Am i hearing things ? replaced the original 43year old fuses in speakers

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Swann36, Apr 1, 2021.

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  1. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    Replaced this morning the original 43year old fuses on my Infinity Quantum Jrs ...nothing else in my cd set up has changed and everything seems tighter and slightly more separated in a good way, guitar strings have a distinctive twang each string almost ..(bad description twang but not sure how else to say it)

    Now before we all go "fuse war" .... these are brand new fuses but NOT audiophile...simply obtained from an electrical supplier in the UK as getting a 32mm x 6.3mm 2.5v fuse wasn't straight forward here (i'm replacing a USA made fuse of course with the Infinitys from 1978 being US built)

    The fuses i got are Schurter costing £1.21 ($1.67) including the tax per fuse ...these are the expensive ones !!!!!!
    as they come with all the safety compliance paperwork RoHS, UL & CSA but what the heck ...and i only had to buy a pack of 10...next day delivery a very reasonable futher £6

    https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cartridge-fuses/1678604/


    I had last year cleaned the fuse holders and the ends of the old fuses with deoxit...so i wasn't expecting any changes to the sound from putting in these very ordinary fuses

    It was simply a quick fix as in swapping between stax headphones and wanting to listen to the speakers i had inadvertantly left my BenchMark Dac1 HDR set to the "Fixed" level of out ....Ouch i know smacked wrist ...a moment after switching the first Mono X amp on ...VERY LOUD music played and as i moved to turn the switch to variable output silence from that speaker ... upon checking the amps and both speakers thankfully all the damage done seemingly was to the fuse in the left speaker ...nicely blown ... hence the quick fix

    So my question to those many on here who understand such things am i hearing real differences or is it because i couldn't listen to the speakers for 24hrs ? ... do fuses deteriorate over many decades ? could it be now i'm simply hearing what these vintage speakers are capable of ? and before they were veiled in some way ?
     
  2. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    Likely so. It's most likely the cleaning of the fuse holders and the shiny new fuse ends, or it's your imagination. It can also be your ears. Hearing can change with your head's sinus condition. But no matter what, it can't be much change.
    -Bill
     
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  3. WildPhydeaux

    WildPhydeaux Forum Resident

    This was my first thought also, cleaning the contacts. But the way I understood what is written this cleaning was done a year back and the old fuses were put back in. The recent change of the fuses themselves did not coincide with the cleaning.

    Perhaps that brief full volume signal and full excursion drivers caused 30 years of dust to fly off the surrounds. Or maybe they just take that long to break in...

    Cheers,
    Robert
     
  4. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Innocent Bystander

    Perception is reality...
     
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  5. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    Do you have a picture of the old fuses?
    Do you have a VOM to measure them?

    It can make a difference. A 2.5 A fuse can have more R that 20 ft of 12 AWG. imo only in volume although inductance may factor in.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2021
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  6. Dale A B

    Dale A B Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, WI
    Bypass those fuses entirely and those Quantums will open up 100%!
     
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  7. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    I haven't cleaned the fuse holders for over 9mths i think it was June last year i did that all that i've done today is literally take out the old fuse in the right speaker put in the new fuses into both speakers
     
  8. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    You are right Robert it was actually last June i cleaned ...i suppose i'm wondering if fuses wear out ? whilst still being able to do the job thus now the new fuses are letting 'more' or 'cleaner' current through so that the transients or starts and decays of notes seem much tighter like theirs more to them ..i hear more to the music i'm listening to today ...
     
  9. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    The R of fuses increase with use.
    The R increases with temperature.
    Since the R increased with age the R increase is even greater with heat.

    I may be the equivalent of removing 50+ of 12 AWG from the circuit
     
  10. fish

    fish Senior Member

    Location:
    NYS, USA
    In my buddies HIGHLY Resolving system in the $60k++ range I got to listen to a variety of fuses in a couple of audition sittings. They ALL sounded Different! Im sorry for the none believers getting their panties in a bunch right about Now! But each and every fuse we tried had its own sound. Not dramatic but different none the less. He needed up choosing ones that were in the middle of the price point. A very small expense considering.

