What is the science behind audiophile fuses?


There were many threads on the topic of "audiophile fuses" on this forum, and I sure don't want to open old wounds and trench warfare. The fuse on my preamp blew suddenly two days ago, which prompted me to search for a replacement. That's when I came across the term "audiophile fuse" and the fact that they demand far-out prices. Deeper curiosity brought me to several other fora, where users posted glowing praises about their Zero fuses and other exotica. Now I am a scientist, but not a physicist or electrical engineer: so please enlighten me! How can a fuse have an audible influence on the signal, when the signal does not even pass through it? How can a fuse be "directional" when it deals with alternate current? I mean, if I recall my university physics, a fuse is basically a safety valve and nothing more. Am I completely missing an important point here? My scientific field is drug discovery, and because of this background I am thoroughly familiar with the power and reality of the placebo effect. I that's what I am seeing here, or is it real physics? I need objective facts and not opinions, please. I really appreciate your help!

 
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Showing 1 response by asctim

I don’t know how to make a good sounding fuse, but I have discovered that a cracked fuse holder can make most any fuse sound bad.

If a system is intended to be used at a level well below its capabilities to deal with current, then it makes building the fuse easier, it would seem. The fuse can be set to pop at a much, much higher current level than any normal listening session would produce. So the fuses internal resistance and any audible compression effects from the fuse beginning to heat can be minimized. I used to have some piezo compression drivers that had little light bulbs in them that acted as fuses of sorts. Instead of blowing, they would take to glowing, which would effectively compress the output to the tweeter. This is fine for a PA system but probably not acceptable to most HiFi enthusiasts.