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Audiophile Fuses

I have used audiophile fuses for years in various equipment without problem, generally appreciative of sound quality improvement. Recently, I've encountered problems with audiophile fuses blowing in my Coincident Turbo 845SE amplifier. At this point I've had two failures of Synergistic Red Quantum 6.3a 250v sloblo fuses in this amp.

Recently I discovered some interesting information in regard to audiophile fuses at partsconnexion.com website. In the heading above stocked fuses it states, "blow characteristics will differ slightly (due to the different metalurgy of the fuse elements) between commercial grade and audio grade fuses. We can't guarantee that your audiophile grade fuse won't blowout at different in-rush current thresholds than your stock commercial fuse."

They also mention one should check for continuity on fuse prior to installation to insure it will be covered by warranty.

And so, based on my experience, and quoting this message, it seems buyer beware on these fuses. First off, I doubt measuring continuity prior to installation will validate any warranty. How would dealer/manufacturer know whether or not you had installed a blown/defective fuse? Also, it would appear this request to check continuity prior to installation may demonstrate quality control problems as well. Do they not check continuity at the manufacturer and/or dealer? Or are they often damaged in shipment? If so, that is a high level of fragility.

At this point, I would advise caution in using audiophile fuses in high current amplifiers. The disclaimers stated on partsconnexion website demonstrate they've encountered this problem more than a few times. I applaud partsconnexion for they're forthrightness on this issue. Other manufactures/dealers should follow suit.
sns

Showing 4 responses by jea48

jea48
4,313 posts
 
I've been using after market fuses for years and never had one blown. SR Red, HiFi-Tuning Supreme, Audio Magic ... Just make sure you buy the right size and type.
Knghifi
08-16-15: Knghifi

I had the original OEM fuse in my ARC VT50 power amp for about 17 years and up until then it never blew. That is until a 6550 power tube shorted and luckily the fuse saved the day. After re-tubing the amp I installed another OEM fuse.

I feel safer using the OEM UL Listed Fuse ARC recommends for the amp.

Just curious, are the "SR Red, HiFi-Tuning Supreme, Audio Magic" fuses safety tested and Listed by any independent recognized testing laboratory?
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jea48
4,313 posts
 
Knghifi,

Are the "SR Red, HiFi-Tuning Supreme, Audio Magic" fuses safety tested and Listed by any independent recognized testing laboratory?
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jea48
4,313 posts
 

Replacing 6.3amp with 8amp?
08-17-15: Sns

That's a 27% increase. You might want to contact Coincident tech support and ask them about increasing the fuse to an 8 amp slow blow fuse.

Just curious, was the OEM fuse that came with the amp a 6.3 amp slow blow fuse?
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jea48
4,313 posts
 

One more thing, I also noticed the Synergistic Red Quantum fuses were slightly smaller diameter than Rat Shack fuses.
I had to pinch contacts on Coincident screw in fuse holder to tightly grab the synergistic fuses.
Surface area and poor contact pressure can cause heat build up between the fuse ends and the fuse holder clips. The heat generated can cause a fuse to blow even if the high inrush current traveling through the fuse element is within the fuse's designed specs.

Not sure it was a good idea to bend the contacts of the screw in fuse holder to fit the smaller diameter fuse end.
How about the back side, the other end, of the fuse holder contacts? What method is used to make the contact of the smaller diameter fuse? Is the contact connection between the smaller diameter fuse and the fuse holder contact tight or loose?
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