Upgrading Fuses

"Oh, and please honestly report your findings here, "

Have been thinking about all the things that get in the way of meaningful findings and would prevent 'honest' testing, if you don't believe in measurement or double blind tests.

1. Limitations in system performance & in hearing capabilities.
2. Limitations in acoustic memory.
3. Normal listening bias associated with testing something new (we listen more intensely when trying to detect a change than we do when comparing the change to a "known" system. Usually that means we 'hear' more when listening to the changed system).
4. Long term bias due to existing beliefs, ego, desire for improvement, etc.
5. Transient bias due to particular mood during listening session.
6. Transient perception differences due to exposure to noise, quality of sleep, minor sinus issue, etc. before listening session.
7. Difficulty of eliminating all equipment & environmental variables that could confuse the testing.
8. Most likely additional items that I haven't though of.

Wow this is such a lively discussion. I'm going to try and read through all this later.

I wonder what Needfreestuff has done now fuse wise.

Well looking through the archives this debate has raged on for years in different threads. I did find a nice review by longtime A'gon member Albert Porter where he discusses Isoclean fuses.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/isoclean.htm

As for me I just can't get myself to spend $25 to $40 on a fuse. I am going to try ceramic fuses in place of my glass ones. They are about $1.50 per fuse rather than $.60 per fuse. One hi-end install shop told me that when they changed stock fuses to the more expensive fuses in some amps and preamps in some of their big dollar installs and the changes in sound were good but only very slight. Nothing earth shattering.

Jedinite,

It'd be interesting to hear from someone who has compared the Isoclean, hifi tuning and cheaper ceramic fuses.

I have compared the stock ceramic fuse in my Classe' Delta 2200 amplifier with a Supreme Hifi Tuning fuse with a friend present. I won't share the full measure of my enthusiasm (apparently it enrages some people) but my friend opted to order some for himself after he heard the difference. I'll leave it at that. There's no doubt that what a change is worth is utterly personal and I would never challenge what another person hears (or doesn't).

Years ago Peter Aczel suggested that speaker protection fuses ruined the sound anywhere in the chain, be it in the speakers or in the amp.

Years ago I tried removing the speaker fuses and ever since have bypassed them with copper wire.

I never had any disasters, no blow ups, ruined drivers or house fires.

But why tempt fate .I tried the IsoCleans when they came out and they were an improvement over the stock one buck fuses.
Now I use the HiFi supremes in my Decware amp, my Manley Steelhead.

I also use dedicated lines, Sand Shunyata Hydras and Annaconda power cords.

How these things all interact together to make a much more enjoyable listening experience is something that didn't happen overnite.
I would venture that the folks who haven't had much luck with aftermarket power cords will also not find aftermarket fuses to work either.

Some folks are just wired that way,pun intended.

The effects of upgrading your power to the gear(which to me is the real "source")is cumulative.

Each piece of the puzzle does a bit, but until you put all the pieces together, you will never see the big picture.

That's what's unique about this hobby.
People are looking for the big fix for under a buck at the dollar store, and refuse to go the extra mile to get all the music out of their systems that they spent decent money on.

Home Depot wire is great, better than most mega buck speaker wires,so they tell me.

But if they are true to their beliefs, shouldn't the home depot wire be no better or no worse?

It's become apparent to me over the years that anything that costs more than a buck is to be avoided at all costs.

And that's sad.

That tells me there is a lot of systems with a lot of money invested in them that will never sound as good as it was designed to sound, and all the money invested in massive music software has been wasted if the system is only capable of delivering part of the music.

What money is saved if you forgo 40 bucks on a fuse and spend it on a nice re-issue, if the sound of the re-issue will be compromised by the stock one buck fuse?

I think nickle and diming your way in this hobby is the most foolish waste of time and money there is.

I know it goes against the grain and wisdom of the new generation of audiophile,but then again I am old school.

I still enjoy listening to music without any distaractions and giving it all my attention.

Lacee,

Nicely said.
Blunt, but nicely said.