Synergistic Red Fuse ...

I've never actually seen a thread with more shameless product shilling and relatively less product design discussion…I don't mind the name calling as it proves my point about the lack of spine among the clearly insecure who are unable or unwilling to understand simple questions and comments if they get too close to the truth…if I worshipped an inane and unexplainable object I'd likely worry about naysayers, but nothing is sacred to me, except my right to object to obvious commercial hype in a forum. You can put lipstick on knghifi, but he still needs eyeliner.

Perhaps if somebody knows Ted Denny, he could be asked pop in here and explain how he came up with the designs of his fuses and maybe his "transducers."  I assume somebody in here knows this guy as otherwise how would the arrangement to be compensated for pushing these products have come about?  Note to patient readers of this thread…after often asking clearly if ANYBODY knows how or why these things provide the astonishing benefits alleged in this thread, there remains zero actually useful info proffered by the SR product users. Reminder: A fuse is NOT in the signal path, and if working properly only provides its services by melting if need be. Do any talented and successful amp designers swear by the sonic benefits of "special" relatively expensive fuses to the extent that they'd be willing to explain what they actually do? Pass? D'Agostino? Atmasphere? Shindo? Anybody?  My feeling from being around a few of these designers is they don't do magic well…it simply seems lame to them.

I just talked to Ted Denny and he says this stuff really doesn't do anything and no real research was involved other that some marketing ideas.  He says enjoys reaping a pile of money from the "seekers' who are seemingly born every minute, and apologizes to those who have found his products to be useless…he has issued a resounding "meh." 

Shameless, tasteless, astonishing.

Also note you can get a 5 pack of excellent Littelfuses for under 9 bucks including shipping! They really help in bringing cellos out of the mix and then throwing them out into the alley behind the Beacon Theater, providing more coherant blending of timbre and heavy breathing in recordings of any musicians, providing blacker blacks, PRAT (and Whitney),  rounder roundness, more uppity upness, sound staging so realistic you can aurally sense the cigarette butts and ballerina sweat clumps in the dusty corners of the venue, approving nods from others who detect a modicum of sanity from your "special" self, and, if needed, utterly melt into useless tiny glass tubes of blown wire thus saving your audio gear and rendering the Holidays safer. It's a wonderful thing. Under 9 bucks.

I continue to wonder HOW SR fuses do whatever they are claimed to do. I realize that to the SR faithful this question is blasphemy, and to even raise this question often engenders the ire of the Magic Fuse Faithful, but since this question has never been answered, I still wonder. I'm not contacting SR because I'm more interested in what the SR fuse users, or "Fusers," think the answer might be. Massaged electrons? Current being passed along to the circuits with a light coating of sauce? SR claims to zap the fuses with a zillion volts or something, and puts graphene someplace, but I still wonder how they arrived at this technology, and why? Also, why can't they produce a product that conforms to existing standards of use (like my 2 dollar Littlefuse products do) if they're sophisticated enough to manufacture them in the first place?  Note this post doesn't need to be read carefully the first time as geoffkait will repost it in his response. Thanks is advance for the kind and well considered answers to my query.

So, again, my question remains unanswered, although obviously I still think it's relevant and very basic. Most manufacturers of "audiophile" tweak products like gear racks, cables, tube dampers, spiky or rubbery feet, etc., will be happy to explain the whys and wherefores of what the product actually technically does, even if the design theories are a little sketchy or controversial. Fuses not so much, or in the case of SR's fuses, nada. I've tried 'em, they don't do anything sonically at 8 times the price of standard issue fuses, and they're somewhat dangerous. 

Fuses, which by nature (AC current device) cannot be "out of phase," are by nature never out of phase. If a fuse has the potential to utterly mess up the sound of your rig by being installed backwards, there is an alternative universe in play. Also, I hope nobody minds (well, not really) if I pose the questions once again, exactly what does a "special" fuse do? How does it work and why? How do the designers come up with the designs? I personally assume a tiny shoeshine worker is in the fuse capsule, polishing the electrons and sending them along in a specific direction. A nano-worker if you will. Is that about right? 

