Audiophile Fuses

[Republicoftexas69]

I try and be healthily sceptical about most things. There are lots of audiophiles who are neurotic about missing out and, excluding those for whom money is not a concern, one of the biggest issues is whether they can afford the next best thing. I was looking at a streamer and the online manual said to connect it "with the best cable you can afford". The problem is, whilst not especially wealthy, I could have afforded a cable that cost 10 times the price of the streamer. So do I spend $20k on an HDMI cable for a $2k streamer? Plus we have better things to spend money on. We like ceramics and last week bought a piece from South Korea that cost as much as our Wilson speakers, the difference being the ceramics is a good investment.

Living in a large city with lots of audio dealers and plenty of invites to demonstrations, there is no difficulty hearing as many systems as I want, at any price. I learned a long time ago that there are hugely expensive systems that I personally hated, for example one based around Magico M3 and Naim Statement, but other people loved it. I love Quad electrostatics and related Quad equipment. They sound real to me like no other speakers. I bought a pair and my wife told me to get rid of them, so I did and next time let her choose the speakers.

Fuses? An interesting product because there are so many lies and misinformation about them. Hardly surprising if you can take a $0.30 product, relabel it and sell if for $10,000. https://www.futureshop.co.uk/quantum-science-audio-gold-extreme-level-uk-mains-fuse
I did try a couple, but I can't say they made a difference. Apparently it's because my hifi system isn't good enough. Or I used the wrong brand. Who knows.

For whatever reasons, here in the UK equipment is often supplied on a home loan, so there is no expectation bias. Not just from local dealers, also dealers who have to send by courier. I asked Lanedri for a loan, but he wouldn't do it. A sale and return would cost me 23% import duty and tax, plus shipping. The Muon guy said he didn't have loan items, then changed his mind, and I will take him up on the offer in a month or two, when it suits him.

You really need to move off this thread. We get it you do not see the value, you have FDS Fuse Derangement Syndrome. There is nothing wrong with a person doing tweaks and fine tuning to optimize the performance of their equipment, whether it is measurable or only perceived. As Sheryl Crow sang...

 

[kennyb123]

I did try a couple, but I can't say they made a difference. Apparently it's because my hifi system isn't good enough. Or I used the wrong brand. Who knows

Those seeing you repeatedly post in this thread have a really good idea and it has nothing to do with your system.

My guess is that maintaining the delusion that fuses don’t make a difference is really hard to do when people keep posting positive things about their experiences. So better to have folks posting about anything but that in this thread so it’s easier to maintain the delusion. It’s only able to work if the rest of us go along with it, but unfortunately we’ve not been able to resist responding so this has become a thread that no longer has much to do with the fuses themselves, unfortunately.

As an aside, a common place to witness trolling behavior that has the same goal of maintaining a particular delusion is the Roon forum. Some need to maintain the view that Roon is the best in every way. Anyone posting a complaint about Roon not sounding as good as others products will soon find the trolls using their toxic behaviors to change the narrative and also discourage others from visiting there to raise similar arguments. I believe they’ve largely succeeded.

 

[Geoffkait]

ssfas commented, “I did try a couple…”

Yeah, right.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

ssfas commented, “I did try a couple…”

Yeah, right.

Stop goading, toading, goating or herding him....

 

[highstream]

Stop goating him....

Better to stop goading him.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

Better to stop goading him.

Omg a typo.

 

[Geoffkait]

 

[ssfas]

View attachment 126718

No you're talking. Bit of a goat specialist. Much more than fuses. Got a long history with all sorts of goats, normally but not always up mountains, some of which were very tasty. My wife arranged a visit see these last summer, definitely the What's Best in the goat world. A large Ladaki nomadic herd conveniently located at the time just below one of the highest passable tarmac roads at 17,500 ft. Takes your breath away, literally.

 

[Beckola66]

Hi everyone, I wanted to see if anyone has experience on the different types of Hifituning fuses. I have one of the silver capped ones and a few of the copper capped black ones. I only just realised that there is a further type with white body and copper end caps. Does anyone have experience on what each type of HFT brings to their system please?

 

[ssfas]

Hi everyone, I wanted to see if anyone has experience on the different types of Hifituning fuses. I have one of the silver capped ones and a few of the copper capped black ones. I only just realised that there is a further type with white body and copper end caps. Does anyone have experience on what each type of HFT brings to their system please?

HFT fuses have been around for ages and are a popular budget upgrade. They are cryo treated and have copper/gold caps rather than the normal brass/tin.

They say their more expensive black fuses have a silver/gold alloy wire rather than the normal tinned copper. How they melt at the right temperature is anyone's guess. They say they are less prone to oxidising. Plugs are more likely to oxidise a lot faster. If worried about oxidation, I'd get a much cheaper fuse and replace periodically.

Ceramic fuses filled with silica is a safety feature of UK plug fuses for when they arc. HiFi Tuning say they reduce vibration. Not sure how that works.

As you have the fuses, why not put in some Bussmann fuses and tell us if you hear a difference?

 

[Beckola66]

HFT fuses have been around for ages and are a popular budget upgrade. They are cryo treated and have copper/gold caps rather than the normal brass/tin.

