Hi $ Fuses
- Thread starter Tickwomp
- Start date
Well...they are on sale on partsconnextion. I bought a couple. one went in the crack. I'm not sure I got much improvement. I have them in all my Ayre and Linn gear and I did notice a slight, (perhaps just hopefull...perhaps just the full moon) increased openess. At $21 bucks perhaps worth a try if you have already invested in boutique power cords and other areas of your power section...?
4
4krow
Guest
I think that there would be more to offer upgrading something like the RCA jacks used in gear. One thing that troubles me is the amount of upgrading doesn't ever touch the unnoticed poor quality pc boards. And while I'm at it, the fuse can only be as good as the holder it sits in, right?
Grainger49
New member
Beefy said:
Ok it literally had me
I agree! I prefer Bourbon.
Nothing to lose but money... I think I'll give 'em a try.
Someone mentioned jacks, and I've already done that... Installed Audionote Silver in both the Foreplay and Paramounts. My Audionote DAC came with some pretty sweet jacks as well (among some other sweet upgrades). Also installed Better Cardas Binding Posts in the Paramounts too.
Someone mentioned jacks, and I've already done that... Installed Audionote Silver in both the Foreplay and Paramounts. My Audionote DAC came with some pretty sweet jacks as well (among some other sweet upgrades). Also installed Better Cardas Binding Posts in the Paramounts too.
Tickwomp said:
Quite a coincidence! - I just ordered 4 Hi-Fi Tuning fuses for my amp from Ultra Systems. I put one in my Transporter DAC some time ago. Its hard to remember how the sound changed, but I do remember it being significant. Its kind of a no brainer. The fuses last forever. You can carry them over to new equipment if you upgrade. The price has come up a bit. I remember paying about $29 for the silver fuse. They can go as high as $50 now. Ultra Systems has a $5 off now on all fuses.
Take a quick browse for reviews on the Hi-Fi Tuning fuse. I bet you buy one today!
Hi Ken,
Sorry for the late input, but I've tried a few of these boutique fuses and didn't get much thrill from them. Ok, maybe better ins some ways but altered the sonics somewhat too. In general I think the ceramic body standard fuses are a bit cleaner than the glass body types, and a ceramic fuse with a band of antii-vibration magic on it and the caps treated with the Jena Labs contact enhancer did far more than the boutique fuses... and you can do a lot of fuses and other things for the money for one bottle of AVM and the contact enhancer from Jena Labs.
BTW, the contact enhancer is non-conductive and is the only thing I use anymore (except deox it for cleaning) and works great on tube pins with no danger of shorting out, dripping inside, etc. In fact, a drop in the end of a usb cable connector had a very nice effect -- do that with any other conductive contact enhancer and you can pretty much forget about using that cable again.
So, ceeramic fuse, AVM and JL contact enhancer and it's about as good as it gets, and no worries shorting thing out.
HTH,
Jim
Sorry for the late input, but I've tried a few of these boutique fuses and didn't get much thrill from them. Ok, maybe better ins some ways but altered the sonics somewhat too. In general I think the ceramic body standard fuses are a bit cleaner than the glass body types, and a ceramic fuse with a band of antii-vibration magic on it and the caps treated with the Jena Labs contact enhancer did far more than the boutique fuses... and you can do a lot of fuses and other things for the money for one bottle of AVM and the contact enhancer from Jena Labs.
BTW, the contact enhancer is non-conductive and is the only thing I use anymore (except deox it for cleaning) and works great on tube pins with no danger of shorting out, dripping inside, etc. In fact, a drop in the end of a usb cable connector had a very nice effect -- do that with any other conductive contact enhancer and you can pretty much forget about using that cable again.
So, ceeramic fuse, AVM and JL contact enhancer and it's about as good as it gets, and no worries shorting thing out.
HTH,
Jim
Audio improvements can really seem "out there" sometimes. IMHO a fuse is a fuse and if you are hearing a difference then something else has changed. There seems to be no degree to which the audiophile will invent new ways to charge way to much for the simplest of connections.
