I can’t believe people are talking of using slugs in the Twenty First Century. If you are using slugs in your equipment and God-forbid it started a fire, your insurance most likely won’t cover it, especially if it’s Allstate or Liberty. Just saying.
Anyone else using slugs instead of fuses? Comments on metals used and sound please
I recently began experimenting with slugs in place of fuses on most of my components and the results have been VERY rewarding. I'll write up a full review eventually but am awaiting possible different metal slugs in the near future. I started with copper and the improvement from stock fuses to the copper slugs was quite noticeable but, honestly, nothing compared to the upgrade from copper to solid silver slugs from Golden State Silver and, shockingly, titanium slugs. Can anyone comment on their DIRECT experience(s) with slugs other than copper? I'm looking into tungsten and possibly molybdenum presently. I'd love to try platinum or palladium but that's probably beyond my reach. AND PLEASE, THERE'S NO NEED TO COMMENT ON HOW FOOLISH IT IS TO BYPASS THE FUSE WITH SLUGS-----WE ALREADY KNOW---YOU'VE TOLD US EXHAUSTIVELY.
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mikelavigne: that sounds incredible!! I'd love to be able to do such but, as a renter, that's out of the question and probably nothing I could afford either. One of the great things about experimenting with slugs is the relatively low cost. I bought 2 99.99 solid silver slugs, with shipping from California to Indiana for less than $45 and they sound very good. Still, I'm rather envious of your solution! |
erik_squired: no, that was rude of me and that is not my intention. But I did request these kinds of comments not be included. We all know that this can be dangerous, bypassing the component fuses, and, as adults, we will make our own decisions. You could start another thread decrying the stupidity of some audiophiles and the dangers of such activities. Again, I don't wish to be rude.
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larryi---your suggestion does make the most sense, but I am having fun hearing the differences in the sounds the slugs produce. Honestly, I'm shocked at how much detail and how precisely in space titanium places individual sounds. There can be a strangeness to the way some mids are portrayed, which is why I'm interested in hearing other metals as slugs but the difference between having the stock fuse, or even the copper slug in my DAC, versus using the titanium slug is the kind of sonic difference I would expect from a MAJOR component upgrade.
erik_squires: duly noted (and ignored) again. |
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i don’t use slugs in place of fuses, although my amplifiers come with thermal couplers instead of fuses. which eliminates the noise factor there. and my preamp is battery powered so no fuses there either. what i did do relevant to slugs is my Equi=Tech 10WQ Isolation transformer wall panel has GFI’s for each circuit. this 375 pound wall mounted isolation transformer is just for my system circuits. my barn has a separate 'dirty power' 100 amp panel for all other uses. https://equitech.com/proiducts/wall-mount/10wq/ i had my electrical contractor remove the 10 GFI’s and a straight pure copper wire is put in place for each circuit. since my room is in a separate building and like a commercial studio i got him to do it. GFI’s are even noisier than fuses. |
I use an old Mac 2105, and for a couple of years I used a piece of high purity silver wire in place of a fuse. It was admittedly risky and foolish, but the reason that I even dared to try it was because the amp had always been so stable and had never blown a fuse. I can't say that I noticed a difference. Having older parts replaced in the amp made a big difference.
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