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Question about suitable fuse metals

I've been wanting to experiment with audiophile fuses for a while but the cost and the concern of blowing one of these costly fuses has kept me from purchasing.  However, I read that solid slugs actually sound better than fuses and cost WAY less, so I purchased a 6" rod of 99.99 copper and, because I wasn't really thinking, also purchased another 6" rod of titanium.  I guess I was thinking of rhodium, palladium, or platinum, not titanium.   I had these cut down to 20mm and, so far have tried them in my amp, a Red Dragon S500, and my DAC, the Bel Canto 2.8, which I run direct without a preamp.   The titanium slug sounds pretty darn good in the DAC, noticeably better than the copper. I tried one in the amp as well and that combo did not work well at all.  The amp is doing better with the copper slug.  I looked up the electrical conductivity of titanium and found it is a rather poor conductor.  Is there any risk to the DAC using the titanium slug, given the poor electrial conductivity?  Thanks for any relevant input.

lcherepkai

Showing 1 response by hartf36

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hartf36
200 posts
 

The only fuse experimentations I've ever done are:

  1. When having to replace a fuse in my old (modded) Hafler DH220, I replaced the glass fuses with ceramic ones.  Not audiophile fuses, just different material.  I did, in fact, detect a slight difference for the better.  Maybe it was the ceramic, maybe they were just constructed with better materials, but the difference was there.  I have heard similar testimonials from others re: glass vs. ceramic.
  2. I replaced the fuses on the back of my Maggies with sterling silver tube.  I do not blast them at high volume, so am not concerned with damaging the speakers.  Again, I noticed a difference.  The sound, while originally good, seemed to crystallize a bit, if that makes any sense.  If it doesn't............?  🤷‍♂️

All that said, this thread has induced an interest in swapping the silver tubing on the Maggies with copper tubing to see what difference it might make in the sound.  I expect there would be a discernible difference, perhaps adding some warmth?

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