I should amend my post to note that SR Black fuses are more like 40 times the price of standard fare. Note that geoffkait’s HiFi tuning info post easily fails the logic smell test as it includes the same "directionality" nonsense along with references to "data" with no actual data…5%? Really? It’s amazing that a firm such as HiFi Tuning while selling a product would support such products…who knew? I realize many here feel these things help the mojo of their gear somehow, but the lack of any explanation of WHY they help a power supply improve its function and the downstream components (and apparently all aspects of the listening experience including but not limited to soundstage, cello tone, ear wax reduction, and Jo Mama, as long as break-in time and directionality issues are considered) beyond mere speculation is troubling. Or consumer fraud. In any case the fuse rating issue remains a dangerous thing that even "Fusers" may want to think about, as it was my understanding that UL approval (Or maybe Good Housekeeping?) keeps things safe with pesky electrical failure safety testing on everything from toasters to Pass Labs. I might be wrong about that, but I like my fuses to be the proper value with zero wiggle room ("Fuse blew? Try one rated higher, insurance will rebuild your house after the fire so what’s the big deal?"). Now I can sit back and wait for my big fat promotional check from Littlefuse…oh yeah…uh huh...

I'm considering contacting UL and asking them if a potentially dangerous product such as an unreliably rated fuse falls under their purview, although I may have to wait until Tuesday…I suggest SR fusers unplug their gear until I get this settled…or maybe install some Littlefuse products for the time being. You're welcome.

And still no explanation of WHY "magic" fuses work, other than fan-boy speculation about power supply bottlenecks or fake directionality theories. I assume that if Fusers were given these things for free (like I was) instead of committing hundreds of their Geek Bucks to them thus encouraging a passionate desire for them to work their magic ("I really really think I hear the cellos better…I do…I KNOW I do…now I KNOW I'm a Real Good Listener and will be welcomed as part of the beloved Fuser Faithful."), the perceived (or imagined, often maybe the same thing) results would be like what I found, that these fuses are over promoted consumer fraud. This also assumes the fuses didn't blow immediately (like mine did). Also, if something like a copy of Atmasphere's well reasoned unmasking of the fake science of fuse directionality accompanied the fuses to save the consumer's time and effort by eliminating the "Post 170 Hour Break-in Fuse Flip" ceremony, I bet many less Fusers would buy into that and simply clean the fuse holder. 

You take your chances…although I’ve been ranting seemingly for ages against SR’s overpriced examples of possibly dangerous audio tomfoolery, and have occasionally posed the still unanswered question, "why, and how, were they designed to do whatever they do?", the safety issue (as well as the fuse directionality myth and ridiculous imagined sonic benefit claims, as well as obvious commercial promotion by thin skinned "shill seekers") seems unignorable, which isn’t to say it won’t be ignored. "Damn the torpedoes, I want my tonally accurate cellos!" You can claim until the cows come home (they may never come home by the way) that special shoe laces make you walk better, or cryonically treated valve stem caps make your car corner faster, but logic may prevail when reports come in that the laces come untied causing you to fall over, and the valve stems explode causing you to crash. Hypothetically…or maybe not as regards SR fuses. Details schmeetails!

Uh...right…although it has been claimed by premium fuse Athletic Supporters that the wonders of SR fuses can be realized in even crappy gear. That’s right. The wonderfulness is always there because it’s baked in…"lifted to perceptive improvements unmistakable by even you." Yeah man, EVEN YOU…no not you…but maybe you…although not me. I guess my components aren’t being served by ultra pure conductors except maybe Pierre Boulez, although you can’t really be so sure even about that guy, although conductors are generally directional.

I talked to Nelson Pass about this exact thing and his response was unprintable in this forum (actually it is printable, but saying it's not is more fun). Suffice to say old Nelson doesn't support the insupportable or imagined..sorry mapman, you may never get your wish.

