Hello Mr. A- There are fast and slo-blo fuses manufactured in both 6.3 X 30mm and 5 X 20mm sizes. It's the internal conductor/construction that determines the lag time. Generally speaking; a single thin wire would indicate a fast-blo type, but it would be much better to check your owner manual, or with the manufacturer, for the recommended fuse.
Fuses that matter.
I have tried six different fuses, including some that were claimed to not be directional. I have long used the IsoClean fuses as the best I have heard. No longer! I just got two 10 amp slow-blows WiFi Tuning Supreme fuses that really cost too much but do make a major difference in my sound. I still don't understand how a fuse or its direction can alter sound reproduction for the better, but they do and the Supreme is indeed! I hear more detail in the recordings giving me a more holographic image. I also hear more of the top and bottom ends. If only you could buy them for a couple of bucks each.
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I suppose you're right Tbg...although now I want to order a set of the SR Reds! The Plinius requires 4 rail fuses and a mains. The rail fuses made much more of a difference than the mains....and, most manufacturers even recommend turning them around to find the right orientation! That's a serious number of combinations already. Then if you start mixing and matching fuse types....YIPES! Brain damage... "And every day the paper boy brings more." It's definitely not a trivial time or monetary investment and likely hard to resell the other fuses. I have never actually tried, but with all the values and two different sizes it's hard to imagine matching them up with other loonie's tunes. |
Thankyou Rodman99999, I will input the SR quantum Reds in my amplifier,I will be absolute as to what, fast blow or slow blow, I am thinking fast blow, I will listen to krell as to what this amp has to have, As I am going to make my modded krell 700cx one of a kind to my likeing, I have already got different total capacitors in this amp, I expected a subtle difference there, I was corrected to having a substantial difference with sound quality, most notably, the resolutution is unlike any krell I have ever owned before, let's put it this way, with the incredible air and 3-dimensional sound I am getting on this resolution, I would be purly impressed to find the SR Red fuses to improve upon that, oh yeah, I am batting for the REDs, bring it! |
Budburma, I faced this some time ago. When the manufacturer could not or would not tell me the direction of the fuses, I used a meter to find the side of the fuse with the least resistance to the hot pin of the IEC. I figured that the direction of the fuse was from this side to the other. One manufacturer suggested that most designers used this convention. It is still a pain to do but better than to have to switch each fuse and listen and on and on. |
Ask Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson about fuses that matter. :^) |
One reason why aftermarket fuses usually sound better than stock fuses is simply because they are inserted in the proper direction, especially if the stock fuse was inserted backwards. Now, knowing that wire in the fuse is directional should be a tip-off that all wire is directional, no? Can you imagine what the sound could be like if all speakers and electronics and transformers and capacitors, etc. were fabricated with this directionality in mind? Hel-loo! |
Hi Geoffkait, Do you really believe that fuses would be directional?, I will need four of the SR Reds to go into my krell 700cx, the reply from krell when I asked them about these fuses being directional,quote, you read to much into this, it does not matter which way the fuses go in your amp, end quote, However, I would like to know how I can decide which way the fuses set inside my amplifier to sound best?, It is my opinion that the manufacturer does not know everything concerning fuses after that reply to me, are do you think that they are correct concerning their product? |
Hi, audio labyrinth, Hi Fi Tuning used to claim that his fuses were not directional and that they would break in properly no matter which way they were inserted. But he has since recanted. In fact his data sheets provided on the Hi Fi Tuning web site illustrate that in fact wire is directional, and will exhibit slightly less resistance, for example, one way than the other. It's an easy experiment to listen to any fuse one way then the other. Hint: when the fuse is inserted in the wrong direction you should hear a little less coherent sound and a little more say stringent or harsh metallic sound. |
Audiolabyrinth, when SR came out with their earlier fuses, their chief engineer said that the zapped them both ways on their tesla coil. This made them non-directional, he said. When I got some, I found that they always sounded better in one direction and that this was opposite to the writing on the fuses. I have never found that fuse direction doesn't matter, but I haven't a clue why this is so. I have not tried the new SR red fuses as yet. It is probably a pain identifying which way sounds best as this may vary on production runs. I would be helpful were we to have research on this to tell us why direction is important, rather than putting our heads in the sand as so many do. |
