"Miracle" fuses? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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emaidel
08-04-2008, 02:10 PM
At least one member (a site mod, no less!) has an Onkyo 9555 integrated amp, incorporating a "Hi-Fi Tuning" fuse. I had no idea what "Hi-Fi Tuning Fuse" meant, so I looked up the product, and found a wealth of endorsements for this little "wonder."

At $39.95 per fuse, these little babies certainly ain't cheap, but what else can anyone buy for only about $40 that will improve the sound of a component, or speaker system? (In the case of my Dahlquist DQ-10's, there are two fuses - one main fuse, and another for the tweeters, so that the $40 doubles to $80 per speaker.)

I contacted the manufacturer and asked if I would benefit from using these fuses in my speakers, and received a very enthusiastic, positive reply, promising a "cleaner and more open top end," as well as overall improvements from the main fuse. I also contacted Regnar (the more or less "official" site for any and all questions, service, and parts for Dahlquist speakers) and asked them for the fuse values, and also asked if they'd ever heard of the Hi-Fi Tuning fuse. Not surprisingly, they hadn't.

Still, they felt that a fuse could indeed make a difference, but whether an expenditure of $160 (for the four fuses in the two speakers) was worth it was something as yet to be determined. They asked me, that if I found the fuses beneficial and worth buying, to contact them with my findings, and that they would then recommend the purchase of these fuses to their customers.

So, now all I, and the folks at Regnar, can do is wait. I've ordered four fuses, but will be away from home from a week to ten days, and won't be able to install them until my return.

If the improvement these fuses make are as noticeable, or even more so, than that made by the Achromat turntable mat, then I'll be a happy camper indeed. So, once they arrive, and I install them into my DQ-10's, I'll issue a "report" here on AR for all to see and read.

Let's hope it's a positive one!

JohnMichael
08-04-2008, 02:31 PM
I hope you notice an improvement. Oh and by the way my being a mod does not require me to know more than how to delete spam. I just report what I hear with my equipment, in my room and with my ears. I will be anxious to read your experience.

Chas Underhay
08-08-2008, 01:06 AM
Hi Emaidel

Having fuses in speakers is quite unusual, I've never even seen them. I can understand what they are supposed to be for but unless you listen at such high volumes that you keep blowing them; why have them?

They obviously don't keep blowing otherwise you wouldn't be spending $160 on a set of four.

When you consider the ammount of additional electrical joints: speaker wire to fuse holder, fuse holder to fuse case, fuse case to fuse wire, fuse wire to fuse case again, fuse case to fuse holder again and finally fuse holder to speaker wire again. It can't do the signal any good, no matter what fuse is in there.

If you have confidence in not blowing your speakers up; try by-passing the fuse assemblies altogether by wiring direct from cross-over to speaker units or whatever.

Then send the fuses back, tell them they are a rip-off and ask or your money back.

Then either save the money and put it towards something like a decent MC cartridge or maybe take the missus out and earn some brownie points.

Cheers

Chas