Best fuses for under $50?

What is your entire set of equipment, including cables? 

Basically, two options.  Choose the Isoclean if you want a nice but little warmer sound.  Choose Furutech if you want high resolution and deep tight bass.  Careful on the Furutech as it is very revealing... sometimes to the point of revealing problems in your system (such as bad interconnects or power cords).

I am actually frustrated reading these posts.  Please do not insult others because they think different.  You may believe that fuses make absolutely no difference.  You are welcome to write that opinion, but dropping down to calling people names because they think a certain way is just negative and it makes me feel bad and others feel bad.  Telling people they are wrong to think a certain way in an area that is so subjective to personal taste and opinion just creates an environment that discourages people from exploring and participating in this hobby.

It is always relative.  There are people who believe that Bose speakers are just as good as $$$$ Wilsons or Focal, etc.  However, there are many people who can definitely tell the difference.  Both are able to reproduce the same frequencies (in the general range).

I'm sure many people can tell differences between speaker cable or even power cords.  The fuse is just another element in the power cord line.  This is where metallurgy does come into play.  Different fuses are made from different materials and can affect the voltage signature in different ways, even if we may not be able to measure this using precision equipment.  I personally can hear the effect of just putting in a silver-plated fuse holder (which technically has less influence that an actual fuse).  This was another attribute that tells me that silver is not right for my own preferences.  Other people may give the opinion that a fuse or a silver-plated fuse holder will make no difference and they may not hear any difference.  That is perfectly fine.

Let's keep it real and positive.

The comments that say "no fuse is the best fuse" is actually correct.  Hardwiring A/C straight into the power supply allows full current capability without the restriction of the fuse.  However, this is a safety issue and there is no potential protection to your circuit if it gets overloaded.

To substantiate, I have temporarily tested high capacity 10A fuses in a DAC that normally used a 1A fuse.  This somewhat simulates the idea of a "no fuse" situation because the conductor wire in the 10A fuse is significantly larger than the 1A fuse.  The type/brand of the fuse in this situation has much less influence.  However, the metallurgy of the fuse still has a little influence over the sonic signature (I can hear this).

Circuit breaker is probably the best solution for this.  I'm not sure that the cheap thermal circuit breakers will perform as good (as bullit posted above).  Looking at a circuit breaker design:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker2.htm

You can see that the contact is extremely firm and the internal wiring/metal is very large. 

"Increasing current boosts the electromagnet's magnetic force, and decreasing current lowers the magnetism. When the current jumps to unsafe levels, the electromagnet is strong enough to pull down a metal lever connected to the switch linkage. The entire linkage shifts, tilting the moving contact away from the stationary contact to break the circuit."

The electromagnetic circuit breakers are better in my opinion.  However, there is a hydraulic delay as the electromagnet charges enough to "move" the contact away.  It operates more like a slo-blow fuse, which is fine for most components.

https://www.digikey.com/products/en/circuit-protection/circuit-breakers/143?k=&pkeyword=&pv66=4&FV=116c0001%2C11700003%2C11700007%2C14300019%2C14300007%2C14300061%2Cffe0008f&mnonly=0&ColumnSort=-1000011&page=1&stock=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25

This shows a list of 1A electromagnetic circuit breakers.  The price ranges and not all of them are as expensive as a audiophile fuse.  The challenge is fitting them into your device and mounting/cutting a hole.

Actually, looking over that list, the Sensata SNAPAK model is really the best choice. 

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/sensata-technologies-airpax/T11-2-1.00A-01-11AL-V/723-1270-ND/2781059

It is the only one that does not require a special DIN mount.  You can solder or use clip quick connect terminals to attach wire.  All you really need to do is drill a couple holes in the device back panel (or wherever).  One large hole for the main part and a tine hole for the locking pin.

@gbmcleod - in my initial posting, I also said to be careful with Furutech fuses. They are very revealing and VERY TRANSPARENT. This means that it will reveal problems or inadequacies in areas of your system that other fuses may compensate for or mask thereof. An example would be a preamp with a somewhat undersized power supply. The Furutech fuse being fast and transparent can cause the preamp to sound lean in the bass/midbass area because the power supply does not truly have enough capacitance to keep constant voltage on the large waveforms (and even the midrange waveforms that can become shouty/forward). A fuse that will slow down the charge/discharge and make this preamp sound warmer and fill in the bass/midrange area.

As I have said, the Furutech is very revealing of problems and it may not be the path that everyone want to start. You may end up working to fix every other problem/characteristic in your system. However, if you choose this path, the end result will be the very best (in my opinion).

