This is all well and good, Steven. However, I fail to understand the relationship between all of these specifications for supplying power to a home and the subject at hand; i.e., what fuses do and don’t do inside of Hi-Fi components, the risks to kit and premises associated with fuses (inside of components) and the implications regarding the impact of the SDFB with regard to these risks.
Not picking a fight here…I sincerely mean what I am writing.
Regards,
Scott
@Carlsbad the Physicist was suggesting all these fuses, breakers and RCDs that we have are unnecessary and just ruin sound quality. Quite the opposite is the case.
A fuse is not a brick wall device. Here is a summary of what a BS1362 fuse is meant to do.
The only audiophile fuse I have ever seen that complies is this one:
Bear in mind that here in the UK we have ring circuits (my hifi is on a spur) and all plugs have a fuse. So here audiophile fuses are mostly used in plugs.
None of the Quantum or Shunyata fuses appear to be compliant, not least because they don’t have BS1362 printed on the side, which here is required by law. It wouldn’t surprise me that if you took the cover off one of those Quantum fuses, it was a standard 50c fuse underneath.
It is also required by law that every appliance sold in the UK with a mains flex must have a BS1363 plug fitted with a BS1362 fuse inside.
What components you put inside a component is irrelevant. My turntable power supply has two fuses on a board. People used to use tin foil. However it also has two more fuses, on the incoming and outgoing power (both 240v), which are safety devices to protect from fire (normally the cable or plug overheating).
The Quantum fuse stuff seems complete baloney - Mickey Mouse fake technology, no patents (I checked), no safety compliance.
See below - two glass fuses lower right are not safety-critical. I think they just protect the circuit. The two IEC sockets at the top both have fuses and they are for safety.
How about how not to behave?
Carlsbad CA - I like.
Carlsbad Beer - I like.
Carlsbad Forum Member - TBD.
what
ever
In our house it’s “whateva”.
“whatevs” around here, but then the “Cost of Living Crisis” has become the “Cosy Liv” too…
Reading through your dissertation on the UK’s electrical standards and approved code of practice. You said “(my hifi is on a spur)”
A spur is a socket tapped into a ring main circuit! Do you mean a radial circuit, a heavy gauge cable running from the consumer box to your audio equipment ? The same system as used for cookers, ovens and power showers that pull high current.
Audiophile fuses: I read on the Pink Fish forum someone opened up one of the exotic fuses and it was just a bog-standard fuse dressed up to look expensive! I’ve stopped looking at the fuse thread to me it’s ridiculous nonsense.
Yes, that’s correct. I have three of those, for hifi, modem and AV. Neotech and Belden cables not especially heavy gauge, it’s not necessary. Of course a load of them for kitchen appliances with those big red isolator switches inside a cupboard.
I don’t think American readers realise that here fuses are mostly used in our fused plugs, as well as inside components. When I say inside, it’s often externally fitted and connected to the power socket. These are all safety devices.
I think it was Furutech who got caught out some years ago because their plugs were not BS1363 compliant. They now use “1363” in their product names to make the point they are compliant. Shunyata have BS1363 moulded on their UK plugs.
Internal fuses can be replaced with a paperclip or tin foil. They are not safety devices, they are protective devices. Our laws and regulations are to protect against injury, death and fire, and fire relates to the plug and cable, not the device. UK law does not care if your amplifier blows up, as long as it does not set fire to your house.
Many thanks for the tip - found the post - a £0.15 fuse rebranded and sold for £155 - that’s a 100,000% mark-up.
This is from the QSA website - I think if you believe this stuff, you deserve to be ripped off.
And what a rip-off by dealers as well as manufacturers, here are their listed prices for UK sizes on their site.
So a violet $230 is £212 - being sold by UK dealers for £620.
Silver 13A mains fuse, a pure safety device, HK price $2,500 is £2,300, being sold here for £4,200.
Just looks like the mother of all frauds to me for the insanely gullible, even the sellers seem to realise for the higher priced items they can only multiply it by 2 instead of 3.
OK. I wasn’t able to get any info on the swiss fuse here. Those of you waiting to judge me are going to have to look somewhere else.