I reported on a thorough test I did of SR fuses a while back, in which I concluded that they did nothing to enhance the sound of my well sorted system, and in fact a couple of them blew as they don't seem to be rated properly. My conclusion was simply that they are a fraudulent and dangerous product to be utterly avoided. The fact that no reasonable explanation from the manufacturers of these things as to why they have any effect on the tonality of audio gear has never been offered is not unexpected, but has been surprisingly ignored by people claiming benefits from the use of these things.  

Oregonpapa, you do seem delusional as I'm absolutely certain that fuses, when working properly, can't and don't provide any sonic improvement, and in the case of SRs poorly designed fuses they can and have provided the act of surprisingly melting, which unfortunately does have audible effects. The manufacturers of these things know this, and also know they can market these insanely profitable faux upgrades by simply claiming they work, regardless of any actual technical support for these claims. There are  plenty of fans of useless audio tweaks who's personal insecurity requires validation from others of their "special listening skills," and I get that. I'm on the front lines of live music as a concert mixer and producer and among that crowd of working professionals there simply isn't room for fantasy among the people who actually make music…well, most of them anyway...but there is room for ear wax removal kits and I've been using that stuff for decades. Highly recommended.

My nice clean ears are working fine, I rarely mix "Rock" shows these days doing mostly jazz, classical, and singer/songwriter stuff, and I doubt oregonpapa has attended those shows so he clearly has no clue what they sound like yet claims he does. For somebody as thin skinned as oregonpapa he sure gets riled up, and maybe shouldn't address questions to me directly since he claims to not care what I say. His impassioned and mocking responses make my point really. If you're secure in your position as shill for SR than the responses possibly should address questions specifically, instead of displaying a paranoid voodoo dance for the tribe. I have never speculated on the sound of any system other than my own, just simply pointed out the silliness of useless tweaks I've mostly tested or experienced myself, and have asked repeatedly if anybody knows why or how Magic Fuses work. Well, how do they work? (there…I asked again).  I understand of course that many claim SR fuses add specific improvements to their systems, and asking how that happens is a reasonable question anywhere but here. Ask it here and risk the wrath of whining strangers who are so invested in SR products that the response to any questioning of the efficacy of the stuff can cause knee jerk, mocking responses from the faithful, and no actual reasoned answers that aren't personal theories. My mind is always open to things that might actually work in audio, but it takes more than a bullying gang mentality to convince me that the magic is science and not snake oil. 

Oy…"there's a seeker born every minute"…Firesign Theater.

This may be off topic, but I was just thinking about how hard it must be for the people who manufacture and sell actual snake oil. 

"I suspect that having thousands of happy customers, you know, real audiophiles, is more of a heavenly thing."

I can only assume that geoffkait is implying that snake oil is fine for thousands of happy "real audiophile" customers, and that is something I actually agree with. I even used his "copy whatever was said before your latest comment" technique…man…I'm turning into geoffkait…where are my bags of magic stones! NURSE!

Your car drives better after you wash it…everybody knows that. Your hifi rig sounds better after you stick expensive fuses in it, or it should sound a LOT better based on the opinions of Real Audiophiles because if it doesn't, you're gonna feel like an idiot. Nobody wants that…you need to feel good about your tweaks because you're smart, you're a sensitive music listener, and darn it, people LIKE you.

If the vibrating fuse and holder alleged "issue" is keeping anyone up at night, just squirt some silicone caulk on it and call it a day. In fact, fill all your gear with silicone caulk…messy, but hey…you can't be too careful when it comes to developing your True Audiophile cred.

Audio grade fuse holders are already in your gear. Remember, it's the fuse holder.

