We Need A Separate Forum for Fuses


LOL, I'll bet I gotcha on that Title! ;)  BTW, I put this thread under "Tech Talk" category as it involves the system physically, not tangentially. 

More seriously, two question survey:

1. Do you think designer fuses are A) a Gift to audiophiles, or B) Snake Oil 

2. Have you ever tried them?  Yes or No

In the tradition of such questions on Agon, I'll weigh in as we go along... 
Feel free to discuss and rant all you wish, but I would like to see clear answers to the questions. :) 
douglas_schroeder
@cleeds 

I'd be appreciative if you could/would answer the following questions.

How does fuse and/or wire directionality change your "enjoyment" of listening to music?

Please speculate, in what way should someone else, such as myself, expect to benefit if fuses and/or wire is oriented correctly?

Thank you.
gdhal

@cleeds I’d be appreciative if you could/would answer the following questions.

How does fuse and/or wire directionality change your "enjoyment" of listening to music?
I don’t know. I’ve never experimented with wire directionality, with the exception of RCA ICs that have the outer shield connected at only one end. But most reasonable people would probably agree that can make a difference.

Please speculate, in what way should someone else, such as myself, expect to benefit if fuses and/or wire is oriented correctly?
I’m not sure. If this is something that especially interests you, you might want to give it a try, and then report back. But as you previously acknowledged, your strong expectation bias might color the result. Still, it might be worth a try.
A primary reason I’ve never experimented with reversing fuses is that I don’t know how to conduct a listening test that would allow me to quickly switch back and forth between the two orientations. I think being able to do that is a prerequisite for a valid listening test. As for cables, most of my ICS are either balanced or have an outer shield connected at only one end, so it’s not practical to reverse those. That leaves me with speaker cables but again, how could I quickly switch between two orientations? I’d need some kind of switcher and then long lengths of speaker cable that I could cut in half, and then connect to the switcher with one option reversed. That’s more work than I’m likely to undertake.
cleeds - A primary reason I’ve never experimented with reversing fuses is that I don’t know how to conduct a listening test that would allow me to quickly switch back and forth between the two orientations..... That leaves me with speaker cables but again, how could I quickly switch between two orientations? ....

@cleeds

Understood. I respectively disagree, however, that there is any kind of necessity to do the reversal "quickly".

If the test were simply for your own edification, you could enlist the help of a friend who would perform the reversal (i.e. the reversal or non reversal is blind to you). Granted, it could be a minute or two between each iteration of the test.

Keep in mind though that many folks have expressed a "major" difference. In these cases, I humbly submit that if in fact there is a major difference, it should/could be detected regardless of the test methodology and how long or short of time elapses between each test.

For example, if I play a Bob Dylan song and once complete I then play an Amy Winehouse song, I might say "they sound different" and in fact "they sound overwhelmingly and obviously different". In this case, it wouldn't matter that Amy Winehouse began playing 1 millisecond, 1 year, or anywhere in between after Bob Dylan. I’d tell you, *one hundred percent of the time* - as in never wrong once - whether or not Bob or Amy were the artist being played.

Therefore, those who purportedly can hear a "major" difference when a fuse or wire is reversed, should also be subject to this same - and very simple - test, irrespective of duration of time between the first listen and subsequent listen.