Manley Jumbo Shrimp upgrade

Fuse directionality in AC circuits is technically irrelevant, and perceived changes in sound from reversing a fuse are likely imagined. Some think changing the direction meant you cleaned the fuse contacts and are hearing the results of that, but if the fuse worked before being reversed that's also very unlikely, although cleaning any contacts is generally a good idea. Like washing your hands after meeting a politician.

You  might, w_g, want to look at some other threads, where the person measured the fuse's output (I have no idea what thread it's on) and found that he could determine the correct direction.

And while your experience is unique to you, it's absurd to say that everyone else is imagining things. Some of us, who have been professional audio writers, know different. Why it didn't demonstrate an improvement is one of those things that seem to only happen to those who are dismissive of the experience of hundreds of other users. I can hear the difference in my PS Audio Power Plant between different brands of fuses, and can pinpoint exactly what is happening in the music - IF the recording used is not overly manipulated and is natural. Voices are the easiest way to demonstrate the improvements to me - as well as acquaintances who are not audiophiles. And it's not due to cleaning the fuse contact, that much I can say with certainty. 
I can't deny your experience, but my ability to hear is quite good, good enough for me to have written for a couple of magazines and been the editor for another one.  There are just as many people who are inclined to  toss 'snake oil' comments about a product as there are ones who believe the product's demonstrated - and  repeatable  - results. We're probably the same people who think AC outlets make a difference...

wolf_garcia
2,660 posts
10-27-2016 1:49pm
Fuse directionality in AC circuits is technically irrelevant, and perceived changes in sound from reversing a fuse are likely imagined. Some think changing the direction meant you cleaned the fuse contacts and are hearing the results of that, but if the fuse worked before being reversed that’s also very unlikely, although cleaning any contacts is generally a good idea. Like washing your hands after meeting a politician.

There are many perfectly good reasons why some people have bad results with some tweaks. Historically it has happened for everything from the Tice Clock to Mpingo disc to expensive cables, silver holographic foil, the Intelligent Chip, the VPI brick and many other controversial things, like fuses. If you like I’ll list the reasons. I’ll give you a hint. One of them is that the person is so committed to his belief that the thing can’t possibly work he has psyched himself out. But just going by the testimony I read on the fuse threads on this forum alone, not even counting all the discussions on fuse directionality on other forums, the positive results outweigh the negative ones by, what, gotta be 20 to 1. The reasonable thing to do, it seems to me, would be to throw away the negative results as outliers.

Gbmcleod,
As you well know this fuse topic has been covered numerous times on this and other open discussion forums. As geofkait noted the ratio is usually quite high in favor of listeners with a positive response. I do believe that some people can have such a negative bias and expectation of "no difference heard" that they’d never admit to any sonic improvement. Bias can and does work in both directions. I’ve heard fuses make a + difference in various systems and multiple components over the years. I remember very similar debates regarding power cables in the past, not so much anymore. My well meaning suggestion to celtic 66 is hey, just give them a try and see what you think.
Charles,

The "positive results" mentioned have been somewhat skewed by the relentless commercial promotion of SR fuses by a few very motivated posters, who by themselves make up a large percentage of the "testimony" in the primary SR fuse thread. When I posted the simple question asking if anybody had a reasonable explanation of why these fuses work (the Athletic Supporters of SR stuff seemed likely to know the answer), it became clear there was simply nobody who has a clue about why Quantum Tunnelling or Graphene dust in a fuse would make any difference. My tests showed it doesn't, but then I didn't pay anything for my test samples.