    Just Remember that EVERYTHING changes the sound to some degree. If you cant hear it then its likely your system is not overly revealing and that can be a good thing, or not depending on your personal tastes. Or you just don't give a crap and your brain won't let you hear it or your ears won't. I have no idea and I don't care that much, that's either your problem - or not.
    At this point panties are in a very tight knot, its OK. Go walk it off and try some Advil.
     
  11. Calvin_and_Hobbes

    Calvin_and_Hobbes Music Lover

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    100%. In audio, there are a lot of things that make a difference that THEORETICALLY should not. Here is Rob Watts that designed the Chord DACs talking about how parts of the musical signal that "should be" inaudible can affect how music sounds.



    I would think that Rob Watts knows a bit more about how to make music reproduction sound good than some of the armchair engineers on this forum. The DAVE, Hugo TT, Qutest, and Mojo DACs are the proof of this.
     
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  12. Rick58

    Rick58 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eagle, ID, USA
    I got a $50 silver fuse for my McIntosh C220 preamp eons ago, it made a small but welcome increase in resolution/clarity, which was a little lacking. Went back and forth a couple times, am convinced.

    Then I replaced the internal fuses ... no change. Oh well.

    Now I’ll probably start worrying about them in my other components. Nah, it all sounds satisfying at the moment.
     
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  13. The clip is nearly 30 minutes, can you point to the part where he talks about fuses?
     
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  14. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    Not sure i can get a pic as they have gone into the recycling bin .. but in using a magnifying glass to read them to be able to order a like for like as best i could replacement

    .. iirc it had stamped into the fuse GKNUS 250v 2.5A ... so i assumed having been told by the seller a few years ago that they were as the day he bought them back in 1978 that these were still the original fuses .. of course that may not of been true

    When i cleaned them last year i did get a lot of 'tarnish' off the end caps and brought them up lovely and shiny and there was a very slight improvement sound wise back then ...they are of the clear glass barrelled cartridge type ...

    Not sure what a VOM is ?
     
  15. WildPhydeaux

    WildPhydeaux Forum Resident

    Chill. This really doesn't HAVE to become yet another contentious thread. But when you come out swinging your fists, just wanting to connect preemptively... well, yeah, everyone pile right on... Jeezuz....

    Robert
     
  16. fish

    fish Senior Member

    Location:
    NYS, USA
    It will. It always does. It's fatiguing and pointless and destroys good conversation. I come out on guard because I learned too.
     
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  17. Calvin_and_Hobbes

    Calvin_and_Hobbes Music Lover

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    He doesn't, but he does discuss "inaudible" parts of the digital music signal that are actually audible. My point is that the "theory" espoused by armchair engineers doesn't always match up with reality.
     
  18. So he’s talking about a digital signal and doesn’t talk about fuses (which in this instance are in a 100% analog device). I don’t know if it’s fair to equate his position on the digital chain to this scenario.
     
  19. lobo

    lobo Music has always been a matter of Energy to me...

    Location:
    Germany
    Nice try, but to be honest you seem to be the one walking around in very tight panties. All fine if you want to believe that fuses or cables or the colour of your interconnects changes the sound of your system. But don't be so defensive about it. It's your money, so spend it, if it makes you feel better, but you don't have to pity us. Our brains work as good as yours, still we don't feel the need to accuse you for spending money on audiophile fuses just because you have chosen to believe that you hear a difference with different fuses. Whatever makes you happy, buddy.
     
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  20. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    Thanks
    VOM = Volt-Ohm Meter

    did they have a very thick wire or thicker than the new ones? Did they have a coil like filament/element or just a straight one?

    It could make an audible difference, what kind I can't say.
    Like shortening speaker wires from 30' to 10'

    How long are the speaker wires and what AWG gauge?
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2021
  21. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    Hellooooo....:uhhuh:
     
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  22. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    Yes it does and it will, guaranteed!!!

    BTW: I think speakers with fuses and level controls are a very bad idea sound wise.
     
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  23. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    ...that everyone's hearing is different, just like their eyesight ;)
     
  24. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    The Beatles!!!!!
    :hide:
     
  25. WildPhydeaux

    WildPhydeaux Forum Resident

    I heard the real reason the Beatles broke up was infighting about cables, fuses and shakti stones.

    Cheers,
    Robert
     
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