The journey started with a medium priced ($50) fuse in my power supply. A failed rectifier tube blew that one out. Not a fuse problem. Next up was a blue fuse in my pre amp. It blew and was not caused by a pre amp problem. Apparently they sometimes are more sensitive and it was replaced by an orange fuse two values higher. Things were going along fine. I replaced the pre amp with a newer version of the pre amp and it has the same fuse value. Five months latter (today) I turn on the pre amp and nothing. it's a five month old pre amp so I suspected that it was the fuse. Sure enough, I replaced it with a ceramic Littelfuse of the lower correct value it works fine. No more wasting my money on unstable fuses for me.
That, of course, is the perplexing part. While I don't Know and won’t say that fuses have no effect whatsoever on the sound of a system, I still can’t buy that the magnitude of the effect (or improvement, or whatever) would be great enough to make me want to spend big money on a fuse.
The great part of it is that you needn't spend anywhere near the cost of a SR fuse or something even more dear in price. There are still some HiFi Tuning Silver Star fuses to be had (in dwindling numbers) for a fraction of what they initially went for. Maybe one of a value you need is still available.
I've personally tried about 4 different brands and they all had a distinct sound characteristic and didn't cost that much to experiment with. I'm of the opinion that a fuse made up of metals that are on par with what you'd use in a cable are the way to go and to stop using the cheap, low cost fuses made out of a witches brew of poorly conductive metals.
A fuse, according to the manual, is just there as a safety device and shouldn't have any effect on the sound. And yet it did.
That, of course, is the perplexing part. While I don't Know and won’t say that fuses have no effect whatsoever on the sound of a system, I still can’t buy that the magnitude of the effect (or improvement, or whatever) would be great enough to make me want to spend big money on a fuse.
Does saying they weren't necessarily provide an escape of sorts from the fact that some of them most likely were? Would you have anyone other than an engineer swapping parts to get to a particular sound? They were voicing the unit when the fuse broke. I thought that engineers did that sort of work.
That, and they heard enough of a difference that they wanted to know what the repair guys did to the unit to make it sound so different compared to what they were working on. A fuse, according to the manual, is just there as a safety device and shouldn't have any effect on the sound. And yet it did.
They weren't necessarily engineers at Yamaha but "sound tuning guys" who reportedly believed they heard a difference between different basic (non-audiophile) fuses, when they were auditioning OEM sources for fuses in their AV receivers. While that is information to ponder, it doesn't rise to the level that would lead me to conclude that expensive audiophile fuses actually "improve" the sound of anything. The SR site lists the materials used in their fuses on their website and the ceramic body, silica filling, brass nickel plated end cap contacts, and metal filament are all pretty standard stuff.
I guess what makes them stand out are the (flavors du jour) quantum treatment, molecular realignment process, UEF treatment, and Graphene. I own and use some but really cannot understand what all the fuss is about, except that they cost a lot. For only $175, you can get the Audio Magic beeswax fuse, which appears to be simply a standard Littelfuse or Cooper Bussmann fuse that is injected with beeswax.
It is there FOR A REASON. And that reason is NOT for improving the sound. It will NEVER EVER make a difference to the sound. Do not fall for all the crap you hear on this forum.
Tell that to the engineers over at Yamaha who found out otherwise.
If you cause a fire in your house one day, you will not get a penny from your insurance company if they find out, which they will.
Do not give into this fuse bulls..t and just put a properly rated one in your amp, as the manufacturer did.
It is there FOR A REASON. And that reason is NOT for improving the sound. It will NEVER EVER make a difference to the sound. Do not fall for all the crap you hear on this forum.
cd3181,665 posts05-10-2021 12:07pm@edgewound, "How many more will deleted because it fails to fit the shill narrative."
They don’t want a narrative, they want to preserve lazy astronomical profits.
What does a £50 fuse cost to make?
How is it better than a standard one?
Is there ANY electrical measument to confirm ANY superiority?
I thought not.
My comment that you took this from was also deleted...🤣🤣🤣
Hey...let's all get into the "audiophile fuse" business. When one can buy from China for 3 cents a unit in quantity, the business model starts looking pretty good...if you have zero ethics and conscience.
