They all said this wouldn't do anything...
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2024
- Here's the fuse brand I tested: telos-audio.co...
A review of the Telos QBT-18 audiophile fuse to see if audiophile fuses can actually make any difference to the sound of your amps, DACs, streamers, etc.
Part 1 of Tweak Week was the Burson Audio V7 Op-Amps: • UPGRADE! Burson V7 Viv...
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00:00 Introduction
02:10 Round 1 results
05:29 Round 2 results
08:49 Back to the generic fuse
10:35 My recommendations
12:32 Wrap-up
#audiophile #audioreview #fuse - Věda a technologie
Some people have a very short fuse when it comes to this topic. 🤔
And just wont consider anything else 😀😀😀
They are willing to claim that this soft-spoken gentleman is straight out lying (or crazy) in order to protect their dogmas
I see what you did there, GadZookz! 😂
@@No_Limits_411 No some are willing to claim what I claim in my comment under this video, which, for your sake, I repeat here: 'The potential for placebo and other such effects grows exponentially for such kind of 'reviews' when compared for example with speaker reviews. No non-blind such test should have ANY validity regardless who is performing it and how well intended or impartial he might be, be him a reviewer or a consumer reporting his 'findings'. It is high time for both reviewers and consumers to recognise the fruitlessness of such 'reviews'.'
@@razisn Some people just like to experiment to have fun with the hobby. Regardless of the extremely high probability of placebo. It's not always 100% about the 'objective' value. It's entertainment. If some people take it seriously, who cares. You aren't going to convince them any more than running into churches and telling people "God isn't real". The only thing it's "high time" for is for people to just let others live their lives and enjoy the hobby as they see fit. ASR exists... the information is out there. Your opinion is posted, people can read it. We've all seen it. But you can't berate and force people to stop wanting to experiment and have fun.
Nice play on words, ie., short fuse.
It's worth noting, the fuse is 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 ... so not only do some possess a short fuse, the interaction is 𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥.
Just sayin
I was surprised recently in almost exactly the same way. Not only did I doubt that an "audiophile" fuse would sound different, but I very, very much doubted that flipping the fuse would make any difference whatsoever. My ears told me otherwise. It wasn't dramatic enough that I'm about to go add new fuses to all my gear, but it was nevertheless an audible difference.
Also, thanks for correcting the "placebo" term. Many people apparently have no idea what an actual placebo is or what the placebo/nocebo effect is. It's an uphill battle to scrub the term from the hobby, but it's cool to hear someone else calling it out.
Praying Mantis, No one's asking you to take my word for it. You can try it for yourself or not.
Jesus, it sounds like you and I have had exactly the same experience and drawn the same conclusions. 🙂🙂
Email just sent from Telos:
Hi,
Regarding the QBT-18 Fuse,it has been discontinued for a while now.
Currently, Telos only offers one type of fuse, the Quantum X2.
Attached is a link for your reference (can’t post links on CZcams)
Each 20mm fuse is USD 80,and each 30mm fuse is USD 110.
@@TheWorldTeacher 100 dollar fuses, annnndddd there it is ladies and gentlemen.
Clean your old fuse and pop it back in.
your ears didnt tell you anything, your BRAIN did. all fuses and most other audiophile tweaks are SCAMS
As for myself, I was very pleased with the Synergistic Research fuse I placed in my amplifier. The difference in terms of sound was obvious from the first minutes. After a few hours and weeks, the difference was even more noticeable. As a guitar player, I was very pleased to hear that the medium was clearly nearer to the sound I get from my amplifier with a good saturated sound. In many aspect, the timbres of instrument are more accurate or near to reality. So I was very happy with that improvement to my ears. However, I think that this kind of modification can be made if you only have a very good and musical amplifier and even good quality cables. At the contrary, getting such a fuse should be a loss of money, with poor improvement I guess...
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
When you have a long serving DAC or AMP that is not going to be replaced any time soon, extracting the best from it makes perfect sense.
Exactly! I agree 🙂
Thanks for exploring this topic 😎
My pleasure! 🙂
As also suggested above, the best comparison would be fuse versus copper wire connection. Blind test without listener knowing what is in.
indeed. But then we get warranty, safety and possibly even legal issues.
I've not even tried a mains lead yet, so I'm not likely to try a fuse anytime soon, but I thank you for looking into it and note your experience with interest! In the analogue domain I'm happy enough to try most things, and I've spent 40 years hearing big repeatable differences between cables for instance, so I'll never say never....
I replaced the fuse in my Audiolab 6000CDT with a $60.00 fuse from HiFi Tuning. The center image on vocals shrank from a vague 3 foot circle to about 6". The detail increased and the soundstage seemed a bit larger and was more precise. Reversing the fuse did make a noticeable difference.
I also put a HiFi Tuning fuse in my bel Canto DAC, about 10 years ago. It was recommended by a friend who is well known for high end upgrades. I thought that he was winding me up, and I gave him a good drubbing. I had to eat crow a day later!
I think the problem with tweaks like this, is that they are system dependant. What works well in your system may not work in others, and vice versa.
Lmao sure
Then you woke up..... More voodoo bullshit here....
