Upgrading Fuses

Very interesting different takes on the fuse uograde advice given by a real manufacturer.

That it has been regarded as a ploy to yet again rob the poor unsuspecting audiophile of his money is a sad statement about how so many folks who claim to be active in this hobby seem to percieve it.

You know the types, the ones who claim everything is suspect and snake oil.

But why do they care how or on what I and others spend our money?
I spend on things that make me enjoy the music more.

I wish I had more money to spend,I'd buy better amps and speakers and wires, more room tuning and power conditioners.
But I don't, and a lot of folks don't.

But the cost of an upgraded fuse isn't going to mean your kid can't get a college education or you have to take out a second mortgage.
It's something most folks can afford,and they work in my system, and for me that's just as well as getting a new amp etc.

I've been on the buy and sell merry go round for years.
It's been fun.
I learned a lot, assembled some real class A systems and now in my twilight years,I am enjoyng my latest system more than any of my previous ones, and my present system isn't anywhere near as exotic or expensive or as high end as the old ones were.

So what's the secret?

Doing things to upgrade the gear that I have, and that has mostly been investing in power products not new amps and speakers as I used to.

When you start on this road, which many are recluctant to do because of all the fear involved(danger Will Robinson,that looks like snake oil!)you realize how much we compromise the quality of our gear and never really hear how good it is.So we tire of the sound and move on to the next promise of a better tomorrow.

I wish I had some of the stuff i've sold over the years that I never really heard,because I never did anything about the power going to it.

So who cares if the fellow who invests in the new fuse takes that learning experience and applies it to other upgrades that will improve his enjoyment of his system and the music it serves?

Isn't that what this hobby is all about?

At least it was when I started out on this journey.

Lacee,

Your experience mirrors mine exactly. This hobby has never been more fun and these fuses are a welcome, budget-priced upgrade that helps me get the most music out of what I already own. The key word for me here is Music. I favor anything that helps me appreciate more of what I already enjoy. A friend of mine just put new fuse in his VTL 2.5 preamp and he's over the moon. More fun. What can be wrong with that?

Just to add another bit of info.

I was glancing at the manual for the Vandersteen 3A speakers on another site, and low and behold Mr.V. says that fuses degrade the sound, avoid speakers that have them and amps that have speaker protection fuses.

He's speaking speaker fuses, but the key thing to remember is that "fuses degrade the sound" and I would add that wherever they are used, they will degrade the sound.Peter Aczel found that out 3 decades ago.

I remember when spiking speakers or components placed on tip toes for example was deemed voodoo and snake oil, also about 3 decades ago.

Perhaps in a few more years, upgraded fuses will join the other "snake oil" tweaks that have now become the norm.

Well....ps audio is shipping their PWD mk2 upgrade board with an "upgraded fuse". I believe it'll be a Critical Link.

I've spent too much time thinking about this whole fuse thing. Not even worth "wondering about" IMHO. Should have spent the $100 many thoughts ago and found out for myself. Just ordered a pair so the truth *in my mind* will soon be answered. Not sure why was so hesitant. Tried new/different IC's and PC's without a lot of prodding and research. Neither made any sense at the time but I approached them with an open mind......and learned something. We'll see what happens. The price of admission is small enough to make the risk/reward ratio look pretty darn good.

Plan on installing the fuses in my pwd before the upgrade kit arrives. Since the bridge firmware seems to effect SQ, I'll use my PWT as the source. Also plan on comparing PSA's Critical Link vs the Hi-Fi Supreme after the mk2 arrives and breaks in. Will try to report back with some thoughts.

It's great to see that you are going to take the plunge and try one of the fuses.

Although I am not familiar with any of the gear you will be using the fuse in,like all things in this hobby, YMMV.

With that in mind,the supreme fuses when used in amplifiers,are usually not hard to evaluate.