Many, including myself, have questioned the hyperbole and silly claims of the efficacy of Magic (re: expensive) Fuses, and also question the claims of those who condescendingly imply that those who don’t hear the alleged benefits are inferior listeners. Having tested SR fuses against stock fuses myself, with the failure of a couple of the SRs noted (fuse rating issues are common with SRs, not so much with Littelfuse or Buss products), I found that indeed, the SR athletic supporter's claims were nonsense. I carefully recorded my system with my high res recording stuff to compare the SR products with the stock fuses, played the recordings for some friends, and none could hear improvement from the "boutique" fuses. People may feel better using pricey fuses and of course that’s to be expected, but all the proof I need regarding the alleged sonic transformation the things provide is my experience, applied logic (understanding what power supplies actually do being outside of the signal chain), and the fact that virtually no equipment manufacturers seem to care about using "special" fuses in the gear they design. If anybody took up oregonpapa on his offer, I can only assume he’d replace the SR fuses with stock versions for comparison to the SRs he advocates. That certainly would be interesting if not a bit fiddly...would break-in time be allocated? Snacks? A directionality seminar covering each fuse? Casa oregonpapa here we come!
Wow. This thread may be setting a precedent of sorts with mostly anti fuse trollers all dog piling and back slapping. Here's hoping that they find contentment in this thread and not venture out into the real world lest their sensibilities be shattered.
"Will you walk away from a fool and his money" is from the song "Come and Get It," which was written by Paul McCartney.....but, first recorded by the band Badfinger,. It was probably Badfinger's biggest hit, and the song was also produced by Paul (he insisted they do the song exactly the same as his demo).
The Beatles version of the same (released on "Anthology 3") never made it past the demo stage; and, Paul played all of the instruments on that demo.
IMO Badfinger is a criminally overlooked and under appreciated band; so, I thought it was worthwhile to give credit where credit is due.
Good point J.Chip. The problem is none of them are better than the one they replace. They may look cooler but in many instance if not most, they are worse than the ones they replace.
Several have commented on the "sound improvement" fuses can make. Regardless of that point, if a manufacture cannot provide product stability in this case of a fuse used at the amperage recommended by the hardware manufacture why use it?
Only fuse to go to heaven was a HiFi Tuning silver, after pulling it out to clean the contacts, most likely my fault as the fit was rather tight, twisting does not work. Replaced it with a Furutech one, all fine and better.
The only time I've blown fuses is overdriving my Heils....once.
My amps and receivers have thermal overload protection circuits or are fused. The latter have Never Blown.
I would think the mfr. would know what should protect what.
So anytime y'all start farting around swapping fuses, the warranty goes 'bye bye'....if it hasn't expired.
If that is the case....you are on your own.
If you haven't dealt with the AC supply prior to it's arrival at your device, no major $ fuse is necessarily going to cover your tush....regardless of what you hear.
Unless, of course, you have a degree and experience in these affairs; then you're free to roll the dice with knowledge in hand.
2016 I purchase 3 pairs of class Ds to figure out what I like.
2 were Wyred4sound SX1000. ICE modules. I was using them and ONE blew a fuse. Two three time this happened. I'm really not liking the sound. Something is wrong...
I took the top off and there is a fuse inside on the board, along with the the inline VAC fuse. I remove the fuse it has crap all over it. I get new fuses, put a dab of silicone on the tube and contact enhancer on the tips. I clean the heck out of the holder and check the solder joints. They used NON LEAD solder. OK I remove it real quick, resolder the holder and BYPASSED the inline fuse with a piece of copper. I added a 5 amp breaker or 3 what ever it was.
I was just amazed how that amp that was harsh, and just lacked what I was looking for in an amp. 30 minutes of listening to small planars and you were worn out.. IT CHANGED.. Not a little either. Like someone took the HEAVY blanket off the speaker.
I had to turn the volume up to hear clear mids and the highs just fell off. There was a harsh 10k bump from the SS and the order of harmonics..
THEY just Sucked. They don't now. :-)
There was something about that fuse inside. Review after review.. The ICE (R) revision fixed that issue.. LOL So did I... The R was just all the rage and still is... I don't know... I like mine. I paid 500.00 because they were SO BAD... LOL
They actually sound as good as the Nords I own.. Just a little tone control tweak. 15.00 dollars worth of parts.. They will hit 1000+ watts too.. Pretty serious modules for their age..
Did the fuse make the difference? I know it stopped the fuse from blowing and made ONE amp sound better.. Guess what? 2 weeks later I did the right side... A dirty fuse and holder and an upgrade to a circuit breaker... 15.00 well spent again. They like good PC too. NOW....
