Question What's your next HiFi purchase?

[Gray]

As I stated above, the internal speaker wiring will be standard, good quality copper, which is used in the vast majority of HIFI, house and industrial wiring etc. Most of the industrial copper is good enough for anything, apart from scientific instances, where fine tolerances are critical. Spending thousands, even hundreds on fancy, hyped up speaker wiring is pointless. The signal is carried to your speakers via Van Den Hul Angel Hair material and then meets standard copper at the speaker. This expensive journey ends at the binding posts. Waste of money. What do people think this expensive stuff is 'adding' to the mix? If wiring made a difference, you would need the best quality metal in the national grid, all your domestic wiring, all your kit, including speakers etc. There are so many different materials in a HIFI system, but changing speaker wiring will be pointless. The effect of expensive stuff is negligible, if not zero, in a HIFI system.

....And in some of the acoustically unfriendly rooms I've seen, the thought of changing speaker cables is laughably silly.

Harbeth (for one) fit Van Damme cable within one model as part of its upgrades.
(Which, if nothing else, could be of psychological benefit to those using it externally).

 

[podknocker]

It's a shame people fall for the marketing and snake oil, but many nerdy HIFI enthusiasts are like magpies and are always seduced by some shiny, blingy product, promising 'best sound ever'. You don't need to be a materials science boffin to see it's nonsense. Just look at everything else in your system. It's not made from 6N, silver plated copper. Silver is the best conductor, then copper, then gold. Copper is used in everything, because it's more abundant than silver and gold. If the planet was 5% silver and there was no copper, we'd be using silver.

Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Gold Extreme Level UK Mains Fuse (13A)

Future Shop is thrilled to unveil Quantum Science Audio (QSA), renowned for its expertise in the audiophile fuse domain. With over 22 years of delving into 'Bottle Neck Distortion', QSA fuses offer remarkable system enhancements previously underestimated in the industry. These fuses focus on...

www.futureshop.co.uk

I'm disappointed there's still no replacement for this item. Come on guys, get yer bottlenecking distortion sorted!

Idiots and so are the people buying this stuff.

THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY!

 

[Gray]

Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Gold Extreme Level UK Mains Fuse (13A)

Future Shop is thrilled to unveil Quantum Science Audio (QSA), renowned for its expertise in the audiophile fuse domain. With over 22 years of delving into 'Bottle Neck Distortion', QSA fuses offer remarkable system enhancements previously underestimated in the industry. These fuses focus on...

www.futureshop.co.uk

I'm disappointed there's still no replacement for this item. Come on guys, get yer bottlenecking distortion sorted!

Idiots and so are the people buying this stuff.

THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY!

Hard to imagine anything surpassing the fuse.
Voted by WHF forum members as the most useless product they could think of.
QSA and Future Shop must be proud.

 

[podknocker]

Hard to imagine anything surpassing the fuse.
Voted by WHF forum members as the most useless product they could think of.
QSA and Future Shop must be proud.

I'm often tempted to contact Future Shop and ask if there's any chance of an upcoming upgrade, as I wouldn't want to buy an £8k fuse, only to see a Platinum version available shortly after. I'd send an email rather than make a phone call, because I know I wouldn't be able to maintain any composure. I reckon they would feed back to the fuse company with my interest in their products. It would be interesting to see how long it would take for a £10k Platinum version to appear. Makes you wonder how far they would go with this line. It's already a joke, but there must be a point where people start to shake their heads and finally realise these fuses are nonsense and it's all been a cynical experiment to extort money from the gullible. I hate everything this company stands for. As I've already mentioned, silver is the best conductor, so if a fuse was made from 100% pure silver, it wouldn't cost more than a fiver. What goes into a fuse that makes it better at being a fuse? No material or process warrants an £8k pricetag.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

My Acoustic energy ae1 active speakers arrived yesterday.
I'm absolutely bowled over by these, the build quality, the sound quality even the packaging is all top notch, how AE can punt these out the door for the price should make other manufacturers hang their heads in shame.
I got the slightly more expensive high gloss oak veneer with the matching stands, gorgeous. I have them in my rather small summer house, but they really deserve pride of place in the living room such is the sound quality and pleasing aesthetic factors.......if we manage to get some hotter weather in Scotland, I'll probably pack up the primaluna ( it makes my room pretty warm in the hotter months) and Neats and bring up the AE's lol.
........and that is how good they sound, that they can compete with 5k Amp /speaker combo is mind boggling.....obviously the primaluna and Neats are ultimately more refined, there really isn't much in it and I could happily live with the Acoustic Energy ae1 active speakers as my full time system and be done with it.....I've tried my trusty novafidelity n15d and currently have them hooked up to my njc headphone amp ( it has a pre out) with the njc dac and it's a great little combination, just add streamer or transport of choice.....I'm going to hang on and probably try a wiim ultra when available.

