Fuses that matter.

To all,

I would like to remind everyone that reversing the direction of existing, stock fuses can result in better sound. Of course the sound could get worse, it all depends on whether the fuse was initially installed in the "correct direction". This means that there is something inherent in the fuse wire that is producing the change in sound, since fuses are symmetrical. What could that something be? Well, since manufacturers of fuses and cables that have identified directionality of wire as being a real phenomenon have had to implement a strict control process for how the wire is fabricated, tracking the direction of the wire throughout the entire process. Ironically, this is true for Hi Fi Tuning, the owner of which for years insisted that fuses were NOT directional, that they would eventually break in "correctly".

If a manufacturer doesn't maintain strict control of wire direction during the entire process the odds are 50-50 that the wire direction will be correct. Pop quiz - Can anyone think of the reason why a wire becomes non-symmetrical during the fabrication process? Answer at 11.

"A difference that makes no difference is no difference".

An obscure quote from an obscure scifi novel I read years ago that has always stuck with me. I find it quite useful to help sort through priorities in life.

05-14-12: Almarg
On page 3 they state in reference to the resistance measurements that:

"There is a measurable difference in directivity of fuses. Mostly that will be due to the way the melting wire is manufactured. The difference is in the range of 5%."

In fact, all or nearly all of the directional differences in resistance were vastly smaller than 5%...

That was exactly what I thought. I wondered where they got the 5% from. When I looked at the measurements they provided, I thought "Wow, those are tiny differences. How is that audible?" It makes me wonder whether I heard what I thought I heard.

I don't exclude the possibility that a fuse change can make a difference, but once again the explanations that are offered in support of the existence of those differences do not withstand quantitative scrutiny.

Again, I agree. And thank you again for your substantive comments.

I have a question about Hifi Tuning fuses and directionality...

I've read in several places that Hifi Tuning fuses are supposed to be pointed "in the direction of current flow." Leaving aside for the moment that we're talking about Alternating Current, I've taken those instructions to mean that the "arrow" that appears on the fuse should be pointing "downstream" toward the equipment's power supply.

The problem is that the "arrow" looks like a diode symbol, and the "arrow" in a diode symbol customarily points AGAINST the direction of current flow. So it's totally unclear to me which way the folks at Hifi Tuning think is the "correct" way to install the fuse. Anyone know?

Bryon

On Page 4 of the Hi Fi Tuning data sheets, the following comment is made.

"The measurements done so far showed some measurable differences between fuse(s), but didn ́t explain completely the sonic differences between fuses."

Thus, there's no reason (for a skeptic) to hang his hat on either the resistance data or the noise data. It is actually a strawman argument, a logical fallacy, to protest that very low differences in noise and resistance proves, or is evidence that, differences in fuses and fuse directionality are not audible.

Cheers

Hi Bryon,

A diode will conduct current when the voltage at the terminal FROM which the arrow is pointing is greater (i.e., more positive, or less negative relative to some reference point) than the voltage at the terminal TO which the arrow is pointing. (And with most diodes that difference in voltage has to be at least several tenths of a volt before significant current will flow).

What makes it confusing, though, is that when conduction occurs the direction of electron flow is opposite to the direction of the arrow. That is because by convention the direction of current flow is defined as if positive charges were conducting the current (from + to -), even though electricity in metallic conductors is conducted by electrons which are negatively charged (flowing from - to +).

I have no idea, though, what HiFi-Tuning intends the arrow to signify, if anything.

Best,
-- Al