2. tech-talk
  3. 185990-169390

What is the science behind audiophile fuses?

There were many threads on the topic of "audiophile fuses" on this forum, and I sure don't want to open old wounds and trench warfare. The fuse on my preamp blew suddenly two days ago, which prompted me to search for a replacement. That's when I came across the term "audiophile fuse" and the fact that they demand far-out prices. Deeper curiosity brought me to several other fora, where users posted glowing praises about their Zero fuses and other exotica. Now I am a scientist, but not a physicist or electrical engineer: so please enlighten me! How can a fuse have an audible influence on the signal, when the signal does not even pass through it? How can a fuse be "directional" when it deals with alternate current? I mean, if I recall my university physics, a fuse is basically a safety valve and nothing more. Am I completely missing an important point here? My scientific field is drug discovery, and because of this background I am thoroughly familiar with the power and reality of the placebo effect. I that's what I am seeing here, or is it real physics? I need objective facts and not opinions, please. I really appreciate your help!

 
128x128reimarc
tkrtrb125
373 posts
 

Mr. Carlsbad I appreciate your post, using a copper slug would be very similar to what the Swiss Digital Fuse Box is achieving or people reports, with the added layer of a programmed circuit breaker no? 

Thank you. I have been thinking of trying this. 

tksteingraber's avatar
tksteingraber
632 posts
 

Excellent fuse explanation A+++.  You got my vote as well.

cincyjim's avatar
cincyjim
126 posts
 

I wonder if fuses would make a difference 

in my N- Scale Model Railroad run more efficient.

Post removed 
mitch2
4,065 posts
 

Don't know what prompted the resurgence of this old thread, but it got me thinking about power, fuses, and AC connectors, and especially the comments by @carlsbad2 about getting rid of fuses and using slugs.

What if I installed a suitably sized in-wall magnetic breaker in the same box as the dedicated duplex feeding my monoblock amplifiers, shouldn't I then be safe removing the fuses from the amplifiers, replacing them with slugs, and relying on the magnetic breaker as if it were a fuse?   I think I will look into the viability of that option since it would be a relatively inexpensive approach to remove the constraint of fuses from those amplifiers, and doesn't seem much different from using the Swiss Digital Fuse Box.  The only issue I see is that I would probably need a breaker for each of the monoblocks. Have any of you done something similar?

 

More to discover