Try this. Leave the listening room and have somebody swap your Special Fuses out (or not) and replace them with un-special fuses like something from Littelfuse or maybe Bob's Discount Fuse House…come back and listen to your rig…do this again a few times to see if you can tell when the fuses are different. I'm assuming the Special Fuses don't lose their "broken in" status when briefly removed (damn…there goes 170 hours!)…note the results. Did cello's feel less cello-like? Did the soundstage seem less soundstagey? I doubt any Fusers are going to do this experiment, but hey…you could claim to do it and fake the results to gain credibility among Real Audiophiles. Win win. Also, paint Jujubes silver and replace the tiny SR "transducer" dot things with them and try this experiment again, although this version may be flawed when it's discovered that painted Jujubes work really well in that role. I just think the damn things stick to my teeth too much.

The reliability of any fuse is something you should ABSOLUTELY be able to count on, as well as trust that the manufacturer of any fuse is sophisticated enough to accurately rate what is essentially (or only) a safety item. If they're not able to at least do that they should get their act together or take the product off the market. Qualms…I got qualms...

Clearly a fuse that blows because it's NOT the manufacturer's specified rating is badly designed, or, more weirdly, improperly rated…would you put an improperly rated fuse in your motorcycle? Would you trust a company that designs and markets that fuse? It likely won't burn down your house, but at 10 times (or so) the cost of one that's rated accurately I'd expect a little more, unless I'd invested over 800 bucks in those fuses…then maybe I'd defend 'em too.

Trigger warning! Fragile egos should look away now.

When an expensive (compared to other, less audiophile specific marketed items) product is promoted and its pricing and return policies are detailed ad nauseum in a PUBLIC FORUM it becomes fair game for criticism even if the promotors don’t want that to happen. Some possibly unpleasant facts for SR fuse fans: The development and design of SR fuses relative to exactly why they work their alleged magic has never been explained by the promoters of these things (or anybody else), however there is agreement even among Fusers that they aren’t rated properly ("go up a few ratings and all is well"…right then...)…fuse ratings are likely a safety priority to any other fuse company, but for SR not so much. Is all this worthy of criticism? Yes it is, and asking to ban critics says more about the financial and emotional "investment" of supporters of SR fuses than any criticism could manage. If people disagree with me I can handle it just fine…fire away!

Cheers!

Direction of current in each fuse holder? This by itself is ridiculous, and "fuse direction" isn't merely a myth, it's irrelevant in the face of even a basic understanding of electric current. "At the risk of alienating anyone I will repeat for the umpty umpth time" that fuses are NOT part of the signal path and have zero…and I mean zero…effect on the signal when performing properly. Zero. If a fuse does have an impact on the signal in any meaningful way, things have somehow gone wrong, and the tiny wire has melted…like it's supposed to.

I do think power cords are important as without them there is no power getting to the gear. Use power cords…they're a good thing.

If indeed I "have this one wrong," then please explain how a safety device (fuses) using a tiny half inch of wire designed to melt provides any sonic benefit. What does it do? Nobody knows the answer to this around here anyway, because there simply isn't one, except "I paid $120 for it so it must do something, and by god I should hear it or I made an expensive mistake." It can't be compared to active components since it's not one…and to note that fuses have meaningful "direction" because they're marked as such is sort of why this thread is so entertaining.

Years ago I was visiting my neighbor, the late Lars Friedel (friend of Stereophile’s Sam Tellig), and the Sun Mook dudes had recently installed a bunch of Mpingo disc things in his sound room (Lars reviewed gear for Euro mags). We both thought the whole thing was pretty strange, and after having them in his system for a while he was certain they were utterly useless. Geoffkait mentions a pile of silly "take it on faith" tweaks that have been deemed useless by many listeners who actually hear as well as anybody, but by simply repeating over and over that something illogical, unproven , and maybe dangerous (improperly rated fuses) that is designed to remove money from the pockets of "naive seekers" provides a path to better sound doesn’t make the tweak actually work. I’ve been delighted to hear differences I didn’t expect from various cables, tubes, active gear of all sorts, and designer recommended setup suggestions, and welcome all of that, but I will continue to question fraudulent imaginary nonsensical products as insulting to the professional designers who do the actual good work , and who don’t need to compromise their integrity with inexplicable pseudo tweaks to make a buck.

