Audio Magic Nano-Liquid Fuses---mikey likey :)

[Mike Lavigne]

Thanks Mike. My Preamp Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme blew today during a brief power outage. I just bought two of these Audio magic nano Super fuses for both the Preamp and Phonostage.

you are welcome. i will look forward to your take on the Nano 'Super' fuses. i'm still loving mine.

 

[highstream]

Anyone try the Super's? I'm at 165 hrs on a pair in Focal powered speakers on a computer desktop system. Over the past several, I've used Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme and Acme Audio fuses in Emotiva airmotiv 4 speakers (preferred the former in a comparison), the lesser Hi-Fi Tuning fuse in AE 5+ powered speakers (TV), and the Acme in the TV system's Grant Fidelity Tube Dac. All have made immediate and very noticeable improvements. However, in absolute terms, i.e., taken alone and not a direct comparison in the same component, the Audio Magic Super fuses have made the largest improvement of any of the lot. The clarity and depth and relaxed delicate presentation they introduced relative to the stock fuse were stunning even after running a nominal burnin track. What I'm still out on is 1) tone - they still seem to have turned a modestly warm system into a little bit on the dry side, which is not my taste; and 2) female singers seem a bit more recessed than before. Pricey yes for fuses (a little less at Jaguar Audio), but the magnitude of change is beyond what I hoped for, based on previous experience

 

[KBK]

I just got on to the forum to speak of this issue of fuses which have been altered from their known thermal parameters, and have not passed extensive UL, CSA or CE, etc approval processes.

Manufacturers can screw around with all kinds of components and arrangements of such within the gear and almost nothing will come of it, IF it has passed successfully through the electrical approval processes.


Messing with the AC fusing interface is the quickest way to run afoul of approval agencies, governments, utilities, and insurance companies. and that's just to start.

Fuses and their use are one of the most messy areas to be fooling around with, regarding electrical devices... when it comes to the situation regarding, for example, insurance companies. Or the law.

I would not mess with that, in the same way that a doctor does not operate on dirt floors in the open, with bare hands, anywhere in the developed western world.

It's an accumulation of potentials for failure and sooner or later, the lightning will strike. It is an accumulation of risk that an intelligent person would never touch with a thousand foot barge pole.

The prospects for the doctor, when finally brought to court, would be very bad. Never mind what happened to the patients.

I do understand that fuses do sound different than one another and fuses are one of THE bugaboos of audio. many (audio) people have no idea how much of an effect they have until they try fooling around in the area of AC fusing. trying different fuse types and designs, etc.

But fusing is critical, for all aspects of safety and was not principally designed for perfect complex dynamic flow in V/A scenarios. it was designed to prevent issues connected to safety of the environment and the people within it. for fusing...that remains it's core point in it's very existence in concept and reality.

The problem for audiophiles, is that those basic and fundamental parameters do indeed flow in a direction that is contrary to our desires.

Be that as it may, the point of what a fuse does to complex dynamic signals shall remain in effect, and attempting to ameliorate that aspect, in a direct way, does indeed remove the fuse from it's correctly specified operational parameters and function.... and well......

 

[highstream]

I just got on to the forum to speak of this issue of fuses which have been altered from their known thermal parameters, and have not passed extensive UL, CSA or CE, etc approval processes.

Messing with the AC fusing interface is the quickest way to run afoul of approval agencies, governments, utilities, and insurance companies. and that's just to start.

The NSA too?

That quip may not seem to take your post seriously, but most eveything you've said applies to virtually all aspects of our lives and, for the most part, at many many times greater risk than changing a speaker fuse for most of us - assuming one gets a fuse compatible with the U.S. system and the component in question. I'd suggest you better not get out of bed, but who knows if the bed, floor and roof around you might not collapse, or even if they were actually built to the stated, let alone government-approved specs (assuming those specs are actually adequate, not the result of some cutting corners deal between business and sympathetic government bureaucrats, as so commonly occurs). To me, your post comes across not as an appropriate specific caution, but as a "the world could fall apart" variant of the "fuses can't make a difference" argument.

 

[KBK]

The NSA too?

That quip may not seem to take your post seriously, but most everything you've said applies to virtually all aspects of our lives and, for the most part, at many many times greater risk than changing a speaker fuse for most of us - assuming one gets a fuse compatible with the U.S. system and the component in question. I'd suggest you better not get out of bed, but who knows if the bed, floor and roof around you might not collapse, or even if they were actually built to the stated, let alone government-approved specs (assuming those specs are actually adequate, not the result of some cutting corners deal between business and sympathetic government bureaucrats, as so commonly occurs). To me, your post comes across not as an appropriate specific caution, but as a "the world could fall" variant of the "fuses can't make a difference" argument.

OK. let me be more clear.

Place an out of spec AC fuse in your gear, and you can kiss your insurance policy goodbye. To start.

