Something For The Fuse Guys ...

Geoff, the Moon is just a launching pad for the trip to Mars....try and keep up  

@geoffkait 

Who’s more demanding - the space program or audiophiles?

If you replace "demanding" with "gullible" what would the answer be?

Book your ticket for the early bird special
Make sure you check the “round trip” box

How many copper wrist bands have been sold?
Does that mean they have magical healing powers?
The people who are "astonished" are those successfully selling fuses for 50x cost.

@geoffkait

I would be the last person to claim that relatively large differences in sound exhibited by fuses are due entirely to the very small differences in resistance.

Geoff, you are learning...I am glad you agree that any differences in sound likely result from the improved contact achieved by removing the replacing the fuses, and not something silly like minuscule differences in directional resistance....🤔

@uberwaltz
We can offer further discounts on bags. Our rounded Lake Michigan sand grains are way more comfortable than laying on Florida coral and mollusk shell fragments. We offer free hand-delivery between December and March. ✈️

the humble... @geoffkait

😛 Recall the data sheets from HiFi Tuning showed definite differences among various fuses for measured resistance. And the data sheets showed reduction in resistance for the same fuse following cryogenic treatment. 🥶 All fuses, including bog standard commercial fuses showed improved resistance values after cryogenic treatment. AND all fuses showed differences in resistance according to direction in the circuit 🔛

All true however, in the interest of full disclosure, the magnitude of the total resistance is minuscule relative to the resistance of the associated wire in power cords, power supplies, etc. etc.....sort of like saying that adding a rounded grain of sand to the other sand below your beach blanket will noticeably improve your day at the beach. BTW, we are offering half-off pricing on rounded grains of sand this week, only $75.

Cool Geoff....I’m psyched!

Thanks for the constructive feedback....maybe if I just turn my fuses around.....🎡

There and back again…..About 40 years ago, Polk, Fulton, and Lee came out with their cables that captivated “audiophiles” and encouraged them to believe they could significantly improve the sound of their systems without having to purchase new components or speakers. After observing increased profit margins for the fat “Monster” cables, manufacturers jumped in to create a myriad of reasons why certain cables, contraptions, and add-on doodads create a “clearer window,” “more realistic presentation,” “illusion of musicians in the room,” and improvements described by reviewers and in these threads by any number of oft-used clichés. The list of cable variations, and passive, electrical, mechanical, and psychological tweaks, has continued to grow and become more refined to the point where folks believe they need to replace their $150 fuses with the latest and greatest $150+ fuses, to avoid short-changing themselves by not allowing their systems to live up to their full potential.

My system construction first focused on getting the right components and speakers for the sound I enjoy, which contributed to over 90 percent of the resulting performance. The remaining 10 percent involved adding dedicated lines, well-constructed cables, solid support, room treatment, damping, and vibration control. While I have tried many other tweaks, including aftermarket fuses, any perceived changes resulting from those tweaks were virtually insignificant to the system performance relative to the contribution of the items mentioned above. Even when perceived, those changes provided nowhere near the impact reported by others on this site. Seriously, how many times can the sound of a system be “totally transformed” by replacing a fuse?  Isn’t there a limit? 

Whoa....hold the phone.....double-blind wine testing on UFOs!
Beam me up Scotty 🚀🍷💥

@geoffkait

With around 100,000 fancy audiophile fuses sold in the last fifteen years

You have been using the same line for over a year now Geoff......you should at least change it to "16 years" in case some of us have been sleeping through all the excitement 😴

@nonoise

All it took was some enterprising chaps to apply it to audiophile needs and jack up the price.

You forgot...."and apply the appropriate color!"

BTW, I suggested years ago to try orthodontic (i.e., very small) rubber bands around the tops of the fuse holder clips to improve the contact between the fuse and the holder, in conjunction with a bit of ProGold or you favorite contact enhancer. Obviously this rubber band tweak works on only the cradle-type fuse holders not the cylinder holders with the screw-off cap that are often on the rear panel of equipment. I like sand-filled ceramic body fuses which are higher priced than their standard glass counterparts (about $3/fuse!), but if yours are glass try wrapping a bit of teflon tape around the glass for damping. Use orange tape if you wish 😄

I will keep stirring....
My new SMc amps came with SR Blue fuses.  I could have had Orange but after some discussion it was thought the Blues would be more synergistic (pun intended) with my sonic preferences and the voicing of the amps.  They did have high respect for both the Orange and Blue fuses and said that maybe I should try the Orange sometime.  The amps sound great but I have no idea whether it has anything to do with fuses.

Ok, so other than the conductor and silver-plated end caps, it seems you can get at least some of the benefits of the Verictum X Fuse by using standard sand-filled ceramic fuses, polishing the ends using the felt pads on your Dremel tool, maybe adding a bit of contact enhancer to the ends, and damping the body using a method of your choice.  Same old thing, good contact with the holder and damping of both the internal wire and fuse body.  Oyaide has long espoused the benefits of polishing their power connections, both power cord and outlet blades.  For years, I have suggested using sand-filled, ceramic fuses, improving the connection between fuses and standard u-shaped holders by placing a small orthodontic rubber band around the two prongs after the fuse in in-place, and damping the body with a wrap or two of teflon tape.  Folks who like contact enhancers can go that route, Pro Gold for me after trying others.
I have the SR Blue fuses in my new amps and they sound great but I have no idea if that has anything to do with the fuses and probably won't until it comes time to change a fuse.  Hats off to the  Commercial Technology Group (CTG) for coming up with an apparently worthy competitor to $150-$200 fuses for just under 100 bucks.

Interesting comment below on copper wire used as the fusing element for low amperage (i.e., most audiophile) fuses.  I also find the use of "silver-plated copper" as stated for the X Fuse interesting since it seems the plating thickness and overall thickness of the plated wire would both have to be consistent to maintain fusing within a suitable range of the rated value.
On copper fuse wire:

Copper wire suffers from the drawbacks that it operates at a rather high temperature if a reasonably low fusing factor is desired. There is thus a tendency for the wire to overheat with the result that its cross-sectional area and fusing current are gradually reduced, and premature melting of the wire may occur.