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!
Apparently: you've overlooked the fact that the OP didn't change the question*, from 'HOW' to 'WHAT', until the second page (08-22-2022).
I've very seldom tried to present definitive answers to anything, when it comes to our cables, fuses, interconnects, lifters, but: there exists a plethora of possibilities, presented by the experimentation, theories and developments in the sciences/fields of QED, Physics and electromagnetism.
* My original question should have been more focused perhaps: "Can anyone in this esteemed forum share experiences - good or bad - with so-called audiophile fuses?"
I don’t know the deep darkest secrets of quantum mechanics and how that effects the covalent bonds of the alloys that make up my car. I am not even sure that is a totally logical statement. I expect the engineers that designed it don’t either. I am quite certain that my capable mechanic knows even less. Whether I or they have this knowledge has no effect on the 0-60 time. Whether I or they have this knowledge will have no effect on measuring the 0-60 time. If I drop a heavy lead ball, it will fall to the ground in a very predictable manner, that I could calculate to a high accuracy if I knew the local gravity coefficient. Well to be honest, I couldn’t calculate it, but I am sure there are others who could. I don’t keep up on the latest research on gravity, but the last time I checked, we didn’t know how gravity works. Imagine that, not knowing how gravity works, but being able to calculate its effects to high precision. Heck I go through my day doing a great number of things correctly without knowing exactly how some things work. No problem though because I know the what. If I do this, I know what will happen. The how is inconsequential. The consequential is what. When someone can take all that how and turn it into a what that matters, I am all ears, literally and figuratively. @reimarc question is looking for a what. All the potential hows in the world don’t make a single what.
@reimarc, I don't know the answer to your question. I don't even know if there is an answer to your question. After reading 80 replies I do know you will not find the answer here.
Another suburban family morning Grandmother screaming at the wall We have to shout above the din of our Rice Krispies
We can’t hear anything at all Mother chants her litany of boredom and frustration But we know all her suicides are fake
Threads like this are why I don’t post much on audio forums. They are all the same. The person screaming the loudest is invariably the one with the least knowledge. Words, lots of words. Never shall a salient point be made. A discussion requires addressing specific points and bringing up new salient points. I guess when you only have one tool in your belt, you will use it all the time whether it works or not.
Here is a picture of a very cute kitten. It is as relevant to this discussion as most of the links posted. However, it has the advantage that it may make some people smile and it will induce calm.
@macg19....Ah, but trench warfare is So back in fashion...
...and opening old wounds does allow for the search of infection,and its' byproduct..
Rot. ; )
Objective facts just spoil the mysticism of audioligion....the worship of the bottles filled with fire, the magical wires that lash the boxes of the faithful to the oracles that speak the volumes of the desire to be transported to the isles of Elsewhere.
The 'How' is trampled by the 'Ends'....the 'Means'?
Once again, as so many times before....subject to the Needs....*sigh*
Easily ignored...cost be damned, brushed aside, don't logic me, 'peasant'..
Accompanied by "....if you only knew the Truth, your idylls would fall like the ash of
and I sure don’t want to open old wounds and trench warfare.
Then don’t question audiophile ________:)
I need objective facts and not opinions, please.
Wrong forum. Objective facts are tough to come by, because so many questions (and responses) are related to the subjective perception of sound quality.
So, as a scientist, after wading through this thread, I’m curious what your conclusion is, anecdotally of course:)
ie: Inescapable FACT: No one understands exactly how electricity works.
That’s why there’s so much Electrical THEORY.
The number of Wiki-Scientists on these pages, attempting to win the IG-Nobel Prize in Pseudo-Physics, is always amusing.
Whenever some highly educated person actually does discover exactly how electricity functions, they’ll be lauded by the scientific community, will have solved some of the disparities between Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, receive a Nobel and we’ll hear about it.
Newton’s THEORIES were largely superseded by Einstein and Bohr's. Then came Feynman’s. For now; none of you can absolutely prove your statements (theories), regarding electricity, FUSES, wires, or anything else, as regards our systems.
