Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?

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terrycym

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #20 on: 25 Apr 2012, 12:30 pm »
I don't think they do have such legislation, afterall they have a 'World Series' and don't invite anyone else to play  :duh:

Cheers
I've got no idea what World Series is so I googled it. It's something to do with Baseball apparently.
You've got it wrong Alpha, they invited everybody but nobody else could be a**ed turning up

Alpha10

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #21 on: 25 Apr 2012, 12:36 pm »
 :shh: we may get thrown off the Circles for this one  :peek:

I've got no idea what World Series is so I googled it. It's something to do with Baseball apparently.
You've got it wrong Alpha, they invited everybody but nobody else could be a**ed turning up

ronman

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #22 on: 11 May 2012, 10:50 pm »
Its amazing that such a short tiny little piece of metal (a fuse) can cause so much friction between peoples beliefs

I still believe in them

If you aren't sure where you stand, or if you haven't PERSONALLY HEARD what fuses can do in a decent sound system you are welcome to visit me in Durban , South Africa. Pop by for a decent coffee and a listening session. Let your ears be the judge. Just no smoking in the music room please.

drummermitchell

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #23 on: 12 May 2012, 01:51 am »
I would think if a 30-50.00 fuse made any difference,I'm sure Bryston,Arc,Levinson would have them installed with an extra fee and or not installed. I also think they  would highly recommend them if they made a difference.
how long does it take to try out a magic  fuse when they are assembling all these products and when they are testing the units. I think also that they would hear a big differenc by ear and on testing equipment.

All the physical work getting up,taking the cover off and replacing the fuse,putting the cover on ect,then
sitting down and think,Oh yeah that sounds way better.not realizing there body just got a big boost of oxygen and a bit of physical work out,also the mental boost of positive thinking that of course this fuse with the gold plated ends and that nice thick wire in there,this is gonna be fantastic.

Then there's cables,two blades on one end(with ground)then twisted or braided,straight ,solid core,litz,magnets, ect,then back to a female plug,How does the power go from a plug thru the wire(does it's hocas pocas and then comes out of a normal female plug and WOW,huge soundstage,incredible bass,pristine highs to die for.
Man,seems a cable does more than a ultra highend preamp or amp or CDP.


Sasha

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #24 on: 12 May 2012, 01:26 pm »
I would think if a 30-50.00 fuse made any difference,I'm sure Bryston,Arc,Levinson would have them installed with an extra fee and or not installed. I also think they  would highly recommend them if they made a difference.
how long does it take to try out a magic  fuse when they are assembling all these products and when they are testing the units. I think also that they would hear a big differenc by ear and on testing equipment.

All the physical work getting up,taking the cover off and replacing the fuse,putting the cover on ect,then
sitting down and think,Oh yeah that sounds way better.not realizing there body just got a big boost of oxygen and a bit of physical work out,also the mental boost of positive thinking that of course this fuse with the gold plated ends and that nice thick wire in there,this is gonna be fantastic.

Then there's cables,two blades on one end(with ground)then twisted or braided,straight ,solid core,litz,magnets, ect,then back to a female plug,How does the power go from a plug thru the wire(does it's hocas pocas and then comes out of a normal female plug and WOW,huge soundstage,incredible bass,pristine highs to die for.
Man,seems a cable does more than a ultra highend preamp or amp or CDP.
I agree in general with your view on the (in)significance of fuses and cables as well, but I think you are taking it to another extreme.
I will not go down the road of discussing fuses since audible changes introduced are negligible in the grand scheme of things, but cables do make the difference and can alter the perceived quality of sound (note that I say perceived quality of sound, not that they necessarily make reproduction better unless we are talking about extreme cases of comparing really poorly constructed cables to proper ones).
For example, by introducing a different interconnect between pre-amp and amp, with different construction and conductive and dielectric materials used, resulting in different capacitance and inductance, you will inevitably alter the perceived sound. The more cables differ in construction the bigger the difference. Take for example flat one like Nordost Red Dawn and compare it to almost any more commonly constructed cable, the difference will be quite clear.
How it will be perceived by someone depends on components connected, overall balance of the system and of course on preferences (not all people seek “truthful” reproduction of the recording). And all this is not only audible but measurable as well, no black magic here.
It is altogether a different story when we talk about those gizmos like “quantum purifiers” which are sometimes nothing more than cheap regulators sold to gullible crowd for big $, there is nothing happening on quantum level as they explain it in their “white papers”.

