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Iso Clean Fuses

I just installed the Isoclean fuses in my Marantz SA-11S1 SaCd player. This player has 5 fuses inside. Turned it on and boy did it sound bad. The worst tweek I have ever tried. The highs were gone. In fact the over all volume was reduced! My heart sank. Faintly remembering the info sheet says these fuses have a direction to them, I had hope. Out comes the player from the stand. Fuses pointed in the other direction, now towards tha front of the player. Back in the stand, all connections remade. When i turned off the amp I left the volume at the same level. Power on. Hurray! SET magic sound restored. The crystal clear mids are there and the delicate highs have returned.
These fuses are supposed to be placed following the direction of current. I do not know if I have each circuit fused correctly as I do not have a diagram of the current flow. But in the Marantz the fuse arrow sounds better pointing to the front versus all pointing towards the rear.
So if you try an Isoclean fuse, try it in both directions before deciding if it helps or not.
David Pritchard
128x128davidpritchard
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Bicycle_man ... "Audiophile" fuses are not over the top. We still have cryo-treated audiophile fuses, installed in a preferred direction, and probably more after that!
rodman99999
6,121 posts
 
How many of you nay-sayers have actually tried the Hi-Fi Tuning, IsoClean or Furutech fuses again? Surely you're not simply offering unsubstantiated, empty opinions? I've upgraded every power supply and signal path in my audio chain with OS-CONs, FREDs, bulk foil resistors, polystyrene/polypropylene caps. Selected cables, interconnects and NOS tubes, with care, towards the most transparency possible, and done the same for many aurally pleased clients over the years. When I tried the Hi-Fi Tuning fuses in my Cary monoblock power amps, there was an obvious and quite audible improvement. The technology to actually observe electrons, and their behavior within the crystaline structures of various metals, must have escaped the professors at Case Institute. I don't remember that being presented during any of our courses.
chashas1
596 posts
 
Hi Bicycleman, you have every reason to be skeptical, based on what you currently believe and on your past observations.
So tell us, what amp are you using now? and what value and type is the main fuse?

And I'll tell you a quick story:
A friend and I had swapped amps for a while, and while he had mine, he replaced the main fuse with an isoclean. When I got it home, I thought, sounds okay, I like his amp better. After he told me what he had done, I thought that's nice, but no great shakes at all. But then I got down and inspected it, saw the directionality arrow on it, and decided to place it the other way. Oila! The difference was amazing! It was gorgeous. Now, this is certainly better than tube rolling, because in the fuse case you either have greatness or you don't, not mere differences.
Surely a man of science can relate.
theaudiotweak
2,796 posts
 
Neodymium magnets, circumference treated with AVM, same area then electro insulated, circumference area mumetal shielded. Yet to determine influence of north or south pole of magnet on signal flow and resulting sound. Tom.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Rodman99999... "unsubstantiated, empty opinions". That's a good description of the subjective endorsements put forth by fuse believers.
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