The following articles, read in sequence, illustrate my point:
My original question should have been more focused perhaps: "Can anyone in this esteemed forum share experiences - good or bad - with so-called audiophile fuses?" Formulating my question in this way should exclude theorizing on either side of the opinion-spectrum, namely dogma without supporting or damaging evidence. And to satisfy this demand, we do not even have to resort to Einstein or Maxwell, or Lord Kelvin with his infamous statement about human flight. No, we just have to sit down and listen: do we enjoy what we hear? Do we enjoy it more after exchanging one fuse for another? Do we perhaps hear new things in a familiar recording? It's really simple, actually, and quite down-to-earth. But it requires ear-wax removal - in the literal and metaphorical sense - to lead to accurate and valid and reproducible results. That's the only information I was after when posting my original question. Only AFTER we have the data from these experiences - hopefully with more users having similar experiences (moving towards statistical relevance here), should we begin to make sense of our observations, and perhaps even formulate a new hypothesis trying to explain what we observed that cannot be accurately explained by existing theories. That's how science works, not the other way around.
Why didn't you say so?
If you're looking for a survey regarding whether others have found them efficacious: I'm certainly not alone in my experience and enjoyment of improved fuse technology.
It's only logical; if audiophile fuses didn't serve to improve the presentation of more than just a few folks' systems, there would be no supply and/or demand, AT ALL.
Personally: my experience began with the Hi-Fi tuning Gold, which was the least expensive and easiest to obtain, installed in the Mains and B+ protection of my Cary tubed monoblocks. The improvement was obvious, with a marked difference in what I term "organics" (more real/less electronic, across the board).
Next were their Supreme fuses, with which I found even more openness, naturalness and texture of presentation.
Those last were experimented with, next to a pair of Synergistic Research SR20 fuses, only in the amps' B+, which I thought imparted an unnatural effect on my system's high freqs. Back to the Supremes and relaxation.
Last time a power tube went South and took out a B+ fuse, rather than wait to enjoy my sounds: I reinstalled an SR20 in that amp and found it to excel in presentation, over the other (RT to LT). However: by then my main speakers had morphed from Magnepans to a pair with coincident horn tweeters. A happy combination/variable. In went the other SR20 and: they've remained
I've always simply been certain to install all fuses in the same direction (according to labeling). So: never having experimented with swapping them, I have no experience to discuss.
I do have science to explain WHY such MAY make an audible difference, which will follow.
Were I not familiar with the theories, hypotheses and experimentation, that's gone on for so many decades before and since my years of higher education; I might never have tried a more expensive fuse.
That's just my experience with the fuses in my Main amp. There's been much more, in every other of the system's components, which have all had power supply modifications/upgrades (ie: faster/quieter rectifiers, capacitors, etc), before and after fuse swaps.
It's been my experience, the better the rest of the power supply: the more obvious the fuse's contribution to sound.
There is actually a reliability difference in fuse TYPES. ATO fuses are more reliable than 3AB or 3AG. Yes, in my days doing failure analysis, I found termination issues in 3AG fuses. There is a tiny tiny inductance with some cartridge fuses. Sonically? I think that was covered. 🤣
Some "Madison Ave. Engineers" suggest breakers sound better. Hmmm, resistive bimetallic, small point contacts, inductor and magnet? Not sure I would bet on that.
Jan Didden has a lot to say on fuses and protection circuits. Cordell and Self a little. Like everything, you have to pick tradeoffs. There is no perfect answer. Fuses may protect your speaker, but I can verify first hand, they so not protect MOSFET outputs! They do not protect for instability. They do not protect against over-heating. They do not protect for DC leakage or bias inaccuracies. My take away is you should use a fuse or breaker in your mains line where it has zero sonic effect and go to more advanced parameter monitoring for everything else.
Being so familiar with the LHC: you should also realize that the goal of it's use by the planet's best Physicists, is to determine (HOPEFULLY/one day) to determine what makes up the 95-96% of the universe, that the best in the world can't explain and how it all works.
They and it utilize " the same basic electricity and electro-engineering principles, all the way to superconductivity. " because that's the best they've got, to try to answer the questions how it all works.