Is that clear enough? I don't mind the idea of a smiley in this post, like so: ... but we're talking about something where things should be spelled out in a straightforward fashion. Some hold back, not wanting to appear as if they are contrary, or argumentative. Or mean.

In this case... it should be spelled out more directly and in stronger terms than I have used.

Earlier in this thread Gary went through the effort of illustrating that messing with the thermal parameters of specified and approved fuses, was... well...an issue.

 

[highstream]

Sure, but your first post defined all non-OEM fuse replacements as out of spec, in principle. Moreover, even if we're just talking about insurance, you assume that a power surge will necessarily get to whatever components are in question without the power being killed first. That's true in some setups and not others, but is remote or very low probability for most people in most locations. Plus, the insurance company would have to prove the person was using out of spec fuses, if they actually were out of spec and they were the cause of the damage, which unless you tell them or aren't otherwise careful, wouldn't come into question. My hunch is that the chances of all that happening is probably no more, if not much less, than you're dropping dead reading this post.

 

[mep]

OK. let me be more clear.

Place an out of spec AC fuse in your gear, and you can kiss your insurance policy goodbye. To start.

Is that clear enough? I don't mind the idea of a smiley in this post, like so: ... but we're talking about something where things should be spelled out in a straightforward fashion. Some hold back, not wanting to appear as if they are contrary, or argumentative. Or mean.

In this case... it should be spelled out more directly and in stronger terms than I have used.

Earlier in this thread Gary went through the effort of illustrating that messing with the thermal parameters of specified and approved fuses, was... well...an issue.

I hear what you are saying, but...lots of arson goes undetected when homes burn down. Do you really think Fire Investigators are smart enough to examine stereo components that started a fire and check and see if the fuses used were the correct ones? Or are they much more likely to be happy that they determined the cause of a fire was a defective piece of stereo gear and call it a day? I would say that unless you are someone who modifies your gear so it is blatantly and hideously obvious to anyone with one eyeball and a modicum of intelligence that you do dangerous things to electronics, an internal magic fuse may go undetected.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Anyone try the Super's? I'm at 165 hrs on a pair in Focal powered speakers on a computer desktop system. Over the past several, I've used Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme and Acme Audio fuses in Emotiva airmotiv 4 speakers (preferred the former in a comparison), the lesser Hi-Fi Tuning fuse in AE 5+ powered speakers (TV), and the Acme in the TV system's Grant Fidelity Tube Dac. All have made immediate and very noticeable improvements. However, in absolute terms, i.e., taken alone and not a direct comparison in the same component, the Audio Magic Super fuses have made the largest improvement of any of the lot. The clarity and depth and relaxed delicate presentation they introduced relative to the stock fuse were stunning even after running a nominal burnin track. What I'm still out on is 1) tone - they still seem to have turned a modestly warm system into a little bit on the dry side, which is not my taste; and 2) female singers seem a bit more recessed than before. Pricey yes for fuses (a little less at Jaguar Audio), but the magnitude of change is beyond what I hoped for, based on previous experience

A manufacturer sent along both HFT Supreme and Audio Magic fuses to try with their phono section. The unit wouldn't have received a good review had I reviewed the piece with the latter fuses. But that's how much of a difference the fuse made.

Who knows? I trust what Mike says so it could just be unit to unit variability.Or maybe is just how the sound complements one's system.

 

[rockitman]

I have the super nano's in my xp30 and xp25. I had hi-Fi tuning supreme prior. I don't think I heard a difference to be honest. I did not go back and forth torturing myself. I think a well damped after market fuse is a good idea over the stock versions.

 

[KBK]

Personally, I think that everyone should get a chance to hear what 'thin walled hollow copper rod' will do to a system, compared to that of any fuse of any kind. Only then will they finally understand how malignant and mutilated the sound in a system is, due to the fusing.

The difference makes one question why they are swapping equipment, speakers, racks, cables, any of it. It really is that big of a difference.

For the learned audio person, who is chasing after certain things, certain types of subtleties - it is beyond night and day differences.

As soon as one strays from 'traditional' power supplies, this major difference tends to decrease in level. As one moves away from the AC/transformer/rectification/capacitance/dual rail 'standard', this difference is decreased. But not gone.

 

[andromedaaudio]

" For the learned audio person, who is chasing after certain things, certain types of subtleties - it is beyond night and day differences "

Well ,to me its these kinda statements, that make me take audiophiles less and less serious by the year , they seem to hear all kinds of things usually these items stay hot a couple of years and then fade away never to be heard off again , or then being replaced by another " extended nano reference ingredient "

 

[KBK]

" For the learned audio person, who is chasing after certain things, certain types of subtleties - it is beyond night and day differences "

Well ,to me its these kinda statements, that make me take audiophiles less and less serious by the year , they seem to hear all kinds of things usually these items stay hot a couple of years and then fade away never to be heard off again , or then being replaced by another " extended nano reference ingredient "

You are missing my point, for some unknown reason. It's like that of hitting the target or not hitting the target. Having your nose above the water or not above the water. If you compare the two given states, with respect to degrees or inches, it's a few percentage points, at most. Yet, it is a 100% vs 0% difference, within the context of either hitting the target or not...or breathing air, or drowning.

