View Full Version : Mark Grant's Caiman Fuse
StanleyB
03-07-2014, 19:15
When I was looking out for an excellent fuse for best performance for headphone listening with the Caiman, I decided to ask Mark Grant if he could help me out. After many hours of listening with my current hungry D7000 and HD800 I settled on a particular fuse as the best overall. It has gold plated contacts and is of a sand filled ceramic type. I find that sand filled fuses are better in performance under high current load conditions. I call them the Caiman fuse for easy identification, but Mark might have a different product name or code for it.
http://www.homehifi.co.uk/images/aos/fuse.jpg
They seem to hold together very well when I play extended bass rich tracks. Midband performance was equally impressive. My hearing is not all that at higher frequencies, so I can't say much about its performance at that end of the scale.
It is not a "must have", but it's a cheap enough upgrade worth mentioning.
Wakefield Turntables
04-07-2014, 10:39
Has one of these been installed on my Mk 2?
StanleyB
04-07-2014, 15:38
Has one of these been installed on my Mk 2?
They are only available from Mark as an accessory.
Wakefield Turntables
04-07-2014, 15:45
OK, thanks.
rallye666
05-03-2015, 17:18
I can't seem to find these fuses on mark grants site, anyone know if they've been discontinued?
Any good quality alternatives? I'm going to fit a hifi tuning mains fuse at the same time
When I was looking out for an excellent fuse for best performance for headphone listening with the Caiman, I decided to ask Mark Grant if he could help me out. After many hours of listening with my current hungry D7000 and HD800 I settled on a particular fuse as the best overall. It has gold plated contacts and is of a sand filled ceramic type. I find that sand filled fuses are better in performance under high current load conditions. I call them the Caiman fuse for easy identification, but Mark might have a different product name or code for it.
http://www.homehifi.co.uk/images/aos/fuse.jpg
Image no worky, Stan………
Marco.
When I was looking out for an excellent fuse for best performance for headphone listening with the Caiman, I decided to ask Mark Grant if he could help me out. After many hours of listening with my current hungry D7000 and HD800 I settled on a particular fuse as the best overall. It has gold plated contacts and is of a sand filled ceramic type. I find that sand filled fuses are better in performance under high current load conditions. I call them the Caiman fuse for easy identification, but Mark might have a different product name or code for it.
http://www.homehifi.co.uk/images/aos/fuse.jpg
They seem to hold together very well when I play extended bass rich tracks. Midband performance was equally impressive. My hearing is not all that at higher frequencies, so I can't say much about its performance at that end of the scale.
It is not a "must have", but it's a cheap enough upgrade worth mentioning.
Used to use sand filled fuses all the time in the day when I was a telly engineer. don't see them much now
StanleyB
05-03-2015, 21:52
Image no worky, Stan………
Marco.
I updated the site recently and must have changed something. I'll look at it ASAP.
StanleyB
05-03-2015, 21:56
I can't seem to find these fuses on mark grants site, anyone know if they've been discontinued?
Any good quality alternatives? I'm going to fit a hifi tuning mains fuse at the same time
Give Mark a shout. He definitely has them. He is supposed to be trying one out in his Capella headphone amp at the moment.
No worries, it could just be my browser :)
Marco.
A few weeks ago I fitted one of these gold plated fuses in my Caiman 2 (I used the AMR type from HiFi Collective). It did seem to make a slight difference.
Can anyone see the image Stan included in his first post, or like me, is everyone else getting a blue box with a white exclamation mark in it?
Marco.
just a little white square...took me a while to even see it.
StanleyB
06-03-2015, 11:38
I can't even see the box. What's the address of the link to my website in the box?
This is the details contained within the link you posted:
"http://www.homehifi.co.uk/images/aos/fuse.jpg”
So whatever you were try to show there, dude, ain’t showing…
Marco.
Ah, now that’s better! What were you doing wrong? :)
Marco.
The Black Adder
06-03-2015, 12:23
yup!... it's definitely not showing. If it is showing in your browser then CTRL & F5 as it might have cached an older image.
It’s showing now for me.
Joe, matey, you have a PM :)
Marco.
The Black Adder
06-03-2015, 13:43
aye.. ok now. It's a fuse that is. :)
oops... ok dood!