Big fan of PS audio regenerators (although I can’t get mine to talk to the mother ship, even though it is connected to the internet).
But I don’t see any more value for me here. Unfortunately I stand by my observation about electrical knowledge. I urge many of you to look at what you are arguing. If an amp just needs to be supplied it’s nameplate current, it could be powered on a pair of 22 awg wires.
bye now.
Jerry
From previous post –
Came with brass and copper “Sluggos” for me to compare…
I really need to/should run my room correction software to dial in all of the recent changes before running this in but I am not sure I can resist the temptation.
With regard to equipment safety concerns, the purveyor assures me they have done the requisite testing and the kit is as reliable as a traditional fuse provided the requisite instructions are followed. If it is not, then we will just have to find a way to resolve any resulting dispute.
Reviews are apparently underway with reputable industry publications, so there should soon be more reassurance out there w/r/t the performance and reliability of the Swiss Digital Fuse Box.
…and one more from earlier in this thread –
I started with the copper Sluggo.
I have been listening for over an hour.
"I am surprised (and pleased) by the perceived, very positive, impact on the sound of my system. Initial impressions:
Lower noise floor allowing micro details and quieter recording content to emerge with a greater sense of clarity and “distinction”
An overall sense that every thing is more “organic”/having a more natural tone especially piano and percussive instruments
A greater sense of the ambiance of/in the recording venue when present
Acoustic instruments seem to sound more like they would live/seem to be more accurately reproduced.
The resonance and lingering decay of instruments being struck, plucked, strummed, etc. is more discernible and palpable.
More listening to do, but absent some mechanical or programming issue, I won’t be returning the Fuse Box. 
"
FYI
Good Afternoon,
Should there be any questions about the Swiss Digital FUSE BOX, feel free to connect with me at
Usually good at answering quickly
Thanks
Mark
Welcome, Mark!
Thanks so much
Hopefully I can add some valuable information.
Very best wishes,
Mark
I haven’t tried any upgraded audiophile fuses, so I can’t comment on their value. That’s being said I have no doubt many of them do improve the sound of a component, based on the countless reviews I’ve read. Personally though I’m not too willing to spend a ton of money on something as fragile as a fuse. I am however more inclined to purchase something like the digital fuse box though, that can’t go poof and give up it’s life when something goes haywire with power.
O.K., Mark…I’ll prime the pump.
Can you tell us a little more about how the SDFB interrupts the circuit?
What are the basic principles of the “mechanics” involved?
TIA/Cheers,
Scott
Unlike you, I actually bought one, a relatively cheap one in a half price sale. Synergistic I think. It made no difference at all. I put the original fuse back in. It’s in a box somewhere.
I don’t care for review opinions. They are effectively bought with advertising. Manufacturers like PS Audio cultivate the audio press for decades. Audio magazines are informercials. The whole QSA fuse thing was based on one review.
The good news is that inserting a Sluggo in place of a fuse in a UK plug would make it illegal.
The narrative explaining this product is complete scaremongering BS. We basically use 13A fuses on mains that is required to be between 216v and 253v. A 13A fuse does not blow at 13.1A, or 15A. It will probably last about 30 minutes at 20A, before its own heat and the heat in the plug helps it to blow.
The fuse rating is determined by the flex diameter, 13A is generally for 1.25mm or more. If there is solid 20A overcurrent for 30 minutes, the cable and plug will heat up. As long as the plug is compliant with BS1363, required by law, it will not come close to catching fire. A 1.25mm cable may approach 80 celsius, but it would have to reach 140 celsius for a proper PVC cable to catch fire.
That’s the safety side, but how many audio systems draw more than a few amps for more than a few seconds at most? Mine draws about 0.5A. The worst I had was a 300B-XLS 22W tube SET that drew 2A and threw out huge heat. The amount of current going through the fuse is likely to be massively below its rating and is hardly likely to heat up the fuse to any significant extent.
An amplifier drawing large numbers of watts typically gets very hot, far hotter than the fuse. No one argues the heat degrades performance, most think it improves it.
What scaremongering/which product?
