Audiophile Fuses

[Audiocrack]

I also have SR Black fuses in my monos. My agent put them in for me to replace blown fuse. IMHO there is minor improvement in sound. I would not notice it if someone take them out without me knowing and I listen in the next morning. May be I dont hear much difference because I didnt have to pay for them and my agent did not lead me to listen to what I suppose to hear from these fuses.

Kind regards,
Tang

Intesting. The difference between the stock (glass) fuse and the German (non glass) fuse in my Kondo preamp in the Tidal LA set up was really huge. Had not expected such a dramatic difference! But as many members have noticed before, the impact of fuses differ from component to component, system to system and of course taste is very important as well.

 

[TBG]

Intesting. The difference between the stock (glass) fuse and the German (non glass) fuse in my Kondo preamp in the Tidal LA set up was really huge. Had not expected such a dramatic difference! But as many members have noticed before, the impact of fuses differ from component to component, system to system and of course taste is very important as well.

Long ago when Lloyd Walker sent me my Walker turntable, he said try the fuse in the motor controller in the other direction. Dumbfounded I tried it. It made an amazing difference in the turntable?? Since then I have made a task to assess the impact of fuse direction. I have even tried it on cheap fuses and expensive fuses that supposedly were not directional. I have always found direction matters but fortunately it always seems a brand's direction remains the same. Putting multible fuses in the same direction, however, is a major undertaking, unless the manufacturer can tell you the direction of the hot through the circuit.

Since your signal lives off what comes through a fuse, I really can imagine why it would not have an impact although it is passing alternating current.

I must admit that I have found the Star Sound Tech AP CD 2 cups to be magic on binding posts, USB cables, and grounding wires. I have absolutely no understanding of why this would be so but I suspect it involves vibrations. I have demonstrated this to probably twenty visitors and many were dumbfounded as I was but marveled at the improvement.

 

[Audiocrack]

Long ago when Lloyd Walker sent me my Walker turntable, he said try the fuse in the motor controller in the other direction. Dumbfounded I tried it. It made an amazing difference in the turntable?? Since then I have made a task to assess the impact of fuse direction. I have even tried it on cheap fuses and expensive fuses that supposedly were not directional. I have always found direction matters but fortunately it always seems a brand's direction remains the same. Putting multible fuses in the same direction, however, is a major undertaking, unless the manufacturer can tell you the direction of the hot through the circuit.

Since your signal lives off what comes through a fuse, I really can imagine why it would not have an impact although it is passing alternating current.

I must admit that I have found the Star Sound Tech AP CD 2 cups to be magic on binding posts, USB cables, and grounding wires. I have absolutely no understanding of why this would be so but I suspect it involves vibrations. I have demonstrated this to probably twenty visitors and many were dumbfounded as I was but marveled at the improvement.

Thanks Norm. Did you ever try the Audio Magic beeswax fuse in your system? According to some it is an amazing fuse while others think the SR black is clearly superior.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Thanks Norm. Did you ever try the Audio Magic beeswax fuse in your system? According to some it is an amazing fuse while others think the SR black is clearly superior.

I have the Audio Magic fuses in the bass amps of my bass towers. they've been there for 3 years and made a nice difference when I put them in and have not removed them.

I had one in my Playback Designs MPS-5 which is 2 years gone now. not tried any fuses since, maybe it's time.

my dart amps use thermal coupler's so no fuses to try there, and my dart pre is battery powered so none there either. but the MSB Select II and the SGM are candidates.

 

[Audiocrack]

I have the Audio Magic fuses in the bass amps of my bass towers. they've been there for 3 years and made a nice difference when I put them in and have not removed them.

I had one in my Playback Designs MPS-5 which is 2 years gone now. not tried any fuses since, maybe it's time.

my dart amps use thermal coupler's so no fuses to try there, and my dart pre is battery powered so none there either. but the MSB Select II and the SGM are candidates.

Thanks Mike. So if I understand you correctly you not (yet) compared the AM beeswax to the SR black fuse?

 

[Audiocrack]

I should agree with you on the SR fuse. I used the black for two separated power supply of Aesthetix Eclipse linestage. However, I wasn't aware of lower tolerance on all audiophile fuses. I purchased exactly the same value stated in the manual. As a result, within few months, all SR black fuses blew. They gave me amazing results echoing what you mentioned above. According to Glenn of Aesthetix, the stock fuse has higher tolerance to surge. Thus, if we want to use audiophile fuse, we need to use higher value say 25% more.

