QSA : My take on their expensive products

[highstream]

"More resolution...better pitch of note"

It’s strange, the past few nights I've been listening to a very highly resolving system in the throes of burnin that is decidedly pitch elevated.

 

[Huy Hoang]

Hi Huy Hoang,
Are you in HK or Southeast Asia?


Powerhouse fuses are made in USA but the boss & designer is in HK.
Although he is a frd of mine, Powerhouse fuses are not my cup of tea all along, until the recently launched Zero2.

I have chances to compare it with the Brimar older black colour version only.
Zero2 is faster but a bit leaner.
Brimar black is richer but less agile.
Both are good fuses and suitable for frontends & preamps.

Hi CKKeung, I'm from Vietnam
I'm still searching fuses for my power amplifier because of there are no stock of Brimar for 10A 32mm size
Thank you for information.
Regards.

@highstream may be there is some gap in term definition, but that from my point of view, and you can skip it if it is strange with you
I just only share my exprerience and don't want to make any challenge or let someone need to buy it at all

 

[highstream]

@highstream may be there is some gap in term definition, but that from my point of view, and you can skip it if it is strange with you
I just only share my exprerience and don't want to make any challenge or let someone need to buy it at all

In my experience, resolution and pitch.don’t necessarily go together. But the main thing here is that it appears you prioritize resolution while I prioritize tone. Note that I’ve asked repeatedly about the Brimar’s tone and you’ve replied a few times about everything but that. Different ears, different tastes.

 

[Willgolf]

I am a little frustrated that Hiendmall did not respond to my email about the Brimar fuses that I sent last week. Maybe because I sent it in English? Any advice getting in contact with them?

 

[Kingrex]

@Kingrex Better than De-Toxit is High Fidelity’s Contact Enhancer, NPS-1260 or the upgraded NPS-45T. It’s the real deal. Spatial characteristics very noticeably enhanced immediately, tho Rick Schultz said three days. About the differences being narrowed with de-toxit, I would think that to the degree it helps, it helps all fuses.

Per the manufacturer.
Take care in application as to not cause shorts or unwanted resistance from excess material being applied and crossing dielectric boundaries intended in many connections. Remember if you are concerned with the application process you can seek help from a learned professional.

I consider myself a learned professional. I am an electrical administrator and been in the field/industry since 1995. I highly discourage the use of any conductive paste/fluid etc. You will end up with voltage traveling across fields you do not want. You can easily damage equipment. I have never experienced an incident with Deoxit where arching or electrical conductivity crossed surfaces I did not want. I have exposed it to over 550 volts with no issues.

 

[highstream]

Where are the reports of “arching or electrical conductivity crossed surfaces” with either version of NPS? Btw, it also comes with a warning about application.

 

[kennyb123]

Better than De-Toxit is High Fidelity’s Contact Enhancer, NPS-1260 or the upgraded NPS-45T. It’s the real deal. Spatial characteristics very noticeably enhanced immediately, tho Rick Schultz said three days. About the differences being narrowed with de-toxit, I would think that to the degree it helps, it helps all fuses.

DeoxIT can bring a slight improvement when what it has been applied to has never been properly cleaned before. I find that once one develops a regular cleaning regime, the degree of improvement drops.

The NPS contact enhancer is a different beast though and the real deal as you say. I’ve been careful to apply this sparingly partly because of the price and partly because I wanted to play it on the safe side. I’ve yet to apply any to the contact areas on any fuses but I should give that a try. The fuse holders on a few of my components should make both application and removal easy to do.

 

[CKKeung]

I am a little frustrated that Hiendmall did not respond to my email about the Brimar fuses that I sent last week. Maybe because I sent it in English? Any advice getting in contact with them?

Hi Willgolf,
You want to buy some Brimar fuses?
What's your email?
I can remind them to read and respond.

 

[Willgolf]

Hi Willgolf,
You want to buy some Brimar fuses?
What's your email?
I can remind them to read and respond.

wlenn@yahoo.com. thanks, CK.

 

[CKKeung]

wlenn@yahoo.com. thanks, CK.

I reminded Andy, boss of HiendyMall just now.

 

[Willgolf]

CK
Have you tried this fuse?

1pcs Aucharm HiFi fever grade single crystal sterling silver nano fuse gold-plated cap audio fuse 5x20mm 6x25mm​

There is someone on Audiogon claiming it is better than SR Orange and QSA yellow in his system and it is only $20 US. Andy did reach out to me but failed to answer all of my questions so I am probably going to move on from Brimar.

 

[matakana]

CK
Have you tried this fuse?

1pcs Aucharm HiFi fever grade single crystal sterling silver nano fuse gold-plated cap audio fuse 5x20mm 6x25mm​

There is someone on Audiogon claiming it is better than SR Orange and QSA yellow in his system and it is only $20 US. Andy did reach out to me but failed to answer all of my questions so I am probably going to move on from Brimar.