Oregonpapa, continuing to promote these things with silly nonsense is like continuing to try to ride a dead horse…read my second line…or not, but I’ll try to word things more carefully in the future so you can get the drift. Also, asking how an aggressively marketed and hyped relatively expensive tweak works is a pretty simple and utterly appropriate question, especially amid claims that the tweak does a lot to improve the sound of your rig. It only seems like a weird question when there apparently isn’t an answer available from people who use them, or the companies that sell useless faux technology. If a fuse can have the power to make a system sound "out of phase," there’s something mysteriously wrong with that fuse (the nano electron polishers are on a lunch break maybe?) as I doubt anybody has had that happen with standard issue fuses. I know what "out of phase" sounds like as I rig mics professionally, wire up things, etc., but to have a system "seem" out of phase from a fuse seems incredible. I realize all faith based illogical things have that "incredible" element so it’s not surprising to see this as part of the Magic Fuser’s world, neither is the act by True Believers of responding to a simple question by both defending nonsensical statements and substituting ridicule for answers when questioned.

Question…We know that many claim these fuses do something to improve things in their gear, but how do they do whatever it is they do? Facts please. Thanks in advance.

I don't "continue doubting" as I did a comprehensive test after doubting, and verified what I suspected: Fuses don't, and should not, do anything but pass AC through them (in both directions which is what AC does) and melt if needed when  designed properly (properly in this case means rated to a standard, which SR fuses seemingly are not). If you think you hear any sonic improvements from 'em, it's imagined or from something else, although for many it seems "imagined" is clearly enough.

The Tice Clock was the re-marketing and consequent up-pricing of an inexpensive Radio Shack electric alarm clock that was somehow treated by Tice to allow it to have a positive effect on the circuits in the room in which it was plugged in, thus allegedly making your hifi rig work better. An amazingly and somewhat sadly worthless bit of legendary audio nonsense, thoroughly discredited and kicked to the curb of hifi history. The story of the controversy around that thing stands as an example of how a hyped pseudo tweak can impact the audiophile world in the best and worst ways. That episode was fun to watch.

Uhealthy relationship? Exposing fraud in audio tweakdom is a rewarding enterprise that can fill one with a feeling of righteousness and the warm glow one can only acquire from helping the misguided to avoid spending their hard earned tweak bucks on silliness (should there have been a comma in that sentence?). Way cheaper than therapy (or so I'm told). I refuse to accept imagined results because I can, and as long as people continue to make exaggerated claims of the wonders of a half inch piece of "special" wire, I'll jump in and have some fun with them. You, nyname, should welcome my posts as a bit of light in the darkness of faith based conformity and peer pressure from overly excited or thin skinned believers…you're welcome.

Nyname…my thoughts on SR fuses are pretty clear, so feel free to read my previous posts, and indeed, I clearly wish I was oregonpapa due to the sad little life I lead in quiet (or noisy at times) desperation. I mean really…that's simply obvious. However, I don't wish for the closure of this thread because that would deprive me of a regular  opportunity to continue my ranting against what I view as a silly overprice pseudo tweak. Why would anybody want that? I utilize plenty of tweaks that I find useful, use good cables, etc., so I'm not a complete luddite (or philistine…or something), but the promotion of a nonsensical, inexplicable, expensive and utterly useless fuse "upgrade" will garner my ire as long as this thread continues. If you're secure in your faith in SR fuses, you shouldn't mind my criticism, but the energy spent criticizing me could possibly be better utilized by simply answering my often asked question: What the heck do these fuses actually do to the electrons they encounter that less precious fuses don't? Sorry that this question is so upsetting, but hey…that's on you. Oregonpapa…you may not be an actual employee of SR, but it sure seemed like you could be, and my view on that has softened somewhat…I hope you find that comforting. My listening preferences are saved for other threads as this is my regular anti pseudo tweak exercise that I relish…and what shouldn't I? (note…that was a rhetorical question).

