Fuses that matter.

Mapman, could be. There are many hypotheses.

Only a fool would buy an expensive fuse. I bought two.

Hi Tbg - I recently bought Hifi Tuning fuses for both my amp and my preamp. Didn't notice much of a difference with the preamp, but definitely noticed something with the amp. I'm using the Silverstars, simply because they were cheaper than the Supremes. A $50 fuse rather than a $90 fuse. That's my idea of fiscal self restraint. No wonder I don't tell my wife.

I haven't experimented much with direction. For the preamp, I made sure that the arrow was pointed "downstream" (For the skeptics: Yes, I know it's alternating current, so it flows both ways). I confirmed the fuse's orientation by checking the preamp's internal wiring.

For the amp (Pass XA30.5), I can't tell whether the fuse is pointed downstream or not. The fuse is held into the chassis by a cylindrical fuse housing that screws into the rear panel. Anyone know if there's a typical orientation for those kinds of fuse holders?

On the face of it, it's baffling that a fuse's orientation could affect sound quality. I haven't experienced it myself, but I'm open to the possibility. I suspect we're going to hear from people who are not.

Bryon

04-27-12: Tbg
They had at least a hundred hours on them.

Nothing beats testing in your own system.

Since the aftermarket fuses and cables come with arrows, there is obviously a predetermined method the manufacturers employ to control directionality during fabrication. This method most likely involves keeping track of the wire during the entire fabrication process, from rolling the metal to drawing the wires. If the fabrication process is not controlled, the probability that a given wire, fuse or cable will be inserted into the system with the correct direction is 50%. Since the crystal structure of the wire is not symmetrical after all the rolling and drawing, one direction will be noticeably more efficient for signal transfer.

I used to sell a lot of fuses at Radio Shack. I also replaced a lot of blown fuses in customer gear at Tech Hifi.

It's been a while since a fuse in an audio device and myself have crossed paths, but the concept of a directional fuse seems new to me. I do not recall anything dealing with one orientation versus the other? Of course, I may have dealt with a few audiophiles but most were normal people who just wanted sound to come out of both channels of their amps.