[Ear Rake]

Hi I'm new to this forum. I'm looking for a source for good quality fuses that will allow returns if they mess up the sound quality, I am looking for fuses for a Parasound HCA1205A amp.

[Bodhi]

I like and can recommend QSA fuses, and plan to upgrade to QSA red/black fuses in my next system. Tweek Geek are the US Distributor fyi. Though you'd have to enquire about their returns policy - https://tweekgeek.com/collections/qsa-fuses?sort_by=price-ascending

[JackD]

Your safest bet for good quality "audiophile" fuses at a reasonable price are AMR and Acme Audio. I've been in this hobby for over 55 years and am not aware of anybody that will let you give fuses a "trial run."  The AMR and Acme fuses are around $30 each while the QSA fuses are start at over $200 and go up to $5k.

[Speedskater]

Your safest bet is to go with fuses made by the major fuse manufactures.

[Stercom]

Synergistic Research has a 30 day return policy. I've used it in the past. Just make sure you buy from an Authorized Dealer.

[FullRangeMan]

Your safest bet for good quality "audiophile" fuses at a reasonable price are AMR and Acme Audio. I've been in this hobby for over 55 years and am not aware of anybody that will let you give fuses a "trial run."  The AMR and Acme fuses are around $30 each while the QSA fuses are start at over $200 and go up to $5k.

What $200 by a fuse? 
And I thought IEC plugs were the biggest joke in audio.

[Speedskater]

There are many, many bigger audiophile jokes than IEC connectors.

[FullRangeMan]

Years a go I have seem an Audio Note transformer at $28,000usd.

[JakeJ]

Ah, the great fuse debate.  Where are my slippers?

And welcome to AC.

[Bodhi]

It's been my experience that members of audio forums who dismiss high end fuses as snake oil generally don't have systems resolving enough to hear the difference. It's no different to someone who owns a Toyota Camry laughing at the price of a Ferrari's mirror...because they can't afford the Ferrari.

[JackD]

Why don't you enlighten us as to what a resolving enough system like yours consists of?

[Bodhi]

Why don't you enlighten us as to what a resolving enough system like yours consists of?

That is a loaded question.

[JackD]

No, it's a reasoned response to your assertion about audiophiles on this and other forums. So please enlighten us as to what type of equipment you need to own to hear the difference in high priced fuses especially since most of them are originally sourced from a small handful of OEM's.

[Bodhi]

No, it's a reasoned response to your assertion about audiophiles on this and other forums. So please enlighten us as to what type of equipment you need to own to hear the difference in high priced fuses especially since most of them are originally sourced from a small handful of OEM's.

Now you're confusing an opinion with an assertion. Hence my qualifier "It's been my experience..". But if you want to argue semantics, knock yourself out.

[JackD]

Opinion/assertion same thing as to the intent.  Exactly the type of response I expected.

[Bodhi]

Opinion/assertion same thing as to the intent.  Exactly the type of response I expected.

Sigh, am I back in Year 8 English class? For your benefit, here is the Oxford English Dictionary definition of those terms...

Opinion - "your feelings or thoughts about someone or something, rather than a fact"

Assertion - " a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true"

So your contention is erroneous.

[newzooreview]

The Cable Company advertises a Lending Library, but I haven't tried it:

https://www.thecableco.com/lending-library

A quick glance suggests they might lend out fuses.

Their service has been good when I've purchased from them in the past.

[Speedskater]

You would think that an audiophile would be eager to demonstrate that their equipment and/or their Golden Ears are good enough to discern the differences in fuses.

[AndyKChapman]

With audio system fuses, the fuse wire changes temperature and resistance depending on the current being conveyed.

With transient changes in current such as with a power amplifier (other than class A), the fuse resistance will vary at a rate unrelated to music content. Thus there can be a characteristic of the fuse's thermal induced resistance changes imposed on the music.

Of course the audibility depends on the system's ability to present it.

My first experiment with fuses was to change glass fuses to ceramic encased ones. The ceramic ones contain sand around the fuse wire as opposed to air in the glass ones. The sand prevents the wire from changing temperature so much with changes in current.
Ceramic fuses are very cheap so it is not an expensive experiment.

[subtlenote]

Welcome to AC. Currently there is two jokes in audio, audiophile fuses and IEC power connectors. But if your ears listen an improvment everything is OK.

Always an interesting thing to think about, especially when you consider the copper behind your walls up to the service pole. Perhaps a power conditioner is more worth value vs IEC and fuses