Give your old fuse a good clean and try it
Did your buddies on the short bus tell you that it wouldn't work?@@kingstoler
Did it work when you drooled on the fuse in your boom box?@@turokforever007
I upgraded my Gustard A26(when I owned it) with a Gustard Fuse which was reasonably priced and it definitely improved/cleaned up the sound
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Synergistic Research offers a 30-day trial period on their fuses. I kept fuses for the last tweaking improvements. I have a Master fuse in my Gustard R26 and Purple fuses in my Denafrips Artemis Amp. I liked the improvements and kept the fuses.
That's a great offer from them and goes to show that they stand behind the product.
Next thing ya know he'll be offering a 48 hour trial on his voodoo magic tuning stick... flake.
Another nice one Lachlan! I’ve been curious about this topic. I switched out the stock fuse of my R26 to a Gustard after-market fuse for S$30. I thought I heard a difference when I use it but can’t be specific about exactly what has changed. I have also heard others telling me that the SR purple fuse for the R26 makes a “big” difference at S$293 and then others told me the Sharkwire Vulcan fuse at about S$450 makes the biggest improvements and is a worthwhile upgrade. At this price, I can get a DDC I think, although I don’t need one now that I am using Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus as my Roon server. I’ll be reading the comments of this video, I am sure I’ll learn something.
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 the person using it swears by it. I already find it difficult to pay S$293 for the SR purple fuse. Anyway, will only buy fuse if any is spoilt. When that happens, it depends on my mood and money then I’ll decide which to get
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 how many of this bag did you buy? 😂
I used to be sceptical about the fuses but decided to give it a try one day. Replaced the fuse in my power amp and was astonished bu the effect! Even the movie dialogues sound improved rather substantially. I would say it is somewhat 5% of sound quality is definitely cut off by the regular factory fuses. I presume the amps just cannto breath freely enough with them.
You're definitely not alone with this experience. Thank you for sharing!
So what happens if a $150 audiofool fuse blows because of a 5 cent rectifier diode that shorts out ?? Will they keep replacing the $150 fuse until the fault is found ?
Using an audiophile fuse doesn't make someone incapable of testing gear with generic fuses or taking faulty gear to a technician. You're over reaching.
I took the fuses out of my amplifier and an amazing thing happened. I heard no sound at all. That just proves fuses do make a difference!
The noise floor is so good now!
Superfluous comment.
Spot on! I have the same finding and experience with power and interconnect cables.
Replaced the fuse in my Gustard R26 yesterday. I used the $25 Gustard one. Instantly noticed the centering of voices improved (my system seem to favor the left channel slightly). Sound stage also slightly improved. I will let it break-in a little before doing any critical listening. Happy so far.
Gustard makes solid fuses, that meet spec, for very reasonable prices.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I have tried the Synergistic Research Purple fuse in my $7k+ Conrad-Johnson TEA2MAX phono preamp, and I have no doubt that it improved the sound and was every bit worth the $200 I paid for it. I am, in fact, going to try the $600 Quantum Master fuse because I don't think there is anything else in my system that I can get as much of an improvement for $600.
That's interesting that you noticed so significant a difference, Keith. I'll probably try a slightly higher level fuse in the future to compare with the Telos.
I've done this over 10yrs ago worth every penny . You can also get different ends gold , silver and really taylor the sound , lean or warm . I've used them on a 20k home stereo and a burson amp/dac.
Thanks for taking an honest, open-minded approach to this. I had a similar experience with my Schiit Freya Plus Pre-Amp. I took it apart to upgrade all of the capacitors and resistors in the tube circuit. While I had it apart I upgraded the internal glass fuse with a ceramic one..not an "audiophile" designated fuse.. My experience was close to yours…I switched the direction as well…I thought that I was hearing sound changes…but I was never confident in the subtle changes that I perceived. I am open minded about it, though. I can't stand some of the "experts" here!
having matched/lower tolerance caps and resistors made far more difference than changing a fuse. Very cool that you were able to do the swap though.
Yeah those pesky people that actually understand electronics must be infuriating. Nevermind that the people that designed your equipment are experts and they didn’t put an ‘audiophile’ fuse in there to begin with. Damned experts.
@@wtcamerYES…YES…Absolutely!
It was challenging for my skill level…but I was so thrilled to have accomplished it and it really "connected" me to my system.
@@baronvonaux8294THAT has to do with profit. Why do you need to be an "expert".
You are NOT.
@@baronvonaux8294Clearly you are a know-it-all bully. 🤷🏻♂️
Audio Sanctuary in the UK ships WW and sells the HiFi Tuning Cardas copper (Kupfer) fuses for about $45 USD. I use them in a few pieces of equipment and can always hear an obvious difference. There's no other $45 'mod' that makes this amount of difference aside from paying my power bill.
I don't believe you! A $45 power bill? 😂😂
@@PassionforSound Okay, you got me. Maybe when I was single in my 400sq/ft apartment. 😂
Two decades ago, I replaced the fuse inside my amp with an expensive HiFi Tuning fuse. It made a very subtle difference and wasn't worth the money, so I didn't buy any more fuses after that. I found that vibration control made a much bigger improvement. Some fuses actually have vibration control inside them, which is why they make a bigger difference. The material the fuse is made from also makes a difference, just like with RCA and AC connectors with different plating materials; gold sounds warmer, and rhodium sounds colder. Furthermore, some AC plugs also have vibration control inside them, like Furutech's Nano Crystal Formula. I no longer build cables, but when I did, I used crystals running through the entire cable. I found that the female part of the cable makes the biggest difference because it's the closest to the equipment. So, it makes sense that a fuse makes a difference, even when it's so small, because it's inside the chassis.