Mark Coles also gave me the same explanation on the value of audiophile fuse. So now waiting for Padis fuses to replace SR Black and will be ordering AM Beeswax for the GG (replacing SR Black) and a pair for Atlas mono amps.

Hi Ferrox, any listening experiences you can share with us regarding the beeswax fuses? I ordered this week two beeswax fuses for my Gakuoh power amps - the German made Audio Refine fuses I am seriously impressed with are not available in the 32mm I need for my Kondo amps - but it is difficult to predict if this combination will prove a good match.

 

[Tango]

Intesting. The difference between the stock (glass) fuse and the German (non glass) fuse in my Kondo preamp in the Tidal LA set up was really huge. Had not expected such a dramatic difference! But as many members have noticed before, the impact of fuses differ from component to component, system to system and of course taste is very important as well.

You got me thinking of switching side of the fuses. I havent tried that.

 

[Audiocrack]

You got me thinking of switching side of the fuses. I havent tried that.

Hello Tango, I was really amazed about the magnitude of improvement. Had not expected such a dramatic jump forward. The German made Audio Refine fuse is really something special (in my Tidal La Assoluta/Kondo set up anyway) and much more reasonable priced than the SR black and SM beeswax. However only available in the small (20mm) version.

 

[Tango]

Hello Tango, I was really amazed about the magnitude of improvement. Had not expected such a dramatic jump forward. The German made Audio Refine fuse is really something special (in my Tidal La Assoluta/Kondo set up anyway) and much more reasonable priced than the SR black and SM beeswax. However only available in the small (20mm) version.

Sawasdee Rudolph,

Very inexpensive. I will try to order them.

Kind regards
Tang

 

[Audiocrack]

Sawasdee Rudolph,

Very inexpensive. I will try to order them.

Kind regards
Tang

Good luck Tang.

 

[TBG]

Good luck Tang.

I could not find your following post

"I should agree with you on the SR fuse. I used the black for two separated power
supply of Aesthetix Eclipse linestage. However, I wasn't aware of lower
tolerance on all audiophile fuses. I purchased exactly the same value stated in
the manual. As a result, within few months, all SR black fuses blew. They gave
me amazing results echoing what you mentioned above. According to Glenn of
Aesthetix, the stock fuse has higher tolerance to surge. Thus, if we want to use
audiophile fuse, we need to use higher value say 25% more.

Mark Coles also gave me the same explanation on the value of audiophile fuse. So
now waiting for Padis fuses to replace SR Black and will be ordering AM Beeswax
for the GG (replacing SR Black) and a pair for Atlas mono amps.
---End Quote---
Hi Ferrox, any listening experiences you can share with us regarding the beeswax
fuses? I ordered this week two beeswax fuses for my Gakuoh power amps - the
German made Audio Refine fuses I am seriously impressed with are not available
in the 32mm I need for my Kondo amps - but it is difgicult to predict if this
combination will prove a good match. "

I have never had an audio quality fuse fail. I also have never heard that somehow they were weaker.

Considering my improvement with the SR Blacks, I have not been experimenting with fuses of late. I have been experimenting with phono stages to see if I can find anything better than my BMC MCCI. So far no luck. Also right now I am in the mountains of New Mexico escaping the heat of Texas summers and have no audio system.

 

[Audiocrack]

I could not find your following post

"I should agree with you on the SR fuse. I used the black for two separated power
supply of Aesthetix Eclipse linestage. However, I wasn't aware of lower
tolerance on all audiophile fuses. I purchased exactly the same value stated in
the manual. As a result, within few months, all SR black fuses blew. They gave
me amazing results echoing what you mentioned above. According to Glenn of
Aesthetix, the stock fuse has higher tolerance to surge. Thus, if we want to use
audiophile fuse, we need to use higher value say 25% more.

Mark Coles also gave me the same explanation on the value of audiophile fuse. So
now waiting for Padis fuses to replace SR Black and will be ordering AM Beeswax
for the GG (replacing SR Black) and a pair for Atlas mono amps.
---End Quote---
Hi Ferrox, any listening experiences you can share with us regarding the beeswax
fuses? I ordered this week two beeswax fuses for my Gakuoh power amps - the
German made Audio Refine fuses I am seriously impressed with are not available
in the 32mm I need for my Kondo amps - but it is difgicult to predict if this
combination will prove a good match. "

I have never had an audio quality fuse fail. I also have never heard that somehow they were weaker.

