Is the snake oil slowly retreating from the Hi-Fi industry?

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

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As the move to "digital" is almost complete and interconnects become obsolete with a generation using wireless for everything, has the hi-fi industry been forced to become more "honest"?

I feel "bang for buck" is now better than it ever has been for Hi-Fi equipment.
 
I actually entered a bricks and mortar hifi store for the first time in about a decade a little while ago. I'd dug out my old Project Debut turntable from storage only to find it'd been damaged in the last house move, so I popped in to my local independent shop to see if they could get close to the £219 Richer Sounds were asking for a Debut mk3.

I then left pretty promptly after they refused to even look up a price for me and then said it would be pointless buying one unless I spent almost the same money again (think it was about £165) on a set of their isolation feet.

Not to disagree with your point, but some places at least are certainly clinging on to the old ways!
 
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No not in the slightest....
Though you perhaps have a very narrow view of the “HiFi Industry” What move to digital, not heard of vinyl revival?
Perhaps the budget end is more wireless biased, though that might struggle to be classified as HiFi. So cables are still big business for some.
Yes perhaps bang for buck is on a high within some price points.
 
I think you might be a tad optimistic OP, people will always want to feel special, buying into the superfluous and the esoteric and claiming special ears or special knowledge could well be around for some time to come.

But yes I think you're right re: "bang for buck".
 
Hell no.

I enjoy my speaker/headphone setups immensely, but the audio world is just as dodgy now as it always was. While a lot of younger people are purely digital/online in how they listen, that doesn't really mean much given the mid-high end rabbit hole of audio was always fairly niche anyway. You still have people spending thousands on cables, hundreds on rubber feet, and companies generally just making things up to push sales.
 
"the evolution of the power kord"
then I look at price

tenor.gif
 
Well this guy got better picture quality:

Excellent Upgrade"
I have had Russ Andrews products for well over 20 years and have always been happy with the results. I could not however , believe a fuse could add any improvements whatsoever. OK, I was so very wrong. I added one to my yellow power block and Yamaha receiver on my TV system for starters. Better picture quality was immediate and very noticeable. So much better - honestly. Sound quality from the receiver is so very much smoother and more defined. I then put one fuse on each of my powercords feeding my CD and amp (NAIM) and my powerblock. I am smiling from ear to ear. What an improvement Which to me is hard to believe because I have only changed the fuses. I can only say to anyone who, like me, is sceptical - trust Russ - the improvement is well worth the outlay, honestly.
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"Excellent Cost Effective Upgrade"
I bought a Panasonic TV in early 2015 to replace my 8 year old Pioneer plasma. I spent many, many hours calibrating the Panasonic, but was never satisfied. I couldn't use my Russ Andrews Classic mains cable because the Panasonic has a thin captive mains cable and I would have invalidated the 5 year guarantee if I'd cut it off and fitted an IEC socket. Then I tried one of Russ' Super Fuses in the Panasonic plug and was astounded at the improvement in picture quality. I've since fitted these fuses to all the mains cables in my system.
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Firestar_3x said:
Well this guy got better picture quality:
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Isn't the point of digital devices that fundamentally they either work or they don't? If the picture or sound has interference or is breaking up that's one thing, but if everything is working properly to start with, how do people convince themselves that adding a "super fuse" or other extraneous component has improved the quality? Unless the super fuse upgraded their TV from HD to 4K or added HDR...
 
Firestar_3x said:
Either fake reviews or purchase justification syndrome.

I'd love for some lab tests to be done and these places be done for false advertising.

I'm going to release a super duper fuse, £34.99 each.
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Since adding a super fuse my colours are more vibrant, I was promoted at work and I have started dating a super model. And that was just my washing machine - I can't wait to try one in the TV.
 
Armageus said:
They're awesome products that you can find in Wilko's or similar, much like the "Supercube"

https://www.russandrews.com/13a-superfuse-mains-plug-fuse-single/
https://www.russandrews.com/supercube/

Would love for someone to do an actual teardown on these
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£30 for a plug!
https://www.russandrews.com/superclamp/

You can fit as many SuperClamps as you like. One customer kept adding them until he stopped hearing improvements - and he had over 15. The SuperClamps work particularly well plugged into unused sockets throughout the house and there's a saving to be had if ordering a triple pack.
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Hahaha, amazing way to sell more; just plug them in without anything attached!
 
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