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After reading a follow up in the May Stereophile, the reviewer gives a thumbs up for the HiFi-Tuning fuse. I would like to see feedback from users of this fuse. After my own disappointments/let downs with "increased clarity and soundstage" and "lifting a veil" mods/tweaks, this one I find
difficult to buy into.
Follow Ups:
Simply removing and reinserting the same fuse can result in an improvement of the electrical contact between the fuse and its carrier. And, as he mentioned, at least HALF of the improvement he has heard came from simply doing this. And it is absolutely free.
Moral of the story? Yank your fuses once or twice a year, wipe them and the carrier clean , use DeOxIt or whatever, abnd then reinsert. Bingo!! Better sound (supposedly) for virtually no monetary expense...
-RW- Hi Dave!!
I changed the fuses in four components recently, the Supreme was not available for one of the values of my power amp, had to go with the Silver Stars for it, but the rest got the new Supreme fuses. The improvements were small but important. The CD player and DAC benefited the most.
The Supreme fuses created a more discernible improvement than there older Gold fuses that made such a small difference it was difficult to say unequivocally that there was an improvement.
Although I would not say $90. per large fuse is inexpensive, the percentage of cost in a six digit system was worthy.
WOW, Liz the new 20.7's eh. When will it happen?
I used Hi Fi tuning fuses but one of them blew and it was too expensive for a tweak for me to replace.
Now I use Littelfuse and buy the ceramic equivalent to whatever fuse I need. The sound is good and seems better than glass. (I have no clue why but it does sound different and I like it.)
Littelfuse is to fuses like Fair-Rite is to ferrites. I go to the manufacturers' web page and find the exact item that I want. Then it will show which distributors have it in stock. Then it will navigate me to the distributors' web site. It is usually inexpensive and shipped quickly. Some of the distributors are Mouser, Arrow, Newark and others.
It is fun since if it does not work out it is not very much money.
Yep they make a difference, but not always an improvement. IME they have more of an effect on front end equipment. Ive tried quite a few types of fuses and IMO the HiFi Tuning ones are often worse than stock fuses. They add a splashy emphasis to the treble where all fine detail is lost and almost sounds distorted.
Plain Bussman ceramics are a good entry into fuses, the next step up being all copper AHP fuses then the Furutech range ($$$).
Cables? Oui. Tube traps? Oui. $7 Hubbles over 75 cent duplexes? Oui. "magic" audio fuses? Non.
So I splurged and got the ones for my Magnepan 3.6 crossovers. That is four fuses. Plenty of wasted money for me.
I have no comment on what they do or do not do.
As for power supply fuses i am way too much a skeptic.
It took YEARS to get me to buy an aftermarket powercord. and damn if that did do a bit for my sound.
But fuses.. nahhhhh not me...
You'd essentially be better off being rid of the fuses and all the associated connections and connectors.
I even made copper jumpers for my 1.6s by using #6 solid and 'whittling' it to shape. A couple pair of vice grips, some SiC sandpaper and a ruler was all that was needed.
IF you have EVER blown a fuse do NOT remove 'em.
Too much is never enough
.
Even a HINT of abuse lowers resale value.
Good News? If you do the change properly, it is 100% reversible. Take a few pictures, perhaps. The camera is your friend.
The 'poor mans' way to remove the fuse from the circuit is to simply unscrew the retaining nut from side 'a' of the fuse holder and move the ring tab to side 'b'. re-secure.
Fuse gone....but the number of connections and wire ends up not as simple/few as possible.
Even poorer? Get some wire of the right length....1.25" and simply replace the fuse. You can do it this way without removing the connection panel....or wherever the fuses are located.
Let me know when you want to sell the 3.6s and I'll try to buy 'em.....
Too much is never enough
silver ferrule, sand quenched, ceramic bodied fuses from my first submarine.
Unfortunately, I don't have many left in ratings that are typically useful for audio applications. :(
about the application for those fuses. Find them occasionally at surplus auctions......along with some gold plated lead resisters on a clear transparent body.
Stu
...in each McCormack DNA-750 monoamp, I was NOT buying any hi-end fuses for them. The main reason for that is the price; $200 - $300 for fuses for one amp? Nu-uh.
Part of improving the resolution of my system greatly the last 3 years has been improved AC power via hi-end outlets, cords, etc., and I just started using an Audience aR2p-TO (Teflon-film-capped) powerconditioner (p-con) for my main poweramps. I currently use a PS Audio Quintessence p-con for my frontend and want to improve on that, but I finally decided that about $2K is my emotional limit for p-cons. I did get lucky last week and found and bought an Audience aR12 for 35% of its RR of $5K; THAT was in my budget!
