be more of a change than a fuse. More ampacity, different qualities of the connection, plus some could probably come up with other results from this. But no one seems to hear a major improvement here (maybe some on a small scale do), even though it should be greater than a fuses swap. Otherwise, there would be tweak outfits doing this all day.
Going to the tweak issue. Yes, I use all kinds of tweaks besides changing coupling caps, and other parts. Even vibration tweaks for turntables, its shelf, etc. So yes, I believe in tweaks for sure. I may even still have an old Adcom (?) amp buried in the closet, that was modded by a popular mod outfit, decades ago. I can't remember the Mod outfits name, but they still may be around. It didn't sound like the same Adcom anymore, but sure didn't turn into a hi-end sounding amp.
Hifitime, I was not aware they can measure soundstage height, microdynamics, transparency, pop, lushness, presence, shimmer, glassiness, glare, grain, openness, liquidness, timbre, rhythm, pitch, slam or air.
Geoffkait
Geoffkait, I'm not sure how much can be measured. From what my audio friends, and I hear as far as other tweaks go, they can be measured, as far as a change goes, and we all hear that difference too.
The tweaks that can't be measured, such as these fuses, is something we don't hear. At least the different changed parts we do hear, measure different on the scope also. That at least confirms something for us.
I would like to see these fuse builders identify their own fuse, in their own system, in comparison to the stock fuses, or competition too. They could be changed by a qualified neutral party, without their knowledge of which one their listening to. This would be a simple fair test, that would probably satisfy a lot of people, besides me. This would be interesting.