From the Telos website.
When replacing fuse, long and tedious duration is required to fully break-in the fuse in order to get the fullest bandwidth. Unfortunately, most of the power consumptions for the equipments out there rarely fully develop the full potential of the fuses.
Simply further evidence that they are inscrutable con artists that aim only to seperate cash from naive and gullible audiophiles.
Came here to read the comment section, LOL.
I do not know the Telos fuses but my own findings (padis) go in a similar direction. Having said that, the went that one mile furher as i have swapped all fuses in the hifi rig (4 total) and that pqyed off. Padis were 22 euros only, now not available anymore, and they were probably the very best in terms of vfm, while i am not so sure e.g. about twice as expensive hifi-tuning fuses. Mind all (?) fuses influence the sound characteristics at the very least a tiny bit. In some equipment only the original fuse sounded balanced, in my experience.
I have HiFi Tuning fuses, they are directional, in all power amps and my Gustard R26. Not a placebo or snake oil by any means in my rig.
Thanks both for sharing your experiences!
I discussed this topic with a certain audio engineer/physicist who is well known in the industry. He designed my power amplifier.
He agreed it could impact the sound, especially if the fuse(s) were in that signal path.
My issue isn’t with audiophile fuses. It’s the silly prices of certain ones.
How could a fuse be in a signal path. That makes absolutely zero sense and no engineer would ever make that claim.
@@baronvonaux8294 absolutely agree. a very odd statement
I don't doubt that there are some companies charging an unreasonable amount for these types of products, but that doesn't make all similar (and especially lower priced) products a rip off if the performance is better.
As for the signal path question, that probably depends on where you choose the define the ends of the signal path. No sound comes out without power so you could argue (and I'm not seeking to debate this so much as throwing in an extreme example) that power is ALWAYS in the signal path because it's facilitating the function of the operational amplifiers / tubes.
I had similar results when i used better fuses in my Magnapan 3.6r speakers.
Good video, I was hugely sceptical about fuses until I tried the Synergistic Research range. Bear in mind that buying more then one will give you acculative sonic gains. The SR Purple is the best one I've heard to date after trying AMR, Hifi Tuning and QSA.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
@@PassionforSound I had the same experiences with mains cables equipment supports and was intensely annoyed that they affected the sound haha. With any of these upgrades it is obvious and I've blind tested with my brother. I was able to pick which was which each time and so was he not knowing which one was being used. The more revealing the system the easier it is. However I do think as with most audiophile tweaks they are massively overpriced! There is always some level of exploitation in terms of high end pricing that you just have to sadly expect if you want to increase performance. But if your goal is to increase your musical enjoyment then it can be a price worth paying depending on the product.
And that's why he owns a dozen expensive exotic cars now. That dude doesn't make one useful audio product and notice how he avoids making the real audio hardware because that's how these parasites operate :(
Who are you talking about?
@@PassionforSound Work it out Sherlock :D LOL
When fuse was upgraded there was a dramatic improvement in the entire soundscape. Everything became quieter, sharp edges on violins and sopranos disappeared, both microdynamics, bass control and general resolution improved, and not least the room reproduction became far richer and deeper.
And all of that happened with your brain actively realizing you've wasted a lot of money on a component that, in an audiophile's very expensive equipment, has no influence on anything before the countless other electonic components have their say about the signal going to your speakers, and is therefore a waste of money. THAT is the point where the human brain's expertise in 'lying to itself' kicks in hard, to prevent embarassment over having spent way too much money on a scam product. And thus, it DOES sound better to your own brain, how can it not actually soind better? With a fuse of ten times the cost of other fuses...
and all cocaine disappeared by itself when you threw led zeppelin....
Thanks for going into areas that many reviewers do not dare. You provide enough information for people to make their own decisions. If they believe in it, they can give it a try and if they don’t, they can either see it as informative or entertaining content or just check out. You are not forcing anyone 😊
For myself. Since a lot of care has been taken in dedicated, power lines in my house and decent power supply cables, components with good transformers and power supplies etc. Considering that ALL the current is going through a tiny fuse, I would find it logic to pay attention to its quality. Whilst people pay attention to everything else, 100% of the current going through that little thing could represent a weak link. It may be worth not neglecting it if the rest of the system already had substantial investment towards quality. Spending hundreds of dollars on a fuse is another story, but paying attention to its quality would seem logic to me.
Great points! Thanks for watching, commenting and supporting the channel! 🙂🙂
😅😅😅 you just don't understand how a fuse works. Stop drinking the koolaid
@@shaolin95would you be so kind as to enlighten the koolaid drinkers since you seem to know more than we do? 😊
I have good mid-fi speakers, amps, DAC, and streamer, BUT I have LPS on everything without onboard power, very good DIY power cords on everything with pure copper connectors, Acme silver fuses in everything, midrange AQ interconnects, and Atlas speaker cable. My system looking at the gear from the front, has absolutely no right to sound as good as it does. No one thing is to account for this, its the collection of all the little things/little gains. For those on a budget like me, I added these many small purchases over time.
Sounds like a great and well-thought-out system. Thanks for sharing
It's an interesting one Lachlan.