Mark Grant
08-03-2015, 16:31
A picture of a fuse in a Capella fuse holder taken earlier today:
http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx234/server9/forum-pictures/proof-caiman-fuse-crop-IMG_4002_zpsf9ial8zm.jpg
Some fuses for sale:
http://markgrantcables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=45_88
Hi Mark,
Good to see you popping in, mate. Btw, did you realise that you had a birthday thread going, to celebrate your recent birthday? If not, check here: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?37098-Happy-Birthday-Mark-Grant! ;)
Hope you had a nice one, btw :)
Marco.
brian2957
08-03-2015, 21:23
Which of these fuses are you using in the Capella Mark ?
Btw, if you want to really get tweaky, try using the fuse both ways round, and see if you can hear a difference - and I’m not kidding! ;)
Marco.
brian2957
08-03-2015, 21:41
Always do mate :D You have PM .
icehockeyboy
15-03-2015, 15:50
Whilst I am a total believer of ic and speaker cables making a difference, and to a lesser degree, mains cables, can someone explain how a fuse can make an improvement, furthermore, which way it's situated in the fuse holder?
The Barbarian
15-03-2015, 16:09
O i dunno felt record mat sound different depending which way you place them
:rfl:
Depends on the type of fuse. the construction can be different at each end. al;so the thickness of the wire can taper etc
maxrob200
31-03-2015, 22:15
Btw, if you want to really get tweaky, try using the fuse both ways round, and see if you can hear a difference - and I’m not kidding! ;)
Marco.
This sounds like a page from Ripley's Believe It Or Not....but out of curiosity I got some ceramic M205 T 2.0amp/250v fuses from Cooper Bussmann and replaced the original glass tube fuse in my Caiman 2. Nice touch by the way Stan on the quality fuse holder!
First impression: Much richer mid-range but....I felt that my high frequencies were somehow more restrained (dulled?). With the orignal fuse, I had better tops but less richness in the mids. I let the system run in for several hours and there was IMO a very slight change...probably due to the amplifier warming up etc. However, I was still not happy with the overall sound.
The difference is like direction changes in Interconnects or speaker cables (depending on quality and construction, some cables have no audible change in sound quality)
So after reading Marco's comments...I changed the fuse ends around and......
High frequencies restored with the richness in the mid - although not quite as thick sounding as before. Very happy with the results now.
Call me crazy but it was an audible difference! Scary!
brian2957
01-04-2015, 07:35
OK Alex you're crazy . Join the club :D
Which way do you have the fuse running BTW.
maxrob200
01-04-2015, 11:40
I can hear the Blue Van already at my doorstep!
Originally I had it running with the 2a/250 cap end toward the back of the Caiman, then I reversed the ends. However I think that it may be subject to the way the fuse/fuse wire is made and the capped ends may not necessarily mean that it is going to sound better in only one particular given direction.
With speaker cables and Interconnects, I usually look at the writing and then wok from there to ascertain preferred directionality. It also depends on whether the cables are grounded at one end i.e braid/foil with separately connected send and returns.
I have always made my own interconnects and speaker cable (tight wallet) and then compared them to commercial offerings that are significantly more expensive
Beobloke
01-04-2015, 13:33
but out of curiosity I got some ceramic M205 T 2.0amp/250v fuses from Cooper Bussmann and replaced the original glass tube fuse in my Caiman 2. Nice touch by the way Stan on the quality fuse holder!
Just to say, the picture on Post #20 shows an F2A fuse - it would be better to stick with this rather than changing to a T2A type if this was the designer's original intent.
maxrob200
01-04-2015, 23:25
Hi Adam,
Thank you for your advice. Just to be on the safe side, I checked the original fuse rating on the Caiman 2 and it is a T rated. The F may have been used for the original Caiman 1 or maybe just for photo purposes
+1
I replaced the internal fuse in my Caiman II with an AMR gold fuse from HiFi Collective, and used a T2A. The original fuse in my Caiman II was definitely a T2A. I remember Stan saying that he originally specified a 500mA fuse in that position, but that the 2A sounded better.
Beobloke
02-04-2015, 11:49
Hi Adam,
Thank you for your advice. Just to be on the safe side, I checked the original fuse rating on the Caiman 2 and it is a T rated. The F may have been used for the original Caiman 1 or maybe just for photo purposes
Glad to hear it. In that case, I wonder why this new gold plated one has been changed to an F2A...
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