Tiny fuses make a big difference
Here is something you don’t think about every day: fuses.
I’m not talking about the circuit breakers in your home’s electrical panel. Those are important too. But what I want to tell you about today are the little fuses that go inside your home entertainment equipment.
Back in the day, those little fuses – a thin wire inside a small glass tube with metal end caps – always seemed to blow at the wrong time (when you wanted to use your gear). Then, you went out to a local electronics store (usually with the blown fuse in hand so you knew what to ask for) and bought a small, lime green, slide-open container with 4 or 5 Littlefuses. That was (and is still) a brand name.
Maybe, they cost you a dime or a quarter apiece. (I’m going back a few years). If you replaced the fuse and it quickly blew again you knew it was time to call the repairman. If it worked, you were all set.
But now, we’re well into the 21st century. Home phones have been replaced by cell phones. Cathode-ray tube TVs are now flat-screen TVs. Some cars are now powered by electricity. And engineers are now making 21st century premium fuses as well.
I have been testing these new high-tech fuses in a number of items ranging from my stereo (amps, pre-amps, tuners, speakers, CD and DVD players and high-def TV sets) and want to tell you that there is a BIG difference when you use these little buggers.
I’ve tried Isoclean fuses from the Far East as well as two types of Hi-fi Tuning fuses from Germany. They come in many different power ratings, physical sizes (5mm-by-20mm and 6mm-by-31.8mm) and are exact replacements for the fuses which originally came installed in your equipment.
The Isoclean fuses have gold-plated metal caps and specially-strengthened, shock-resistant glass in the middle. Each one is hand-tested to make sure they’re operating at their peak. There’s a little arrow on the glass which informs you of which direction the electricity should be flowing. (Rather than checking this with specialized equipment you can listen/watch for a week then reverse the fuses’ direction. One direction will sound/look better than the other. That’s the correct direction.)
The Hi-fi Tuning devices are built slightly differently. These fuses have a ceramic enclosure in between the two metal caps. The caps are gold-plated silver. There are also new versions without gold plating. They call them their SilverStar model. These fuses are also directional and work at their best when you mind which way they’re installed.
The difference these fuses make are mind-boggling. In almost every case, use of these fuses improved every piece of gear into which they were installed. Differences include cleaner treble – lower-reaching bass, brighter colors and overall less audio and video noise. You really have to see and hear the difference to appreciate just how good they are.
Of all the testing we’ve done – and believe me there’s had been months worth – my favorites are the Hi-fi Tuning SilverStars. To my ears, and eyes, they absolutely sound the cleanest and make the colors pop the most on my 37-in LCD TV.
I know it’s hard to believe that something so small and relatively inexpensive can make such a difference. But it can – and it does.
A friend and fellow hi-fi enthusiast/columnist says changing any older fuse with any new fuse will make a difference. I tried that too. Those 25-cent fuses now cost upwards of $1 each in Radio Shack. One component at a time I substituted a new – cheaper, standard fuse for the older one. He’s right. It does make a difference for the better. But, I’m here to tell you that when you then substitute that new fuse with one of these premium fuses the further improvement is startling.
I’m guessing that replacing the old fuse with a new, inexpensive one reduces the stress on that hard-working, little wire inside. Add a vibration-damping glass or ceramic tube, superior parts and craftsmanship and you start to understand why these premium fuses can make such a big difference.
Of course, like everything else in this life, premium items come with a high price tag. Same for these fuses. Figure these fuses will cost you $39-$49 each for any of the the gold-plated models from either manufacturer and $49-$59 each for the SilverStars.
I know that’s a startling amount of money for something so small. But the improvement is not inconsequential. Especially if your equipment requires more than one fuse to be changed. And, there aren’t many other $40-$60 “tweaks” you can make to your stereo or home theater that will reward you with such a big improvement.
Just try one. Once you experience the change for yourself you’ll want more.