I tried a Synergistic Research Purple Fuse in my Bartok. I think it sounded potentially a little clearer and maybe brighter but again this was a very small difference. I also thought it sounded better one way than the other too. Apparently there is a preferred direction for the SR Fuses.
In the end though I sold the fuse on eBay because I was looking to sell or trade in the Bartok (I still have it) to buy another item and would rather it had the standard fuse in it. The fellow that bought it used it for his AV system and said it made a "profound difference" to picture quality etc 🤔.
I have always wondered as well...if I am using a mains filter aready (in my case a Puritan PSM156) then surely the mains is already filtered before it meets your equipment? Would this also mean you only have to buy a single fuse for the mains filter?
Another thing to consider as well... of course you have to buy a fuse of the correct size and mA. However - if something happens to the device and the manufacturer sees you are using a slow blow (sounds more exciting than it is) fuse for example they may blame the fuse for the fault in invalidate your warranty.
People do swear by them though - especially the new "Master" variant of the Synergistic Research fuses.
I'm still on a fence a little as to their worth. I don't think it's snake oil though...
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I would definitely recommend using the same spec fuse as the manufacturer and I'm not sure if they have fast blowing audiophile fuses so that might be an issue. You could always swap back to a generic fuse if needed for warranty purposes, I guess. 🙂
I think a silver plated copper slug would be interesting to test as well. I have heard of people doing this in Magnepan speakers. Yes I know this defeats the purpose of the fuse.
Yes. I wouldn't personally do that with expensive equipment, but it's likely to be an interesting experiment.
I have no idea why people associate placebo with audio. I understand the psychological concept behind it, but the word is being used so incorrectly. Pet peeve of mine, so I'm glad you mentioned it lol.
You get lots of people hating on high end cables, power supplies, and all that lot. Of course some of them are silly money, HOWEVER,
People buying them generally have silly priced gear and most of the haters I bet haven't heard $10K-£750k gear ( I recently saw a YT video of these rooms ). These level of equipment and your set-up is included in this I'm sure are much more sensitive to the subtle changes in upgrades. Would I go as as thining lifting wire off the ground? Hmmmm lol.
But I was unconvinced I could hear the difference in the Super Charger for the Burson, and yet I was blown away at the changes it made. Subtle but most definitelty there, but I do think the make up and design of the Burson and other dual mono class a discrete amps will lap up what the PSU does. That simply makes sense.
It has opened my ears to the fact that these things can potencially make a differnce of gear that could take advantage of it.
Just dont start a convo on 1m HDMI cables.
@@user-es3hq5zk4e audio science isn't complete and it may never be. There're things that can change the sound that show no measurable difference, or sometimes may show the minutest of differences but there's no way to explain how or why it is audible outside of theory.
I for one wouldn't be asking an electronics engineer for an opinion on the feasibility of something changing the sound unless they are a trained listener and have also designed audio gear themselves.
Passion for sound would you consider changing fuse is the eversolo a8? I would love to see what other equipment you swap out fuse’s for and see what the improvements are.
I'd definitely consider it. I'm not about to rush out buy new fuses for all my gear, despite the perceived improvement, but I might do a new round of fuse tests with a different brand in the future. 🙂
Another awesome video Lachlan!
You said it. Would you pick it blind, probably not. But when you know which one you’re listening to. It’s clear and obvious. Says it all really.
I too like many others thought this was all bs. I changed the fuse in my dac with a notable difference in bass response as well as midranges. The fuse i bought was a 30$ one and there was a subtle difference. I’m changing the one in my preamp next, so we’ll see.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I'm glad you gave this a try for yourself.
It's easy to test if there's any difference. Just to do a null test.
I have done that, and there is a difference with the purple fuse.
Agreed. Lachlan, I think you did some null tests with USB cables previously. Doing something similar with fuses should be possible.
Thank you for this sensible comment. It will never be produced because we all know what it will show.
Null tests won't work if one of the fuses has hum. 🤯
That isn't difficult to account for.@@FabioKasper
I put a SR purple fuse into my Prima Luna integrated amp. I figured I would hear some kind of difference, but I was skeptical of what I was seeing in reviews.
The results were actually phenomenal. It brought my system to life, improving nearly every aspect of the music.
Unfortunately, the fuse only lasted a short while before it blew, and I found out quickly that is not compatible with my amplifier unless I went up im amps.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Yes, getting the right specs of fuse (audiophile or generic) is very important!
@@PassionforSound It seems strange that a fuse that wasn't high enough specification and eventually blew, so it must have been stressed would sound better? What a load of bull.
I have no idea how that would work, Ron, so I take him at his word because I wasn't there to hear it for myself.
@@ronlysons6750 My amp uses a 3.15A fuses which is what I ordered.
The issue comes from powering up the amp. When powered up, it initially draws more than 3.15A. The stock tube can handle that higher spike upon power up. The purple fuse is apparently more delicate and only had 3 power ups before it went kaboom.