The first failure was with a fuse in a pre amp that I bought at the stated value. After that on failed I installed a fuse that was two values higher in the same pre amp. It worked fine until I sold it (about 6 months). I removed the fuse before I sold it and installed it in my new pre amp that had the same value. It worked for about 4 months and failed. So my test was with two different pre amps from the same manufacture. I never had an issue with the stock fuse for years in the original pre amp.
A fuse Is a fuse. It does one thing, it blows if there is an issue to prevent the rest of amp from turning into toast. I would never open anything up and screw with it. You are just asking for problems. No one is going to differentiate one fuse from another as far as sound Is concerned, it's pure bs.
Let's get this straight. Pure and simple; a fuse is there to stop drawing more current that is desirable.
How can a fuse ever be better than the wire into the holder and and the wire out? It's a physical impossibility and it's all in the mind y'know.
Even when the fuse holder is soldered onto a circuit board, it can't be better than the material used for PCB. It's a physical impossibility and
it's all in the mind y'know.
Try to find vintage fuses in old school green metal containers they are built so much better than the new ones and they do not cost a fortune and they sound better than anything i have ever heard.
Goose, some lessons you just have to learn by yourself. But, it is not just fuses. If $50 is the worst you ever get screwed out of you will be extremely lucky. Treat all of these audiophile "essential" accessories with a jaundice eye. Most of them are scams.
Goose ,that should never have happened did you use a few 2 sizes big as you mentioned in a slow blow fuse ? If so then Synergistic QC is horrible and not be trusted to use. did you contact them ? I would call them and ask to speak with a manager or Ted Denny himself . If that was a bigger size slow blow then something is going on ,what model amp ?
gooseOP496 posts05-09-2021 3:26pmI may give the Hifi fuses another swing. The only reason it blew was because of a bad rectifier tube in my power supply. It also took out the original glass fuse. I will say that it seemed to be more stable than the blue or orange fuse since it was working fine at it's stated value. Just my experience, others have had better results.
Since the "audiophile fuses" "manufacturers" recommend a higher value...the fuse is supposed to be a safety feature to prevent things like a fire in case of circuit failure...why don't you try a higher value regular fuse and see if you hear any difference?
I'd like to hear of your experience if there's any grand difference.
I may give the Hifi fuses another swing. The only reason it blew was because of a bad rectifier tube in my power supply. It also took out the original glass fuse. I will say that it seemed to be more stable than the blue or orange fuse since it was working fine at it's stated value. Just my experience, others have had better results.
Not sure how someone stating that a different fuse works fine - meaning that it didn’t blow - gets translated into the person having an inability to hear.
Maybe because I read and actually comprehend all the information in the entire thread. OP clearly said he tried three different fuses- $50, Blue, and Orange. There are big differences between just Blue and Orange, and both are light years better than any $50 fuse, yet he said zip about any of that. Only thing he gives any evidence of noticing is when they blow. So at the time I made my comment all the evidence indicates he cannot hear any difference. Or that whatever differences he can hear he finds unimportant. Same conclusion either way.
Now later on sure enough he actually states:
Tried the orange fuse as an experiment. Yes there was a minor change in the sound
So there you go. It does take a bit of effort reading, thinking through all the facts, and drawing a picture of what is going on. But see how well it works?
Too many trying to be an internet influencer and mimicking memes in their best troll attempts. Griping about fuses is a very old and tired meme and not at all in keeping up with the times.
Same goes for cables, cable risers, etc. Just what is it? Was everyone born yesterday? This is like congress voting to repeal something over 60 times, knowing it won't work, but letting all the newcomers get a chance to put their wrong foot forward so they can say they did something and be part of the pack.
Not sure how someone stating that a different fuse works fine - meaning that it didn't blow - gets translated into the person having an inability to hear.
Tried the orange fuse as an experiment. Yes there was a minor change in the sound but it wasn't earth shaking or as profound as others have experienced. I do like some of their other products along the HFT line and they are a noticeable positive improvement.
I think I'll try replacing all of my fuses after the power switches with solid wire. I am NOT RECOMMEDING this option by any means!
I want to hear for myself if they really affect sound. I will be sure to keep a couple fire extinguishers handy! If something fails in the equipment I'll just spend time repairing it... Or buy something to replace the failed piece. Fire hazards are NOT anything to mess with!
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