HiFi Tuning Fuses - What's your take?

[dogscanskate]

There is a context for everything when upgrading a system. I'm a firm believer in the best connections possible and since I can't change the breaker on my panel, I start at the a/c wall outlet. If you are connected to a 49 cent outlet, I understand why there is a huge snake oil theory concerning cables, power cords, iec plugs and higher end wall outlets. With better grade outlets/connectors, there may be a lot of room for improvement.

If you at least start with a hospital grade outlet which provides a better connection I figure you keep improving as you go along with better ic connections and speakers cables/connections too, so a better fuse may or may not be an improvement. I agree with wintrmute2 about better soldering joints and so on, everything matters.

It doesn't have to cost a fortune to get quality parts for a quality system. I'm really interested in stevenz's impressions.

 

[Ilusndweller]

(continued)

Where am I going? Silver is softer than whatever steel alloy they use on standard fuses. This will significantly increase the real area of contact bw the fuse and its holder. Having more real area of contact will slow down all the other nasty stuff posted in paragraph 4 from happening since there are less places for it to happen (oxides, sulfides, adsorbed gases, hydrocarbons). More real area of contact also means less microarcing in the “air gaps” which “according to other random people on the internet so it must be true” noticeably degrades the sound.

3. The fact I heard differences bw silver and copper and now you have introduced the only silver component into your stereo(could be wrong), I can see where it could change the sound to your ears in a positive way. You know your system and I dont doubt you. I think my reasons offer a possible scientific explanation to support your findings.

I just regoogled “Tweak! contact enhancer” (I spilled 80% of the bottle the first time I used it lol) and see there are now all kinds of similar (mostly not actually, it seems like contact enhancer technology has improved significantly in the last 25 years, graphene anyone?, silver anyone?) products. Apparently there is microarcing (in the more than likely micrometerish sized air gaps) between contact surfaces that degrades the sound. Some of this stuff is $300 and only enough to “hopefully” treat 2 systems...

 

[UncleBingo]

I'll keep using the aluminum foil tweak on my fuses, thankyouverymuch.

We used to call that a "Wrigley's NO-BLO" in tribute to the Wrigley's chewing gum wrappers from which they were frequently improvised by guitarists in bar bands around Detroit.

 

[Punker X]

Not had good luck with silver.. different interconnects over the years and seems anytime I add some silver it does something weird and I come back to good old copper. Usually a harshness I don't like. Last time it seemed like part of the frequency spectrum was attenuated or timeshifted.. something very weird.

 

[kirk57]

As one who has built a few amps and phono-stages I am skeptical at best. The reason I say this is that when a project is being built there are dozens, usually, hundreds of less than optimal connections of steel resistor and capacitor leads to a variety of terminal strips, poorly finished pot connectors, etc. The leads on many power and output transformers, chokes and filament transformers are not of any special quality - thin and of dubious quality is the norm. Every solder connection may be less than perfect. To believe that in inch of better fuse material such as silver makes a difference, requires a suspension of disbelief that I for one do not posses.

I am NOT saying you don't hear a difference but it is hard to wrap one's mind around that thought.
There are those that say that they do not want to hear a difference so they are objective when analyzing a fuze for instance but that flies in the face of the scientific method.

If you are perceiving a difference then more power to you as you can tweak to your heart's (wallet's) content and be satisfied. For me, there must be a reasonable scientific explanation for the differences to be believable. Again, I am not saying your fuzes cannot change the sound. It just isn't a change that can be explained by science. While on that thought, why not try eliminating the fuze altogether? Just as an experiment mind you.

I’ve built my share of stuff and hear what you are saying, but some years ago our esteemed Mister Pig sent me some audiophile fuses to try and I’ll be damned if I didn’t hear a slight difference. Not enough to make me want to spend the money, but still.

From an engineering standpoint it doesn’t make any sense, though.