As I've repeated constantly in these threads: For centuries; humanity’s seen, heard, felt and otherwise witnessed phenomena, that none of the best minds could explain, UNTIL they developed a science or measurement, that could explain it.
Anyone with a background in any of the natural sciences should be aware of those facts.
And the Cargo Cult wants definitive reasons for a fuse to make an audible improvement?
How can a fuse have an audible influence on the signal, when the signal does not even pass through it?
I don’t believe that a fuse does have an audible influence on an audio signal, for the reasons presented in my previous post, among others.
How can a fuse be "directional" when it deals with alternate current?
I don’t believe that an input fuse subject to alternating current would display any different properties or sonic signature regardless of which way it is oriented. While electric current flows from higher electric potential to lower electric potential, in the case of alternating current, the flow of electrons is bidirectional, i.e. electrons flow in both forward and backward direction.
In case of direct current, flow of electrons takes place in only the forward direction so the flow of electrons is unidirectional. Therefore, if there were directional differences in fuses, they would likely only show up when used in a direct current application, IMO.
@reimarcalso asked about our experiences. Although I hear differences in a variety of different equipment, all speakers, and, to a lesser extent, cables, I have yet to hear what I consider a meaningful sonic difference between fuses after trying many including SR, Furutech, ACME, several from HiFi Tuning, and others.
Also, I have yet to read a comprehensive explanation of how a power line fuse should change the sound of an audio component given that regardless of the materials used, it’s job is to pass current up to a given amperage to a power supply consisting of a variety of other parts. I have also never read about any listening tests where the listener reliably identified different fuses without knowing which they were listening to.
Finally, you asked for opinions and I gave you mine. My system is posted (but not quite up-to-date) so you can see the gear I am using to develop my opinions. I do not care what others here believe or how they spend their money, so for those here like @rodman99999who want to turn this into a contest or dispute of one side against another, I simply don’t care.
65 plus responses and nobody really tried to answer @reimarc’s questions. Not only can I not answer, but unless you improve the .10 cent fuse holder and the wires running to it, what’s the point?
I had to jump in once more: mitch2 made a note-worthy comment about the role of capacitors in an amp or pre. They are there to satisfy demand for peak power in highly dynamic musical passages. The quicker they respond the better - and the more they cost: here, high cost directly translates into audio quality.
Many contributions seem to try relativizing the role of what they call "science" in assessing effects of audiophile fuses, going so far as to claim we don't even understand the "true" nature of electricity. Well, as far as every-day electricity is concerned, I think Maxwell gave us everything we need to make accurate predictions (which is what science is about). Yes, on the quantum level we might still be in the modeling phase, but that degree of granularity bears most probably no influence on the audio experience. I mean, even the LHC in Geneva uses the same basic electricity and electro-engineering principles, all the way to superconductivity. Now, room-temperature superconductivity might indeed breed a new and better generation of audio equipment, but just not yet. And no, I won't be using liquid Helium anytime soon to fire up my audio gear. As for all matters in life the same tenet holds for scientific claims: extraordinary claims warrant extraordinary evidence! The audiophile experience should not be a religion, lest we fall into the trap of "believe" vs. "evidence". My original question should have been more focused perhaps: "Can anyone in this esteemed forum share experiences - good or bad - with so-called audiophile fuses?" Formulating my question in this way should exclude theorizing on either side of the opinion-spectrum, namely dogma without supporting or damaging evidence. And to satisfy this demand, we do not even have to resort to Einstein or Maxwell, or Lord Kelvin with his infamous statement about human flight. No, we just have to sit down and listen: do we enjoy what we hear? Do we enjoy it more after exchanging one fuse for another? Do we perhaps hear new things in a familiar recording? It's really simple, actually, and quite down-to-earth. But it requires ear-wax removal - in the literal and metaphorical sense - to lead to accurate and valid and reproducible results. That's the only information I was after when posting my original question. Only AFTER we have the data from these experiences - hopefully with more users having similar experiences (moving towards statistical relevance here), should we begin to make sense of our observations, and perhaps even formulate a new hypothesis trying to explain what we observed that cannot be accurately explained by existing theories. That's how science works, not the other way around.