But maybe $600 for fuses for two poweramps? Not me. :-)
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Tin-eared audiofool, former fotografer, and terrible competitive-pistol shootist.
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted." Albert Einstein.
ACME audio has fuses for 8 dollars or so. Try replacing the main fuse first. Cheap to try. Love your posts about your Vandys by the way!
.
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Tin-eared audiofool, former fotografer, and terrible competitive-pistol shootist.
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted." Albert Einstein.
A shout out for Acme silver fuse holders.
Meee-meeep!!
-RW-
Before spending any money, do this simple test:
Flip the direction of your existing stock fuse , that you're going to replace with aftermarket one.
If you hear a difference, for better or for worse - go right ahead, aftermarket fuse will work for you. If not - I wouldn't bother.
That's an interesting test...any explanation why direction of the fuse would "change"the sonics? I'm doing some basic electronics theory in my mind and can't form any possible reason it would or could. Not doubting your suggestion, trying to understand how that may alter anything. Certainly is the cheapest way to affirm the possibilities.
IME, what this does is clean and improve the connections the fuse is making and, yes, that matters. Especially if you use some Caig DeOxIT Gold on the fuse ends and fuse holder. I found it got me about half way to where my HiFi Tuning fuses got me. Whether or not the sonic improvement had anything to do with switching fuses end-for-end is another matter.
.
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Tin-eared audiofool, former fotografer, and terrible competitive-pistol shootist.
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted." Albert Einstein.
They worked for me!
One thing worth considering is since the new generation of fuses can make such noteworthy improvements when will someone pick up on the potential of correct directionality of not only fuses but all wires - all the wiring in electronics, transformers, speakers, power cords, etc.
How do you determine which direction alternating current flows?
Edits: 04/23/12
how does current (work) get to the receiving end?
Stu
how does current (work) get to the receiving end?
Current is not work.
Current is the flow of electrons (or charge) in an electrical circuit.
Power is work.
current is simply sloshing back and forth how can it do any work?
Stu
Can't get any simpler than this.Now you tell me what direction the wire should be orientated.
Edits: 04/26/12 04/26/12
electricity.Power=watts=voltage multiplied by amps (VA).
References to AC current is really a misnomer, because they are talking about voltage, not amperage. It really should be referred to as AC voltage, not current, hence a lot of confusion.
As most texts will exclaim, voltage is akin to pressure (in fluids) and amperage is akin to volume. Voltage can fluctuate like in a bicycle pump but unless you have a check valve and an outlet, that pressure does nothing (except to give you a workout). Once you have an outlet for that pressure build up, you can use the current flow to create work.
Take your example of the light bulb. Light bulbs are rated by watts. Take a 100 watt bulb for example, since 120 volts times 1 amp = 120 watts, a 100 watt bulb consumes about .84 amps+/-. Now what is amperage: simply the amount of current flow: you lose .84 amps going across the bulb's filaments in the form of heat and light. That's work. If it wasn't so and you had no loses, the local electric utility would have no justification to charge you anything.
Stu
Edits: 04/27/12
Energy can not be created only transformed from one form to another.
The power company transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy.
The light bulb transforms electrical energy into light and heat energy.
The power company charges you for energy. (power)
current is moving away from the power company, or they wouldn't be able to measure your usage and consumption.Stu
PS If not then we have a perpetual motion device: impossible by the laws of thermodynamics.
Edits: 04/27/12 04/27/12 04/27/12
The same amount of current that moves away from the power plant is moving back in.
The same amount of current the flows through your meter and into your house is flowing back out.
You electrical bill is priced per kilowatt-hour (power/time) not current consumed.
That means that the energy consumed by the turning the light bulb on is mysteriously being replaced and being sent back to the power plant. Perpetual motion and endless energy consumption is forbidden by the Laws of Thermodynamics.By your statement, if I were to turn on all my appliances in my home, including my AC, my bill should not change.
That would be great news to all homeowners and factory owners if that were true. It simply isn't.
Again you are confusing AC voltage with current flow, they are not the same. A better analogy would be a, say, a ten foot cord attached to a point and held at the other end. Simply pushing the held end would be be the equivalent of DC voltage, the cord will not move ten feet away. Whipping the held end will develop a wave like motion and move down the length of the cord: that's AC voltage. It really is different from current flow. Perhaps another analogy may be helpful: take the ocean. You can have a huge tidal movement which is covered with waves. Even if the tide goes out, the wave action is still present, same with actual movement of electrons.
