fuses - the $39 ones or the 85 cent ones


My Rogue Cronus recently blew a slow blow fuse. I was surfing to find a replacement. The stock fuse is a typical metal end cap, glass and "wire" fuse. The audio emporiums only seemed to offer these $39 German gold plated end wunderkinds. I finally found "normal" fuses from a guitar amp site. Has anyone tried the uber fuses and found the sound better? Hard to understand how it could be. Thanks for any thoughts.
joe_in_seattle
Wow! 14 large for amps is beyond my entire investment, at new/retail. Even counting my non-audio stuff like TV and DVD player (OPPO '981).
As far as I can tell, given that I have a non-optimum room, I could spend 3x on equipment/gear and not get much or any better sound.
Now, If I spent some loot improving the listening space, I'm sure that there is probably a better equipment set.
Everyones value/cost curve is different. But for now, I think I will get more out of a better space for say....300$, counting a couple boxes of OC703, some wood / coverings and mounting hardware than I could out of half that in fuses....
2 for the amp / another 2 for the speakers.
At that point I may be willing to go nuts and ship off for some standard ceramic fuses. If they make ANY difference I'll be surprised enough to ask for some fuses for Christmas!
Now, I dont' believe I mischaracterized anyones statements.
That there are believers and skeptics is a given. In my last post I used DBT as an example of how the Placebo effect plays into peoples wishes / wants / desires. I, better than most realize the difficulties (practical impossibility in Hi-Fi) of organizing such a test. Being on the skeptic side makes me the nut! If anyone would perform some due diligence and just have some healthy skepticism....
I will remain open to the tuning fuse.....But would wish for someone to be able to reliably tell the difference...fuse in or out, with some degree of confidence. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've made such a request. No Takers? If I had these fuses, you can be sure that I'd try it.
Don't mention double blind tests as they are invalid tests for audio.
Tbg, wow, where did that come from? To paraphrase you, certainly you saying DBTs are invalid don't make it so. As Magfan asserts, conducting DBTs would be difficult with hifi but not impossible. Of the actual DBTs I've read about only ten percent or so have shown people hear a difference between the items under test. Those people who statistically show the ability to discern differences are usually practiced listeners. Which you probably are. But again the items under test were items that are accepted, even by most skeptics to have a difference.
IMO many of those people in the audio world who are dead set against DBT have something to lose. For instance, if I sold an item such as a battery operated clock and claimed that by placing the clock in your home your audio system would sound better I wouldn't want that subjected to a DBT.
I wish they would do this test at RMAF.

What would be a low cost $100-200 approach for corner placed bass traps?
Good pont Timrhu. I don't beleive that there are any insurmountable difficulties in setting up a DBT of cables, amplifiers, power cords or whatever; simply a lack of interest by entities that have the resources to fund accurate and probative DBT's (such as pharmaceutical corporations and government agencies). This is in part likely a combination of no financial benefit to the corps and no significant public interest as to the agencies. Furthermore, as to the more ridiculous claims - no one is going to spend the money because there really is no question to be answered .
Magfan, Timrhu, and Pubul57, I will not go through all of the DBT stuff again, but if others do not accept your measure of "sounding better" you can hardly prove anything by using it even were you to use the best experimental procedures. Secondly, no body needs to "prove" anything to you. You are not authorities in the Scam Police. Finally, Magfan in particular seems to react in envy. Just because you cannot yet afford better fuses doesn't mean that you are right that they cannot work or are too expensive for what they do.

Years ago I participated in DBTs at CES, run I think by Stereophile, I had difficulty telling whether our brief listening to an amp was the same amp or a different one. Afterwards, with the amps still hidden I could clearly hear a difference. What would you conclude? One, the brief listening or the same/different task is not the same as what sounds better. Or two, there was no difference in the amps but somehow despite the screen, I was getting clues a to what I preferred. I certainly did not conclude that it didn't matter which amp I bought. If you would embarrass that, fine but don't bother me.

I have consistently found improvement using the IsoClean fuses more so than the Hi-Fi Tuning fuses. Sometimes this is substantial. In my experience I would recommend them to others, but I guarantee nothing. YMMV.