 

[SohoAudiophile]

It's a shame people fall for the marketing and snake oil, but many nerdy HIFI enthusiasts are like magpies and are always seduced by some shiny, blingy product, promising 'best sound ever'. You don't need to be a materials science boffin to see it's nonsense. Just look at everything else in your system. It's not made from 6N, silver plated copper. Silver is the best conductor, then copper, then gold. Copper is used in everything, because it's more abundant than silver and gold. If the planet was 5% silver and there was no copper, we'd be using silver.

Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Gold Extreme Level UK Mains Fuse (13A)

Future Shop is thrilled to unveil Quantum Science Audio (QSA), renowned for its expertise in the audiophile fuse domain. With over 22 years of delving into 'Bottle Neck Distortion', QSA fuses offer remarkable system enhancements previously underestimated in the industry. These fuses focus on...

www.futureshop.co.uk

I'm disappointed there's still no replacement for this item. Come on guys, get yer bottlenecking distortion sorted!

Idiots and so are the people buying this stuff.

THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY!

$8,000 for a mains fuse. Elaborately promoted including a cutting from 'Stereo Times' magazine.

The police should investigate that website.

 

[podknocker]

£8k for a 13A fuse and you could only really use it in a trailing socket, with many appliances plugged in. The other option is use it in your kettle plug. Seems strange why anyone would think this would be an improvement. If the fuse does its job and fails, is it returned and replaced under warranty? Their argument would be it's done its job and no refund or replacement would be issued. They've obviously thought it through and have all things covered. I doubt they've sold any of these things anyway. It's an attention grabber and sits at the top of the price list to make people think the cheaper fuses are good value, but still not as good as the top one. It's all nonsense and it's sad people try to behave this way, but then again, it is a free market and if stupid people want to pay this, then let them. It does annoy me though. I bet they cost 80p to make.

 

[podknocker]

My next HIFI purchase is not going to be some crazy priced fuse or any more speaker wiring. It's probably going to be a more powerful and grippy class D streaming amp. I want to something to kick my QA speakers up the backside. The Audiolab Omnia and the QA 3030i on stands do sound great, especially in a warmer living room recently. They sound great today and I've been enjoying loads of stuff online. I do miss the treble and pizzazz of brighter sounding speakers, but even with new speakers, I think the Omnia is too soft and laid back to make any speaker really sing and get my feet tapping. It's all very safe at the moment. I'm sure my speakers will sound better on the end of a better streamer. I still fancy the Hifi Rose RA520 but it's still £3399 and a bit of a stretch at the moment.

 

[SohoAudiophile]

£8k for a 13A fuse and you could only really use it in a trailing socket, with many appliances plugged in. The other option is use it in your kettle plug. Seems strange why anyone would think this would be an improvement. If the fuse does its job and fails, is it returned and replaced under warranty? Their argument would be it's done its job and no refund or replacement would be issued. They've obviously thought it through and have all things covered. I doubt they've sold any of these things anyway. It's an attention grabber and sits at the top of the price list to make people think the cheaper fuses are good value, but still not as good as the top one. It's all nonsense and it's sad people try to behave this way, but then again, it is a free market and if stupid people want to pay this, then let them. It does annoy me though. I bet they cost 80p to make.

Was just reading their website and the other 'fuses' they are promoting.

All of their bumpf is written in the same long, breathless and nebulous way. It looks like one person has written the bumpf for several products that are presented as if they are the work of different suppliers.

The writing is circular loops about how people are amazed when they experience the fuses. 'Unparalleled audio refinement', 'enchanting the listening experience' etc. Meaningless word salad.

The only real attempt to actually explain what these fuses are is a ridiculous refernce to quantum entanglement.

I'd say they know what they are doing.

 

[Friesiansam]

I'd say they know what they are doing.

Yes, they know they are rippng people off.

 

[podknocker]

Technobabble. It's all there to trap the gullible and unwary. I'm neither.

 

[A-Line]

I listen to a lot of local radio so I have extra tuners. I've got room for 1 more tuner.
Choices: Tandberg 3001A, Accuphase T1200, McIntosh MR71, Magnum Dynalab MD107t, McIntosh MR89, Naim Audio NAT101, ReVox B760. The most analog sounding wins...but which one? 🤔

 

[Friesiansam]

Technobabble. It's all there to trap the gullible and unwary. I'm neither.