I use fuses from this manufacturer. I felt the effect. First, I tried DDC and was very impressed. Next, I tried Hypsos. It wasn't as good as DDC, but still left a good impression. Both have their own direction. However, there is quite a difference between them, so I'm not confused. I also tried other low-priced products from this manufacturer (such as noise reduction products), but considering the cost-performance ratio, I didn't have a very good impression.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! That's interesting about the different products responding differently
Really interesting review. OCD Mike demo'd several fuses a couple years back on youtube and I could clearly hear the difference with computer gaming headphones.. The Synergistic Research fuses seemed to change the sound without really improving it, but the Furutech fuses did improve the sound. I would also add I recently added Ferrite core clamps to all of my power cables and they also had a slight noise (specifically RFI) reduction quality. For example one on track I know well what i previously thought was a high hat drum turned out to be a tambourine.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! 🙂🙂
The potential for placebo and other such effects grows exponentially for such kind of 'reviews' when compared for example with speaker reviews. No non-blind such test should have ANY validity regardless who is performing it and how well intended or impartial he might be, be him a reviewer or a consumer reporting his 'findings'. It is high time for both reviewers and consumers to recognise the fruitlessness of such 'reviews'.
Placebo is the easiest excuse for nagers of this world .
If you can't explain it , nag it.
Thank you for a truthful video.
Always!
Great video! Great detail.
Interesting. It'd be interesting to measure the impedance of the stock & 3rd party fuses to see if that could account for the sound difference. It'd also be interesting to see one being disassembled to see how and why it's directional, though I would totally understand you not wanting to deliberately break a $50 fuse!
if you change impedance of a fuse then its blow value will be affected.
My guess is that it's more likely to do with the purity and types of metals used, but that's pure guess work.
For my system, I don't have confidence in distinguishing between a $30 power cable and a $100 power cable. However, if it's between a $100 cable and a $500 cable, I can probably discern 70-80% of the time. For this fuse (replacement, difference in direction), I think I can distinguish it 90% of the time or more. As for sound quality, it's a moist sound. I think it generally represents an improvement in sound quality. Of course, there may be people who don't prefer this sound.
So if the $100 cable manufacturer ups his price to $500, you will then hear a difference ?
As a Magnepan user fuses are important. Can anyone comment positively on upgraded fuses on Maggies?
Thanks
Thx a lot for trying out more interesting new Things, which nearly no body does.
Do you want to try more expensive fuses to see if they make a more significant difference?
I'm glad you liked it! I'm keen to try a Purple Fuse or one of the other commonly recommended ones as a comparison, for sure!
@@PassionforSound yeah i am currently saving up for a hpa1 and after that i get Fuses for All my gear, including the linear powersupplies. I also heard great Things about the audiomagic Fuses. A lot to try 😉
Audiophile fuses absolutely make a difference, provided your equipment is of sufficient quality. I like Synergistic Research, and yes, I can absolutely hear a difference between the SR fuses and a basic ceramic "stock" fuse. It's pretty easily demonstrable.
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 , prove to me they don't. IOW, get some good equipment and come back later.
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 Come on over and I'll show you. If you can't hear a difference in your system, your system sucks.
Try changing the fuse in the mains fuse-box, it makes quite a big difference. I used an AHP Neozed fuse. Costs around 50€.
I swapped the stock fuse in my DAC for a Gustard fuse and noticed a very subtle sonic improvement, the Gustard fuse is filled quartz sand and copper powder and has gold plated end caps. Funny because audiophile power cords look like Everglades snakes yet all the energy flows through a fuse filament thin like a strand of hair! The way energy flows through a conductor is not the way you might think, supposedly the energy flows like a wave, like a stadium of fans throwing hands up in the air creating a wave effect with arms. Word around the camp fire is RFI/EMF grounding boxes make the most noticeable sonic changes, more so than any cable or fuse tweak, I can't say I haven't built my audio grounding box yet
One thing to be aware of, is that although such boxes provide a tremendous element of safety, in my experience they do filter out some of the dynamics in the treble as well as the bass.
It's not subtle, but not a major issue either as long as you have the ability to EQ a little to make up the difference.
In my case, changing my EQ profile and increasing my sub output as well as the crossover (increase my about 5Hz) did the trick.
Just an fyi because I was not expecting that tonal change.
Good luck.
@@Artemis_Prix I don't like the term ground because ground has various and completely different meanings, there's signal ground, chassis ground, earth ground, common ground... the audio grounding box I am thinking of is a concentrated box of earth ground the idea being very minute and stray electrical noise is absorbed and dissipated via a connection to an open signal pathway like RCA output not in use think of it like grounding a turntable signal. Think nanovolts and needless to say electricity can kill, actually the current is what kills, currents between 100 and 200 milliamperes (0.1 to 0.2 amp) are lethal!
Sorry I came across this late, but I recently rang Futureshop in the UK (they specialise in various kinds of cables and other tweaks) asking for advice about "audiophile" fuses. I wanted to dip my toes into the subject and asked for advice -- a very helpful guy named Mark answered. I wanted to know what the best place to put one sample fuse was just to see if it made any difference.
Here in the UK, we have 13A fuses in our mains plugs (do you in Australia?), and he said the best place to put a single fuse was in the mains plug for one of my IEC-terminated power cables. That way, I'd be able to test the effect of the fuse in different pieces of kit. Sounded like a reasonable idea to me, and so I asked what was the minimum-priced fuse he'd recommend. I hoped he'd say one I had my eye on that cost around £25, and whilst he said it wasn't bad, there was a much better one for around £86, the "entry level"(!) QSR Light Blue. I nearly choked, but after more back and forth decided to bite the bullet and buy one.