John
John
Tickwomp said:
Just finished reading it - I think I blew a fuse in my head! First off - way too expensive (with or without knowing what is in the box - it better be a kilo of pure silver behind that glass) to experiment with. I would say that if they were to charge say $25/each it may be worth a try - so that puts it in a category that ONLY the super mega bux audiophile would even go there. That in itself is very annoying. In the same league of the $10K to $25K component. I will say though, that the reported sound improvements are generically similar to those of other tweaks I have experimented with (fuses, cables, power cords, caps). None of them cost $1K a pop! It makes the $40 fuse look like a bargin.
Ken,
Thanks for the link -- interesting read indeed. I think Srajan does a great thihg by putting things into perspective when he points out that room acoustics and resonance control are far higher up the ladder in terms of priority.
Also very interesting to note is his reaction to some of the issues around computers, wireless, and other EM interferences, and even into the ultrasonic level... I have always had a really pronounced and bad reaction to digital amps -- tripath in particular, but also ICE modules, etc. It only takes 20 minutes of listening, even very softly, and my ears are ringing like nobody's business and tend to stay that way for a day or two afterwards. I've done this test several times in different places and different amps, and the result is always the same. Now logically I know I can't "hear" those switching frequencies -- hundereds of khz and into the mhz in some cases but they have this undeniable effect on me. DACs, computers, no, but amps, definitely yes.
If nothing else they seem to be onto something plausible, even to my scientifically oriented mindset and training.
No, I'm not buying any of these goodies
.
-- Jim
Thanks for the link -- interesting read indeed. I think Srajan does a great thihg by putting things into perspective when he points out that room acoustics and resonance control are far higher up the ladder in terms of priority.
Also very interesting to note is his reaction to some of the issues around computers, wireless, and other EM interferences, and even into the ultrasonic level... I have always had a really pronounced and bad reaction to digital amps -- tripath in particular, but also ICE modules, etc. It only takes 20 minutes of listening, even very softly, and my ears are ringing like nobody's business and tend to stay that way for a day or two afterwards. I've done this test several times in different places and different amps, and the result is always the same. Now logically I know I can't "hear" those switching frequencies -- hundereds of khz and into the mhz in some cases but they have this undeniable effect on me. DACs, computers, no, but amps, definitely yes.
If nothing else they seem to be onto something plausible, even to my scientifically oriented mindset and training.
No, I'm not buying any of these goodies
.-- Jim
I worked in the fuse manufacturing industry some time ago and knowing the effort required to ensure fuses worked as designed (protection) I am always skeptical about these boutique fuses.
Using different alloys will definitely make some difference on the sound quality. But the design of the fuse comes down to the resistance of the fuse vs the current it sees and the ability for the element alloy to melt fast enough to do its job. There is a limit to the alloys available to do this.
My question is simple:
Do the fuses actually protect the device as intended or even specified by the likes of UL. I have not seen a single boutique fuse with a UL or CSA or other listing number to show it has even been tested. I wrote to one of the dealers in this regard as well as speaking direct to another and never got an answer. If this is the case and they are not listed then we would be just as well protected jumping the fuses out of the picture or soldering a fuse wire across the terminals.
I think I will pass on these devices and put more effort into other things as suggested.
Cheers
Mike
Using different alloys will definitely make some difference on the sound quality. But the design of the fuse comes down to the resistance of the fuse vs the current it sees and the ability for the element alloy to melt fast enough to do its job. There is a limit to the alloys available to do this.
My question is simple:
Do the fuses actually protect the device as intended or even specified by the likes of UL. I have not seen a single boutique fuse with a UL or CSA or other listing number to show it has even been tested. I wrote to one of the dealers in this regard as well as speaking direct to another and never got an answer. If this is the case and they are not listed then we would be just as well protected jumping the fuses out of the picture or soldering a fuse wire across the terminals.
I think I will pass on these devices and put more effort into other things as suggested.
Cheers
Mike
4
4krow
Guest
thought I might clarify my statement about my original post here. I was not referring to BH products when I mentioned 'cheap circuit boards'. Actually, I was thinking about a modification of a product that I am currently working on. There will certainly be diminishing returns to the final results when cheap products are used in the design to begin with. That is why I might question a mere fuse, or any other single item in a chain of lesser quality. Fortunately, with products like BH, you have a better chance to hear the effect of upgrades in the first place.
