Are you game? :-))

andyr · « **on:** 14 Sep 2006, 02:00 am »

OK you guys ... here's something for brave, knowledgable (foolhardy?

) AKSA owners to try out. (I haven't yet but I intend to just as soon as I get my system up and running again.)

I came across this idea on the "Pink Fish Audio Forum" ... it requires you to have an RCD fitted in your circuit-breaker box and in fact may only be usable with Naim amps, as they have Voltage Regs on the PCBs which will shut down in response to excessive current demands (which maybe is some sort of protection which AKSAs don't have?

)

DO NOT try it out if you don't have an RCD!

The "trick" is to replace the 3a/4a/5a mains fuses in your case-mounted fuse-holders with appropriately sized 99.99% solid silver rod - so you don't have a fuse!

Evidently, the sonic gain is amazing!!

Anybody game to try it out and report back?

Regards,

Andy

AKSA · « **Reply #1 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 04:29 am »

Ah yes, Andy,

Sex without a condom - I remember that one, dimly.......

Ciao Baby,

Hugh

andyr · « **Reply #2 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 04:42 am »

Quote from: AKSA on 14 Sep 2006, 04:29 am

Ah yes, Andy,

Sex without a condom - I remember that one, dimly.......

Ciao Baby,

Hugh

Haha ... perhaps it's more like that pivotal scene from "The Deerhunter"??

Well, I'm having an RCD installed as part of my renos ...

Regards,

Andy

jules · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 04:45 am »

Hell, if you're going this far nothing less than a solid gold rod would do surely?!

Jules

andyr · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 04:55 am »

Quote from: jules on 14 Sep 2006, 04:45 am

Hell, if you're going this far nothing less than a solid gold rod would do surely?!

Jules

On the surface, yes, Jules!

But silver rod is more readily available and I have a dim memory that silver is in fact a better conductor than gold (but not as good as copper)?

Maybe someone can confirm?

Regards,

Andy

DSK · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 05:20 am »

Quote from: andyr on 14 Sep 2006, 04:55 am

Quote from: jules on 14 Sep 2006, 04:45 am
Hell, if you're going this far nothing less than a solid gold rod would do surely?!

Jules
On the surface, yes, Jules!

But silver rod is more readily available and I have a dim memory that silver is in fact a better conductor than gold (but not as good as copper)? Maybe someone can confirm?

Regards,

Andy

Silver is a better conductor than both gold and copper.

Eliminating fuses sounds risky to me ... kind of like running around in a lightning storm wearing a silver penis gord

andyr · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 05:30 am »

Quote from: DSK on 14 Sep 2006, 05:20 am

Silver is a better conductor than both gold and copper.

Eliminating fuses sounds risky to me ... kind of like running around in a lightning storm wearing a silver penis gord

Yeah but what a way to go!!

Thanks for the facts, Darren.

Regards,

Andy

aurelius · « **Reply #7 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 08:06 am »

Andy,

Don't know why RCD is more of an issue in this scenario...

RCD prevents electrocution... Fuses prevent fires.

Don't understand why one wouldn't just ommit a fuse all together? I can understand someone saying that eliminating a fuse benefits the sound, but are they seriously suggesting that inserting a small chunck of silver into the power path improves the sound over just bypassing the fuse all together? Why not bridge the fuse with a Bybee... probably costs about the same and (arguably) the bybee at least does something.

Hugh, I must confess that I am not best pleased by the visual your comment conjured...

andyr · « **Reply #8 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 08:21 am »

Quote from: aurelius on 14 Sep 2006, 08:06 am

Andy,

Don't know why RCD is more of an issue in this scenario...

RCD prevents electrocution... Fuses prevent fires.

Don't understand why one wouldn't just ommit a fuse all together? I can understand someone saying that eliminating a fuse benefits the sound, but are they seriously suggesting that inserting a small chunck of silver into the power path improves the sound over just bypassing the fuse all together? Why not bridge the fuse with a Bybee... probably costs about the same and (arguably) the bybee at least does something.

Hugh, I must confess that I am not best pleased by the visual your comment conjured...

Hi Marcus,

Correct - it's the elimination of the fuse which produces the benefit!

The silver bar in place of the fuse inside the fuse holder is simply an easy way of leaving the fuse out (given, as DSK has noted, that silver is a better conductor than copper). I'm certainly not saying that it's the silver itself which produces the sonic benefit.

Pray tell, what is a "Bybee" and what is it supposed to do?

I think the point about the RCD is that removing the fuse in a power amp is inherently dangerous but doing so without having an RCD in your circuit breaker box is sheer foolhardiness!

Regards,

Andy

Felipe · « **Reply #9 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 08:54 am »

I dont think removing the fuse is a pratical option. It CAN blow your amp away in an envent of main current discharge.

Still....instead of eliminating it, why not switch it for a higher quality one ?

The guys at Bolder Cable are using ACME Silver fuses in the squeezebox with (they say) a big improvement for the money ($12) !!!

Hugh,

Besides replacing the mains fuse with these...why not replacing both PCB fuses in the AKSA ? Maybe this could represent a simple but benefitable improvement ??