@fourwnds - I have also had similar experiences with SR20 fuse. The SR20 is very fast and very clean. It is so clean that it almost becomes artificial to me (almost similar to a silver fuse) and I lose emotional contact with the music. I have also experienced where the bass is definitely lean with this fuse. Trying a Hi-Fi Tuning gold (discontinued)fuse was an improvement and the sound was a lot warmer. However, over time I determined that the Gold has somewhat of a metallic edge to the sound and it wasn’t the fastest fuse. The HI-Fi Tuning Supreme (silver) was nice, but it had that push in the upper mids (silver) that caused it to be less natural sounding to me and more artificial. This may be a good mating with tube equipment or very slow/laid back stuff.

I encourage all to re-read a history thread:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/direction-of-aftermarket-fuses-only-for-believers

A lot has been discussed here on fuses, and it’s not a 4,000 post thread like the "RED thread".

@nonoise - if you believe the rest of your system is up to par, you could try a Furutech fuse in one component (such as your preamp), and then go from there. You may decide to convert to Furutech one component at a time. However, like I said, the Furutech is very much a DOUBLE EDGE SWORD. It can reveal every little problem in your system. It will reveal poor quality electrolytic capacitors that contain a lot of electrical resonance and all of a sudden your system sounds too bright and harsh. It can reveal speaker drivers that are ringing/break-up/blare because now your system is so strong that it has a rock hard muscle moving these speaker voicecoils. If you are ultimately after more resolution, air, extension, decay, deep bass resolution and punch, etc., the Furutech may be your end-game and I believe the work is worth the effort. However, it can be a lot of EFFORT!.

The SR20 is very clean and I have seen it excel in tube electronics. Listening to it, I think there is somewhat of a roll-off in the very high frequencies, so you will probably not get as much "air" and "ambience" as the Furutech. The SR20 are 60% off at Parts Connexion right now (clearance sale), so it might be worth it for $23 a fuse to try them out.

PADIS. Wow, that’s so interesting that I had to go pull one of my own Furutech fuses. Surely enough, it does have the Padis "PFA" logo printed on the fuse in addition to the "Furutech" label. Interesting. Research indicates that Padis is a European distributor for Furutech. The Padis marketed fuses are cheaper. However, it’s unknown whether they are the same as the "Furutech" branded fuses.

https://www.amazon.de/Padis-FUSE-Feinsicherung-Stromst%C3%A4rke-Ansprechverhalten/dp/B005LF1ZL2

A translation of the above PADIS listed on Amazon indicates a pure silver conductor (which is the same as the Furutech T13A fuse targeted for European usage). It is not the same as the standard Furutech TF series fuses.

A couple of things that I could not find on a generic PADIS fuse:

- special low induction copper alloy conductor (probably Phosphorous Bronze or Beryllium Copper).

- ceramic body with special damping filler

It’s unkown to me if the generic PADIS fuses have these two characteristics or if they are just non-filled fuses with silver conductors (which will cause it to sound much different than the Furutech branded fuses).  The generic PADIS fuses are definitely cheaper than the "Furutech" branded fuses.

If you can’t get a 1.6A, just bump up to a 2A. I use 2A in Class A based preamps because it give it a lot more authority when the music "hits". That’s the most I would bump up, though.

It’s interesting that he describes SR20 as smooth and warm. I definitely wouldn’t call it "warm", but I can agree that it’s smooth. In fact it’s so smooth and clean that I don’t feel you’re getting enough texture/grittiness/bite. lol. This may be exactly what you’re looking for, though.

I don't know that VH Audio will come down on their price (they still have the old Hi-Fi Tuning Gold at full retail!).  I think that Parts Connexion decided to discontinue sale of the SR20 and are just blowing them out of inventory.

Thanks Nonoise.  I believe you may go through a few more areas of burn-in pain with those Padis.  Rhodium is like that.  There could be times you turn it on and listen and say "I just can't listen to this!".  Sometimes it can be bright, sometimes hard-edged and brittle, sometimes the high frequencies go away and it becomes messy.  The last 50-70 hours is typically the hardest where the rhodium works through the brightest and hardest edge tones.  At about 200 hours is where most of the pain is worked out, but the rhodium can continue to mature and refine until about 300 hours.

What I have found recently is that some components do not work well with full Furutech rhodium (also depends on power cords / interconnects).  I use all rhodium plated power cords as well as interconnects.

