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In Reply to: RE: Fuses - Has anyone else tried.... posted by mitch2 on July 14, 2015 at 04:43:09
My concern would be how it affects the parameters. Will it blow at the amperage it was designed for?
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the size of the conductor?
Any fuse experts here?
The element will heat up and melt, at a rate dependent upon its gauge, as excess current begins to pass through the fuse.
The problem with what you're suggesting would be that the wax, sand, or other material the fuse would be filled with could keep the element cooler than it might be in free air. This could delay the fuse element opening (melting), subsequently causing damage to the unit the fuse is supposed to be protecting.
"You won't come back from Fletcher-Munson curve"-Jan and Dean
as I was inferring below, the shmutz may retard heat dissipation from the fuse element, causing it to heat up and fry prematurely. It could go either way.
More than one person has mentioned that some of the boutique fuse designs may owe their superior sonics to the fact that they are not up to spec in their capacity as a fuse.
that fuses have very different blow characteristic, particularly the new metric fuse. They have different over current ratings ( when one checks their specs) and the time delayed fuses also have differing time before they blow.
many manufacturers do not recommend "audiophile" fuses, and recommend using only classic, time-tested Bussmann fuses.
OTOH, I have also spoken with designers who believe in the sonic benefits of "aftermarket" or "audiophile" fuses and who seem to think "close is good enough" with regards to the value. In other words, they recognize there may be small differences in fuse values but they don't wig out about it since a small amperage difference is not likely going to be primary factor of whether equipment is fried or not during an unfortunate electrical event.
I mean, I've never seen any - neither in my system, where I have Furutech and Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme fuses, nor in any posts by other people with first-hand experience.
Those that are fixated on "snake oil", and have seen "boutique" fuses they love to put down only in the pictures on the web - they are entirely different matter, of course.
Like 1973 shovel, I too use the term "boutique" with respect to fuses only to denote that I am referring to "audiophile" fuses or "expensive" fuses. There is plenty of testimony here and elsewhere on the internet, and directly from friends in this hobby, to the effect that such fuses can have a positive effect on sonics. So I do not dismiss the possibility. (Oddly enough, my one experience of "A/B" between an audiophile fuse and a hardware store fuse gave a result decidedly in favor of the latter, in the presence of four others with impeccable credentials superior to my own, all of whom felt the same.)
Now to get to the point: Do you mean to say here that you have personally subjected the mentioned brands of audiophile fuse to increasing known amounts of current at specified voltage and that they reliably "blow" when they should blow, based on their specs? If so, that would be important information. If not, then what are you saying? For my part, I do admit that I have no direct evidence to back up the notion that audiophile/boutique fuses are sometimes not up to spec.
And; See link:
~D
Wherever you go there you are.
Not bloody likely. But it would be interesting if they were.
Should have written "UL" (Underwriter's Lab), not "UA"; obviously.
Edits: 07/20/15
I can't speak for Lew, but I used the word "boutique" as a descriptor regarding the price of these fuses, not to question their potential sonic effectiveness. The word "boutique" is quite different than "snake oil" which nobody (but you) used.
I have no experience with these fuses, but I do have questions about how various internal damping materials affect the element melting time. I'm not willing to risk a $2000 amp, especially one which can't be replaced*, on a "Ahh, they should be OK", from people who are only guessing.
Not everyone who asks questions is an interloper.
(*First Watt F1J. Only 101 were produced)
"You won't come back from Fletcher-Munson curve"-Jan and Dean
As you said, it's speculative what's going on internally, with regard to temperature and the boutique fuse's ability to open when it's supposed to.
It's just not worth the risk to me.
"You won't come back from Fletcher-Munson curve"-Jan and Dean
Your thought about changing the thermal properties by sinking heat away from the element seem plausible and would be fun to test.
It would also be fun to test some of the expensive "audiophile" fuses that are filled with sand, powder or bees wax.
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