Let me tell you Lachlan, I was fully prepared to receive it and summarily add it to the pile of many barely perceptible tweaks I've wasted money on in the past few years. But much to my surprise, the difference it made when placed in the mains plug of my Gustard R26 DAC was astonishing -- not at all subtle, but completely obvious (and reputedly getting better the longer it burns in). Bigger soundstage, fuller and more natural sounds, altogether more engaging. It was as good as I'd expect a complete system upgrade to a higher tier to be.
My system cost me around £5.5K all told and outputs sound through a pair of DIY Decware Zen Master ZF15M open baffle speakers -- built for £1300, thus saving me around £3K on the price of ready-made speakers. The sound was already pretty good, but, like I said, it became markedly better. In the context of a £5.5K (or nearer £8.5K if I'd bought the ready-mades), £86 (c. 1%) suddenly came to seem like a bargain. Made way more difference than a £100 Audiolab DC blocker ever did when plugged into my preamp.
He told me how he'd bought fuses higher in the QSR range (up to £600 -- and they get even more costly!) for his own system, which was actually appreciably less costly than mine, but for which he claimed a 2-3 fold improvement. I don't personally think I'd ever go that far -- maybe I'd be prepared to stretch to £200 for the QSR Yellow, but no further. One thing about the expensive ones is that you apparently get a free lifetime replacement if it should blow, and that made it worthwhile for him. But it's hard to imagine that spending £600 would -- because of the law of diminishing returns -- give anywhere near the comparable improvement that the £86 jobbie did for me over a bog standard 13A ceramic fuse (costing probably 25p or even less) as supplied by default in every UK mains plug.
I replied here rather than to your most recent piece (about giving up audiophile reviewing) because this is a long post and maybe out of place there. What I'd say to those who have already made up their minds that fuses (or anything else) CAN'T make a difference is: how do you know? How can you know anything without having experienced it yourself? Anything new you try is bound to be a risk -- and for you, who knows, something like the QSR Light Blue might not work out. Que sera, sera -- if you can't afford it, maybe you can borrow it from a friend and try it before resorting to a knee-jerk, conditioned response. Expectations can colour perception in both directions, leading to either exaggerated responses on the one hand, or denial of obvious improvements on the other.
Any road up, that's my tuppence worth. Any doubters, take it or leave it -- makes no difference to the personal enjoyment of my music. Be kind to everyone, whether or not you agree with them, and above all else, trust your own ears!
Thanks for sharing your experiences! That's a great way to test the fuses. We don't have fused sockets or cables here. ☹️
@@PassionforSound Hmm. Maybe one could put a UK plug (replacing the 13A fuse with a 10A one) on the IEC connector for an Aussie piece of kit and then use a UK-Aussie travel convertor with its standard Aussie pins out to plug it into an Aussie socket? Maybe that way you could take advantage of a fuse in in the mains plug circuit?
I know they're a bit funny in Australia as regards DIY electrical stuff, but it seems you are allowed to change plugs in at least some cases. And in any case, you'd still be using the standard Aussie pin out configuration and so maybe house insurance wouldn't be affected.
Not entirely sure this is correct, but thought I'd float the idea.
My initial thoughts are that no fuse is probably actually the ideal for sound quality and then swapping the fuses in the device is the next step.
I have a gustard fuse ( USD 20 ) and SR purple fuse on my holo audio spring L3 , different fuse give different Sound improvement
Thanks for sharing your experiences
It would be interesting to dissect both fuses to see the differences in materials used and their manufacturing. The metal parts could offer different resistive loads and maybe the sand in each has some differences?
don't think the sand is going to have any type of effect it's purpose is to contain the tiny explosion that occurs if the fuse blows.
@@gratmatassa5432 Heat dissipation as well? That might influence it's internal resistance.
It would definitely be interesting to know how these differ internally compared to generic fuses.
I wonder if the old fuse has oxidation on the metal contacts?
But he used new fuses
@@No_Limits_411 That is my point. Clean the old fuse first then compare with the new fuse.
Both fuses were brand new
@@PassionforSound Ah. Thanks very much.
Great review as always. I did the replacement of fuses in everything when I build by high end stereo system. Did I notice anything? I "don't think so" But what I did notice was in my headphone system. I've played tracks on both my systems. While I 'think' I can hear a difference on the main stereo system, I can 100% hear it via the headphone system.
So in saying that, are the fuses better for the equipment? Perhaps, so I've left them in (even in my PS Audio power plants)
If they do make a difference, at least I have the fuses in. Now, where is my Tubulus Concentus i2s cable lol
very interesting review... and well done from minute 12 on 😉
It doesn't seem to have worked so much, but thank you 🙂
Fuses matters after trial , convinced myself who is a skeptic 2 years ago. I didn't try telos. But SR and Hifituning. Recently bought the hft with imbedded diamond. Dis believer will always shout and bark!
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Which was your favourite?
@@PassionforSound Hifi-tuning Silver is cheap n good.
Well on this one Lachlan I would say that you just need to take care when dealing with fuses to make sure that when overcurrent situations happen that fuse will melt, a fuse with higher thermal tolerances will hold on a little too long, allowing your amp to suffer damage. So I hope those fuses rather burn out a little faster. Otherwise generally I would look for areas of improvement for your device elsewhere than at the fuse section, the risk might not be worth taking. Remember what the fuse is there to do, it's a sacrificial component when things go bad, don't strengthen the sacrifice.