In your situation, the Marantz equipment is typically voiced to be warm.  I think This can work very well with the rhodium plated fuses in getting the most resolution out of these pieces of equipment.  I would say burn the SACD fuses in fully and then listen to see if you're happy.  The Hi-Fi Silver Star is going to be a more forgiving fuse when compared to the Rhodium.  It will not be as revealing.  You can always put Padis in the integrated later if you decide you want more resolution/detail there.

In my situation, I recently determined that my very strong/fast Emotiva XPR-1 class AB solid state amps where just too fast in responding to the waveforms.  I have  Krell processor with just one Class A analog stage.  This was not enough to smooth the waveforms out before it hit the Class AB amp.  The sound was just too thin (revealing the character of Emotiva without remorse).  I went ahead and put back in the Isoclean fuses I used to run in them.  The result was an improvement warmth and better midbass and body (more volume).  However, I lost too much high frequency clarity and the sound became a little "lo-fi".  Very pleasant, but not enough detail. 

The Emotvia amps use 2 fuses (one fuse feeds into the second fuse).  I found using a combination of 1 Furutech + 1 Isoclean made the amp sound absolutely amazing.  However, 2 Furutech or 2 Isoclean made it slant too far in those opposite directions. 

If you have a Class A preamp going into a Class A amplifier (or a very warm equipment like Marantz), then all rhodium can be a good thing.

@nonoise - that is very cool.  The Marantz will react well to the Furutech/PADIS since it is voiced on the warm side.  The PADIS will bring out the resolution and detail much more.  I also have had experience during the evolution of my equipment where I've had the same "hey, there's someone actually singing over there!" effect.

Do you want another "sleeper"?  Try the Furutech FI-15(R) Plus Rhodium power cord connectors -- both IEC and male plugs.  They use the same rhodium contacts and wire clamp assembly as the other Furutech plugs, but in a very inexpensive case.  Be careful with this one because the flip-up plastic covers are held on by only a thin bendable plastic hinge.  If you put too much torque against it or open/close it too many times, the plastic hinge will break.  It's an amazing connector, if you want to try.  You can get them for $56 each USD.

@gbmcleod - thanks for your post.  They are all definitely good points.  One thing I wanted to call out is that I did not specifically state that "power supply" would be the flaw in all instances.  I just put that out as an example, because the power supply can definitely be somewhat undersized in a piece of equipment (my own humble opinion).  Other points could be different things:  such as no Class A waveform smoothing in an audio chain, silver or silver-plated wire, poor quality electrolytic capacitors, etc. etc.

And like I said in a previous post, putting all rhodium fuses in everything can definitely tilt that accuracy towards being to lean or thin.  I stated that in detail earlier in this thread where I explained how I had to back off the "all rhodium" fuse and use "one Furutech rhodium + one Isoclean gold" in my Emotiva amps.  It can definitely be a situation of "subtractive vs additive" factor in place.  It's a fine line, but too much "subtractive" or "gold" can mean that you just don't have enough detail for your taste. 

Like I have said many times, I love rhodium elements, but they are always a double-edge sword.

@gbmcleod - out of curiosity, how many hours do you have on your Furutech fuse?  The rhodium will take 200-250 hours to burn in fully.  There are several very painful points during burn, some being very very bright and harsh.  If you don't have 200+ hours, is there a spare piece of equipment you could put the fuse into?  Just turn that device on and let it sit for 10 days straight (24 hours a day).

I haven't picked up the fuse testing again.  I have so many items on my list of projects, the first is to replace all switching power supplies in my system (which I have discovered are a major problem!).  I did test the RED fuse and was not really impressed.  I haven't tested BLACK/BLUE, and will probably not test these anytime soon.

@gbmcleod - Sorry, I didn't see your new post until today (so thanks Todd for posting!). 

Thanks also for the feedback on the Furutech combination.  What are the other fuses in your NAD?  Also, I am very interested in a comparison with the BLUE fuses once you get them.

I just received my 2A PADIS fuse and am just beginning the burn in.  It's only the second hour of burn in, but my VERY initial thoughts is that the PADIS seems to be somewhat dryer sounding than the Furutech.  The PADIS does not have the typical "cold / wet / chimey" tones that fresh rhodium plated Furutech components generally have.  I don't know, maybe it's not as thick of a rhodium plating as the Furutech specification (I know Furutech likes to have a thick plating on their components).  In any event, I absolutely know that fresh items will play tricks on you and I'm sure this will change significantly over the next 200 hours.  I'll have to wait about 10 days before I post an "official" statement, which I will do in a new thread subject.