I will be getting my SB2 in a few days...i'll report the differences in sound with REGULAR/SILVER fuse comparison.
Cheers,

andyr · « **Reply #10 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 09:03 am »

Quote from: Felipe on 14 Sep 2006, 08:54 am

I dont think removing the fuse is a pratical option. It CAN blow your amp away in an envent of main current discharge.

Still....instead of eliminating it, why not switch it for a higher quality one ?

The guys at Bolder Cable are using ACME Silver fuses in the squeezebox with (they say) a big improvement for the money ($12) !!!

Hugh,

Besides replacing the mains fuse with these...why not replacing both PCB fuses in the AKSA ? Maybe this could represent a simple but benefitable improvement ??

I will be getting my SB2 in a few days...i'll report the differences in sound with REGULAR/SILVER fuse comparison.
Cheers,

Hi Felipe,

Yes, I agree that replacing, say, a 1 amp "normal" (cheap) fuse with an ACME silver fuse would probably improve the sonics but you are still forcing the input AC current to "squeeze" through a very thin wire.

When you do your REGULAR/SILVER comparison (of course, using the same amperage fuse), why don't you do a 3rd comparison using a REGULAR fuse but 20 times the amperage ... ie. a much thicker piece of wire.

(Just trying it that once and then taking it out again after listening won't impose much of a risk, I would suggest.)

Regards,

Andy

Felipe · « **Reply #11 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 09:14 am »

Yes Andy, will do. Simple and very interesting results we should find !

But i am still interested in what Hugh has to say about those 2 fuses on the amp modules....

Filipe

DSK · « **Reply #12 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 09:20 am »

I remember reading, a couple of years back, that ceramic fuses were all the rage. But, I never bothered to investigate.

Grumpy_Git · « **Reply #13 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 10:45 am »

On the subject of fuses.

I have very distinct memories of utilising carbon rods as fuses in the High Tension power supplies in my Physics practicals at college, fun but not exactly safe as they were raised out of the equipment by a good few inches with no protection. Still we werent provided with fuses by the staff so....

The things we do.

Nick

ShinOBIWAN · « **Reply #14 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 11:23 am »

I have a hard time believing that there's worthwhile differences in cables, so this is definitely something that stretches credibility with me.

Hope it makes a difference anyway.

andyr · « **Reply #15 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 11:51 am »

Quote from: ShinOBIWAN on 14 Sep 2006, 11:23 am

I have a hard time believing that there's worthwhile differences in cables, so this is definitely something that stretches credibility with me.

Hope it makes a difference anyway.

Well, it's a very simple and cheap experiment to do (replace your mains fuse with one that's rated at 20 times its capacity) ... so why don't you make the effort?

Regards,

Andy

andyr · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 11:55 am »

Quote from: DSK on 14 Sep 2006, 09:20 am

I remember reading, a couple of years back, that ceramic fuses were all the rage. But, I never bothered to investigate.

Hi Darren,

I use ceramic fuses mostly (including, Felipe, as the DC rail fuses on the AKSA PCBs) because when I went to RS Components in Port Melbourne a few years ago, to buy some fuses, the guy behind the counter remarked that the local coppers were buying ceramic fuses for their radar guns because "normal" fuses generated too much noise and made their radar readings suspect.

So I figured what was good for radar guns ...

Regards,

Andy

DSK · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 01:30 pm »

Quote from: andyr on 14 Sep 2006, 11:55 am

Quote from: DSK on 14 Sep 2006, 09:20 am
I remember reading, a couple of years back, that ceramic fuses were all the rage. But, I never bothered to investigate.
Hi Darren,

I use ceramic fuses mostly (including, Felipe, as the DC rail fuses on the AKSA PCBs) because when I went to RS Components in Port Melbourne a few years ago, to buy some fuses, the guy behind the counter remarked that the local coppers were buying ceramic fuses for their radar guns because "normal" fuses generated too much noise and made their radar readings suspect.

So I figured what was good for radar guns ...

Regards,

Andy

Andy, did you A/B them? Results?

andyr · « **Reply #18 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 08:44 pm »

Quote from: DSK on 14 Sep 2006, 01:30 pm

Andy, did you A/B them? Results?

No sorry!

But after buying them, I started to read of others using ceramic fuses as well, so I figured there must be something it. However, I suspect the difference in sound would not be as great as using a 20amp mains fuse instead of a 2amp fuse. Hopefully, Felipe will be able to confirm this shortly.

Regards,

Andy

ShinOBIWAN · « **Reply #19 on:** 14 Sep 2006, 10:53 pm »

Quote from: andyr on 14 Sep 2006, 11:51 am

Well, it's a very simple and cheap experiment to do (replace your mains fuse with one that's rated at 20 times its capacity) ... so why don't you make the effort?

Regards,

Andy

But isn't the downside that your opening up your expensive gear to irrepairable damage?

And the upside is what exactly?

Being rational I think its better to look in other area's before considering such a move. There's gains to be had in many other area's that aren't subtle or psychological with less risk. I do agree its cheap but so are the words 'I told you so'