Thankyou Geoffkait and TBG, Sgordon1, you gentleman were very helpful, this will be my first attempt with fuses, that is why I am asking about them, I believe the both of you, cables are directional most of the time, why not the wire in fuses?, makes sence to me, however, I agree with TBG and would like to know why this is so with fuses, do any of you believe that the wrong direction can cause damage to the unit?, hope not, cheers. |
I saw this awhile back. It is also evident to the benefit of cryogenically treating materials. My mono bloc amps have newly redesigned circuit boards and of course all the parts including the transformers and magnets have been cryo treated at least twice. I haven't moved or changed any other device in months waiting for the amp re assembly to begin. I wonder if the magnets would now show a lower resistance after nearly being frozen in time. Tom |
Mapman, not all circuit designers, even good ones, are aware that direction matters. E.g. caps, I would say most tube amp manufacturers do not place the metal film coupling caps correctly and a lot of cap brands do not mark where the outer oil is (that should be connected to the path closer to the electric ground) to have a better sonic quality. Similar to the fuse direction, when deployed correctly, the sound offer more clarity. Often those with an investigative mind and/or have system and ears or setups like great headphones can discern the difference and in the very small niche of audio gear, it is not the first time that DIY and audio enthusiasts discovered what designers and manufacturers did not know. |
The molecular structure of all metals is crystalline. The grain boundaries of the crystals, and oxides between, can act as mini diodes. That's why oxygen-free(7N) and Ohno Constant Crystal wire is so popular, in higher-end cabling. When drawn into wire; the crystals form themselves into a consistent chevron pattern(ie: <<<<<<<). That wire can be found directional when passing electricity, should not be a surprise(even in a fuse). |
Jazz, I have no doubt anything different can make a difference. Caps, wires, fuses, not exactly apples/apples. The question is always how much, how significant, how much it matters, etc. Lots of things add up to a good design and good performance. Its not rocket science but no doubt some do things right and some not so much. I try to stick with vendors and products that have been around awhile and have a reputaiton for doing things right. Not to say there is no room for further tweaking, but you have to prioritize somehow. Most do not have infinite time available to much around with every minute aspect of everything. TO each there own. It's all understood well enough to deliver SOTA results I think. ITs not rocket science. WHatever floats ones boat is always fine with me, even if I do not agree. |
There's nothing, "theoretic," about the molecular structure and grain boundaries of metals, and the effect on electrical conductivity. Just in case you're actually interested in facts: (http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=metal+grain+boundaries+and+conductivity&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=Yy9dVMjWKsKcygTgwILYCg&ved=0CBsQgQMwAA) |
It seems the best bet would leave my top plate off my amp, and do listening test as to what may sound better by flipping the fuse's one way to the other to get best results instead of testing resistance of each side, I have bad luck, I would likly make the mistake checking resisance with the amp on and up in smoke everything would go?,listening would be my best bet, informative post here, enjoyable to read and learn from, carry on gentleman, cheers. |
Mr A- If you intend to reverse your internal fuses anyway: do your measurements while they are removed from the amp, to eliminate any possible issues. Place them on something non-conductive and be certain not to touch your fuses or probes during the procedure, so as not to affect the results(the variations of which will be minuscule anyway). |
Thankyou Rodman99999 and Geoffkait for your advice, listening to one fuse at a time, and flipping one way to the other sounds good to me, I need 4 of these SR-reds, However, I am still waiting on Krell to tell me what my 250 volts 1-amp fuses are?, slow blow or fast blow?, for my Krell 700cx stereo amplifier, cheers gentleman. |
Hi TBG, Elliot of Synerchistic Research said the the new top of the line fuses, the SR Reds only come in 500 volts, you can go to vh-audio web site too, there you will see the same specification, Elliot did say that the 500 volts would not matter, just the 1-amp like JWM has said, however, when it comes to my amp that I love and have to much money into, it's best for me to get many second opinions, cheers. |
Hello, Sorry to break in to the discussion but... I have read through this thread hoping to get Tbg's fuse choice for his H-CAT preamplifier. Tgb, would you kindly share your current fuse choice. I continue to be amazed at the performance of this device, besting some very expensive tube preamps and all this with the .50 fuse it came with 10 years ago. Cheers, and thanks in advance |
After_hrs, I still use both the H-Cat line stage and amp in my small room in NM. Presently I have the first Syn. Res. Quantum fuse in both. I know that they take 32mm fuses and think the value is 1 amp. I have yet to try the Syn. Rels. red fuses but soon will. I also have found that the H-Cat is very responsive to vibration isolation and power cords. The Stillpoints Ultra minis work great under it and the Exemplar Portal power cord work well with it. My area code is 979 and 820-1314. Give me a call. The H-Cat is amazing isn't it. My Koda K 10 is clearly better at only eleven times the cost! |