Considering my improvement with the SR Blacks, I have not been experimenting with fuses of late. I have been experimenting with phono stages to see if I can find anything better than my BMC MCCI. So far no luck. Also right now I am in the mountains of New Mexico escaping the heat of Texas summers and have no audio system.

Enjoy your stay in New Mexico, Norm. Now and then (but not too often) without music can be refreshing.

 

[Audiocrack]

I have been experimenting with fuses in my LA system lately. A few weeks ago I inserted the German made - and very fairly priced because they only cost euro 23 per piece - Audio Refine fuse in my Kondo preamp. I was immediately taken back and I am still very impressed by what this Audio Refine is doing: I absolutely love it!

Because the results were clearly better than I had hoped for I decided it was time to change the RS ceramic fuses that were being employed in my Kondo Gakuoh single ended (300B) amps. Because Audio Refine only produces only 20mm fuses and I need 32mm fuses for the Gakuoh amps, I needed to find another fuse manufacturor. In the end I narrowed the choice down to two options: the Synergistic Research black fuse and the Audio Magic beeswax fuse. After quite some research on the internet and after digesting the feedback from some users I opted for the latter: the AM beeswax.

Not that I only received positive feedback on the AM beeswax. On the contrary: some users prefer the SR black because in their systems the AM beeswax was not extended enough in the highs and the bass - one of the persons I had contact with (an audio insider) actually used the words 'rolled off' - and in their view the AM beeswax (furthermore) 'robbed' the music from its 'jump'. Other persons, including one person in the USA who is so fond of the AM beeswax that he employs seven of these fuses in his audio system, however were extremely enthusiastic and adore this fuse.

As regards the musical presentation of audio systems a few aspects are really important to me: I am trying to achieve a refined, subtle, liquid and organic sound. These aspects are more important to me than for example a musical replay that focuses on a powerful/dynamic presentation. This is the main reason why I have been using Kondo single ended amplification for so many years.

The Tidal La Assoluta loudspeakers are the most transparent transducers I have come across in my audio life and this combination of utterly revealing speakers with exquisite sounding Kondo set amps appeals to my audio senses. Btw, do not judge the performance of the Kondo amps while using the stock valves they are supplied with: some high quality nos tubes do really transform the Kondo amps. Just an example: I quite recently inserted very, very hard to find gz34 rectifier valves from the (ninetien) fifties in my Gakuoh amps (they use one gz34 rectifier per amp) and it is (positively) shocking how only one (rectifier) tube transforms the musical presentation (for the better) of Kondo amps.

How does the most recent and top of the bill AM beeswax fuses fit into this picture? Well, I am not 100 percent sure yet because I have only received them last Thursday. According to Jerry, the brains of Audio Magic, the beeswax fuses need approximately 125 hours of playing to be considered fully played in. I try to burn in the AM beeswax fuse in two separate shifts per day of about four-four and a half hours each. So far I have only played around 15 hours or so but I really like what I am hearing.

Yes, hopefully they get more extended while I am playing them for more hours but the aspects of musical presention that are so important to me and that I just mentioned are already in abundance noticeble. And in addition the AM beeswax is an extremely quiet fuse in the sense that it lowers the noisefloor significantly with the following sonic results: more transparency (very nicely adding to one of the outstanding qualities of my LA's) and a more (perceived) dynamic presentation. Furthermore the AM beeswax sounds definately more open than the RS ceramic fuse I was using before and creates a larger/bigger soundstage as well.

What an interesting and strange hobby this is: that small devices like fuses from Audio Refine and Audio Magic can have such a profound (positive) effect on the overall musical enjoyment!

When I talked about this last week with a few of my (non audiophile) buddies at work they looked at me as if an alien from Mars had just landed on planet earth. So maybe it is better for me to go back to my 'audio cave' in order to experience how the AM beeswax progresses with additional playing in.

 

[bonzo75]

I used audio magic in my AR and Lampi back when I had the Logan but never did any compares to other fuses

 

[amiglick]

@bonzo75.
I used SR Red, SR Black, Audio Horizons, Audio Magic.
Finally after the long journey I settled down with Beeswax in all my line - PS Audio DS, darTZeel Power Amp., KR Audio SXI, PS Audio Power Regenerator.
(Piega 711 speakers)
Cannot describe the positive changes better than Audiocrack.

