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Hi-Fi Fuses - SNAKE OIL? - or something in it?

There's a lot of chatter about the benefits of those high prices gold plated fuses with silver conductor etc. etc. all over the web and the consensus ranges from FANTASTIC!!! to much more subtle observations.

It makes sense to me, epseically in light of spending lots of $$$ on good power cables, that having a skinny piece of aluminum conductor in a glass tube (i.e. a cheap fuse), in the power loop would be detrimental to the performance of the components.

I decided to revamp my DIY power supply I'd built for the Cambridge Audio 640p phono stage and DACmagic in order to test this out - and since it's a DIY project there is no UL Certification to void.

First, I bypassed the fuse link completely to confirm there would be an improvement and give me the best benchmark to compare against - YEP - BIG DIFFERENCE - much more this, that and the other :-)

So then I started looking for hi-fi fuses - WOW!!! - talk about pricey.

Two fuses for the power supply was going to cost $120+ AND I thought I'd probably have to buy a better quality fuse block to make the most of those fuses.

Then a moment of enlightenment - most power supplies and conditioners are protected by pushbutton breakers and not fuses.

I found breakers of the required current rating and installed them into the power supply. I imediately noticed that there was no deteriation in fidelity when compared to the same unit with the fuse link bypassed - GREAT!.

On reflection, the fuses I had in place were rated at 3 amps - so they use a pretty thin fuse wire in them. If I had used a fuse of a higher rating, i.e. it uses a thicker conductor, then I believe that there would be less of a difference between the fused and bypassed implementations

SO - do the expensive fuses work?

Well the empirical evidence out there would suggest they do
- I do know the cheap fuses are not good!

I know bypassing them does improve the sound - a lot in my case
- BUT THAT'S NOT SAFE FOR ONGOING USE

I know breakers work as good as bypassing the fuse
- BUT MESSING WITH A POWER SUPPLY VOIDS UL CERTIFICATION - NOT GOOD!
- FYI a couple of licensed technicians I know WILL NOT change the design of a power supply at all.

I believe the amount of benefit is related to the fuse rating
- but don't go replacing 3 amp fuses with a 20 amp fuse - that's not safe either.

Whilst looking for fuses I discovered AMR Gold fuses priced at $20/fuse.

Now that's definately more affordable than most others at 3-4 times their price.

One supplier I know of in the US is Avatar Aacoustics

If you have had experience with quality fuses please share - especially if they are "modestly priced" i.e. $20-$30 per fuse. And please provide a source :-)

Also, can anypne confirm that Slow blow fuses are better than regular?

And Remember - IF YOU AIN'T LICENCED - GET A TECHNICIAN!

Many Thanks
williewonka
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,198 posts
 
" I kinda suspect in order to get to the bottom of a lot of these things like fuses it is most helpful to actually try them. Anyone can sit on the sidelines in the comfort of his easy chair and wonder."

Spoken like a true charlatan.

I will need a fuse someday most likely, but not now. Fact is its way down on my list of things to try before my time is up, even on the list of audio only things. But it does rank above any products I have seen to-date from Machina Dynamica. Just being honest.
lacee
811 posts
 
Mapman,one thing I am certain of is that you probably will never even try an upgraded fuse.The other thing is that I don't use Furutech fuses,I use AMR, Iso Clean and HiFi Supreme. I do very much like and use Furutech GTX-R recptacles, their rhodium IEC, and RCA,and speaker connectors and their power cable receptacles and bulk power cord wire.
All many times more costly than an AMR fuse.

Are they the reason why the upgraded fuses make such a profound improvement in the sound of my system?

Answer- yes.

Do you need to use all these costly aftermarket devices to gain the benefit of an upgraded fuse?

Answer-no.

The only way for anyone to know the answer to the post-HiFi fuses-Snake oil? or something in it? is to try one for yourself, in your system.

Until someone does, they can only speculate one way or the other.

I do side with the folks who base their opinions on something that they have actually used in their system,rather than with those who speculate the merits or lack of from the sidelines.

I am almost tempted to send you one to try,but the postage and hassels of sending things from one country to another would cost as much as an AMR fuse.

Again, I urge anyone who feels that fuses have no sonic impact on what they are used in to dig up an old copy of the Audio Critic ,where almost 40 years ago, Peter Aczel came to the conclusion that fuses degrade the sound of what they are used in.

I lived on the edge for years, bypassing the fuses in my gear forsaking safety for better sound because of what Aczel said. I actually replaced the fuses with DIY fuse replacements of solid or stranded copper.He was right, the gear just sounded more clear and defined.

When the upgraded fuses came out, I knew that if they were closer to sounding like no fuses then this was for me.Providing protection was the icing on the cake.

After years of arguing the fuse and defending those who also feel the same as I,an upgraded fuse is still better than a stock one and , though not as uncoloured as no fuse, is my prefered way to go about the business of getting closer to what's on the recording.

An upgraded fuse is no different in this instance than an upgraded speaker wire, interconnect power cord, rack, room tuning device, power supply upgrade, resistor capacitor upgrade or tube swap for some exotic NOS.

Those things cost a whole lot more money, and for the most part trade one colouration for another.One day it's vanilla, next it's chocolate coated.

I have full sets of Iso Cleans, and HiFi supremes that sit in their boxes as spares, along with my stock fuses.
At $20.00 a fuse the AMR is a steal,and an improvemnt in any fuse holder you put it in.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,198 posts
 
Lacee,

Just because I am not rushing out to buy any new fuses at this time doesn't mean others should not. I have my priorities, others have theirs. That's what makes the world go round.

I do not automatically go out and try everything that might make a difference. Who has time for that?

Once my stuff sounds the way I want it to, I tend to not change a darn thing until there is a reason I can hear. Nothing lasts forever, so eventually something always seems to come up. Maybe a new fuse will be called for at some point. When it does, I will get one or two or however many needed. WHat kind will I get? Dunno. Time will tell. Meanwhile, if the fuses are making someones listening better, then by all means I am happy for that person.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Mapman, couple questions. Is it a BarcoLounger or a La-Z-Boy? And does it have one of those cool beer holders?
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