It's like the old saying, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. More people need to remember that...

 

[Gray]

£8k for a 13A fuse

For the same price you get 37,209 fuses in Toolstation (10 pack £2.15).

 

[jjbomber]

It's like the old saying, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. More people need to remember that...

Hopefully they'll remember it on July 4th.

 

[SohoAudiophile]

Invent a word called bottlenecking, but don't explain what this is in a scientific way, just say that it exists (which it doesn't) and then promote this thing as being capable of improving something, without actually providing proof or repeatable measurements. It's so far fetched and I'm fed up of the BS in the HIFI sector. I would urge people to read journals and papers on electronics and how the fundamental laws in nature actually work and relate to the audio electronics market, before buying anything on this site. I cant believe they get away with this technobabble and to have these fuses sat on the Future Shop is either brave or stupid. The reputation of your website hangs on the efficacy of these overpriced fuses. It's put me off, although they do sell some great products at fairly competitive prices.

I would like to mention the Veritasium video posted earlier. It is accurate and when you produce a magnetic filed, this 'drags' charge through the wire. It's very technical and difficult to grasp and I struggle with the concept sometimes. People also need to realise charge is passed along the wire because of the ability of electrons to wobble and transfer energy through the lattice. The outer shell of electrons in silver are very willing to do this, not just because of the distance from the nucleus and the electron screening from lower electron shells, but also the number of valence electrons and their spin. Many people think electrons move as they pass charge through a wire, but they don't move, they just carry charge. There was a paper written many years ago (which I can't find) and it said there is something called electron 'creep' and they do move towards the mains socket at around 1cm per year. It's a valid paper and just something to think about when you turn on your HIFI, or toaster. The idea of electrons racing through a wire at 95% light speed is incorrect.

The same person has also written a load of obvouisly similar, rambling gibberish reviews for all the products.

Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Yellow Entry Level UK Mains Fuse - 3A, 5A & 13 Amp

Future Shop proudly presents Quantum Science Audio (QSA), pioneers in the audiophile fuse industry with over 22 years of expertise in combating 'Bottle Neck Distortion'. QSA's fuses, once overlooked, now play a crucial role in enhancing audio system performance. They effectively tackle...

www.futureshop.co.uk

Total scumbags.

FBI or Interpol or somebody should put a stop to it.

 

[Gray]

Total scumbags.

I often really have to wonder - whether some purveyors of snake oil actually believe some of the ridiculous 'science' that they come out with.
I'd like to think that, at least one or two of them, might be merely insane (like the buyers) rather than just plain criminals.

Although, as we've said many times, in the case of the £8k fuses - they probably haven't sold any....nor the £4k version.
Though there was that bloke on another forum who paid £200 for one....and genuinely thought that buying a more expensive one would have resulted in better performance 😆

 

[Dom]

It's akin to jewellery rather than any practical application.

 

[A-Line]

Hifi fuses are a gimmick, as are after market power cords, most interconnects & speaker cables.
Money that could be better spent on audio stand upgrades & component upgrades...💡

 

[jjbomber]

Hifi fuses are a gimmick, as are ...s, most interconnects & speaker cables.

You mean those WhatHiFi reviews may not be true???

 

[A-Line]

You mean those WhatHiFi reviews may not be true???

The high cost ones most certainly are. A few hundred £ towards IC's or speaker cables might have some valid improvements but when it gets to the level of thousands of £ for these, or worse for hifi fuses, is borderline clinical insanity...

 

[A-Line]

The high cost ones most certainly are. A few hundred £ towards IC's or speaker cables might have some valid improvements but when it gets to the level of thousands of £ for these, or worse for hifi fuses, is borderline clinical insanity...

I use a certain Volex aftermarket molded power cords for all of my stuff. The cost: £7.00. These are better than factory issued power cords. 💡

 

[A-Line]

Power strips are notorious for gimmicks. Went to Home Depot and bought a no name brand power strip and compared it to one that Naim used to sell and everyone in the room felt that the Home Depot power strip easily bested Naim's recommended power strip. 💡

Home Depot: £10.00
Naim Audio: £650.00

 

[Gray]

I use a certain Volex aftermarket molded power cords for all of my stuff. The cost: £7.00. These are better than factory issued power cords. 💡

In what way are the Volex ones better than the factory issued ones?

 

[Gray]

It's akin to jewellery

Except that it's nothing to look at - and it's hidden inside an out of sight plug.