Amp Popping and Humming…

Anyone ever change fuses in an amp?

Can I just use any fuse or are there audiophile grade tubes I should look into?

After some back and forth emails with the people at Kinki Studio they suggested I try changing the fuses on the right channel of my EX-M1+ and sent me some instructions for doing the act.
 

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mindhead1 said:
Anyone ever change fuses in an amp?

Can I just use any fuse or are there audiophile grade tubes I should look into?

After some back and forth emails with the people at Kinki Studio they suggested I try changing the fuses on the right channel of my EX-M1+ and sent me some instructions for doing the act.
Click to expand...
Good to know they were helpful in trying to sort the issue!
 
mindhead1 said:
Anyone ever change fuses in an amp?

Can I just use any fuse or are there audiophile grade tubes I should look into?

After some back and forth emails with the people at Kinki Studio they suggested I try changing the fuses on the right channel of my EX-M1+ and sent me some instructions for doing the act.
Click to expand...
I had to change a power fuse in my Rogue once. fuses is fuses as far as I’m aware.
 
kvetcha said:
I had to change a power fuse in my Rogue once. fuses is fuses as far as I’m aware.
Click to expand...
You CAN buy 'audiophile' fuses for a fair bit of green. They are sold exclusively for idiots who appreciate placebos. NO difference whatsoever.

Now, a linear power supply is often a good idea - if it is a good one.

A power conditioner is really little more than a filter. I've never come across one that will block a significant surge, that's why they are called 'conditioners', not surge protectors.

A whole house surge protector is essential for any significant equipment investment. They cost about $300-500 and attach between the breaker box and the main electrical trunk line coming into it. Stops ANY surge cold. When we purchased our current house, it was first in.

The described issue is not a fuse issue, as a fuse popping renders the channel dead. The surge more likely damaged one or more capacitors, hence the described noises. I would say it is a design defect that the surge didn't simply pop the fuse, as that is exactly what the fuse purpose is - to blow when a surge comes in, in order to save the components upstream from it. The fuse is the first line of defence and is intended to sacrifice itself for the greater good.

Except when the damage is so severe the circuit board is unsalvageable, any amp can be repaired by a competent tech. Barring possibly any custom transformers, everything in there is a commonly available part, particularly resistors and capacitors.

Good news! The resistors and caps inside most, if not all, commercially available amps are pretty cheap. If it is a damaged cap, look at upgrading both channels, particularly coupling/output capacitors. The sound upgrade will be significant.
 
RHANDMJ said:
You CAN buy 'audiophile' fuses for a fair bit of green. They are sold exclusively for idiots who appreciate placebos. NO difference whatsoever.

Now, a linear power supply is often a good idea - if it is a good one.

A power conditioner is really little more than a filter. I've never come across one that will block a significant surge, that's why they are called 'conditioners', not surge protectors.

A whole house surge protector is essential for any significant equipment investment. They cost about $300-500 and attach between the breaker box and the main electrical trunk line coming into it. Stops ANY surge cold. When we purchased our current house, it was first in.

The described issue is not a fuse issue, as a fuse popping renders the channel dead. The surge more likely damaged one or more capacitors, hence the described noises. I would say it is a design defect that the surge didn't simply pop the fuse, as that is exactly what the fuse purpose is - to blow when a surge comes in, in order to save the components upstream from it. The fuse is the first line of defence and is intended to sacrifice itself for the greater good.

Except when the damage is so severe the circuit board is unsalvageable, any amp can be repaired by a competent tech. Barring possibly any custom transformers, everything in there is a commonly available part, particularly resistors and capacitors.

Good news! The resistors and caps inside most, if not all, commercially available amps are pretty cheap. If it is a damaged cap, look at upgrading both channels, particularly coupling/output capacitors. The sound upgrade will be significant.
Click to expand...
Whole house surge protector has been installed.

I’m going to open up the amp and see what things look like inside. I’m hoping it can be fixed. It’s a great sounding amp.
 
An update on the Kinki amp. As @RHANDMJ said above the problem is not the fuse. I finally popped the hood on the amp and changed the fuses and it did not resolve the issues. Kinki has a distributor in Texas. I am going to reach out to them and see if they can help.

IMG_1812_Original.jpeg
 
Update

🥳🙌🏾🍻 the Kinki is back! A few months back I posted about the damage done to my Kinki Studio EX-M1+ after lighting hit my house. Loud pops when switching input and modes and turning on/off and a loud hum in the right channel.

I emailed back and forth with Kinki Studio and changed fuses per their direction. That didn’t work. I thought I was going to have a heavy paper weight. I bought it used so they didn’t seem super interested in helping.

I did some googling and found a US distributor of Kinki gear, Tek Audio out of Texas, and contacted them. Todd was very helpful and agreed to take a look at the amp. I shipped it to him and he was able to narrow the problem down to a ‘DC offset’ in the right channel. He replaced a part in the right channel board and all is well.

I got the Kinki hooked up and am once again enjoying its detailed sweetness. It cost about $350 to get fixed. $200 of that was shipping costs.

I’ll definitely work with Todd and Tek Audio again when I’m in the market for any Kinki Studio or Denafrips gear.
 
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