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Hi-Fi Fuses - SNAKE OIL? - or something in it?

There's a lot of chatter about the benefits of those high prices gold plated fuses with silver conductor etc. etc. all over the web and the consensus ranges from FANTASTIC!!! to much more subtle observations.

It makes sense to me, epseically in light of spending lots of $$$ on good power cables, that having a skinny piece of aluminum conductor in a glass tube (i.e. a cheap fuse), in the power loop would be detrimental to the performance of the components.

I decided to revamp my DIY power supply I'd built for the Cambridge Audio 640p phono stage and DACmagic in order to test this out - and since it's a DIY project there is no UL Certification to void.

First, I bypassed the fuse link completely to confirm there would be an improvement and give me the best benchmark to compare against - YEP - BIG DIFFERENCE - much more this, that and the other :-)

So then I started looking for hi-fi fuses - WOW!!! - talk about pricey.

Two fuses for the power supply was going to cost $120+ AND I thought I'd probably have to buy a better quality fuse block to make the most of those fuses.

Then a moment of enlightenment - most power supplies and conditioners are protected by pushbutton breakers and not fuses.

I found breakers of the required current rating and installed them into the power supply. I imediately noticed that there was no deteriation in fidelity when compared to the same unit with the fuse link bypassed - GREAT!.

On reflection, the fuses I had in place were rated at 3 amps - so they use a pretty thin fuse wire in them. If I had used a fuse of a higher rating, i.e. it uses a thicker conductor, then I believe that there would be less of a difference between the fused and bypassed implementations

SO - do the expensive fuses work?

Well the empirical evidence out there would suggest they do
- I do know the cheap fuses are not good!

I know bypassing them does improve the sound - a lot in my case
- BUT THAT'S NOT SAFE FOR ONGOING USE

I know breakers work as good as bypassing the fuse
- BUT MESSING WITH A POWER SUPPLY VOIDS UL CERTIFICATION - NOT GOOD!
- FYI a couple of licensed technicians I know WILL NOT change the design of a power supply at all.

I believe the amount of benefit is related to the fuse rating
- but don't go replacing 3 amp fuses with a 20 amp fuse - that's not safe either.

Whilst looking for fuses I discovered AMR Gold fuses priced at $20/fuse.

Now that's definately more affordable than most others at 3-4 times their price.

One supplier I know of in the US is Avatar Aacoustics

If you have had experience with quality fuses please share - especially if they are "modestly priced" i.e. $20-$30 per fuse. And please provide a source :-)

Also, can anypne confirm that Slow blow fuses are better than regular?

And Remember - IF YOU AIN'T LICENCED - GET A TECHNICIAN!

Many Thanks
williewonka

Showing 6 responses by charles1dad

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
"You pay your money and take your chances" true.
People will always have varying results with products.I use the SR Quantum fuses in my amplifier and line stage and there`s a clear improvement in sound compared to the stock fuses.In my experience these premium fuses are a worthwhile and cost effective change.
Regards,
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
Lacee,
I don't understand the ridicule you experienced on another forum.If others have different results (and some will) that doesn't change your own experience. Why is that hard for others to accept? The 160.00 I spent for the three SR fuses was a fine value given the outcome in my system(there's a 30 day return policy). If someone finds a 10.00 fuse that's as effective, by all means please let the rest of us know.I imagine no fuse would likely sound even better but I'm not taking the risk to find out . Safety first.
Regards,
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
Pack,
Some manufacturers encourage their customers to try higher quality fuses. This is no different than customers who are given the green light to roll different tubes from a builder who used cheaper stock tubes in the component. Most builders can't offer the best available tubes due to cost and target price point considerations. Same is true of capacitors, wire and resistors, it's easy to upgrade these parts to achieve better sound, again manufacturers have cost restraints to factor in terms of final product cost. So a 20 dollar fuse will lose out to a 20 cent fuse with overall final cost comes into play.

Unless a component is cost no object, there will be inevitable compromising to stay within a predetermined price range
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
Hi Pack,
Don't understand your " mumbo jumbo" reference. I was curious and purchased the SR Quantum fuses to try myself and their use was sonically beneficial. That's all that matters for me, results. If you tried them and weren't impressed then that's your experience but it isn't mine.

If you haven't tried them or refuse to do so based on principle, well then you're merely expressing an opinion which is irrelevant to me.
If you believe audio components can't be improved in some cases be using better tubes, fuses, parts etc. Then that's a very narrow minded stance but that's your prerogative certainly. I believe in simply listening and then forming a conclusion rather than adopting a preconceived know it all perspective.
Charles,
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
Well said Mapman,
We all make our choices as we see fit. I just don't need someone telling me or others what will or won't work when we've actually done the listening and report our individual outcomes. That is the ultimate test, otherwise it's only conjecture.
Charles,
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
Schubert,
Nice.
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