I agree. It's important to match the audiophile fuse with the stock fuse. In the Enleum, the stock fuse was also 800mA and slow blow so that's what I bought to replace it. 🙂
Good to see you used lots of objective measurement and took a scientific approach to this subject....
I just ordered Hifi Tuning supreme 3 silver/gold because of materials used.
I would love to have you try my most recent discovery for sound greatness.
Please try Nobsound spring feet isolation feet on your speakers.
I also suggest removing some springs for smaller speakers. I’m sure this will be a revelation for you like fuses will be for me.
Thanks for the tip on the spring feet
When are you going to cover audiophile power boards?
Been there already 🙂
Cleaned fuses, isopropyl and contact enhancer. Seemed like a worthwhile exercise. Placebo, perhaps, harmless 🙏🏻
So when are you going to clean the fuses in your meter box ? That might help improve the sound as well :D LOL
Difference between replacing fuse in dac, amp, streamer? Where does it have the biggest impact? Ive got a purple in my Pegasus feeding the 3xp.
As I mentioned in the video, I've not experimented that widely yet because each device will need a different spec fuse
Do try "audiophile fuses" with good return/trial policy. Tried the Synergistic Purple but sent it back b/c sound became too forward, edgy. YMMV
Blind test would be intresting
If someone wants to fund the additional gear required (i.e. two identical source chains) I'll be glad to do it.
Wait until you try the Synergistic Purple fuses.
I'm definitely interested after this experience!
Yep fuses do make a difference the ones I’ve tried are from synergistic research orange and purple fuses. Solid improvements in the tube amps I have. Cable risers for speakers might be the most controversial audio accessory. I’ve never tried those.
You can try raising your speaker cables with toilet paper rolls. In my system they made a small but noticeable difference.
I've actually heard some logical scientific explanations for the impact of cable risers. I'm yet to try them though.
I am now a believer of fuses though and might try a Synergistic Research fuse in the future.
@@PeterHas how about flipping the theory of cable risers, what about suspending the cables from the ceiling with fine fishing line, if there's no improvement all you lose is the cheap cost of the fishing line.
Did you allow for a burn in period of at least 200-300 hours per fuse?? It's very important.
No. That wasn't the test. I just wanted to see if there was a difference...
A suggestion for you if you want to use audiophile fuses in expensive gear is to independently test the fuse will operate as expected. If you think about it, the fuse is an intentional weak link and the most obvious way to improve sonic qualities would be to make that link stronger. Extreme example would be to bypass the fuse with some 18G silver wire, might sound better but, for sure won't protect the circuit in a fault. I have a strong suspicion that many audiophile fuses would fail testing and therefore leave your expensive gear at risk for a 0.5% sonic improvement :-(
That's an interesting theory. What would you recommend as the test?
What are the specs one needs to keep in mind when replacing fuses?
The original fuse (or manual) should have a current (A or mA) rating and should tell you if it's a slow blow fuse or fast blow fuse.
You can hear anything you want, would love to see some objective measurements :)
You should remind your viewers to determine whether they need slow or fast blow fuses. I have an amplifier with fuses in the speaker line. So, the differences are quite audible. And the last two types, Synergistic US brand ,Orange and Blue, are directional also. But your fuse is definitely a bargain.The two new models, Purple and Master are $200 and $599 respectively each.
How it works is very simple. All your power is running through a little crappy aluminum wire or something that will conduct better like silver. It’s a better conductor can still act as a fuse, but sound better, but they are more expensive. Since all the mains power is running through that fuse it is a choke point!
That seems logical to me 🙂
There is actually another subject that has been mentioned before . Which i don't believe you have talked about and that is the solder.
That's a great point and something I've experienced for myself on DIY projects!
Now ask an electrical engineer to explain that 😂
Just great!
I'm glad you thought so 🙂
Mains "Fuse" Distortion & Noise + the 10 x Expen$ive "Audiophile" fuse Always Sounds better & "Lifts" the sonic "Veil" !!! .....Credibility suicide or "Whats you Smokin, Dude" !!
What kind of amp uses such a tiny fuse? I think you would notice more of a difference with gear that requires high fuse values like in output fuses. The fact you find cabling differences so subtle, I'm also questioning the resolution of your system.
Changed the stock fuse in my Ares II dac against smth that cost around 40€. Could not tell a difference.
I'm glad you tried it for yourself. Thanks for sharing. Which fuse brand did you buy?
@@PassionforSound AHP Feinsicherung II. Perhaps there is a difference that I did not pick up, I am not professional. But given the context of some comments, my lack of evidence should prove that I don't only hear what I wish to hear 🙂
How do you know you have the right fuse?
I mean, there’s many versions of 250V 5mmx20mm.
I have two xDuoo products.
I need perfection with what I’ve got.
The original fuse will be labelled or there will be specs printed somewhere near the did holder in the device.
If you can't tell the difference, then I'm sorry but your system is just not resolving enough 🙆
I checked in with Rogue about whether such a fuse would have an impact on my rogue sphinx v3. They said no way
It's not uncommon for product designers to say that things won't have any impact on their gear, but in my experience, it doesn't always make it fact.
Worth every penny 😂
The whole concept of 'audiophile fuses' in itself is laughable. 😂
Hey Lachlan, you are just the person I have been looking for to test my new range of Audiophile Paint. I can let you have a can for the special price of $599. You will be amazed!
