Premium Fuses - are they worth it?

PolkMaster1

Does anyone have any experience with the premium cost fuses (such as Furutech) that they charge $25 vs. anything you can pick up at Radio Shack or Home Depot?

Are they hype or does it make a difference in your home audio gear? And if there is a difference, what do you say the audibility is?

I am guessing that the only difference between such fuses is that the premiums would have a copper or silver contact connections. What would the Radio Shack and Home Depot fuses use for their contact connection? Silver? Tin?

inspiredsports

In my humble opinion, the short answer is, "yes".

I think the IsoClean brand is the best of breed. You need a high-resolution system to really hear the difference. My biggest benefit was that IsoClean lowered the noise floor for me in my CJ PV-5/VTL-ST50 setup, but only you can decide if the relatively high cost of this tweak can be justified.

There's a long, detailed discussion here started by DarqueKnight discussing the benefits. I'll see if I can find it.

Edit: here it is . . .

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63078&highlight=premium+fuses

We probably should just post there to keep everything in one place.

jimmydep

Read this

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83644&highlight=audio+grade+fuse

PolkMaster1

Thanks Jimmy and Sports...

I will check out these links. Yes, I do have a highly detailed system - solid state though. Dont all SDA owners have highly detailed systems??? :biggrin::cool:

inspiredsports

PolkMaster1 wrote: »

Thanks Jimmy and Sports...

I will check out these links. Yes, I do have a highly detailed system - solid state though. Dont all SDA owners have highly detailed systems??? :biggrin::cool:

:biggrin: yep! I wasn't implying you need tube gear. I recently invested a bunch in recapping/upgrading both of my big NAD amps so they are good to go for at least another 24 years! I will always have a foot in both camps .

Cheers,
Greg

george daniel

PolkMaster1 wrote: »

Thanks Jimmy and Sports...

I will check out these links. Yes, I do have a highly detailed system - solid state though. Dont all SDA owners have highly detailed systems??? :biggrin::cool:

It's all cumulative,,be sure to maintain proper fuse orientation,, somewhere in the Secret Oldtimers bylaws,, is stated that in order to become/stay a member you must have tubes somewhere in the system,,preferabally a tubed pre and/or power amp.Once you have tubes in your system,you will be shown the secret handshake,,no need to tell us when you go tubed,,, they will know.:cool:

PolkMaster1

inspiredsports wrote: »

:biggrin: yep! I wasn't implying you need tube gear. I recently invested a bunch in recapping/upgrading both of my big NAD amps so they are good to go for at least another 24 years! I will always have a foot in both camps .

Cheers,
Greg

Hi Greg.

No worries, I just figured I would throw it out there that I have SS equipment for all to know. And like you, I have amps (power amps that is) driving my speakers.

I just read one of the articles written by DK. As always, his writeups are great. But the thread got hijacked by naysayers. I feel like I have to have a PhD to follow the thread!

PolkMaster1

george daniel wrote: »

It's all cumulative,,be sure to maintain proper fuse orientation,, somewhere in the Secret Oldtimers bylaws,, is stated that in order to become/stay a member you must have tubes somewhere in the system,,preferabally a tubed pre and/or power amp.Once you have tubes in your system,you will be shown the secret handshake,,no need to tell us when you go tubed,,, they will know.:cool:

Actually I do have a tube system in the chain - on the phono preamp. But its a hybrid tube-solid state design.

Can I learn the secret handshake now? Am I accepted? :biggrin:

I'm knocking on the door, but there is no answer... hmmmm...

george daniel

PolkMaster1 wrote: »

Actually I do have a tube system in the chain - on the phono preamp. But its a hybrid tube-solid state design.

Can I learn the secret handshake now? Am I accepted? :biggrin:

I'm knocking on the door, but there is no answer... hmmmm...

Patience grasshopper,, they will come to you,when you least expect it,,and when you are ill prepared to receive them,,never fails. On a serious note,,if you have any questions,just pm Raife,,he helped me understand the method to the proper fuse orientation in my gear,good luck,,and yes,,I have the aftermarket fuses in all my gear.He,he,, I ain't takin no chances.

inspiredsports

PolkMaster1 wrote: »

Actually I do have a tube system in the chain - on the phono preamp. But its a hybrid tube-solid state design.

Can I learn the secret handshake now? Am I accepted? :biggrin:

I'm knocking on the door, but there is no answer... hmmmm...

I've certainly not been around long enough to know those secrets, but a good tube phono pre basically turns the SS stuff into a giant volume control knob. You are definitely on the right path, Grasshopper :biggrin:

PolkMaster1

george daniel wrote: »

Patience grasshopper,, they will come to you,when you least expect it,,and when you are ill prepared to receive them,,never fails. On a serious note,,if you have any questions,just pm Raife,,he helped me understand the method to the proper fuse orientation in my gear,good luck,,and yes,,I have the aftermarket fuses in all my gear.He,he,, I ain't takin no chances.

Hee hee. I have read DKs posts in the past and have spoken with him before - he is a great help, along with ToolForLife and HearingImpared. I did not know that DK made a writeup regarding premium fuses until this thread was started here. After reading his post, I am now tempted to try a premium fuse next year (which is 6+ hours away).

As if I dont have enough projects under my belt... :biggrin:

geppy1

I have done several comparisons with the three main brands of fuses in three different integrated amps. The answer is that the do make a difference. Note i did not say better, but different. You have to decide which difference you like. The differences or charactoristics tend to stay the same but move up and donw the scale depending on the gear used. One that might work well in one system may not be as good in another yet the charactoristics are the same. I have found the following to be consistant

Furutech Sharp images and very dynamic and clear. Can sound congested and a touch bright or mechanical on some gear
Iso Clean A slightly warmer sound then the Furetch. Seems to have a larger stage and more bloom in the bass but not as dynamic and clear as the Furetch.
HiFi Tuning. I have found this to be very warm and often ask (as do the others listening) where did the HF go? Would be a good match for a very bright system.

