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

Mitch2, as usual, you post is well reasoned. It is my practice to do nothing to a piece still under warranty. The risk benefit equation just doesn't favor tweaking in that instance. With respect to replacement fuses, it has been my experience that the only place they made a huge difference was in my Magneplanars. It makes sense that one might hear a more pronounced benefit there. Improvements in other applications have been audible but more subtle. Enough to warrant spending the relatively low cost of most fuses, but not the same order of magnitude as the improvements one can obtain with a change in cables for instance.

I think people need to be realistic in their expectations and think about cost-benefit and risk-benefit. Would I spend $100 to replace the mains fuse in my Cary's? Yes. Would I spend $1000 to replace the rest of the fuses in the Carys? No.

As far as messing with the ratings, I have used a lower rated fuse, but I would never use a higher rated fuse. If a replacement fuse of the correct rating continues to blow, I would probably just go back to stock.

If fuses blow, then there is a flaw in the component or in the design.
Upgraded fuses will blow when called upon.I speak from experience.
I also speak from experience that solid wire in place of a fuse never did any harm to any amp, tube or solid state or speaker that I used it in, but... I don't suggest anyone do this.And you don't have to anymore to get better sound.

I bypassed stock fuses with wire in the follwing-Mission 770, CLS11Z,Nads,Classe DR 8's, Michelson and Austin TVA 10,RGR amp and pre amp,Magnepans,Blue Circle monos,various Brit integrateds and el 34 tube based amps,in fact almost every amp or speaker I've owned from the early 80's on to the day I switched to upgraded fuses.

I know I was walking on thin ice, my friends would always flinch when I'd fire up the system keeping a close eye on the nearest exit.

Nothing ever happened.Perhaps I was lucky,or just that the gear was in good shape.
Had any of the gear been shoddy I would not have been so lucky.

But I don't have to tempt fate anymore.

The upgraded fuses that I have experience with sound better than the stock fuses, come close to using no fuse, but give me all the SAME (I've blown then in wrong placement)protection a cheap one buck wonder does.

I find it very interesting that some manufacturers place so much faith in the simple cheap stock fuse.

There are other ways to provide thermal protection without using these cheap fuses.
Some high quality amps go this alternate route, but you pay for it.Using cheap stock fuses saves money.

I would be a bit suspect of any pricey power amp that still uses the cheap stock fuses.
If they cut corners here looking to save a buck, wherelse are they compromising quality for profit margins?

I remember one manufacturer of pro PA speakers that used a good old light bulb inside his cabinet to soak up any power overloads before they destroyed the driver.

Cheap off the shelf fuses weren't in his design notebook, although I am sure others use them in the same application.

I agree that where you apply the upgraded fuse to get the most for your investment is at the IEC inlet, or main power fuse.

If Maggie owners can be trusted when they say that replacing the stock fuse,or bypassing it altogether and hardwiring, makes their speakers sound better,and Peter Aczel, the great audio myth buster,denounced the sound degradation of fuses,some 40 years ago,then there must be more than snake oil involved.

In fact 40 years ago,I can't recall too much of anything being called snake oil except for those fancy high priced alternatives to good old tried and tested 18 guage zip cord.

Yes siree, 18 guage zip cord,does the job, doesn't blow up my amp and makes me feel proud about not spending any more than a few cents a foot for it.

Some things never change.

But I am glad I have.

I was thinking some more about the need to replace old fuse holders when you use upgraded fuses.

If you follow that logic, then you should replace the RCA's on your amp,pre etc when you switch interconnects, replace the binding posts when you change speaker wires and replace all tube sockets when you swap out or replace tubes.

In the grand scheme of things and going the extra mile I would agree to this also, and I have replaced all the stock connections in my rig from the panel to the connectors on the gear.

It does make a difference.

So if I ever come across upgraded fuse holders that are compatible with my amps I will do it.

Mapman wrote,

"GEoff, I was expecting a refute or at least denial of my "charlatan" comment, not insults directed towards a chair."

My bad. I thought you called me a harlequin.

Mitch2, The bottom line: if someone is overly suspicious or not competent changing fuses and or insuring proper fuse direction he should probably not get into the whole fuse thing. On the other hand, if someone can't hear the effect of aftermarket fuses or fuse directionality, that's a different issue, and it might "point" to a larger problem. It's sometimes difficult to generalize about these things. For example one reason someone might not hear differences between a stock fuse and a HiFi Fuse is that they were both inserted in the wrong direction.