Fuses that matter.

Does anyone remember Peter Aczel, the Audio Critic?

Way back in my audio salad days he said the fuses used to protect speakers were degrading the sound of the speakers.

He never explained why or how just that they did.

Most folks with Maggies like me tried omitting the fuse and yes the sound was better.

I used to use romex snipped to size with exposed tips.

Very easy for the fuse skeptics who own fuse protected speakers to give this a try, Just don't be foolhardy, act with caution, they are your speakers afterall.

Well I had no bad luck, even when I bypassed speaker protection fuses in some of my tube and solid state power amps.

When the Iso Cleans came out I tried them because I already had expereince with how degrading fuses can be.
The treat would be better sound WITH protection.

Yes the upgraded fuses were less veiling than the stock fuses, very similar to bypassing the fuse altogether.

Some may say that just the action of inserting fuses is akin to plugging and unplugging interconnects for example, that you're cleaning the contacts.Also how old are those fuses you've been using?

But it's esy enough to swap old for Supremes back and forth and have a listen, but you have to listen to specific instruments,like cymbals(my choice).
Are they more solid, or tinny,is there more or less sheen and shimmer? Is the decay longer and more pronounced?

You need to learn how to listen for differences.
If you don't know how to listen critically and get lost up in the music, you'll have a hard time hearing any improvement.
Also have you done all that you can with your gear and the power going into it so that differences can be more noticeable?

Too many times people get frustrated and write off things like fuses, power cords etc,because they either expect a single fuse or power cord to transform an entry level system into a High End one, or they just haven;'t learned how to critique the sound of their system.

You have to wear two hats in this game.

Sometime you don the cap of the music lover ,but other times you need to separate the music from the gear and fixate on the gear.

Don't worry if someone calls you a gear head.
Sometimes to get the most music out of the gear you have to do more than turn the stuff on.

Don't expect the "Magic" to happen if you don't do your part.

The "magic" begins when you start to clean up all the loose ends,get rid of the weak links, and tune your ears as well as the gear.

If you roll tubes and like to upgrade caps in old amps because it makes them sound better,a fuse upgrade should be your cup of tea.

05-16-12: Bryoncunningham
I found at least one amp designed by a well regarded manufacturer that includes fancy fuses: Spectron's Musician III Mk2.

Spectron's Senior Engineer, Simon Thacher, weighed in on the value of fancy fuses a while back, right here on A'gon...

It is my firm opinion that HiFi Tuning fuses are very synergistic with our amplifiers, Spectron Musician III SE. For my ears they clearly and without any question remove "gray noise" across the Spectron from high frequencies to low - making sound much more "liquid" and involving.

Hmm. Just speculating, of course, but given that Class D amplifiers can be expected to have a significant amount of RF noise running around inside them as a result of the high speed switching processes that are going on, perhaps the material used to enclose the body of the HiFi-Tuning fuses lessens the amount of that noise that is picked up by the conductor within the fuse, compared to a glass body. Or perhaps the frequency content of the noise that is picked up is at least altered to some degree.

That would seem kind of far-fetched, considering other opportunities that undoubtedly exist nearby for that noise to couple onto the AC wiring, but who knows?

Of course, there would be no reason to expect whatever significance that kind of effect might have in a Spectron Class D amplifier to have much if any applicability to other components, especially if they are not amplifiers, and Class D amplifiers in particular.

Re unplugging, if you can insert the fuse into the cap of the holder prior to inserting it into the component, and then insert the fuse + cap into the part of the holder that is mounted on the component WITHOUT TOUCHING ANY METAL on the fuse or any part of the holder, you'll be ok. If you were to first insert the fuse into the part of the holder that is mounted on the amp, intending to subsequently insert the cap over the inserted fuse, you would not necessarily escape unscathed.

Re the Louis XV menu, OMG! 145 Euros for a little over 3 ounces of 2002 Leoville Las Cases, which is probably many years away from being at its peak. Makes $80 fuses seem like a bargain :-)

Best,
-- Al

Unplugging a component from the wall and plugging it back in often results in a noticeable degradation of sound, if you're paying attention to such things, until such time as the contact between the plug and the wall socket has a chance to "reestablish" itself, which can take a few days or longer. In fact, Disturbing cables or power cords in any way should be scrupulously avoided IMO, especially during tests.

Geoff

Haven't done the math but would not surprise me if a fuse directly in the signal path in a speaker like Magnepan is more significant in terms of resistance than in an amp say and would therefore have a better chance of making a discernible difference. I might buy that and be willing to give it a try. But I would still argue that the better fuse still need not cost much more than the standard as anything labeled "audiophile" typically does. But if the results were consistently repeatable and significant enough, I would likley then be willing to pay more.

$30 for a fuse is outrageous but won't send anybody to the poor house I suppose if they are already running a big buck system.

It works from a business perspective for the audiophile tweak makers to make their case based on possible vague benefits associated with the unknown. As opposed to clearly identifiable benefit with an easy money back guarantee perhaps. How do you know until you try? Can't try until you buy! What a racket!

Bryon, Be sure that you don't have any DC on power line. Electrons in the fuse wire don't move with AC (vibrate in place) but with DC they will very slowly move (called "drift velocity") from your expensive fuse into home wiring.
Don't let expensive electrons, that you paid for, drift away!