 

[Ilusndweller]

I dont know if microarcing (when you google “tweak! contact enhancer” and read the audiogon discussion, people were talking about this) really happens or is measureable or audible(some claim it clearly is, like just when you thought your system couldnt sound any better, it takes it to the next level that you never even knew existed according to some), but my response was based on 2 materials science & engineering degrees and 7 years in the “interfacial processes” department at the Rockwell Science Center (now Teledyne Technologies) doing a good amount of surface science(SEM, TEM, AES, XPS, sputtering to get chemical composition every 10-20 atom layers, metrology, STEM, etc). Thats not to say it is correct, but it is a possible explanation for improved sound quality. Having said that, it still may very well be be snake oil or my explanation may be an order of magnitude or more off as to what can audibly affect sound. But I think its a good possible explanation, perhaps a bottleneck that is limiting your system. Does microarcing really happen and is it measurable or audible? If it does occur, my gut feeling says it is not measurable. Are scientific instruments precise enough to detect this so called microarcing? I kind of doubt it, but maybe. But its the type of statement that snake oil salesmen love (instill fear, the horror of microarcing).

 

[Ilusndweller]

Has anyone used contact enhancers? Thoughts? I havent used the Tweak! in probably 20 years (couldnt even find it when I looked for it yesterday) and while I think it might have audibly improved the sound of my system, I cant say that I heard an improvement, sounded the same to me.

 

[prime minister]

I dont know if microarcing (when you google “tweak! contact enhancer” and read the audiogon discussion, people were talking about this) really happens or is measureable or audible(some claim it clearly is, like just when you thought your system couldnt sound any better, it takes it to the next level that you never even knew existed according to some), but my response was based on 2 materials science & engineering degrees and 7 years in the “interfacial processes” department at the Rockwell Science Center (now Teledyne Technologies) doing a good amount of surface science(SEM, TEM, AES, XPS, sputtering to get chemical composition every 10-20 atom layers, metrology, STEM, etc). Thats not to say it is correct, but it is a possible explanation for improved sound quality. Having said that, it still may very well be be snake oil or my explanation may be an order of magnitude or more off as to what can audibly affect sound. But I think its a good possible explanation, perhaps a bottleneck that is limiting your system. Does microarcing really happen and is it measurable or audible? If it does occur, my gut feeling says it is not measurable. Are scientific instruments precise enough to detect this so called microarcing? I kind of doubt it, but maybe. But its the type of statement that snake oil salesmen love (instill fear, the horror of microarcing).

Great post!

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

Not had good luck with silver.. different interconnects over the years and seems anytime I add some silver it does something weird and I come back to good old copper. Usually a harshness I don't like. Last time it seemed like part of the frequency spectrum was attenuated or timeshifted.. something very weird.

The introduction of silver whether it be wire or connectors, always tilted the top end for me. Like putting a small pF disc cap in line with the source. No good.

 

[dogscanskate]

Has anyone used contact enhancers? Thoughts? I havent used the Tweak! in probably 20 years (couldnt even find it when I looked for it yesterday) and while I think it might have audibly improved the sound of my system, I cant say that I heard an improvement, sounded the same to me.

I was given a sample in the early 80's, that was nasty stuff! I think it was spelled Tweek back then. It destroyed a lot of phono jacks, gummed up in tube sockets then it suddenly disappeared. I tried it but I don't recall if it enhanced anything and after a short while I cleaned it off. It may have done damage but I don't have that gear anymore.

Right now I use Deoxit 100 to clean jacks and Deoxit Gold as the last step, it keeps my contacts clean, I never bothered to listen for sound enhancement. I will say that you can hear an improvement if your jacks and plugs and tube pins were dirty. You can say the same just by dislodging the dirt by removing and replacing jacks every few months and the same with tube sockets by removing and reinserting the valves.

 

[MikeyFresh]

I was given a sample in the early 80's, that was nasty stuff!

Back then Tweek was actually Trichloroethane based, indeed very nasty stuff. Highly effective cleaner/solvent, but total overkill for stereo equipment jacks however. Actually in the early 80s it might even have been different to the above, but that's what Tweek was in the late 80s/early 90s.

The formula has changed at least a couple of times over the years, and there was a period in between when it was just unavailable for a while.

I think the current version is just rebranded Stabilant 22, which is not just a cleaner but also a contact enhancer. Not snake oil, but also not likely ever necessary for stereo equipment jacks.

 

[Punker X]

Trichloroethane

We called it Tech in a can, back in the Navy.