Why don't upgrade the wires and components inside our units?


I notice that everyone talks about upgrading their power cords, interconnect cables and even power fuses but nobody looks at upgrading the internal items. 

There is much more to be gained there.

 

vanson1

I've rewired every single inch of internal wiring on Klipschorns, also spec'd silver litz and diy modded in some Duelund internal wiring on my custom build 300B monoblocks. My 845 SET and pre have no wiring to replace.

 

Obviously, I've determined internal wiring at least as important as ic, power, all external wiring. DIY capability makes it doable for me. Sending off to tech would be obstacle for me so understand those who haven't done.

I was planning this post for years, just never did it.

How about transformers using only OCC copper (if possible)? I know some companies have made them using pure silver wire (WAVAC?).

Replace all internal speaker wire with OCC.

All wiring in amps and preamps.

Couldn't sound bad!

Sure, you can change out parts and wires to upgrade a component, but, this is a process that involves listening to the results and perhaps back-tracking.  The process involves "tuning" and "voicing" to fit your particular taste and to complement other components in the system.  Any meaningful change in the sound resulting from a component change has the chance of improving or degrading the sound.  It is not simply the case that a more expensive part, or one with a good reputation, will necessarily improve the particular system.

A local dealer that builds his own custom gear under his own brand name once had me listen to one of his amps.  I am quite familiar with his amps, so I was expecting to hear something quite nice.  I was reluctant, but, I ultimately told him that this particular amp sounded like crap.  He smiled and explained that a customer sent it to another company that "upgrades" components and it was fitted with things like Blackgate coupling capacitors and fancy resistors; the customer was so unhappy with the sound that he was having the upgrades undone, which is why it was back at the dealer's shop.

One should approach this sort of upgrading as an experiment, and one should keep an open mind about the results.  I see too many threads on these forums about things like tweaks that seem to always improve the sound--if they work, they change the sound, so how can the change always be an improvement?  I suspect that at least some of the improvement is really expectation bias.

                      Why do so many* make such ignorant assumptions?

      I've been upgrading caps in signal paths, modding/improving power supplies, and using Teflon insulated/oxygen-free wire w/ferrite beads (when appropriate), for myself, as well as numerous customers, since the early Eighties.

     Same silly song as those that assume: no one but they are aware of the necessity of room/acoustic treatments, prior to making system tweaks.

                                            *The AudiogoN WOKE?

 

Why don't upgrade the wires and components inside our units?


I notice that EVERYONE (?) talks about upgrading their power cords, interconnect cables and even power fuses but NOBODY (?) looks at upgrading the internal items. 

No doubt modding is steep learning curve. One has to limit change to one variable at a time, experience and/or research into particular parts sound qualities critical.

 

Listen, determine what you don't like about present sound, change out what you think is offending part with the chosen new part. Certainly, there is chance new part may not be to your liking, in which case you try another. I've had to go through this exact procedure any number of times over twenty year of modding. With experience these mistakes become much less common.

 

My present dac and custom built 300B monoblocks both use silver wired transformers.