AudioLifer

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #25 on: 2 Feb 2013, 04:32 pm »
I finally took the plunge and replaced the stock 'main' fuse with a Hi fi Tuning Supreme fuse. The difference is remarkable and certainly not hard to hear. The soundstage simply blew open; it is much bigger, higher, with increased front to back perception. Sounds are coming at me from places it never did before, from the sides of where I'm sitting and even the back of my head (when the recording, such as Radiohead's Kid A, contains such info.) The overall sound is also smoother, less digital sounding, as if a layer of distortion has been removed.

It goes without saying that I absolutely recommend the change. You simply don't hear what the BDP is capable of until you do.

As for the fuse, the BDP contains two, one for the system board (main fuse), the other for the front panel. I changed only the system board fuse since I doubt the panel fuse affects the BDP's sound. When facing the BDP, the main fuse is the one on the left marked F1. The fuse to use is a T250mA 5*20mm.

Also, you need a Torx 8 screwdriver to remove the screws from the top panel.

Hope you take the plunge like I did. It's cheap and it's fantastic. Cheers.



« Last Edit: 26 Feb 2013, 07:59 pm by AudioLifer »

rollo

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #26 on: 2 Feb 2013, 04:41 pm »
Agree with your findings they do make a difference. You may try this experiment if you like. Take the stock fuse and wrap the glass only with plumbers Teflon tape. just [ 2 ] wraps. Listen again to both doing an "A" to "B" to "A" comparison.
    Let us now your findings. We were surprised as to the result. Since I do not want to influence your findings no comment on ours.


charles

rollo

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #27 on: 2 Feb 2013, 04:46 pm »
As yousay, it depends on the country.
In the UK, if a manual states that a product can peform a particular task then that is enforcable under the Stades Description Act.

I'm not sure if North America has similar legislation?

  Had to be done in the UK. Here its called false advertising. Not enforced much but it is law.

charles

rollo

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #28 on: 2 Feb 2013, 04:57 pm »
   OK some like some do not. My issue is without hands on experience of any tweek or mod opinions are moot. If the person believes or is convinced the do something positive for them so be it live and let live.
   An opinion based on hands on experience is the only one that matters. If one agrees cool if not cool as well. We can agree and disagree fine just leave out the insults to one another. Maybe just maybe we can learn something taken with a grain of salt.


charles

srb

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #29 on: 2 Feb 2013, 05:02 pm »
Whether standard or audiophile grade, I would only replace fuses, fusible links or circuit breakers with CE / UL / CAS certified ones.

Steve

Napalm

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #30 on: 2 Feb 2013, 09:48 pm »
I'm no engineer, but it seems to me that a proper cord helps to eliminate a/c noise and rfi that interferes with the component's circuitry/software and degrades the signal, achieving, at the end of the line, a cleaner output, even in the transmission of one's and zero's.

The role of a power cord is to transmit electrical power. An ideal power cord would have at its output terminals the same signal as at the input ones.

What you're describing there is a filter. If you need a filter, then buy a filter not a power cord.  :jester:

underdawg

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #31 on: 2 Feb 2013, 10:26 pm »
it really only matters what the buyer thinks in the end

BrysTony

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #32 on: 2 Feb 2013, 11:40 pm »
If a wine tastes good to you, it is a good wine.  Fuses, cables, other tweaks -- same thing. :)

Tony

AudioLifer

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #33 on: 3 Feb 2013, 03:04 am »
The role of a power cord is to transmit electrical power. An ideal power cord would have at its output terminals the same signal as at the input ones.

What you're describing there is a filter. If you need a filter, then buy a filter not a power cord.  :jester:

I had two power cords with me, one constructed with silver, the other without. Both are good cords, but each sometimes works better with one component over another. For example, using the silver cord with the BDP produced a slightlly thinner (as opposed to richer) sound and added a certain glare to high frequencies. The other cord was a better match, giving the BDP a more natural presentation from top to bottom of the frequency range. The difference was rather easily audible and repeatable, despite both cords doing the same function of feeding A/C current to the BDP.

