At Alpha Audio we regularly receive questions on this topic: what about fuses made for use in audio components? Do they make sense?
It is not our area of expertise, and for us to take on research into fuses specifically made for audio devices is a lot of work. But that does not mean we cannot pay attention to it, especially if we get input from our readers.
This is a guest contribution by Arno Floore, written at our request. Thank you very much for contributing the article and sharing your experience.
The audiophile’s quest
Many audiophiles are constantly on the lookout for attributes that make their setup sound better. After all, this is an important part of the hobby. The pleasure of a noticeable improvement – such as tighter bass after replacing a cable – is often great. The list of possible upgrades is long: think mains filters, spikes, separate power supplies, expensive power cords, interlinks, speaker cables, Ethernet switches or filters, acoustic panels and HiFi-racks.
Many of these upgrades raise debate about their actual effectiveness. Sceptics regularly dispute the usefulness of such tweaks based on theoretical arguments. Although I am a born sceptic myself, I have learned not to immediately state that something does not work. My personal experience shows that almost any tweak can produce audible differences – though the effects vary widely. Whether a tweak is worth the investment, however, remains a personal choice.
Recently, I discovered an upgrade that exceeded my sceptical expectations: the audiophile fuse.
Theory behind fuses
Inside every appliance is a fuse that protects it from overloading. It consists of a glass tube with metal caps at both ends, connected by a thin metal wire. If the load is too high, the wire melts, interrupting the current.
So why consider an audiophile fuse? HiFi is largely about optimum power supply, where electrons should move as undisturbed as possible. From the wall socket to the coil of your speaker: disturbances in this chain can affect sound quality.
A standard fuse forms a potential bottle neck in this chain. Manufacturers of audiophile fuses claim that standard fuses are made of cheap metal and are prone to resonance. Audiophile fuses address this by using, for example, high-grade metal, cryogenic treatments, vibration-damping materials and ceramic housings.
Test results with audiophile fuses
Does it work? My experience is positive: audiophile fuses have a noticeable effect. Below, I share my findings for each device:
Meter box (AHP flat-wire fuse in sound module):
Replace ground fault circuit breaker with audiophile fuse module.
Effect: clear improvement, also with the picture on my TV.
Naim Supernait 3 amplifier (Synergistic Research Purple Fuse):
Very clear improvement, similar to a mains filter.
Farad Super 3 LPS for Chord Qutest DAC (Synergistic Research Purple Fuse):
When replaced with a standard fuse, the sound quality degraded a bit, but the difference was less than with the Supernait.
LPS from Lumin X1 (Synergistic Research Purple Fuse):
Hardly heard any difference. Possibly the already high quality of the power supply plays a role.
Naim NAP 250 New Classic (Synergistic Research Purple Fuse):
Biggest effect: rawness disappeared completely; a real no-brainer upgrade.
For whom
This tweak is of interest to anyone who likes audio tweaks. With prices starting at around €25, it is a relatively affordable option. However, choosing the right fuse requires some preparation:
- Check the amperage and type of fuse (slow blow or fast blow) in your device’s manual.
- Search the internet for available options within your budget.
- Note the direction (if indicated) and allow for a “break-in” period of 20 to 200 hours.
Popular brands include Synergistic Research, QSA, Furutech, Sharkwire, Hifi Tuning and Audiomagic. Although I did not do an A/B comparison between brands, you can experiment with different options and devices. For those who get a taste for this tweak, there are even fuses over €1000 available.
Conclusion
In my experience, the audiophile fuse is an excellent value-for-money tweak. The effect varies from device to device, but can provide an audible improvement comparable to much more expensive upgrades. For me, this tweak now tops my list of cost-effective upgrades.
As a member of the trade (cable-maker) I have a direct investment into what can and cannot make a difference to the overall analogue signal path.
Cables definitively have a variable potential to influence the sonic characteristics of an analogue signal via capacitance, impedance, resistance, propagation and conductivity, but regarding fuses; it’s a hard ‘no’. Not a chance. I am firmly in the ‘pure snake-oil’ camp while there remains no credible evidence in the form of measurements for resonance (as suggested), current flow instability, voltage deviations etc. There are so many more factors and dynamics at play that can influence the signal path both before and after the fuse, rather than ‘in’ it.
Come on AA – don’t leave it to just more subjective opinion and an unresolved, long-standing debate about whether fuses can make a difference or not. Do a deep dive as you have with other signal chain components. After all, you guys have previously measured cable characteristics, RF-injection etc. You have the gear and dedication to the mission-at hand etc. it’s easy enough to measure for resonance and current stability!
I would like to see a selection of these so-called ‘audiophile’ fuses tested and validated for the spurious claims they make and while we’re at it I would also like to see the ‘burn-in’ phenomenon validated or de-bunked. I still don’t think anyone has produced any meaningful data, even Amir and his band of merry disciples over at ASR haven’t produced anything.
That’s not to say that I do not believe the effect of placebo, psychoacoustics and subjective opinion having their place as I firmly believe those phenomena contribute to the overall enjoyment of music, but I suggest this is actually what’s at play with these items and nothing more.
These products are ideal candidates, ripe for exploitation by unscrupulous, profit-seeking, band-wagoneering, bad actors.
They are an incredibly easy product to mass-produce or re-brand, small, light, low-risk, ridiculously easy to conceal what the actual ‘magic’ technology is inside and reliant on a perpetually gullible market, eager to find any small degree of improvement that can be exploited.