Oregonpapa…I have no need to ramble on about my music preferences in this forum as that is simply tedious and really none of anyone's concern, although I do enjoy direct to disc recordings of Norwegian Mumblecore Death Folk at 78 RPM, and the recording of the dust left on paper in the 1840s by that French guy. I again simply state that I've been into high end audio to varying degrees since the mid 1960s, have been a successful working musician, and currently mix live concerts regularly with musicians as diverse as the Baltimore Consort, Anat Cohen, Julian Lage, Jeremy Pelt, Richie Havens (still dead, but an absolute fave and sweet guy), and many many others. This doesn't make me more of an expert on hifi gear, but it boosts my fragile ego to mention theses things. Also I want to be paid by Jolida but they seem to be oblivious to my promotion of them…damn…wake up Jolida! I agree with shadorne and george (mondo rational) hifi…if a simple fuse makes any difference in your gear there's A. Something wrong with your gear, or B. You have a ripe imagination and/or perhaps a loose fuse connection (as mentioned previously by Atmasphere with the informed  eloquence we've come to expect from that guy, who I now want to get a preamp from after he shamed me into wanting a tube front end).

I've had fuses in gear that remained unmolested for decades and simply nothing degraded…example…a 1961 Fender Bandmaster guitar amp that I abused for 25 years, and an even earlier Deluxe…fuse? Shcmuze! If there was degradation it didn't seem to have any effect on the sound of those amps, but there was no reason to check…imagine how well they would have worked with new Littlefuses! Or maybe they would have lost some of their charm…hmm...Nyname is incorrect as it's doubtful I'll ever become a better person (simply too late), but, again, regardless of the belief that the electrons zipping to and fro in the Magic Fuses touted around here will somehow infect the adjoining gear bits with Better Soundstaging, it simply defies logic that those "happier" electrons are gonna do squat. Vibration, EFI/RMI, etc., are likely utterly irrelevant as regards hair thin fuse wire, but are very important to those who market to the ones concerned about that. The elitist argument of "my rig and ears are simply better than yours" is generally wheeled out in times of desperation when a clearer explanation of what is actually happening is unavailable. Maybe just clean your fuse holders and get back to me.

Wait…I think this thread is every bit as bad as cable forums…take that back!

Nyame…without my "unwanted" posts this thread might spiral out of control in a maelstrom of mindless agreement…although Atmasphere and Georgehifi and a few (enlightened) others do have my back it would seem (not in a creepy way), being a "mean spirited bitter old man" works for me. And thanks for the hopeful and compassionate thoughts…that means a lot...*sniff*...

Geoffkait…you don’t actually use fuses in your gear, correct? And Jond…the politeness and courtesy extended to me as a "worthy audio professional" (live concert sound mixer…"I get paid for this?") is nothing if not appreciated. 

I'll remind people here that I'm not a mere "troll," I'm a troll that did a comprehensive test of SR fuses to put my "money where my claims are" so to speak (write), and although I don't care at all how other people spend their audio bucks I do get riled up when I feel nonsense is touted as fact. In all things. I still bristle at the "30 day return policy" that is obviated somewhat by the "170 hour burn in and possibly reverse direction if no positive results occur" deal as a weirdly desperate sales hype ("please people...I just want others to blow their cash like I did"), and am absolutely in agreement with anyone recommending Littelfuse products as something that is all you need. Doesn't everyone feel better now? 

Is the circuit breaker imbued with cryoed molecules, voltage bombarding "tesla" treatment, or any other soundstage and cello enhancing mojo? If not, why is it better than a fuse? Why is any fuse (that is working properly and in the "proper" direction with perhaps a sweet, fruity filling) better than any other fuse that's working properly? It seems that a circuit breaker would be prone to untreatable contact degradation, or at least harassment from the other, more delicate components in the amp (these components DO talk to each other by the way…it's measurable). I need answers.

