This fuse thread has singlehandedly raised the level of expectations
as to what can be achieved on these audiogon forums. Who would have thought that the humble fuse
could attract and hold the attention of so many for so many moons. I certainly didn’t. However, in spite of the
large variety and volume of posts, there is an area which in my opinion has not
been adequately addressed.
It is the concept of seeing the various components in the
chain as a system. The practice of replacing a fuse in the source component
only currently appear to be very popular. Some argue that best results are
obtained by upgrading the power amp. Even members who have many years of
experience in our hobby are guilty of this insular view.
I remember when I purchased my first car. As the tyres started to wear (due to high mileage) I would change
the worst one and wait until one of the othersfailed before replacing it.
After about 5 years I realized it was much better to replace tyres in pairs. I
would put the 2 new ones on the front and leave the remaining 2 partially worn
tires on the rear axle. It took me
another 5 years to finally realize that the way to go was to change all 4 tyres
with 30,000 miles on them. This way provided better performance, was safer and was
more economical. It is what I regard as the system approach.
When I decided on a fuse upgrade (before this fuse thread began),
I upgraded my CD player, Preamp and power amp all at the same time. 2 in the CD
player, 1 one in the preamp and 4 in the power amp. I turned on the system (no
warm up) and was surprised at the level of improvement. There was a massive
increase in fidelity, similar to a major component upgrade. This is what
happens when one treats the entire system.
Upgrading a fuse is effective because it improves the power
supply of the component. It is important to realized that the electrons in the power supply are the very same electrons flowing through your
speaker cable to your loudspeakers. We do not know why fuses have this effect
on a power supply, but we know it does. We
also know that power flows through the entire system and optimum results will
be achieved only when every fuse in the chain has been replaced and the power
is cleaned up. To replace the fuse in one component is like having 4 defective
tyres and replacing only the one that is punctured.
I have read reports by individuals who tried a red or black
fuse in a single component and report that they did not hear any improvement,
or even any change. If you hear no difference your system lacks resolution. It
is as simple as that. I am fairly certain they would hear a significant difference
had they changed all the fuses in their system. On hearing this change they
will be forced to accept the fact that the fuses are an upgrade. Once they get
to this first hurdle (the realization that fuses can improve fidelity), they
can proceed to find the reasons for the lack of resolution.