Your mileage may vary. Keith

Tour2ma

Nice thread. Kinda makes me feel warm. Not to insult any of the repliers, but I think we need to start an OFC (Old **** Club) or some similar subset...

"Patience grasshopper" and "It's all cumulative," are two of the best pieces of advice that can be given, IMO. Well done, Mr daniel... Combined they could be our motto.

I mean some of the advice around here is astounding... e.g.,
- Congrats on your rare... find now run out and get the parts to mod this or that;
- Nice little HT you landed for Christmas... now you're going to want to upgrade your mains, buy an outboard amp and upgrade your sub; and my personal fav
- Nice little entry level 2-ch rig there, now you need to spend half again what you've spent on new wires to round out it's semi-satisfying sound.

It's worse than I remember when I was a regular a few years ago...

For God's sake people the audio journey is a marathon, not a friggin' sprint...

I feel a thread coming on...

Anyway, sorry to derail, but I've been thinking 'bout this for a few days now and had to vent. For some release a good thread released the Krakken... must've been the contrast.

George Grand

Tour2ma wrote: »

It's worse than I remember when I was a regular a few years ago...

Your memory has suffered. The worst it ever was, is when you were a regular.

Want to see change? I direct your attention to the "budget, MID-FI, vintage" PS Audio/Oppo/Adcom rig for sale in the Flea Market, which probably trashes 99% of the sound rigs in US homes. Mid-fi.

That stuff is hi-fi in my book man, or at least CAN be arranged to sound that way. Anybody that can't get hi-fi out of that stuff is thinking about it too much.

TroyD

Well, it's the natural progression of things, I guess.

I for one will not be dropping 25 bucks ea for fuses....I'd rather spend it on music. I'm not saying that they don't make a difference, I just prioritize elsewhere.

In a lot of cases, we've got a lot of carts being put before the horse.

BDT

Tour2ma

Again, my apologies to PM1 and all for derailing the thread…

George Grand wrote: »

Your memory has suffered. The worst it ever was, is when you were a regular.

Although there’s no contesting the memory portion of your comment (whatever it was...), a lesser man than I might take offense at the rest. Knowing it came from a fellow old **** did help.

George, I read your post three times and the late 2009, For Sale thread you cited, once, and I’m still not sure what your point is. You seem to be saying “it’s better now”, but to prove it you refer to a thread about gear you feel was being underappreciated over a year ago. I can’t see how that supports your point.

To be fair, I also reread my post and it was less than clear. What I was trying to say was that a high-end fuse discussion is a potentially contentious (as seen in raife’s Jan, 2008 review). Yet in this instance it produced a well-mannered, civil, adult thread. I tried to attribute this to the maturity of the posters (whom I indelicately dubbed fellow old farts), an approach which states, but does not impose, opinions, and a general “take-your-time-on-your-audio-journey” philosophy. I found this thread to be in refreshing contrast to many I’ve read the past couple weeks.

For contrast here are excerpts from one I consider to be one of the worst:

Question: I'm new to the world of amps. My friend gave me an Onkyo M-282 2 channel amp. My question is, if I get another M-282 (the price is right) can I use a 2 channel amp to power my center channel?

Reply:Know why your friend gave it to you ? Those amps are not really the greatest.

Schurkey

TroyD wrote: »

I for one will not be dropping 25 bucks ea for fuses....I'd rather spend it on music. I'm not saying that they don't make a difference, I just prioritize elsewhere.

In a lot of cases, we've got a lot of carts being put before the horse.

Yep.





I see this the same way I see modern engines. Some companies engineer castings as crappy as possible--light weight, non-rigid, and from inferior materials--and then engineer hyperexpensive multi-layer, silicone-doped gaskets to keep the assembly from puking oil and coolant on the ground. I like properly-designed castings that use the cheapest, simplest gaskets possible. The gaskets get thrown away at each service; but the castings should be re-usable.

Why buy expensive fuses when the WHOLE REASON you use them is so that they can die protecting the rest of the equipment? They're consumables; it doesn't make sense to buy expensive ones.





I, for one, would like to know what property or properties of the "expensive" fuse makes the difference in the sound quality.

Far as I know, this would be limited to Resistance, Capacitance, and/or Inductance.

I can certainly accept that popping out an old fuse and snapping in a new one could, in the process, scrape off a bit of oxidation on the contacts making for a better connection.

Beyond that, I think the emperor is naked. (I've been wrong before.)

inspiredsports

Schurkey wrote: »

Yep.





I see this the same way I see modern engines. Some companies engineer castings as crappy as possible--light weight, non-rigid, and from inferior materials--and then engineer hyperexpensive multi-layer, silicone-doped gaskets to keep the assembly from puking oil and coolant on the ground. I like properly-designed castings that use the cheapest, simplest gaskets possible. The gaskets get thrown away at each service; but the castings should be re-usable.

Why buy expensive fuses when the WHOLE REASON you use them is so that they can die protecting the rest of the equipment? They're consumables; it doesn't make sense to buy expensive ones.





I, for one, would like to know what property or properties of the "expensive" fuse makes the difference in the sound quality.

Far as I know, this would be limited to Resistance, Capacitance, and/or Inductance.

I can certainly accept that popping out an old fuse and snapping in a new one could, in the process, scrape off a bit of oxidation on the contacts making for a better connection.

Beyond that, I think the emperor is naked. (I've been wrong before.)

Visit the link you missed in post #2 above . . . lots of posts there to get caught up on, but it will answer your questions.