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Direction of aftermarket fuses (only for believers!)

It is with reluctance that I start another thread on this topic with the ONLY GOAL for believers to share their experience about aftermarket fuses.
To others: you can call us snobs, emperors w/o clothes,... etc but I hope you refrain posting just your opinion here. If you did not hear any difference, great, maybe there isn’t.

The main driver for this new post is that I am starting a project to mod my NAD M25 7 ch amp for my home theater. It has 19 fuses (2 per channel, 4 on the power supply board, 1 main AC) and I will try a mix of AMR Gold, SR Black and Audio Magic Platinum (anyway that is the plan, I may try out some other brands/models). As it is reasonably difficult to change them, esp the ones on each channel module that requires complete disassembly, I would like to know what the direction is for these models mentioned and of course, others who HAVE HEARD there is a difference please share your experience on any fuse model you have tried.

Fuses are IME directional:
Isoclean is one of the first to indicate the direction (2008/2009) on their fuses. Users of HiFi Tuning (when the awareness rose quite a bit amongst audiophiles) have mostly heard the difference.

As an IEEE engineer, I was highly skeptical of cabling decades ago (I like the speaker design of John Dunlavy but he said on many occasions that cables nor footers matter at all, WRONG!). Luckily, my curiosity proved me wrong as well. I see the same skepticism that I and many others had about the need for aftermarket cables many, many years ago now on fuses and esp on the direction on fuses.

Another example is the direction of capacitors (I do not mean electrolytic types). Even some manufacturers now and certainly many in the past did not believe it can make a difference sonically. Maybe some do but it takes time in the assembly to sort and put them in the right direction/order (esp as some of the cap manufacturers still do not indicate "polarity") so that maybe is one argument why this is not universally implemented.








128x128jazzonthehudson
gdnrbob
4,447 posts
 
Great post almarg.
Though I did not think it would do much, changing the amps mains fuse to a HifiTuning fuse did result in a change in the sound of my stereo. (note: I bought the last of the previous version HifiTuning fuses at a discount-$80 bucks for a fuse is kinda silly, to me).
As far as directionality, I thought I noticed a difference, but I haven't had time to do a more 'controlled' test to confirm my suspicions. Contact me directly if you want more details.
Since I am always looking for the best bang for the buck (My system is Vandersteen/Zu, McCormack and Schiit), I would suggest looking at Acme Fuses. SMc thinks highly of this brand and they are more reasonably priced.
HTH Bob
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Hey, whaddya know? Al and I finally agreed on something. Try the fuse both ways. Halleluja! I have a feeling Mapman is probably biting his lip about now.

Geoff Kait
machina dynamica
we do artificial atoms rite
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,300 posts
 
My lip is fine.
jazzonthehudson's avatar
jazzonthehudson OP
277 posts
 
Almarg, as always, I very much appreciate your comments and knowledge. FYI I have been using aftermarket fuses since 2009, thank god I haven’t come out with it then as some on this and certainly on the other thread would have mentally burnt me on a stick.

My answer is less geared to you but more for those who landed here: first of all, the $ ratio between devices and "infrastructure" (*) is a function of the eye (ear) of the beholder. As an owner of HFC cables, I know that many have "overinvested" in magnetic cables, following their addiction. The question begs: if a $1k device, be it in the form of magnets with cables or "just fuses", can elevate the sound into a system that is $10k more (I know it gets fuzzy here), it may constitute a good ROI. In my case, I buy AMR fuses under $3 (no trailing zeros!) each. Rest assured, the main fuse is and will/should remain the most expensive one, then comes the four fuses for both channels. My total investment is est. around $400, a price of a power cord upgrade. Now if I would post a new thread asking advice for a power cord upgrade, I wouldn’t be chastized as much as here on this very thread.
Lastly, if one followed my threads, I have asked for a worthy successor of my NAD M25 months ago, no replies (maybe my thread on the NAD M25 wasn’t controversial enough) so either no interest or no valid alternative.

As mentioned on my systems page, regular visits to music events and sanity checks in the mirror (aka wallet) helps to mitigate straying too much from the path.

Now, again, besides the regulars here, would anyone share his/her experience on the direction of fuses?

(*) I have denominated infrastructure devices like isolation tweaks, cables, power conditioning, etc that enables/empowers the system. Some here on the Gon go as far (read crazy for the non-believers) as 70% invested in infrastructure.

gs5556
1,235 posts
 
How does one know if the markings are placed in the proper orientation by the seller? If the seller manufactures the fuses and determines the correct orientation or if he buys them OEM and places them a certain way during the treatment process, then all you have to do is ask him. Otherwise, whatever comments are offered are meaningless since the fuses are randomly oriented when marked.
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