Fuses that matter.

I have not sourced or measured the variations across a fuse either nor have I attempted that measurement yet. I have measured the before and after responses of an audio chassis on different ground planes at the same distance at the same frequency and the same amplitude and there was a visual difference on a RTA. Would the reaction of a current passing thru a mono-filament be different or much different than that passing thru a tube regulator which is after the passage of a fuse/monofilament ? Tom

Hard to say as it's over my head. I believe someone already posted here a link to measurements that show a difference.

BTW, I have practically no technical expertise, yet alone a working knowledge of these things. Just my own ears and the curiosity that came with them.

All the best,
Nonoise

Tom, I'm not sure that I understand your last two posts, but I believe that the implication of what you are saying is that any effects of the AC line fuse on the current flowing through it will be directly and identically reflected in the current that is sent out to the speakers.

If that is what you mean, I would beg to differ. As I said in my post dated 5-31-12:

... the effects of power anomalies on what ultimately goes into the speakers (or at least those effects that are explainable based on generally recognized science) will be greatly reduced by filtering and smoothing that is provided in the power supply, by filtering that is (or at least should be) provided at or near all circuit points where the outputs of the power supply are used, by the power supply rejection ratio of the circuit stages that directly process the signal, and in many components by voltage regulator devices and circuits.

Also, the visual differences that you observed on the RTA do not necessarily imply audible significance, especially if all frequencies are affected equally (for example, if a gain change resulted from a slight difference in the voltage drops across the fuses), and of course depending also on the magnitude of the differences.

Regards,
-- Al

The audiotweak,

Forgive my ignorance, but do you replace a fuse with a powerful magnet?

I have used various cables which use magnets for shielding & have found them to be excellent. If I understand you correctly, you put the nickel or whatever theses magnets are made of in the path rather than the fuse?

I am not an EE ( though I do have expertise in other areas of engineering) but what AL says makes sense. I would tend to think that if a fuse did make too much difference in sound quality that this might be an indicator of certain design elements lacking elsewhere.

Just because every component in the signal path can have an effect on the sound does not mean it should.

I'd like to think that my gear performs at a certain reputable level as long as quality components are used (including fuse). SOme audiophile fuses might qualify, some might not, but I do not even want to have to be concerned about how my fuse sounds, just that it does its job reliably and does not negatively impact what the design overall is supposed to accomplish.