They say their more expensive black fuses have a silver/gold alloy wire rather than the normal tinned copper. How they melt at the right temperature is anyone's guess. They say they are less prone to oxidising. Plugs are more likely to oxidise a lot faster. If worried about oxidation, I'd get a much cheaper fuse and replace periodically.

Ceramic fuses filled with silica is a safety feature of UK plug fuses for when they arc. HiFi Tuning say they reduce vibration. Not sure how that works.

As you have the fuses, why not put in some Bussmann fuses and tell us if you hear a difference?

I haven’t tried Bussmann fuses but they are certainly on my list to do so.

 

[Geoffkait]

Wow! Hey, what?! A fuse skeptic is suddenly a fuse guru?! Well, hush my mouth and call me Corn Pone!!

 

[kennyb123]

I haven’t tried Bussmann fuses but they are certainly on my list to do so.

I would encourage you to read back through the last few pages of the discussions here. @Kingrex not too long ago shared his own positive experiences with HFT fuses.

I used them many years ago and they were a real ear-opener. Up to that point I had never heard anything that offered as big of an improvement for the buck. I moved from there to the SR fuses as to my surprise they offered an even bigger bang for the buck improvement even over the HFT fuses.

I do very much like that you plan to listen on your own, even to the fuse recommended by an individual who has stated repeatedly that he’s never heard fuses make a difference.

 

[Beckola66]

Wow! Hey, what?! A fuse skeptic is suddenly a fuse guru?! Well, hush my mouth and call me Corn Pone!!

Sorry I don’t understand?

 

[ssfas]

I would encourage you to read back through the last few pages of the discussions here. @Kingrex not too long ago shared his own positive experiences with HFT fuses.

I used them many years ago and they were a real ear-opener. Up to that point I had never heard anything that offered as big of an improvement for the buck. I moved from there to the SR fuses as to my surprise they offered an even bigger bang for the buck improvement even over the HFT fuses.

I do very much like that you plan to listen on your own, even to the fuse recommended by an individual who has stated repeatedly that he’s never heard fuses make a difference.

@Beckola66 is in the very good position of having the fuses and being able to compare to $0.50 fuses. As his expectation bias is likely to be very low, and the cost will be almost nothing, his experience will be illuminating!

I do have some audiophile fuses. Different metal caps and cryo are very common fuse treatments.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

@Beckola66 is in the very good position of having the fuses and being able to compare to $0.50 fuses. As his expectation bias is likely to be very low, and the cost will be almost nothing, his experience will be illuminating!

I do have some audiophile fuses. Different metal caps and cryo are very common fuse treatments.

Time to move this goat on down the road.

 

[Beckola66]

Time to move this goat on down the road.

If it’s a genuine question then why not just let people raise them and be helpful. I’m sure you’ve asked questions relating to stuff?

 

[ssfas]

If it’s a genuine question then why not just let people raise them and be helpful. I’m sure you’ve asked questions relating to stuff?

What I read about fuses, there are some people who completely against expectations are genuinely surprised when a replacement fuse makes a difference. It didn't work for me, but maybe it will for you. The "everything makes a difference" crowd are a different matter.

The unusual situation in the UK of having safety fuses in plugs complicates matters. The law requires cables to be sold with a legal plug and fuse, and there are no genuinely legal such audiophile fuses. There is nothing illegal about the consumer changing the fuse (it may invalidate insurance), and for decades people with negative views on fuses have been soldering a thick bit of copper wire across the fuseholder or inserting a 5mm bit of copper bar to replace the fuse.

I suppose the acid test as to whether fuses degrade sound quality would be to replace them all with 5mm copper bar. For those people concerned about burn-in, I suppose you could just attach the bar to a car battery for a while.

 

[Beckola66]

What I read about fuses, there are some people who completely against expectations are genuinely surprised when a replacement fuse makes a difference. It didn't work for me, but maybe it will for you. The "everything makes a difference" crowd are a different matter.

The unusual situation in the UK of having safety fuses in plugs complicates matters. The law requires cables to be sold with a legal plug and fuse, and there are no genuinely legal such audiophile fuses. There is nothing illegal about the consumer changing the fuse (it may invalidate insurance), and for decades people with negative views on fuses have been soldering a thick bit of copper wire across the fuseholder or inserting a 5mm bit of copper bar to replace the fuse.

I suppose the acid test as to whether fuses degrade sound quality would be to replace them all with 5mm copper bar. For those people concerned about burn-in, I suppose you could just attach the bar to a car battery for a while.

Fuses divide opinion for sure, i would never have believed they could make such a difference until I heard for myself. I find all tweaks like this quite therapeutic and very enjoyable to engage in, it helps mental health and although it can make you a bit neurotic at times it’s not hurting anyone. For many years I fostered young vulnerable children, babies that had fetal alcohol syndrome, others that were addicted to heroine or other substances, Police stating that they would be surprised if they survived another week. I saw a level of society I never knew existed, the lowest depths of human existence and what was done to some children I still live with now. The hobby of music, buying gear etc etc is a fantastic distraction for me and believe me when I say this and I say it from experience, you could be doing a whole lot worse things with your time, take a load off and relax Not aiming this at anyone in particular but just a general statement

 

[Republicoftexas69]

If it’s a genuine question then why not just let people raise them and be helpful. I’m sure you’ve asked questions relating to stuff?

Need to read the entire thread my friend. Then you will see the light.