I have no opinion on whether they work because I have not done any serious listening to various fuses. But the current high end fuse that costs $600 makes no sense because, at that price one is probably better off bypassing the fuse. It is crazy to be in a situation where you would be saying something like: "Thank god the power transformer blew fast enough to preserve the fuse."
The adherents of the Naysayer Church will never accept that there exists a multitude of variables, when an accurate simulacrum of performers and their performance in a particular venue, is the desire/goal.
If their result differs from that of others, the aspects that they can't discern CERTAINLY MUST BE the product of the others' imagination (OR, "snake oil).
Of this they are certain: it CAN'T be THEIR system, room, or ears!
I’ve seen so many threads, not this one, where an expensive power cord manufacturer claims are declared snake oil because it measures the same as the PC obtained from Amazon. People forget that “science” is not a static thing and with time, our understanding of the ‘science’ changes. So, like the op, I tend to trust my ears, but will admit to the possibility of bias. The only thing that I know for sure is that when you hear a politician claiming something is “settled science”, it is time to find more tax shelters.
... If "magic" fuses actually did what they claim, everybody get on board with 'em....they don't and we're not ...
If your "magic" fuses don't do what's claimed, that's snake oil! Fraud! Now, thanks to the work of Tuttle, et al., the template has been created for you to profit enormously from your wisdom while also serving your fellow audiophile. Here ya' go:
Cleeds...I have extensive personal experience with fuses, including testing a pile of Synergistic Research fuses a few years ago...they were useless and risky (inaccurate current ratings) junk then, and still are silly and expensive nonsense. Quantum my a**. Call Nelson Pass or Dennis Had to discuss it further. If "magic" fuses actually did what they claim, everybody get on board with 'em....they don't and we're not.
Doesn’t the power supply include capacitors that store electrical power used by the device, including the capability to supply power for peak demands? Shouldn’t the power supply be designed so that the current draw through the fuse should never exceed the rated value under normal use? Otherwise, it would seem the power supply is under designed. I believe some may be putting too much emphasis on the role of the fuse in the power supply chain. Obviously, it is essential but, as long as it works properly, perhaps not a direct influence on the sonic end result?
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.
@reimarcThe power supply doesn’t merely allow proper operation, it is that which is the source of the actual music. Simply put, the amplifier circuitry modulates the flow of that power through the speakers. Ceteris paribus, the better the power supply, the better the sound.
not the signal circuit itself but the part that supplies the power for proper operation.
@carlsbad2...when you mentioned 'slug', 1st thought 'metal bar, low gauge copper'; 2nd, a diy from an earlier 'confounded fused flail' that 'appeared' (not sounded, yet) worth spending less time on than you do...
But I applaud your efforts to fab and take a Good Slug @ it... aesthetics do count even for a lowly slug... ; ) 👍
3urd was 'homeless snail', soon to be ' budget escargot' ='d *bleah*🙄
@reimarc....If 'lectric exotic at the super bunting autopsychoic sounds like fun:
@tksteingraberrealize that the fuse replacement is just a short piece of conductor adjacent to the power cable. I don't think you'll ever hear a significant effect fro different coppers on such a short piece of conductor, just so it is heavy (not thinwalled tube). Now often the fuse holder is not great--it can't be soft copper or it will relax and not clamp the fuse. Often they are .....clears throat....whispers....steel. so a good fuse holder would be where to focus your interest.
That said, I'm as audiophile geek as anybody so I buy high conductivity copper 5mm bar from McMaster car, cut it into fuse lengths on my lathe, and polish with scotchbrite. I'll be glad to send you one if you want one.
If your ears and system could determine/resolve the difference in presentation, between the mentioned XLRs; I'll bet that you'd appreciate what better fuses provide.
As I mentioned: some come with a 30 day, satisfaction guarantee.
Were you to feel them not worth the $$, you'd lose nothing but the time and postage expended, to return them/it.
As an inquisitive scientist, isn't your interest piqued (that much)?
