Synergistic Red Fuse ...

According to Warren, when metal is extruded (drawn) to make wire it affects the direction of the grain in the metal. When the fuse is orientated in the direction of the grain, the sound will be the best. When the fuse is in the opposite direction, it will sound as though the system is out of phase.

Hi Frank,

If you have an opportunity to speak with Warren on this question again, you might ask him why any such effect is not completely swamped by the randomly oriented grain directions of the vastly longer lengths of wire that are in series with the fuse, that are conducting exactly the same current. Especially in the case of AC mains fuses, where the AC wiring in the component and in the primary winding of its power transformer, and the wiring in the component’s power cord, are all conducting that same current. Not to mention the wiring inside and outside of the house, which are also conducting that current in addition to other currents.

I also asked him about the rotational position of the fuse, and he said that it has nothing to do with the wire. He said that each fuse has a position where the contact point of the end caps is best. Find that best position and the sound will be at its best.

Agreed. See Atmasphere’s comments that I quoted on 8-3-2016, on page 49 of this thread, in which he indicated that he has found this effect to be both measurable and audible.

Regards,
-- Al

Thank you Al. I'll address your questions with Warren the next time we speak. 

As you know (hee, hee), I'm not technically inclined at all. EC's just look at me an shake their heads with disdain. Pity, really.  But, I was thinking about your comments above and I was wondering if the wiring leading into the fuse from outside of the house and through the wall outlet, would really have an effect on anything entering and coming out of the fuse and subsequently into the power supply. Also, is it possible that a manufacturer such as ARC could/would determine through R&D the directionallity of the wire they use internally in the equipment? In other words, would the proper direction of all of the internal wiring inside of a preamp or an amp improve the sound of the finished product? 

Just some random thoughts ...

Hope this makes sense. 

Thanks ...

Butler,
The stock HAPZ1 is indeed very good.  The stock HAPZ1 was on a par with my ModWright Sony 5400 ES player, which I found  very surprising. The ModWright upgrades are a no-brainer if you want a one box plug and play music server with excellent performance.   The big question is going to be, at 5K, what else is out there?  For me, I really like having my entire library at my fingertips.  No searching for CD XXYY that I didn't put back in its proper place.  I've never had a regret about buying the HAPZ1 and doing the upgrade. 

Hey Brownsfan, never thought I would so completely ignore my dac/transport, but having my own personal jukebox with 7,000 tunes (so far) at instant disposal and great sound is addictive........random play is my favorite way to listen to all that music these days. Will keep an eye on the MW site for special promotions, thanks again for all your input.

Oregonpapa wrote,

"Also, is it possible that a manufacturer such as ARC could/would determine through R&D the directionallity of the wire they use internally in the equipment? In other words, would the proper direction of all of the internal wiring inside of a preamp or an amp improve the sound of the finished product?"

Bingo! One can’t help wondering if ARC installs their fuses in the correct direction or uses aftermarket fuses. Obviously if the wire in fuses is directional ALL metal wire is directional. Therefore, all wire in transformers, in speakers and electronics, including capacitors, resistors, and internal wiring, is directional. Everyone and his brother has known this for at least 25 years. Hel-loo! I would also suggest the issue with the end fuse caps is simply a distraction from the real issue. LOL There are many issues for audiophiles related to fuses, including RFI/EMI and vibration.

BTW the correct orientation of the wire, any wire, can be determined by listening to the first bit off the spool then marking the entire spool. It’s not rocket science.

You reported,

"Warren said that its a metallurgy situation and not an electrical one."

I would phrase it a little differently. Because it’s a metallurgical situation it’s actually an electrical one. The electricity and the electromagnetic field (audio signal) prefer to travel down wire that is oriented in the correct direction. It measurable and audible.

"No matter how much you have in the end, you would have had even more if you had started out with more." - old audiophile axiom

cheers