If one has not heard that difference, then one has no idea exactly HOW deleterious fuses are to what is happening in the audio reproduction chain.

And if one does hear it, they can then weigh all the other changes they have enacted in their systems throughout their entire lives...and then...wonder what the hell they've been doing, exactly.

In 'The meaning of Life'..it was the salmon mousse...in this case...it is the fuse.

 

[ddk]

My experience with Hifi Tuning and other so called audiophile fuses has been nothing but negative and I see it as a true rip-off. Best case scenario they do nothing, worst case, which we've had quite a few in the past years, the equipment is trashed because of them. My most recent experience with a customer was that his high power, high current amps were clipping and shutting off even at moderate volumes. The speakers were a difficult load but not enough to shut down the amps. Fortunately, on the 2nd day in his place the fuse on one of the amplifiers went and that's when I discovered he had replaced all his fuses with this HT crap. No more problems with the amps once they were removed and replaced with stock fuses.

 

[esldude]

too bad you dont got good hearing dude..aha ahahaha...just kidding, if you know me and my posts, we are in agreement that they do not "help" but i did not know they were messin stuff up. interesting and disturbing. folks might better stick to rocks and hanging stuff off their cables and dots and globulators...made that one up.

This might be close to a globulator.

http://www.entreq.com/products/accessories-17667732

 

[ddk]

This might be close to a globulator.

http://www.entreq.com/products/accessories-17667732

I particularly like their rats, that must be their Ace In The Hole!

 

[DonH50]

Vibe Eaters:

These have a special sand mixture which leans towards the optimisation of the magnetic characteristics. They still of course offer a greater stability to the chassis of the equipment as well as absorbing vibrations but the ‘Vibb eater’ also neutralises a part of the magnetic field from the electronic equipment. You will always have to experiment to find the optimal position for the ‘Vibb eater’ but we usually find the best place to start is closest to the power cable in-let or the products transformer.

First I knew sand could neutralize magnetic fields, learn something new every day...

 

[ddk]

Vibe Eaters:



First I knew sand could neutralize magnetic fields, learn something new every day...

I heard that it works specially well when the rats bottom melts away and the sand enters your equipment; its the magic moment when sand meets golden fuse, golden shower?

 

[microstrip]

Many people will openly debate if their equipment sounds better with an AWG10 or AWG12 power chord. Considering that according the laws of resistance resist = resistivity x length/section area, a fuse is almost equivalent to a power cable (section about 1/100 and length about 1/100) with minimal surface area, anyone accepting power chords make a difference must be prepared to accept that fuses can make a difference. I should say I never tried audiophile fuses, as it implies opening equipment and a lot of work - may be I should!

Anyway, I fail to understand the connection between the rats and the fuses ...

 

[ddk]

Many people will openly debate if their equipment sounds better with an AWG10 or AWG12 power chord. Considering that according the laws of resistance resist = resistivity x length/section area, a fuse is almost equivalent to a power cable (section about 1/100 and length about 1/100) with minimal surface area, anyone accepting power chords make a difference must be prepared to accept that fuses can make a difference. I should say I never tried audiophile fuses, as it implies opening equipment and a lot of work - may be I should!

Anyway, I fail to understand the connection between the rats and the fuses ...

Both are tweaks that can cost you!

 

[esldude]

Vibe Eaters:



First I knew sand could neutralize magnetic fields, learn something new every day...

Now come on, do you think those guys are misleading you. These have not just sand, but:

‘Vibb eaters’ consist largely of our own dedicated copper-based sand mixture with the addition of small quantities of, amongst other things , specific precious metals. The properties of this mixture gives very interesting characteristics, particularly in the areas of magnetic fields, field effects as well as dealing with physical vibration. When you place a ‘Vibb eater’ on top of your loudspeaker speaker or on top of your electronic equipment the vibrations and various magnetic fields that come from the box's are absorbed, then through the mechanical friction between the copper granular mixture the excess energy is converted into very low level heat.

See the copper, and precious metals (gold, silver, and platinum maybe) get caught up in the magnetic field, and try to vibrate with it, but the sand damps it so the vibration turns into heat, and voila!.......magnetic fields eaten up. Of course one might complain about the fact gold, silver and platinum are not magnetic. Nor copper for that matter.

Well have to work on my pseudo-science some more.

Okay, copper develops a voltage if moved through a magnetic field. So the field varying through your equipment creates a voltage in the copper and that induces random currents when two copper particles chaotically touch and then move away from each other in the sand matrix. This current flow randomly back and forth within the sand lets this mixture eat up magnetic fields by dissipating them as heat. Does that sound okay if you say it real fast?