LOL
One point of disagreement I have with this review is that although it is not a sponsored review that could subconsciously influence your review, you still paid $60 for the fuse. While not a substantial amount in audiophile terms, it is still enough to make one hope they haven't wasted that money.
I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. If I'm given something I'm biased by the value of the gift. If it's lent to me, I'm biased by the need to keep the lender happy so they'll continue lending me gear. If I buy it, I'm biased by the money I've invested. Shall I just begin imagining I have the product here to review?
This is a tiny investment in the channel for the sake of a video. I didn't care if it did something or nothing - both generated the content I wanted.
@@PassionforSound It isn't a conscious bias and it is something we all do, every single human does it. It even has a name 'Sunk Cost' and is another thing to be aware of.
My point is that we can claim biases in every possible configuration of how a review is produced so we're just chasing our tails
I disagree with just about everything PassionforSound says, but he does have a point here.
I see you've discovered the rabbit hole. Now the question becomes how far down do you wish to go? LOL...
Haha. I've been aware of the rabbit hole for ages and resisting it strongly because I know how deep it might go 😁
Maybe the prob is the cheap as possible (0.1 penny) tin cat whisker Chinese fuse vs. a decent fuse with some metal in it... but that one is at most 5 bucks.... price gouging for sure.
I can't say what the production cost is so it would be pure speculation of me to evaluate its value. Also value is always subjective. Bit everyone values Ferraris, but they still cost millions of dollars.
Bit early for an April fools video eh? 😂
I still believe it is no more than a placebo. Power cables and fuses are not in the audio path, their only job is to transfer current in the power supply section
the audio path starts at the wall outlet
the power supply section of any amp greatly contributes, depending on it's qualities, to the sound of the amp
@@vaneast411 It also has filtering and the .0000000000001% of difference a fuse would make would be further reduced by the output filtering of the power supplies output stage. Audiophile fuses are silly nonsense. Pop one open and it will be the same thing. Even if it's not, the difference wouldn't be audible. I doubt you could even see it on a test tone through an O-scope on the output of the power supply, much less the actual power amp that is filtered yet again.
If we are talking super sensitive mains powered tube amps that rely on very specific vpp and resistances that also can be sensitive to RF signals then maybe you could kinda maybe in a really odd situation hear a difference, but even then those old style systems should be component matched and changing something like that might actually have a negative impact.
@@vaneast411yes, but fuses are on the input side of the power amp. IE- prior to DC rectification. This is why claims of fuses making an audible difference are so patently ludicrous.
This test would make sense as if you didn't know what fuse you are listening to
its funny they have a blow rating. so they conduct as good as you want to protect your gear. so it wont hinder the device at all. direction of the fuse.... haha sure, show me in a measurement. ooh it also change dthe bass shape of sound etc... erm.... no just no , the reason you spent your own money is the trick.
I would be fascinated to see a detailed teardown and materials analysis of the internal compositon and structure of these so called audiophile fuses, by an independent lab 'blind' (the lab doesn't know anything about the fuse market presentation).
This stuff is always subject to intense confirmation bias, and almost always falls into random results when subject to truly blind testing. Its clear this channel did not follow proper blind testing protocol. I urge everyone here to get acquainted with true blind testing principles and methodologies. If any reviewer doesn't follow those, then disregard the review results. Simple.
It's a known fact that fuses distort the waveforms travelling through them to a very small degree, mostly causing 3rd harmonic distortion. This is due to the resistance changing with heat variations arising from non steady state current flow. This has been demonstrated and measured by king of the objective engineers Douglas Self. There are materials available which have a more consistent resistance with temperature up until their melting point. Presumably audiophile fuses are made of such materials. However, even the most incompetently built power supply should be able to filter out any fuse related effects. I personally would never buy one. Fuses on the amp output to protect headphones or speakers are another story though. In this case some kind of active protection is probably preferred to prevent such effects.
Actually it is the.music that rides on the power supply . In hifi you have pre amp mono blocks are the altimate things to buy reason for this is each have their own power supply to do their business. So don't be surprised if you're experimenting with the power supply. They're like the blood of the hifi system
That's a good way to look at it
Great. My Flux Mentor has 2 fuses. gonna be out a hundo due to audio nervosa. I'm kidding; mostly.
I just checked my calendar. April 1st is still a few weeks away.
Found the guy who’s never tried it
@@beefsupreme510 guess who did I find.
@@beefsupreme510 music also sounds better while in the downward dog position. I bet you haven't tried that
@@dangerzone007Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, you tell me how it is
So Now we Need to perform Double Blind testing on designer Audiophile mains Fuses & Fuse "Polarity" !!! .....Helplessly lost in the "Audiophile" rabbit Hole.....
A 12AWG piece of wire would sound better.
It would also risk damaging the equipment
@@PassionforSound So might that Telos fuse.
Why so? It's the exact same specs as the stock fuse.
The answer is simle people thinks oh dear what a massive difference but the reality is completely different unfortunately there is no difference at all its just your mind playing tricks on you to spend more money thats all stock fuses and midnight blue fuses are exactly the same just cosmetic however if you change your circuit breaker and the cables with audio circuit breakers and pure silver insulated cables with specific fuse and plug them through power conditioner than HEY BABY YES YES YES 💥