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

Showing 3 responses by plelko

Jay,
You can get them at Macmaster-Carr or Mouser Electronics.
Thanks C5150, the differences were easily heard.
The most intriguing part of this fuse comparison is why they sound different, I don't know much about fuse design, but I don't think its because of the endcaps. That leaves the tubes and filaments, I will endeavor to procure some Bussman glass fuses to compare to the ceramic types; I cannot find any info on the filaments i.e what type material and possibly size tolerances. I believe something must be causing this variation in sound eventhough they are identical mechanically. Any ideas?
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.