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In Reply to: RE: Boutique fuses hype? posted by Awe-d-o-file on November 30, 2019 at 13:35:01
Right! If you want to dip your toe in the water, some very expensive types are discounted heavily often.
I've never heard a difference. Every amp tech I've talked to about boutique fuses told me not to use them.
Follow Ups:
Good for you lookie. One less thing to worry about. Roger and me seem to been in agreement. Fuses can make or break the sound quality of an amp. I'll never forget putting a ceramic fuse in an amp thinking it would automatically sound better than a glass and it ruined the amp. I would have had to throw it in the garbage if forced to use it. Anyone who discounts the use of different or "better" fuses is potentially missing out on significant improvement for little money and effort regardless of your experience and bad tech advice. A of S
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." George Orwell-1984
Edits: 12/02/19
I have experimented with using different fuses since 2012. The first being an Iso Clean fuse.
I do think a good analogy is tube rolling in amplifiers. Some of the fuses sound significantly worse, some sound better, and some sound different when placed in one direction.
They certainly can be a less costly experiment than rolling 3000b vacuum tubes at $1000.00 a pair! It is also less expensive and easier to do than swapping out capacitors. Just price some of the boutique caps!
If trying one of the fuses, one approach is to buy from a company that has a 30 day trial. In my experience it takes about a week for a fuse to reach it's final sonic change. I think fuse rolling is fun and is easy to do.
David Pritchard
I like your analogy Dave. Might you suggest one or two budget fuses that you think are worth a try?
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." George Orwell-1984
You might consider an AMR Audio fuse as a lower-cost option, Aristarchus.
The AMR, the Acme, the Hi Fi fuses are all good lower cost choices for some pieces of equipment. But in other equipment the sound may worsen to the listener. That is why I think it is similar to tube rolling.
One approach is to buy a ceramic fuse, a simple wire fuse and a more expensive fuse that has a return policy. Compare the three and decide if the sonic change is worth the extra cost. If it is not send the expensive fuse back. If you keep it you have also have two emergency fuse back ups at little cost!
David Pritchard
Thanks. I ordered a Valab fuse, likely the exact same fuse as the AMR. We shall see ( or rather hear).
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." George Orwell-1984
I would want to know what I'm shooting at.
If one fuse sounds different than another fuse which one is right.
If the fuss is causing the sound to be different that it should be, how do we know which fuse's sound is the right sound?
Now what I am about to suggest can be dangerous so this should only be attempted by professionals.
If you bypass the fuss holder with some good hookup wire large enough to comfortably handle the total current draw of the unit under test and get a feel for how that sounds then you will know what you are shooting for when you try different fusses.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
I was going to say the one that sounds better to you but your suggestion of listening without a fuse for a short period of time as a reference for accuracy ain't such a bad idea, unless you get addicted to it.
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." George Orwell-1984
Yes, that would be a problem. Running your gear without fuses would be dangerous. Running your gear while paying close attention, in case something goes wrong and you can pull the plug real fast, is one thing. Running your gear day after day without fuses is different and would not be smart.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
Ralph, from Atma-Sphere, gives a fuse "sound" explanation, which he attributes largely to voltage drop. (link below)
I've threatened to try his experiment more than once, but always find something more pressing to do.
"I can't sell my guns back to the government. They couldn't pass a background check."
No, I hadn't seen that.I will have to measure it for myself. A fuse has resistance and therefore causes a voltage drop, otherwise it wouldn't work (blow when the current is too high) but I don't think that a small voltage drop would cause a audio circuit to sound or perform badly considering that that circuit was designed (operating points, etc) with that voltage drop in place (in mind).
In my proposed test, one might check the operating points to make sure they remain proper with the fuss out of circuit otherwise you might get a false negative.
As for the "duty cycle (on state; commutation) of the power rectifiers in the equipment", I build all my power supplies using critical inductance choke input filters so there is no "duty cycle". Each diode, in turn, are on for their full half cycle so the current through the power supply is constant and just a little higher than the load current.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
Edits: 12/09/19
That's what bugs me, when proponents of very expensive fuses wax profound on the myriad ways in which the sound improved. The superlatives that get thrown around leave me bewildered and skeptical. How bad must the system have been beforehand that SQ improved profoundly and in such minute detail? I'd prefer it if someone said they liked the sound a little better with fuse X vs fuse Y. And leave it at that. Because I am usually very pleased with even a small uptick myself.
Expensive, cheap or very expensive, fuses make a very significant difference, huge I would say. Enough so that everyone here should be trying a few out for themselves. Even if it's a "small" difference it could be of a type that is very important to the listener.
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." George Orwell-1984
I can't imagine there being a significant difference in voltage drop either, but never having tried it, I really can't say if it would make a sonic difference. You can't beat "free" though, so it's worth a try.
I included Ralph's comment because he seems to do a decent job of straddling the objective/subjective fence, and that's the only time I've read anything about why boutique fuses might work (to improve sonics) rather than the totally subjective "I don't know, but they do" camp.
"I can't sell my guns back to the government. They couldn't pass a background check."
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