If you want to take my 2 cents worth ! I have been using these throughout my system for several years now, quite directional but easily heard, no need for me to try anything else as Iam quite happy with these throughout.

 

[highstream]

Can’t help but wish one of these 20 buck fuses turns out to be the magic bullet. I tried a few several years ago as I was learning about fuses and invariably found them an improvement over OEM, but sonically not at the level of the Hi Fi Tuning fuses that were among the first of the breakthrough “audiophile” fuses of the time. Now, I still look but no longer jump.

Since QSA and others get a hard time for advertising as nano this or that, I wonder what it means for the Aucharm. And what does “gilded” cap mean vs. regular gold plated? The eBay ad for the gilded one says the shop finds them nondirectional, but then goes onto say gold in, sterling silver out (real gold, real sterling silver?). https://www.ebay.com/itm/3933193574...dhk9GYUwEzPSto4u4ASBZYpus=|tkp:Bk9SR_ily5HzYA

 

[matakana]

Can’t help but wish one of these 20 buck fuses turns out to be the magic bullet. I tried a few several years ago as I was learning about fuses and invariably found them an improvement over OEM, but sonically not at the level of the Hi Fi Tuning fuses that were among the first of the breakthrough “audiophile” fuses of the time. Now, I still look but no longer jump.

Since QSA and others get a hard time for advertising as nano this or that, I wonder what it means for the Aucharm. And what does “gilded” cap mean vs. regular gold plated? The eBay ad for the gilded one says the shop finds them nondirectional, but then goes onto say gold in, sterling silver out (real gold, real sterling silver?). https://www.ebay.com/itm/393319357431?hash=item5b93a91bf7:g:7x4AAOSw7yZgnj7E&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAoAoZ5oLshPQGtMG5fT9w5nPF3gJdq35DqpxzfdO5SYROPR/n5vvSoJqrQY9WZwsigRTMVkaUVlRyFb70FtavWPVXQLDNyyJ0R9zSlZ/DY6UadIkT4fkGy3DxbLyifIE3o0KbP4cnQN2o7m2TeYa7hwkh/nrmJV0sURza5ngSCyVEpWlxNej875YFGiyRfedhk9GYUwEzPSto4u4ASBZYpus=|tkp:Bk9SR_ily5HzYA

Who knows, they are about a tenner cheaper on Alixpress.

 

[highstream]

You’re correct. Some are referring to gold plated and some to gilded cap. It says no directionality, then describes a different sound in each direction. It’s also to note that by their warning fuses should be chosen one amperage higher, which implies, like SR, they are not made to UL industry standards and have problem with initial surges..

 

[Willgolf]

I was having a problem with one of my QSA yellow fuses. It shows on the meter it is ok but my component was going totally dark after a period of time. I could turn the component back on and no problem. But then it went out again. So I switched to the OEM cheap fuse and no problem. However, once I changed the fuse, I heard a graininess in one speaker. I did the ear test and the clarity and resolution on one speaker were better. My point is, that I now am convinced boutique fuses do add to SQ. I just never had an opportunity to test that theory until now. What I don't know is if the QSA fuse was the cause of the component shutting down.

 

[highstream]

Where in the unit is the fuse located? What you describe sounds like maybe there is something wrong with the unit (or tube?), which is leading it to kick off. If that was causing an increase in current draw that the Yellow couldn’t handle, I would think it would be blown. So perhaps the fuse difference is coincidental. I had a similar kicking off from time to time with my TRP dac, but that had to do with inlet wiring and never blew the power fuse.

 

[Willgolf]

Well, I biased all of the power tubes and they were all fine. The input tubes would not make the component go dark. The fuse is located right under the main plug. I checked the plug and it was secure. So far, I have 9 hours of listening with the OEM cheap fuse and no issues. Audio can be frustrating. Sometimes, I think Solid State would be so much easier.

 

[Kingrex]

The only way the fuse would be an issue is if the fuse was not sitting tight in the fuse holder. Very rare. Fuses reliably open and stay open. I have never heard of a fuse melting apart, then healing.

 

[highstream]

My understanding is that the power fuse is protection against too much external current hitting the fuse, whether caused externally or internally. I suppose a fuse could physically degrade enough that it couldn't handle what was being asked of it during operation. But usually, tho not always, the fuse spec is well above what’s needed. So if it’s quitting during normal operation, that suggests a problem with the unit, one that the OEM fuse is better instructed to handle. Why it wouldn’t be blowing the Yellow though is for someone with better knowledge of electronics, if not that unit’s circuitry. Do you think the developr would be amenable to a discussion? Most know now that people use aftermarket fuses.

Good fuse comparison, though.