To Fuse or Not to Fuse... That is the question!

Build or modify gear to be mains fuseless. Simply bypass the fuse using proper gauge and insulated wire and install a Eaton/Heinemann on/off circuit breaker switch. I use 14 gauge solid core copper wire from Neotech in the power supply of my builds. This arrangement sounds better based on my listening and past builds/mods.

In the rare instance of an electrical issue the unit shuts down. No poor sounding cheap fuse or even big dollar expensive fuse to replace. Sounds better and costs less. High quality circuit breaker on/off switches are not sonically perfect, but they are less of a sonic compromise than a fuses. 

I suspect maybe my oft-repeated claim that “no fuse is better than any fuse” may have been misinterpreted. I was referring to my battery-powered CD player, which doesn’t require a fuse, any fuse, for obvious reasons. So, no fuse is just one advantage of many why a battery-powered, low-power, low mass, minimal design system can outperform. 

A reason why it may be worthwhile to point out and/or emphasize the risks of bypassing a fuse is that some people, including some experienced audiophiles, simply don't have knowledge of what the purpose of an AC mains fuse is.  Which is not to say they are stupid; it is just to say that their backgrounds are such that they haven't gained that knowledge. 

As evidence of that I recently had occasion to post the following statement in the thread entitled "Something For The Fuse Guys":

Almarg 9-26-2019
I just want to state a point of information: Posts that have been made by at least three different members appear to imply that the purpose of an AC mains fuse in a component is to provide protection against surges in the incoming AC. While it is possible that an AC mains fuse might do that under some circumstances, that is not its intended purpose. Its intended purpose is to blow if a fault within the component causes it to draw excessive AC current. Thereby preventing **additional** damage to the component that may otherwise occur, as well as preventing the possibility of the component overheating or even bursting into flames as a result of the excessive current being drawn.

Regards,
-- Al