If there's a Hi-Fi Tuning Gold fuse that fits your amp: $49.95* is all it would cost to sate any curiosity.
as scientists we always stay on the shoulders of giants (Feynman citation, I believe)
This predates Feynman by quite a few years. From Wikipedia:
[The] metaphor of dwarfsstanding on the shoulders of giants(Latin: nanos gigantum humeris insidentes) … expresses the meaning of "discovering truth by building on previous discoveries".[2]This concept has been dated to the 12th century and, according to John of Salisbury, is attributed to Bernard of Chartres. But its most familiar and popular expression occurs in a 1675 letter by Isaac Newton: "if I have seen further [than others], it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Thanks to everyone and your at times spirited responses. And no, I am not a "puppy seal" asking apparently innocuous questions only to stir up the pot. I am a scientist and a curious one at that. I learned that a fuse is indeed part of the circuit, in series, not in parallel: not the signal circuit itself but the part that supplies the power for proper operation. I also learned that the fuse-material itself (alloy, etc.) shares the characteristics of a resistor, one that "blows" when too much current flows through it. As such, it would make sense, that in a highly dynamic amplifier setting, for split-seconds a sub-optimal level of current would be available to amplify the signal in true fidelity. In so far, the use of materials that have less resistance and yet still fulfill their safety-valve function would make sense - at least theoretically. But what about audio practice? Will one actually HEAR the difference? Or let me re-phrase: will someone with average ears (in my case age-relatedly compromised) and a sub $50K system with enjoyable but probably not stellar performance hear such a difference?
Yesterday I went to the annual "Exotics on Broadway" exhibition in Seaside, part of the world-famous Monterey Car Weekend. Exotic supercars and so-called hyper-cars, some of them costing multiple millions of Dollars, are on public display there for everyone to admire and talk to the developers/dealers for free. If you are into state-of-the-art automotive "art", that’s a place not to miss. I do love looking at these cars, I admit. But driving one? My Tesla S leaves still many of them in the rear mirror, and doing so without the ear-splitting noise of a 1,500 horsepower engine. The same goes for my stereo set-up: I tremendously enjoy what I got in terms of delivering listening joy every night - with Bussmann fuses, mind you. But I also know, that certain tweaks can indeed make a noticeable difference: I recently replaced my Mogami XLR ICs with all-silver, shielded ones from Taiwan, and yes: even I with my compromised hearing could immediately hear the difference; and no: no confirmation bias here, which I thoroughly understand on a professional level, and in any case, the new ICs were rather affordable. So, would I be able to hear such a difference by replacing my Home-Depot fuse (which came standard with my all-tube preamp)? Perhaps, but I don’t really think so; also, because exotic fuses - if they have their audio reason to exist - would probably exerting their "magic" in an amp rather than in a pre - and probably in a much more sensitive, i.e. costly, one, than the ones I use. But that I don’t really know. What I do know, however, that as scientists we always stay on the shoulders of giants (Feynman citation, I believe), and yes, a fundamental characteristic of good science is not to be dogmatic (we do not "believe" in science), but critical nevertheless. Let the data speak. In my case, the "data" are being delivered to my analytical brain through my ears, and not through a sophisticated measuring device, which might indeed pick up differences from audiophile fuses, albeit - at least in my case- inaudible ones. So be it: I "measure" performance along the coordinates of enjoyment and cost, like - I am sure - do many of you. And with the data at hand, and your delightful and sometimes informative comments, I will probably abstain of paying hundreds of $$ for a tweak that I might not be able to hear with the gear, and ears, I got. Again, thanks to all!
"Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." (Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse , 1872)
"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon," (Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873)
"The super computer is technologically impossible. It would take all of the water that flows over Niagara Falls to cool the heat generated by the number of vacuum tubes required." (Professor of Electrical Engineering, New York University)
"There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom." (Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923)
"Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances." (Dr. Lee DeForest, Father of Radio & Grandfather of Television)
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible!" (Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895)
"The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives." (Admiral William Leahy, re: US Atomic Bomb Project)
When the steam locomotive came on the scene; the best (scientific) minds proclaimed, "The human body cannot survive speeds in excess of 35MPH."
