I've just found an "Audiophile" grade 13A mains fuse that costs just under £25. A standard 13A fuse for the domestic UK mains wiring costs about £0.25. Yes, the "Audiophile" fuse is around 100 times more expensive than the cost of a standard 13A fuse. This bothers me. It bothers me a lot...
You see the problem with certain "Audiophile" cables and accessories is that the "science" and "facts" that are used to support the claims of the manufacturers are subjective and quite often cannot be scientifically proved. If you don't agree with the claims or can't tell the difference between their product and a "standard" product then quite often it's then said that your ears are not "Golden".
At this point, it's worth discussing my hearing.. Over the years, I've had to have extensive tests on my hearing so I know how good (and how bad) my hearing is. In my left ear, my hearing has been tested and proved to be well above average for sensitivity throughout the audio range whereas, due to surgery, my right ear does not perform well at high frequencies and sensitivity to low volume tends to be less good. So, in a measurable and scientific set of tests, I have one "Golden" ear and one that is below average. This means that I can perform listening tests by covering my bad ear and detect even the smallest of changes in audio quality when changing out a hi-fi component.
Now, back to the point of purchasing "Audiophile" components and the fact that you can buy a 13A fuse and pay up to (and probably beyond) £25 for a component that can cost as little as £0.25. My point here is that an "Audiophile" fuse can have claims attached to them such as:
- It will lower the background noise floor, giving a more natural musical tone.
- With AV units, the picture will have far less graininess and the black becomes blacker.
These claims are for a fuse! Probably the smallest component in the entire mains delivery that ends up going into the back of my Amp and TV...
Now consider this... My house was built in 1967. It's a typical house of its a
ge having been re-wired in the mid/late 80's and it has its fair share of oddities and quirks but in general is a typical 60's built home. My hi-fi/home theatre equipment is a mix of manufacturers and cabling but I tend to buy components that are mid-range in cost. Now, think about the mains delivery within my house. The cabling is standard grade copper cabling that is suitable for mains distribution where the wiring is within the walls. There are 10's of metres of cabling running from the mains distribution board throughout the house to each power outlet. Where my hi-fi equipment is connected, to the mains, we also have a metre or two of cable connected to a 6-way 13A bank of sockets for all of the components that make up my hi-fi system.
So, when you consider all of the other wiring in the house,
do you really think that a 2cm long 13A fuse costing £25 is going to improve the audio listening experience by any significant amount or indeed any amount at all? Of course not.
The argument is the same for the after market "Audiophile" mains cables. You can spend upwards of £500 for a 2 metre long UK mains cable that the manufacturer claims will:
- Improve low-level detail, dynamics and rhythm.
- Improve the level of musicality throughout the frequency range.
Again, using a cable like this when the first 10 or 20 metres of cable
from the distribution board of the mains in the house is "standard" is definitely not going to give you any significant improvements in your audio listening experience.
If I were to wire my entire A/V setup with high-end A/V mains cables and fuses, it would cost me upwards of £4200 and if I'm going to spend £4200 on my A/V system, then I'm going to be looking at replacing my Amp and speakers before I ever spend even a penny on a mains cable or fuse...
If any "Audiophile" component manufacturers are reading this and disagree with my post, then I'd like to extend an invitation to you. Come round to my house with your products and replace my existing fuses and mains cables with yours and prove to me that there really is a
n improvement in the audio quality delivered by my hi-fi when using your products. If you manage to convince me that there is an improvement in the A/V when using your products I'll publish a full account of how your product has changed my opinions that I've put forth in this post.