And in addition the AM beeswax is an extremely quiet fuse in the sense that it lowers the noisefloor significantly with the following sonic results: more transparency (very nicely adding to one of the outstanding qualities of my LA's) and a more (perceived) dynamic presentation. Furthermore the AM beeswax sounds definately more open than the RS ceramic fuse I was using before and creates a larger/bigger soundstage as well.

 

[Audiocrack]

@bonzo75.
I used SR Red, SR Black, Audio Horizons, Audio Magic.
Finally after the long journey I settled down with Beeswax in all my line - PS Audio DS, darTZeel Power Amp., KR Audio SXI, PS Audio Power Regenerator.
(Piega 711 speakers)
Cannot describe the positive changes better than Audiocrack.

Thanks Amiglick. Would it be possible for you to describe the differences - positive and negative - you experienced between the SR black and SM beeswax fuse in your system?

We all know that preferences as regards audio components partly - or should I maybe say: largely? - depend on taste and system interaction/synergy (including of course (audio) fuses). Nevertheless it is interesting to hear from members who compared the two mentioned fuses in their own system.

 

[amiglick]

Thanks Amiglick. Would it be possible for you to describe the differences - positive and negative - you experienced between the SR black and SM beeswax fuse in your system?

We all know that preferences as regards audio components partly - or should I maybe say: largely? - depend on taste and system interaction/synergy (including of course (audio) fuses). Nevertheless it is interesting to hear from members who compared the two mentioned fuses in their own system.

Audiocrack. I am not native English speaker therefore my vocabulary is limited.
I will try to use our "washed" Audiophile expressions, based on the assumption that our personal preferences are alike:
- Warmer sound.
- Higher resolution, more details.
- More "organic", more "analog"
- Wider and deeper soundstage.

The positive differences (even small but noticeable), when accumulated, provide an overall preference - A is BETTER than B.
The only one incident I had a month ago, one of two the Beeswax fuses in my power amplifier (3.15A 250V) blew out, no specific reason. ($175 hit!).
Replaced both with a spare pair of SR Red, works fine.
Ordered a new pair of Beeswax, 4A , about 25% higher rated than the manufacturer recommendation. Calculated risk. (I hope so..)
BTW, I mostly listen to vocal jazz, instrumental jazz and classic.
Enjoy the Beeswax and keep us posted.

 

[Audiocrack]

Audiocrack. I am not native English speaker therefore my vocabulary is limited.
I will try to use our "washed" Audiophile expressions, based on the assumption that our personal preferences are alike:
- Warmer sound.
- Higher resolution, more details.
- More "organic", more "analog"
- Wider and deeper soundstage.

The positive differences (even small but noticeable), when accumulated, provide an overall preference - A is BETTER than B.
The only one incident I had a month ago, one of two the Beeswax fuses in my power amplifier (3.15A 250V) blew out, no specific reason. ($175 hit!).
Replaced both with a spare pair of SR Red, works fine.
Ordered a new pair of Beeswax, 4A , about 25% higher rated than the manufacturer recommendation. Calculated risk. (I hope so..)
BTW, I mostly listen to vocal jazz, instrumental jazz and classic.
Enjoy the Beeswax and keep us posted.

Thanks Amiglick. Fully understand your remark regarding not being a native speaker. The same applies to me and our 'native members' tend to forget this.

Do I understand you correctly that in your system the SR black does not better the beeswax in any specific regard? And in your view no extension limitations regarding the highs and (deep) bass?

At a certain level of playback even small differences can imho be quite important. For example, I really appreciate the organic presentation and the additional transparency of the AM beeswax fuse. For me these additions are important attributes that I value highly.

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the blown fuse. Apparently there is no guarantee period or something? Totally forgot to ask Jerry about this.

 

[Audiocrack]

And I fotgot to mention: like you I listen nearly only to unamplified music. Mostly classical, a lot vocals and a little bit jazz. Only now and then 'I go back to my youth' and listen to rock bands like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Toto etc.

 

[amiglick]

Do I understand you correctly that in your system the SR black does not better the beeswax in any specific regard? And in your view no extension limitations regarding the highs and (deep) bass?

Yes, in my view there are no extension limitations regarding the highs and deep bass.

About the blown fuse, it happened after a year of use, I don't think there is any guarantee but it is worth asking.