I don’t expect to make much of an impression with this post, especially amongst ‘the believers’ but it’s more of a gripe about you guys passing the buck and not really answering or objectively tackling the perpetual question about whether ‘audiophile’ fuses definitively make a difference to the signal quality or not.
You can and HAVE done a lot better AA!
There’s the aspect of time and energy of humans to be considered here, and if the investment made is worth the potential benefit. I don’t see much (publicity) benefit for such a niche product.
It is very easy to comment we can / have done better, but please consider the financial side of the research that has to be done.
If we would have enough subscribers or donators that finance these kinds of research, it might be worth considering it. We would need to figure out if it is something that can be measured and also if the lab is fitted with everything needed, or more investments are needed in equipment.
Fair and valid points Martijn but as inferred, my post was more of a gripe about AA simply perpetuating a contentious topic and not tackling it head on and objectively as the title ‘Audiophile fuses: does it make sense?’ suggests.
‘Audiophile fuses: A subjective opinion’ would have been a better fit I think.
I expected more of a validated and conclusive response from you guys, more in line with your other outstanding and well-considered explorations. As it is with this topic, the question remains un-answered, objectively at least.
Maybe something to throw in the ideas hat for more consideration later?
I have 12 various audiophile fuses included 3 big 25amp fuses on the incoming power supply to my house. It’s not rocket science to understand how audiophile fuses differ from normal fuses, just take a look at the construction and the different materials used to start with and then test for yourself.
I have tested AHP, Furutech, Synergistic research QSA and Kemp audio fuses.
They made a HUGE difference at least in my system.
It took me a very long time to first burn in those little bastards (300hrs to be on the safe side) and then finding out which fuse works best in which component was the hardest part.
I think it’s rather sad when someone bashes Alpha Audio without understanding the HUGE amount of time, dedicated and effort.
Hadn’t spotted this article yet and some curious findings. My only audiophile fuse is on my dac and I’m not sure if it does anything. But it seems your better results are with amplifiers, so maybe I should try it. If I could find where they are on the Advance A12, that is…
Great Content, would like to try 🙂
Could someone help which Fuse I need for “Naim NAP 250 New Classic”, 3.15A, 20mm fast/blow? Thank you.
Analogue Seduction have these fuses: https://www.analogueseduction.net/fuses/0-25%5B2%5D.html
Hi Thomas, contact Kemp audio, they are really helpful.
https://www.kempelektroniksshop.nl/audio-grade-fuses/
Het blijft een bijzonder verhaal wat al jaren speelt. Ik heb ooit de draaistop in de oude meterkast destijds vervangen voor een audio exemplaar maar eerlijk gezegd was mijn set niet zodanig dat dat hoorbaar werd ( was natuurlijk wel leuk om te doen). Intussen is alles verandert in 30 jaar tijd.
Op jouwhifi zie ik supreme3Ag audiozekeringen voor 59 euro die bijv in mijn Hypex Nilai zouden passen. Vraag me erg af of dit gaat werken. Iemand ervaring met dit type?
Gr Jakob
All the standard / supplied-with fuses I took out of my gear so far are of the transparent glas tube / bare wire inside type. That gear includes the MuFi A1 (2023 edition) integrated, the BOTW SBooster Mk2 PSU and an Auralic Aries gen 1 PSU.
The Hifi-tuning fuses I put into these devices feature a non-transparent tube, and I didn’t bother opening one up yet. My guess though is that they will have some filler material inside (that’s a 60Euros question, as of now 😉 ).
Anyone tried regular “non-Hifi” fuses with filler already? I recon that the conductor material has some influence, but my guess would be that sonic benefits stems also from reducing vibrations of the conductor by the use of a filler (sand or whatever).
Yes, fuses can make a considerable difference. I think of fuses as the final stage of what the power cord feeding the component’s power supply provides. No matter how sonically great the power cord, the thin wire of a low quality OEM fuse undermines the purpose; a good fuse lets the power cord’s qualities shine depending on the fuse quality. To put it the other way, in using or sticking with the provided OEM fuses, audiophiles and developers all these years have been missing some of what their components can potentially deliver.
There is a practical catch that needs to be mentioned, however. Not all audiophile companies build their aftermarket fuses to Underwriters Lab, i.e., industry standard, specs. For example, SR fuses are known to blow at component spec amperage value in some cases, most specifically with components that a start up surge. The result right off was that audiophiles were advised to go up 25% or one amperage value in that case (even privately by SR). While QSA fuses are better in this regard, given their high cost a vendor in the U.S. also advised being safe. This should all be understood in the context that many but not all developers, knowing the variety of user conditions, spec their gear fuse amperages 3-4x what’s absolutely necessary to avoid unnecessary returns on warranty or for refund.
Beyond or instead of fuses, there’s a new, legitimate “get rid of the fuse” product from Vera-Fi called the Swiss Digital Fuse Box. It’s a digital box where the required fuse value is set by Vera-Fi before shipping and a “sluggo,” a solid fuse-sized metal piece, replaces the fuse (there are different material choices for the sluggo’s composition, with different sound character and quality). What to do in case of failure is described at their website. Vera-Fi also sells 1′-2′ very good sonic quality power cords for use between power source and the box (the existing power cord is used the rest of the way). Many of these boxes have been sold. I can attest to what others have found, that using the SDFB noticeably improves the sound over the use of aftermarket fuses, even sonically top quality ones such as the QSA red-black, which retails for around $2800 (I haven’t read any comparisons with QSA’s $5K Silver fuse).