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Are "audiophile grade" fuses the key to "sonic nirvana?"


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1 minute ago, richieb said:

 

-- Galvanized? That's So mid-fi. This is a high roller forum 'Bo, dontcha' know---- 

Maybe so, but, they last forever, AND cause cancer!!  So, obviously, "forever" is a matter of perspective.....

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22 minutes ago, minermark said:

Treated with 2 million volts of electricity?

 

I don't think even a nuclear power plant could come up with 2 million volts.

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Here's a question, a bit off-topic, but why don't designers install circuit breakers, instead of fuses?  Is it cost only, or some other considerations?

 

Can you imagine if you blow one of the $400 jobbers.  That would be quite an "ouch" moment.

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2 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

If that is the case, and this "unit" is supposed to do something other than properly fail when it reaches an amperage limit, there is no friggin' way I would place something like this into any of my amplifiers or other gear.  A properly manufactured, correct value fuse should be the first line of defense on the input side of a component to prevent an over amperage condition, and nothing more.

Getting back to reality....fuses usually only protect high value items like power transformers or output autoformers(in tube gear) or speaker coils. They usually are not fast acting enough protect solid state devices. They are in the circuit to blow after something has failed to protect you.

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2 hours ago, thebes said:

Here's a question, a bit off-topic, but why don't designers install circuit breakers, instead of fuses?  Is it cost only, or some other considerations?

 

Can you imagine if you blow one of the $400 jobbers.  That would be quite an "ouch" moment.

Nikko put circuit breakers in some of their amps... Nikko was originally a circuit breaker manufacturer.

I had a little 30W integrated Nikko amp with three circuit breakers with reset buttons on the back.

If I recall, the three were for the power supply, the left amp channel, and the right amp channel.

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:pwk_bs:

I believe most audio enthusiasts would achieve much better results spending $400 on some room treatments than wasting that money on a freaking fuse. Audiophile fuses, cable elevators and magic rocks, along with a lot of other silly stuff, are a total waste of money. Lots of ignorance in audio, and PWK warned of this sort of thing about 50 years ago. I would like to see what he would say about audiophile fuses. I'll bet on the bullshit button getting flashed.

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20 hours ago, pauln said:

Nikko put circuit breakers in some of their amps... Nikko was originally a circuit breaker manufacturer.

I had a little 30W integrated Nikko amp with three circuit breakers with reset buttons on the back.

If I recall, the three were for the power supply, the left amp channel, and the right amp channel.

Very interesting Paul. I always learn something when you post.  Glad to see you stopping by.

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21 hours ago, richieb said:

 

'Bo, can you shed some light on $400 jobbers? Inquisitive minds need to know. 

I have no idea what you are talking about, nor will I ever admit to having any idea of what you are talking about....

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On 3/6/2017 at 2:10 PM, thebes said:

Here's a question, a bit off-topic, but why don't designers install circuit breakers, instead of fuses?  Is it cost only, or some other considerations?

 

Can you imagine if you blow one of the $400 jobbers.  That would be quite an "ouch" moment.

That sounds like a good question.  There are circuit breakers in power strips so the concept is not too far out.  And if a $100 fuse saves a $200 tweeter from blowing that sounds to me like a $100 savings.

+++

 

Speaking of crazies: 

 

I am not one.  I am a professional skeptic who doesn't mind asking questions.  I am not a believer that $100 glass fuses are better than ones costing a buck, I am just saying I would like to see the proof, one way or the other.

 

BTW this is easily tested by the old fashioned "ear" method.  You don't need the $100 fuse to test this, just test using "fused" and "not used" and listen to see if there is an audible difference.  If there is, then the quality of the fuse probably does matter.

 

I don't know about audio quality, but I do know in my college days my Fried Model Q speakers used to blow fuses at least once a week.  I used to buy fuses by the 5-pack.  B)

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Playing Devil's Advocate here; I had an engineering summer intern job at Buss fuses many years ago. There I learned that fuse elements are composed of a variety of materials, in some cases including various mixes of metals, plated metals, etc. They were designed to have specific melting responses to specific current vs. time characteristics. As such, their resistance might be nonlinear. Nonlinear is not good for audio signals.

 

I am always skeptical of magic audiophile claims, but it seems like fuses could be one place where differences might be audible. To me that means the best fuse is no fuse at all.

 

http://www.ipdgroup.com.au/PDF/catalogues_and_datasheets/Brochures/2_Fusegear/SemiconductorFuseApplicationGuide.pdf

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