Showing your son these posts would be a form of child abuse if he was a bit younger, but the possible damage to his psyche seems cruel even at this age. B&B…bed and breakfast or Benedictine and Brandy? And who IS Brandy and why is she still here? I digress…I do wonder if jmcgrogan2 is serious...hard science indeed, if by "hard" he means inexplicable. I was thinking (!) recently about the vibration that might reach my fuses…my speakers are well in front of the gear rack, rarely particularly loud enough to vibrate the fuses, and I think vibration is sort of everywhere anyway…so I hereby declare that fuse vibration is a non issue, which should free up the time some waste with obsessive gear vibration remedies. Again, this declaration is meant to make the world a better place as, clearly, I’m a giver.

There's nothing "negative" about exposing the silliness of some tweaks…it's more like a clear and clarifying wind of truth that gently blows the smoke of mysticism out of the minds of fools to help them see clearly…or something. 

Oregonpapa…are you implying that people disagreeing with what they feel are ridiculous claims by audio mythologists are likely to be involved in domestic violence?...it looks like you are, and the lack of mirth among the proponents of overpriced pseudo tweaks remains disconcerting. My previous post was supposed to be humorous, but substantial chips seem to remain on the shoulders of the Faithful who still can't explain why Magic Fuses work, so stretching out there to condemn objectors seems rational among the irrational... Again, there's nothing "negative" about reasonable objections, it's generally simply expressing a point of view based on experience and I'm happy to explain that to anybody.   

More noble sound? What the heck is that? Sweeter treble? Lower and more saturated bass? Unlikely, or more to the point, likely having zero to do with the fuse, but if these things did occur I want to know WHY the fuse made this possible. I'm reminding my fellow posters to consider the fact that a fuse is NOT an "active" component…it's a fuse…allowing electrons to pass to and fro until it melts due to an otherwise unforeseen emergency. Asking this "why" question is bullying only to the extremely insecure or those who've invested themselves emotionally (and financially) in this nonsense, and again, there's nothing negative involved is posing the question. Incidently, this STILL remains unanswered, which should be at least of some interest to anyone considering buying any expensive but relatively suspicious tweak. I hope this gentle and considerate post doesn't push anybody into emotional overload.

When Almarg notes he's influenced by the opinions sited here, I think, hey, this isn't the "magic fuses don't do anything" crowd, it's the "I have sensitive ears and spent the money on special fuses and think they work" forum.  Biased? Who knew? I also don't think people here read his posts carefully enough as much of his valid sensibilities that inject technological expertise into the stream are glossed over since he's not a reactionary provocateur like I seem to be. I'd bet my lunch money that blind testing, the silver bullet to mythology vampires, would reveal a lot as far as the Fuser vs Magic Tweak Deniers conversations go. That said:

If a fuse is working properly it doesn’t or can’t have any effect on the sonics of the device. If it’s not working for some reason (manufactured on a Wednesday, utilizing unfortunately moldy beeswax, being disconnected early from a Tesla zillion volt treatment due to a lunch break), I imagine it’s the fuse connection that’s causing the electrons to be bruising their tiny selves by trying to squeeze through ("Imagine" is the key concept in these discussions). Fuses aren’t inherently a "weak" link as even the copper bar analogy (or apparent test) simply implies that the AC gets through to power supplies and other bits to do exactly what it would do anyway. I ain't fallin' for the "obviously better" part, but then I'm afraid to remove my fuses to try it out…don't wanna blow my "class d" rookie system up. This may not make sense to some, but remember, it comes from somebody who doesn’t know what "sweet" treble is…higher calorie? Less squeaky? Old reed on the sax? Old strings on the Telecaster? I can learn much from geoffkait…maybe I should order a bag of magic pebbles. On another note, I'm recommending a recording that sounds Real Good…Jim Campilongo's "Jim Campilongo and Honeyfingers Last Night This Morning." Got it from Jim when I worked with him recently and was blown away at the sonics (and the music) from this 180 gram vinyl version…it has sweet treble…I think...

Fuses are exactly the right size to do what they're supposed to do, work perfectly at this in zillions of applications, and "Special Fuses" are the same size as non special fuses, except SRs maybe since they might contain smaller wire that sometimes mysteriously blows.