My experience of after-market fuses is that they do make a difference, some more than others.
My first experience was with Furutech Rhodium fuses, probably something like ten years ago now. They definitely made the sound more "metallic" which is an odd adjective to use I know, but the only way I can describe it. They stripped out the warmth. I went back to Busmann gold-plated fuses till about 18 months ago.
Then I read all the fuss about Synergistic Research Black fuses, so I gave them a try. I'll be honest, they didn't make much difference. Nothing sounded any worse, so I kept them.
About three months ago I bought a number of Synergistic Research Blue fuses, again purely on hype reviews. These definitely have made an audible difference. In my system at least, there's a lot more bass, and somehow the presentation of the music generally has more depth, better sound-staging I guess you'd call it. I like the effect they have, and over time I'll probably switch some of my Blacks for Blues as funds permit. I'd also encourage others to try them on their televisions as I have done, they also improve the picture quality.
I think it's worth saying that fuses aren't going to miraculously transform your system. They won't. But they do help, or at least have "an" effect. It's like all tweaks - some you'll like/value, others you won't. But they have at least got me in front of my speakers much more in the past few months, and that ultimately is what a good hobby should be, something you actually spend time doing.
To anyone who says all after-market fuses are snake oil, I'll happily prove you wrong if you happen to live in the south of England. Every single sound that comes out of my speakers is generated from electricity that has passed through a fuse at some point. So if you can accept that interconnects make a difference, and I think the vast majority on pages like this can, then open your mind to the fact that fuses are just other interconnects, and that their construction can have an effect on the output of a system. My system is living proof, as are many others on these pages.
My first experience was with Furutech Rhodium fuses, probably something like ten years ago now. They definitely made the sound more "metallic" which is an odd adjective to use I know, but the only way I can describe it. They stripped out the warmth. I went back to Busmann gold-plated fuses till about 18 months ago.
Then I read all the fuss about Synergistic Research Black fuses, so I gave them a try. I'll be honest, they didn't make much difference. Nothing sounded any worse, so I kept them.
About three months ago I bought a number of Synergistic Research Blue fuses, again purely on hype reviews. These definitely have made an audible difference. In my system at least, there's a lot more bass, and somehow the presentation of the music generally has more depth, better sound-staging I guess you'd call it. I like the effect they have, and over time I'll probably switch some of my Blacks for Blues as funds permit. I'd also encourage others to try them on their televisions as I have done, they also improve the picture quality.
I think it's worth saying that fuses aren't going to miraculously transform your system. They won't. But they do help, or at least have "an" effect. It's like all tweaks - some you'll like/value, others you won't. But they have at least got me in front of my speakers much more in the past few months, and that ultimately is what a good hobby should be, something you actually spend time doing.
To anyone who says all after-market fuses are snake oil, I'll happily prove you wrong if you happen to live in the south of England. Every single sound that comes out of my speakers is generated from electricity that has passed through a fuse at some point. So if you can accept that interconnects make a difference, and I think the vast majority on pages like this can, then open your mind to the fact that fuses are just other interconnects, and that their construction can have an effect on the output of a system. My system is living proof, as are many others on these pages.