Changing Fuses in C2600 and Mc452

[akitared]

Sooo Chuck replied and made it clear that “Super Fuses” as he refers to them are De-recommended by McIntosh.
Furthermore, they void any warranty, potentially starve the unit of current or voltage negatively impacting performance, alternatively raise the current that can pass through the unit potentially damaging the unit if a short were to occur.

In short, don’t do it

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by akitared

Sooo Chuck replied and made it clear that “Super Fuses” as he refers to them are De-recommended by McIntosh.
Furthermore, they void any warranty, potentially starve the unit of current or voltage negatively impacting performance, alternatively raise the current that can pass through the unit potentially damaging the unit if a short were to occur.

In short, don’t do it

akitared.......In my humble opinion, that is exactly what I would expect McIntosh tech support to say as their official company position on changing fuses, or anything else on their equipment for that matter. Naturally, they are against altering anything on their audio components. McIntosh even thinks their power cord is the best for their products, but that has not necessarily turned out to be gospel. Just saying......

First, unless you leave a high-end fuse installed in a McIntosh component that needs warranty repair, there is no way McIntosh can void the warranty because they would only see the factory fuse, so that notion is weak at best.

Second, a fuse of the exact rating as the factory fuse will not "starve" the unit of current, nor will it "raise" the current that can pass through the unit to potentially damage it. A fuse with the exact rating as a factory fuse will perform its safety functions correctly, passing current up to its rating, and opening the circuit when that current limit is exceeded.

I use HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses in two different McIntosh preamplifiers and five different McIntosh power amplifiers. HiFi Tuning is a German company that has been manufacturing high quality audio-grade fuses and other accessories for many years. They are sold worldwide with a huge audiophile following, as well as many glowing endorsements in the audio press.

If you wish to try some audio grade fuses, I would not let McIntosh's stand, which is no doubt the company's official position that Chuck is required to repeat when asked, dissuade you from reaping the benefits the HiFi Supreme fuses brought to my sound systems. Many AA'ers have upgrade their fuses in McIntosh equipment with complete satisfaction.

You may enjoy reading my HiFi Tuning Fuses Installed thread.

[akitared]

Thank you Jdandy for your thoughts and guidance along with the link to the thread on your actual experiences on Fuse Rolling,

I understand why Chuck replied with his comments.

I will take the opportunity to read further and make an informed decision with the guidance and support of this great community here

Paul.

[damacman]

All kidding aside, fuses are chosen based on failure characteristics - specifically current over time. Two fuses from different manufacturers will not have the same failure characteristics, even though each may meet UL guidelines or specifications for the specific prefix of the fuse type.

When a unit is engineered, the fuse type and rating are selected by the engineering team to fail in a very specific fashion in controlled settings. In the world of audio, we often get caught up in the notion that certain inexpensive tweaks can and do enhance the sound or performance of a specific component. That being said, swapping fuses for the sake of SQ, which is in of itself a topic of significant debate, can also be tampering with safety - regardless of how such products are marketed.

[ejr1953]

I contacted McIntosh after purchasing a then brand new C2500 preamp, asking if I'd void the warranty if I swapped out the tubes, and the answer was "no", it would not effect the warranty status.

One of my buddies who swapped out the fuses in his C2500/MC452 and said he really wanted to hear a difference, but did not! So I bagged the idea of making that change to my system.

[Pampero]

In the universe of tweaks it seems to me that swapping fuses would be pretty far down the list of effective upgrades. Can somebody objectively quantify the audible and/or measurable differences?

[akitared]

Originally Posted by Pampero

In the universe of tweaks it seems to me that swapping fuses would be pretty far down the list of effective upgrades. Can somebody objectively quantify the audible and/or measurable differences?

Yes I seem to have reached the same conclusion, defer as I have many other upgrades/tweaks in mind over the coming months

[Pampero]

I know I could live a happy life in audio without ever swapping fuses, and more especially without ever having to. Some things others find irrisistable in this hobby are of no interest to me which is a good thing, I'm sure.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Pampero

I know I could live a happy life in audio without ever swapping fuses, and more especially without ever having to. Some things others find irrisistable in this hobby are of no interest to me which is a good thing, I'm sure.

Lew.......That is one of the interesting aspects to our audio obsessions. You can go as far down the rabbit hole as you wish, or just walk on by and ignore it. To each their own, and that's a good thing.

I have a friend who's entire investment in audio is a Tivoli Model one radio. What's good is he's happy. That's all that matters.

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Lew.......
I have a friend who's entire investment in audio is a Tivoli Model one radio. What's good is he's happy. That's all that matters.

Ain't that the truth! As long as you don't hock the kids' educations, the rest is purely a matter of priorities. What works for me, won't work for somebody else and efforts to convince anybody otherwise are only doomed to failure. I hear the Tivoli is a decent radio. I have it's forebear, an Advent radio. I don't use it anymore, but I clearly remember when it was considered the first entry step to hifi. I bet you do too!