Remember that all audio analogue signal is AC. You're not going to tell me that current flow is not important: in fact, many manufacturers of amplifiers are rather proud of the amount of current they can dump. By your statement the ground return of any amplifier or preamplifier or speaker will show absolutely no current loss. Quite obviously there is, as speakers convert current into heat and motion, output transistors and tubes convert current into heat and increased current rates. The only difference between analogue AC voltage and your power line voltage is that one is constant and the other is always changing.
Stu
PS; What is a watt? A watt is defined as voltage times amperage. If you hold voltage constant, the loss is in amperage.
Edits: 04/30/12
A watt is a unit of power. You are right it's defined by current times voltage.Keeping the voltage constant INCREASES the current.
I2R losses are always described in loses of VOLTAGE, not current.
Google AC generator and watch what is happening. Now imagine that current flow on a larger scale like a power plant. The same amount of current that is flowing out is flowing back in the other side.
Your power is billed for the amount of current that passes through your home times the voltage over a period of time.
BTW: I NEVER said current flow was not important.
Manufacturers bragging about amplifier current is simply marketing B.S.
They might as well be bragging about peak power output it's just as meaningless.
Edits: 04/30/12 04/30/12
If all you say is true, then one little power plant can power the entire nation. The current and voltage return is undiminished, so it can be sent to all the users throughout the nation.As all appliances create heat and some motion, pray tell where is that energy coming from? Once heat and motion ( say, as in a motor turning) is done where is that energy that it takes to make heat and motion go to? By your statements it goes right back to the power company. Simply not possible, the energy has already been transformed and is lost. It can not be sent back to the power company.
Again if all what you state is true, after the initial generation of power, the local utility need not burn anything for their steam generators. After all the voltage and current would return unchanged.
And as for the diagram, it works fine for grade school kids, but please do not extend it to the real world, but then you say that's my opinion....
Stu
Edits: 04/30/12
Why is the sky blue?
.
Reading comprehension is not one of your long suits.
directional AC current flow? I can't get a grip on that, either.
Love the sky color answer. A real answer to a smartass question.
You'll NEVER get an answer to the AC directionality querry.
I'd try Ceramic Fuses first, before ANY other fuse.
Too much is never enough
I always get a chuckle when someone actually answers a rhetorical question.
Let us know how those ceramic fuses work out for you.
I think I read somewhere....
'He who fuses best, fuses least'. or something like that.
Too much is never enough
Maybe I'll take a run over to Graingers. They'll have ceramic fuses, I'm sure.
However, since the first intent is for my panels, I'd rather simply simplifiy the circuit, remove the fuse altogether and get rid of a bunch of connections per side......How's THAT?
Too much is never enough
Of course, the fuse is there for a reason, so there could be some risk if you remove the fuse altogether. There's the issue of directionality if you obtain ceramic fuses.
Fuse does serve a purpose. I Never recommend its bridging or removal on 'new' panels. You need to find out if you're going to have issues as you use the speaker. Wait at least 6 months before making such changes. If you pop a fuse even once in that time, DON'T do it.
On some of the ribbon equipped panels, I've heard the ribbon called a 'fuse saver'.
Too much is never enough
I was skeptical too and didn't really believe the HiFi Tuning fuses were worth the money. Especially after removing and cleaning the existing OEM fuses and finding that THIS made a substantial difference in my system in terms of openness, clarity and dynamics.
But then I thought, because it DID make a difference, maybe there's something to this whole fuse thing. So I bought two of the HiFi Tuning ones for my SET monoblocks. Still pretty skeptical.
Long story short, I now have eight of the things.
Supreme waste of money. There are far more cost effective and just plane effective improvements that can be made than an overpriced fuse will provide.
No, cus I didn't buy them - bought Acme Audio Labs silver instead. Works just fine for me, but be aware I polished them first and checked them for direction (and cleaned the holders with methanol).
Methanol will clean organic stuff.....Fingerprint oils and such from handling.
Any oxidized metal needs to be removed by another method. Perhaps DeOxit? Some materials oxidize very rapidly. Silicon....as used in transistors and such will oxidize almost instantaniously after being stripped in HF. Of course, the thickness is massively thin. But the idea is that oxides do interfere with current flow. They are generally insulators, but in the case of Copper? Oxides of Copper were once used in rectifiers....hmmmm.
Too much is never enough
I like that.
There is a cheap and simple way to see if fuses make a difference. Swap out your stock glass body fuse for a Ceramic equivalent. Clean both ends of the new fuse before hand. Apply some contact enhancement like Pro Gold. If you notice a improvement, the next step might be the hifi tuning fuse. Start with your preamp or source fuse.
.
Dynobots Audio
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
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