I use Walker Audio SST Contact enhancer on every contact including fuses, tube pins, interconnects, etc. It makes a nice difference. |
If you don't happen to have an Acme cryo'd silver plated fuse holder then you might consider Quicksilver Gold contact enhancer, a medium viscosity fluid that is applied in very thin layer to all electrical contacts including fuse caps, vacuum tube pins, RCA plugs! power cord plug contacts, etc. |
Unless youhave a acme Silver plated fuse holder .all these other holders
Are coated Zinc, cleaning is a good idea , but very good aftermarket
Fuse is essential to get the most out of your system .in every area.in Audio the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.i have done all my equipment. Also a good isolation stand helps absorb vibration,to complete the system.
Just look online at the metals index for resistance ,Silver has 7x less
Resistance then the stock Steel fuses.meaning each fuse is a Big bottle neck. If you want a warmer perspective Synergistic is a good bet, neutrality Hifi tuning Supreme is the most balanced. Audio horizons outstanding detail but maybe a bit thinner balance then the Hifi tuning everything is equipment,and cable dependant for tonal balance. |
I agree with Audioman58 on the Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme fuses for digital and phono sources. They preserve the harmonics better which involves me more but are not as dynamic in pre and power amps. Recently I experimented with Audio Horizons' Platinum fuses for my downstream components and they are significantly better than the SR20s in dynamics and neutrality. Because of the neutrality they bettered the SR20s in source components but are not in the same league as the Supreme for this application. |
Hi Blueranger
I've heard the same thing from other more experienced audiophiles as well. They told me before I start spending funds on the expensive audiophile type fuses they told me to clean the fuse holder and fuses themselves. If possible I use metal polish on the fuse holders and fuses themselves and then spray them down with deoxit cleaner. I was told to use as much elbow grease as possible to get the fuses clean. I believe I heard a difference but am unsure as when I did this I made all sorts of tweaks at the same time. I did save a bunch of money though. The polish and cleaners weren't anywhere near as expensive as the fuses I needed. |
According to Laura Dearborn's book on audio,just cleaning the fuse and fuse holder can make a noticeable difference. Simply taking a fuse out can rub off deposits. Next time your thinking about changing fuses clean contacts and report your findings. |
I recall talking to someone at The Cable Co, and he told me that the HiFi Tuning fuses were better built than the SR fuses but the SR fuses had that "tunneling effect" process (Tesla), or, something like that.
I just went for the HiFi Sliver fuses since they were the cheapest at the time and they bettered the stock fuses I had. I think that anything more costly amounts to quibbling in most, but not all cases as there are folk here who I trust who say that SR fuses work better in their systems.
As always, YMMV.
All the best,
Nonoise |
With fuses , for instance in digital you want the most neutral to send the signal downstream.i use Hifi tuning Supreme, on my Krell S55I amp
The Synergistic fuses are a bit better,fuses are cumulative,better low level detail,quieter,better separation in small steps but add up per component .
There are many doubters,who have an opinion and never gave them an ample try,you need roughly75-100 hours for full breakin ,and
Look at the metals resistance index Silver,Copper,Have roughly 7x less
Resistance then the cheap stock steel fuses,a huge bottle neck when you think About it , Times how many fuses you have !! |
Do you guys think fuses is something similar like talking about cables? I've heard some people talking about the hifituning fuses improvements on certain gear, i assume the changes are minimal. |
Gbmcleod - Would my FMJ 23 benefit from a SR fuse? Have never had the cover off; can I easily access the fuse? Do you happen to know what size fuse it takes? |
Flashunlock, what is the equipment into which you placed the fuses? I used the HiFi Supremes up until yesterday, when I put one SF fuse into one amp and left the HiFi Supreme in the other amp. Not much differentiation there, and I should disclose that the HiFi Supreme fuses had the WA Quantum chip on it. I thought, nah, no big improvement unless I want to strain to hear the differences. I should also disclose that I perceived that the CJ Classic preamp I purchased had less bass than my First Sound Deluxe Mk I preamp, which is dual mono. But I digress.
Later last night, I put the second SR chip into the ASL Hurricanes fuse holder. At this point, i know had two SR fuses with WA Quantum chips on them. In another thread, I noted the improvements (in contrast with the differences): the bass came back (the Hurricanes I have had for 10 years, and with 4 different preamps, I know their bass response: P-O-W-E-R-F-U-L. They are not even remotely weak in the bass and can take your head off. In this respect, they are similar to the VTL amps of 1988-95 (I had the 300s): bass to kick butt. It would seem, in the application of the HiFi Supremes in the Hurricanes, it is not an ideal match, either WITH or WITHOUT the WA Quantum fuses. I noticed a diffusness to the images, so much so that I called up Conrad Johnson about it (I had bought the Classic thru Audiogon) and asked about its bass and low-level detail and imaging. And nope, it wasn't the tubes: got new ones when I bought the preamp.
So, the application counts. The system is warming up in front of me as we speak, and unless I was hallucinating last night, I expect that the system should allow the correct timing of rhythms, focus of voices (especially baritones) and a slightly forward soundstage. No softness that I could hear.
Until I got the Synergistics (and I do have an outlet or two by them), I was a HiFi Supreme advocate. But I'm not wedded to anything. It appears the SRs will remain in the system until something better comes along. Even the Arcam FMJ DVD 27 now has the "brute force' that one of my former colleagues at TAS said it did, but i never heard when I replaced the FMJ 23 (Ring dec) with the DVD '27 (no ring dec: Wolfson 8740s, which, frankly, sound harder to my ears, without the complete delicacy of the Ring dec, which was capable of playing music that would break your heart. The '27 never did that, and even thought it does sound better now, it's no FMJ 23 (that ring DAC is the same type they use in the Scarlatti, although less sophisticated. I would imagine it to be at the top of the heap as a dec).
So, That's my story. Synergistics- 2, HiFi Supremes -0. Ah well, it was an interesting experiment. |
I purchased 4 Synergistis Research fuses for my pre amp and they sounded dull and compressed from new so I left them in for a week to see if they would change in sound but sadly they sounded the same so out they came. |
The Synergistic Research fuses resulted in improved detail across the entire frequency range. Because no one frequency band was favored, there was not an increase in brightness, fatigue, of warmth. Instead there was a sense of more music playing in the room. Never a feeling of signal boosts or frequencies being deminished. This is with the following equipment- Art Audio PX-25 tube amp, Eddie Current- Zana Deux tube amp, Marrantz Sa11-S1 SACD player, and a Marantz Sa11-S2 SACD player.
I did find replacing the rail fuses worth changing in addition to the main fuse with the Marrantz Sa11-S2. |
My freind also tried the synergistic vs the hifi tuning supreme and he felt the Hifituning gave better resolution and air,and the synergistic gave his parasound halo amp a bit more warmth. |
Your not kidding that everything is not written in stone, not when it comes to audio anyway. The Supreme fuses worked best in all my components except in the power amp, the gold seemed best there. |
SR fuses were far better than my supreme Hi-fi fuses in all off my components. Much cleaner with better focus and detail. |