Until recently (21st Century); and the advent of the relatively new science of Fluid Dynamics, the best (scientific) minds involved in Aerodynamics, could not fathom how a bumblebee stays aloft.
Often; Science has to catch up with the facts/phenomena of Nature and/or, "reality" (our universe).
I haven't been in school since the 60's, but- at Case Institute of Technology; the Physics Prof always emphasized what we were studying was, "Electrical THEORY." He strongly made a point of the fact that no one had yet actually observed electrons (how they behave on the quantum level) and that only some things can really be called, "LAWS." (ie: Ohm, Kirchoff, Faraday)
PERHAPS: that's changed in recent years and I missed it?
No one can tell you whether/how your system, room and/or ears will respond to some new addition. There are simply too many variables.
LIKEWISE: no one can possibly know whether a new addition (ie: some kind of disc, crystal, fuse, interconnect, speaker cable, etc) will make a difference, in their system and room, with their media and to their ears, without trying them for themselves.
Some companies offer a 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee, so- those that are actually interested, have absolutely nothing to lose, by trying (experimenting with) such.
Anyone that knows anything about the sciences, realizes that something like 96% of what makes up this universe, remains a mystery.
For centuries; humanity’s seen, heard, felt and otherwise witnessed phenomena, that none of the best minds could explain, UNTIL they developed a science or measurement, that could explain it.
The Naysayer Church wants you to trust their antiquated science (1800’s electrical theory) and faith-based, religious doctrine, BLINDLY ("Trust ME!").
Theories have never proven or disproven anything. It’s INVARIABLY testing and experimentation that proves or disproves theories/hypotheses.
IF you’re interested in the possibility of improving your system’s presentation, have a shred of confidence in your capacity for perceiving reality and trust your own senses: actually TRY whatever whets your aural appetite, FOR YOURSELF.
Audiophile fuses are generally supported by those who spent a pile on them and are wallowing in expectation bias. Magic Fuses have never gained acceptance by the vast majority of audiophiles and certainly not gear manufacturers as there is simply no need to use them when companies like Litttelfuse and others make great fuses that work properly. Fuses are simply tiny wires designed to protect your gear and are not part of the signal chain...period. However, if an expensive item that has no impact on the sound of your system makes you feel better I suppose that has some value.
Visiting Chuck Miller's Millercarbon room at PAF gave me the opportunity to check in on Townshend Audio, a quirky British manufacturer of audio gear best known for its well-engineered and very effective isolation products.
Not entirely clear whether MC had a room with his personal kit that happens to use Townshend products, or whether his was actually a room representing Townshend.
It seems Townshend would want to have a say in the gear used to display their products since the resulting SQ would represent the brand - maybe they did?
BTW, back to fuses, I have done the Teflon tape thing, and also used small orthodontic rubber bands across the tops of the fuse holder tynes to insure a secure connection, after first treating the end caps with a conductive material (i.e., ProGold, etc.).
Fuses have to heat up and blow to protect the downstream equipment. So they have to have a significant resistance (to heat up) and as current goes up, they heat up, resistance goes up (a property of all metals) and they heat more and blow. This isn't a problem for electric motors or household equipment. but a high end amplifier can have dynamic changes in power requirements over a very short time which can be limited by the fuse. If this happens to your air conditioner, it will still cool. If it happens to your amp, it will still make music, it just won't be as dynamic. Bass will suffer as well.
An audiophile fuse supposedly has less resistance and limits current less. I have never bought one and don't plan to.
I replace fuses with slugs. an overcurrent situation in an amp is very unlikely and when it does happen it is usually caused by user error. There is a very audible difference in most amps replacing the mains fuse. This is especially true of tube amps. Also if your amp has fuses on the rectifiers they should be replaced.
No your amp won't burst into glorious flames but if you can't get this image out of your head, keep your fuses.
I have tested the Swiss Digital Fuse Box that replaces the fuse with a magnetic current sensor and a relay, thus there are no heated components in the power circuit. My opinion of this piece was that it was better than any fuse but not quite as good as a slug. It is also cheaper than an audiophile fuse.
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