2. misc-audio
  3. 151208-481

Something For The Fuse Guys ...

There are fuses, and then, there are fuses. 

I'm evaluating some prototype fuses that I received in the mail three days ago. 

Over the past few years, I've used fuses from five different manufacturers. The last three were the Red, Black and Blue fuses from Synergistic Research. Each one incrementally improved the sound of my system. My favorite so far was the SR Blue. 

The prototype fuses being evaluated presently raises the SQ beyond all of the others mentioned above. The major improvement to my ears is better tonal accuracy. Instruments and voices are more life-like. The noise is reduced allowing for a more solid 3-D presentation with the musicians more solidly presented on the sound stage. Overall, more information is fleshed out of CDs and LPs. 

The manufacturer, the price and the name of the prototype fuses will come later. I don't have the information thus far. My understanding is, if all works out, the release date is to be mid-October. 

Stay tuned ... 

Frank
128x128oregonpapa
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@serblinfan  Thank you very much for sharing your findings, comparative notes and the totality of your post. Very helpful. And for a change, something for the fuse guys... in keeping with the intent of the Thread Title, Thread Post and the OP's intent.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
mitch2,

You forgot cryogenic treatment and the “heat treatment” for directionality, whatever that is. to whit,

“X Fuse fuses are directional. Their directionality must be set after 12 hours of heating by reversing the fuse in a socket. After the direction is set, the fuse is going to “adjust” for about 50 hours.”

You said, “other than the conductor and silver plated end caps.” Only the conductor and end caps? That’s gold, Jerry, gold! 🤗
mitch2
4,080 posts
 
Interesting comment below on copper wire used as the fusing element for low amperage (i.e., most audiophile) fuses.  I also find the use of "silver-plated copper" as stated for the X Fuse interesting since it seems the plating thickness and overall thickness of the plated wire would both have to be consistent to maintain fusing within a suitable range of the rated value.
On copper fuse wire:
Copper wire suffers from the drawbacks that it operates at a rather high temperature if a reasonably low fusing factor is desired. There is thus a tendency for the wire to overheat with the result that its cross-sectional area and fusing current are gradually reduced, and premature melting of the wire may occur.

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Do any audiophile fuses use 100% copper conductive elements? One wonders.

“HiFi Tuning has long been a fan of Germany’s legendary Mundorf capacitors. Revered in audiophile circles for creating gorgeous sounding no-compromise capacitors which grace some of the world’s best electronic designs, Mundorf capacitors are built using a special conductive material. Ultra-pure silver is impregnated with gold creating a material with gobs of resolution and golden warmth; glorious tonal color with truly outstanding dynamic shading, essentially the best of both gold and silver and absolutely no compromise. Each Supreme fuse uses this special material for its end-caps and conductive filament and pure silver solder connects everything. Inside the ceramic casing, Supreme fuses further distinguish themselves by receiving proprietary resonance and quantum treatments.”
wolf_garcia
6,726 posts
 
Again, fuses do not provide, and simply are not designed to provide any sonic effect (except that imagined by imaginations) other that shutting down the proceeds by melting. It's simply a tiny wire whose "directionality" is utterly rendered irrelevant by my previously described internal wire direction chaos in components. No matter what one does to a fuse...fill it with sand, polish it, coat it with silver, freeze it, bombard it with magic, try "1,000,000 volt multi-stage, high-frequency conditioning process," or a "2nd Stage Rev. 2.0 Molecular realignment process" and whatever pours forth from the ever fertile minds of the snakes who run these companies, a fuse will merely be a fuse.
More to discover