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Fuses - Why do same size fuses sound different?

Because of recent reviews on fuses and some manufacturers using some fuses to voice their products, I am embarking on a fact finding mission of why some sound better than others.
Most electronic fuses have nickel plated brass caps with glass or ceramic tubes but vary in sound despite that. I have not been able to find any info on the construction of the elements themselves, is this where the variability in sound stem from?
So far I have compared a set of Cooper-Bussman Ceramic, Radioshack Ceramic, and Littlefuse Glass 10 Amp fuses on my amp. They all sound very different, the Radioshack is by far the worst of the group, its imaging is diffuse, timbres sound off, and it lacked tranparency and extension relative to the others. The Littlefuse have better focus than the Radioshacks, timbres are more accurate and it was more transparent, however, it was extremely bright and etched up top. The Bussmans sounded very good compared to the others, everything fell in place with this fuse, it had very focused images with added weight and detail, timbres were true, and it was the most transparent and relaxed of the group. It had very good dimensionality and musicality, but only when oriented in one direction only.
The moral of this story is that I hope all manufacturers spend the time researching fuses when they use them in their products, otherwise we have to start "fuse rolling" to get the best sound. The good thing about fuses is that they don't cost much.
plelko
red2
79 posts
 
I just recently bought IsoClean fuses for my Maggie 1.6 speakers. Not being critical of any individuals tastes out there, but I believe that "Tweaks" and "Mods" are very system dependant. They may work great in one combination of stereo components, and horribly in another set up. Let's just say, that many of the tweaks I have tried in my current setup have taken the sound to a sterile, lack of emotion, neutral state. Call me "colored" but I need emotion and a sense of presence in my music. Evidently for my tastes, my gear must be about the right mix and balance with out too much more in terms of addition tweaks and extensive mods, although I do have several in place.

My current tweaks have improved the sound, transparency etc without lossing any of the emotion, making vocals and the "sense of presence and being there" even greater.

In summary, I prefer the Bussman fuses that come with the Maggies to the IsoClean by a large margin. In fact, I am going to list the IsoCleans for sale here today.

R.
artg
362 posts
 
Red2. I agree that every tweak is very system and ear dependent, and that you much preferred the stock fuse to the isoclean would not suprise me at all. The key in my mind is that you were willing to try it, did hear a difference, only in this case it turned out to be a 'worse' difference. Enjoy
krell_man
827 posts
 
Stan, it's interesting that since you started posting in June of this year, most of your 60 posts have been basically negative one liners. What's your problem?

If you're new to the field, why don't you acknowledge to yourself that you're just starting out and listen to what experienced people, usually with substantial systems, are saying about what they've learned along the way?

If this isn't a serious hobby (or addiction) for you, why even meddle where you have no knowledge and your negative remarks aren't needed or wanted?

If you're happy with your system, if you have a system, why don't you go sit down in front of it and enjoy it? If you do have a system, why don't you put it out on Audiogon so that everyone can see where you're at on the ladder? Like the Greyhound commercial, you just sit back and leave the driving to us, the ones who are actually interested in improving their systems.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Red, I have not noted who made the supplied fuses in my equipment, but I have greater and lesser improvements depending on the equipment in substituting the IsoCleans. I have yet to have them sound worse. I suppose you did heed the directional arrow on the IsoCleans.

I still seek a silver fuse in which the fuse element is silver as well as the end caps. I think there are such animals from Germany, but I have yet to lay hands on them.
plelko OP
26 posts
 
Artg, are you willing to undertake comparing Bussman fuses to your Iso Cleans and sharing your impressions. I think it is important to establish tube, oops, I mean fuse signatures if there is such a thing so everybody can optimize their systems to their liking. To me, the implications are staggering when different fuses have such an effect.
A potential problem with the Iso Clean reviews is that their reported performance advantages maybe based on comparisons to some of the worst sounding fuses out there.
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