This is a general question about which upgraded fuse to use in a Rossini and other pieces of equipment. I know the upgraded fuse must match the same specs as the stock fuse.
Using the Analogue Seduction website I ordered this HiFi Tuning fuse for the Rossini, https://www.analogueseduction.net/fuses/TS1.html. I noticed they sell many different types of fuses from Isoclean, SR and others. The HiFi Tuning fuse has about 75 hours of break in and I’m happy with the results, but I’m wondering if any of you Rossini owners have found a better fuse to use.
Same question for power amps. I have a Gryphon Antileon Evo and it uses 5 fuses.
two for the main power which are 10A H
one 1A T The manual doesn’t say what this is used for
one 1A F protection system fuse
one 400mA T - AC power up system
I have an Audio Research Ref 5 SE preamp uses a single Busman MDQ 5A. Any suggestions here?
With the stock fuses, the system leans toward the dark side, which isn’t an issue as I prefer this vs. too bright a system.
The main thing to watch out for is whether or not you can actually obtain the correct value. For the Rossini this is 20 x 50mm T1AL. Many of the trick fuse manufacturers will offer the size and the power rating specs but not disclose the other factors ( T = slow acting L = low breaking capacity). Not to put too fine a point on it if you use a fuse of incorrect specification you may end up waving your warranty goodbye. Repair costs are commensurate with the price of the dCS component BTW.
On the whole my experience is that specifically in a dCS context at best expensive fuses may do no harm. In other contexts, for example, a13 amp equivalent for power plugs ( only of relevance to us Brits) may be beneficial or not depending on the voicing of the entire system . But in all cases that aspect of voicing should the fuses change the sound makes general recommendations unreliable.
Frankly some of the prices charged seem totally ludicrous ( $120 for a 1 Amp fuse?) and must involve some form of magic thought as no technical justification seems to be available.
My opinion would be to buy some more music instead but it is your money after all and you are free to dispose of it as you wish.
David, see my above response. Depending upon the component , yes fuses can change the sound. However does change always = better?. And is the level of improvement commensurate with the cost of the fuse?
I assume the theory with changing fuses is fuse, by virtue of the way it works (heating a wire until the wire fails at a certain current) the fuse in a natural ‘bottle-neck’ to the current. A ‘better’ fuse would, presumably, present a reduced load in normal operation? Would a better solution instead be to replace the old fashioned concept of burning a wire out for a proper electronic current limiter?
An interesting point about an electronic alternative though there is no guarantee that it would necessarily offer a better sound. As I understand what little information there is about audiophile fuses is that they may deal with vibration by e.g. filling the fuse tube with a substance and with (possibly) improved general construction. They may claim some benefit from using differing metals or alloys for the wire itself and for the end caps.
I went through the fuse phase for a while, primarily when I first went to Decware amps and then when I went with PS Audio gear. What a waste of time. I tried Synergistic and some other ultra-unobtanium brand, and then I even tried the improves-your-sex-life-also variants. The time I wasted in effect trying to de-engineer quality equipment instead of just listening to music is time I can never get back. More power to those who truly hear a difference.
Yeah, well, I think this is all part of how one views this hobby, and that view can change over time as well. Back when I was building my own tone arms out of balsa, electrostatic speakers from sheet metal, etc., all that time not listening to music, though maybe on headphones or as background, seemed to give me a great deal of pleasure. Now, whether it’s cables or fuses or switches, no matter the outcome, the effort (45kg amps, again!?) and lost time just don’t seem to deliver the utils that music and family time do. To each his own. I would never tell another human how to spend their time or money, but FWIW, with fuses, I never heard a difference worth paying for.
Does anyone remember when loudspeakers used to come with fuses in the back? ISTR my Mission 700s’ did. The perceived wisdom at the time was to chop a bit off a 6" nail to substitute for the fuse.
This is old discussion but I would like to comment on my later experience with my Bartok. I been using several SR Orange fuses on my system with good improvements which include, better low end and smooth high frequency but without loosing information. A SR fuse was a very good match with the Auralic Vega G2, adding better bass impact, better dynamic contrast and just more analog sound. However, a very interesting thing happened when the same fuse was tried on the Bartok. Long history, short, I like the factory fuse better because the Bartok has better balance with all types of music. With the SR fuse, the Bartok sound slower, less dynamic attack, less involvement with music. Maybe this will sound good in another system or other configuration, but not in mine. I really didn’t want to accept that so I did several comparison and always was the same feeling.
@carlosnewidea
I’m interested in trying the SR orange fuses in my Rossini and Gryphon Antileon EVO amp. Does anyone also share Carlos’ experience with the SR fuse in dCS equipment? Does the SR Orange fuse need time to break in?
I use AMR gold fuses in most of my equipment. There is a marginal improvement (smoothness, tonal colour) compared to the factory fitted ones. They are £18 each. That compares favourably IMO with SR Orange at £155 each. I need a minimum of 7 fuses. Am I going to spend £1,100 on fuses? Unlikely. Especially as they are not available as SoR items and may degrade rather than improve ( see above post from @carlosnewidea
Pete,
Thanks for your suggestion. At $18 per fuse, it is something that can be tried. To answer Brian question, yes, the SR Orange fuse take a while to sound the best. Don’t get me wrong, Bartok with SR fuse sound impressive with recordings that have a little too much high frequency information, since it adds smoothness to the sound. However, with well recorded music, I prefer the factory fuse because it has the perfect balance between high frequency extension and low-end weight. Regarding the SR fuse direction: All my comments were based on one fuse direction, using the other direction, brightness is increased, and low-end weight decreased, no good! I am using Wilson Audio speakers with Luxman amp/preamp which aren’t the most revealing electronics, however, with more revealing electronics and speakers (like Magico), the SR fuse may sound better. As everybody always say, it depends on your system, acoustic (which can easily obscure details) and personal preference.