Power cords and fuses (and anything, really, that has to transfer a signal or current, introduces noise into the data stream. Is this really so hard to believe?) My findings suggest that crappy fuses simply introduce more noise, and if your system is transparent enough you will hear the difference between a crappy fuse and a good one.

I have now spent a couple of hours listening to the BDP with the Supreme fuse and I can say without hesitation or wishful thinking that the difference is unmistakable; there is simply an ease to the music being played that wasn't there before, as if a layer of grunge were removed. Instrumental notes pop out more from the background and have significantly more body and texture. Overall, the sound is clearer and better focused. These are signs of less distortion intruding on the musical signal traveling through the audio system.

I realize some tweaks are BS, but power cords and fuses sell well because they make a difference. People who, at first, grudgingly part with their money to try out an audiophile fuse or power cord often end up buying more of them because they liked what they heard. And I also realize that James Tanner and other Bryston personnel don't think a power cord or fuse should make a difference with the BDP, but with all due respect to them, I'm not so sure they're audiophiles as much as they are engineers and manufacturers of quality audio equipment. As for me, I've been listening to audio for 25 years and trust my ears.

But whatever. The Supreme fuse works and doesn't cost much. And the great thing about it is that it takes a great product like the BDP-1 and makes it better, as if it received an upgrade. That's what audiophile dreams are made of.

I'm sure you'll like it, too.

Laundrew

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #34 on: 3 Feb 2013, 03:35 am »
If a wine tastes good to you, it is a good wine.  Fuses, cables, other tweaks -- same thing. :)

Tony

 :thumb:

Be well...

spinner

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #35 on: 3 Feb 2013, 03:52 am »
 The power cord does a filtering job otherwise I would never hear greater details Something is  going on in a positive way in my system at least. :thumb:

Napalm

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #36 on: 3 Feb 2013, 05:03 am »
My point is that if you want to build an EMI filter, it is way easier and more cost effective to build it in a box with discrete elements than trying to do it by tweaking conductor size and spacing in cables. With the discrete approach the range of circuit elements values and topologies are vastly superior.

yo2tup

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #37 on: 17 Feb 2013, 04:43 am »
I'm using a PSaudio P10 power regenerator.  It has a nice display that shows the voltage in/voltage out and THD In/THD Out that can be tracked over time.  I changed the fuse on it to an audiophile grade fuse recently.  I wasn't expecting much from it, but just looking at the THD In graphs before and after the change is pretty interesting.   Before the fuse change, THD In would fluctuate between 3.5-3.8% throughout the day.  After installing the fuse, THD In now fluctuates been 3.2-3.3% consistently throughout the day.  You can take that for what its worth.  Just sharing my experience.

Stu Pitt

Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #38 on: 18 Feb 2013, 05:00 pm »
I guess everything has the potential to make a difference. 

When considering a transport and saying 'it's all ones and zeros,' Doc Emmitt Brown would say "You're not thinking fourth dimensionally!"  Well, third deminotionally in this case: time.  The timing of those ones and zeros makes a sonic difference, aka jitter.

I use an Apple TV 1 (with internal hard drive) as a transport.  I needed a longer power cord than the supplied one, so I ordered an Audioquest something or other that was about $75.  It had a money back guarantee, so I figured why not?   It actually sounds a good deal better with it than the stock cord.  It shouldn't, but it does: the ATV has optical output, not RCA.  Therefore, electrical noise isn't transferred to my DAC and ultimately my speakers.  My theory is that the cleaner power/increased power or whatever allows better clocking, therefore reducing jitter, resulting in better sound.  I can't measure the jitter and have no desire to anyway.  I really don't care why it sounds better, it just does.

I don't own a BDP, nor have I tried hifi fuses in anything.  No desire to do so to be totally honest.  If people hear a difference, they hear it.  If they don't, they don't.

underdawg

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Re: Fuse(s) upgrade. Worth it?
« Reply #39 on: 18 Feb 2013, 05:44 pm »
yo2tuo,
nice job posting results, some may just want to se an actual change which you presented. Does the THD measurements go back up if you swap the stock fuses back?