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Higher amperage fuse for sound quality

I apologize if this question is either (1) ridiculously stupid or (2) already been beaten to death. And I'm definitely not looking to re-litigate whether aftermarket fuses are anything other than b.s.

I've read that people sometimes choose higher amperage fuses. This is because aftermarket fuses are supposedly built to tighter specs and therefore prone to blowing. Supposedly SR is noted for this.

Recently I was looking into some SR fuses and the dealer told me that higher amperage was also better for sonics. I'd never heard that before.

 

So last night I was looking through my stuff and discovered an unused 3.15a fuse. (I used HiFi Tuning throughout.) I decided to try it in my transport which takes a 1.6a. Everything is plugged into a Shunyata and there were no signs of t-storms so I figured I was safe for an hour or so.

It made the single biggest difference of any "tweak" I've tried. For one, the bass went significantly much deeper, became more authoritative, more controlled, more precise. The treble lost whatever edge it had and became golden and bell-like. Aside from those things, the music generally became more musical, which is difficult to explain. The music "might" have lost a tad of nuance and subtlety but I'm not sure. It's a small exaggeration to say that it sounded like a different amp. 

Being risk averse, I switched the fuse back, but I'm still so surprised. Has anyone had a similar experience? 

rfprice
rfprice OP
150 posts
 

Huh, could it be a defective fuse? The Monday morning fuse, not quite up to standards?

Post removed 
pingstonsmile
43 posts
 

The equipment fuse is for the equipment, not fire protection. The house breaker is for fire protection. The only equipment in my house with a fuse is the garbage disposal and my shark vacuum cleaner. The stereo does but the TV or hardly anything I know of does have a breaker or a fuse. 

If you hear the difference using a piece of solid stock silver or copper from startup, the chances are you might hear a difference with a boutique fuse change. It's the recovery time after startup that I notice. Some fuses never have to recover and sound GREAT (a boutique). A standard Bussman is just good enough to keep the AC flowing. There is a reason WHY some fuses sound different than others. It's not Hocus Pocus. There are some interesting threads about fuses here. Bass is the first place to suffer. Supply and demand..

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,887 posts
 

Fuses are there by design to protect your gear. There are many safer and way more effective ways to muck with the sound. Use a good quality fuse with the proper specs as per manufacturer and move on. That is the smart and cost effective thing to do.

rfprice OP
150 posts
 

Thanks for the comments. I am most definitely not looking for an excuse to use the higher amperage fuse. I am just wondering why it sounds this way. Both fuses are HFT, both clean and shiny. I bought the 3.15 a few months ago while the smaller fuse might be 2-3 years old, if that makes a difference. Honestly I find it hard to believe that this amount increase in amperage (or any amount) could make such a difference, but maybe I'm wrong? Maybe the "improvements" that I am hearing are actually the result of the machine running too hot? 

 

 

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