hifi tuning gold fuses orientation?

tripwr1964 · « **on:** 15 Feb 2015, 11:46 pm »

picked up some fuses on close out price for my khartago mono's.
was wondering if there is any orientation with these fuses that i should be worried about?
having 5x of these in each amp, it would drive me nuts doing an a/b test on all the combinations...
thks

steve f · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Feb 2015, 01:20 am »

I recommend not using them at all.

thunderbrick · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Feb 2015, 02:52 am »

Quote from: tripwr1964 on 15 Feb 2015, 11:46 pm

if there is any orientation with these fuses........ it would drive me nuts...

Too late.

Wolfman · « **Reply #3 on:** 17 Feb 2015, 01:24 am »

Hey tripwr,
I'm not positive on the Ks, but the Stratos Monos have 4 Fast blows inside, but the exterior fuse by the switch is a Slow blow.
Printing seems to be different on either end, so it'd be a matter of running them all one way for awhile, then swapping them out. I'm sure you know this, but it doesn't hurt to repeat, be DARN sure there's no juice inside when you go to swap them out. The Stratos insides are tight enough, I imagine the Ks are even tighter. There's enough juice inside any Odyssey Mono to seriously ruin your day!
Unplug the cords while music is playing, you'll hear the music fade as the caps drain and then still wait awhile.
If that's not acceptable, just turn them off, unplug, and then wait a good while.
Makes doing comparisons tough, but much better slightly confused, alive and safe...

Let us know what you think when you're thru...

*Scotty* · « **Reply #4 on:** 17 Feb 2015, 01:59 am »

I wonder if Klaus has an opinion on this?
Scotty

Wolfman · « **Reply #5 on:** 17 Feb 2015, 02:53 am »

Scotty,
He does and has posted about it recently. That's one reason he went to the Acme(or whatever they were/are) ceramic fuses. Frankly, those will get you pretty good results compared to glass fuses and they don't cost much.
Two problems w/switching fuses on Odyssey Monos, there's just too many of them and the fuse upgrade should always be one of the last things you do after all the basics are taken care of. There's a lot of effective things to spend your money on that'll be in the same range 10 fuses will cost.
Makes for a very expensive "icing".

tripwr1964 · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Feb 2015, 12:15 pm »

thks for the input wolfman! yes if i didn't pick these up "cheap" i wouldn't be messing with them.... but thought worth a try.
i've done the IEC's both directions. next going to try the board fuses. guess i'll just point them all the same direction put the cover on and run them a bit, then switch.
good point on draining power a bit. i'll let you know how it goes. thks

Hank · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Feb 2015, 05:19 pm »

Quote

Quote from: tripwr1964 on 15 Feb 2015, 06:46 pm

if there is any orientation with these fuses........ it would drive me nuts...

Too late.

Touche, thunderbrick! I wonder if anyone else "got it".

rollo · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 Feb 2015, 05:28 pm »

If the fuses you bought are the original design PLEASE be advised they have a poor history of failing. Hope they are not and sorry to offer the news but you need to know.

charles

steve f · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 Feb 2015, 11:07 pm »

Some of the audiophile fuses can be dangerous. A fuse is a protection device, rarely if ever found in the audio signal circuits themselves. They are a bad idea. I doubt if any meet industry standards.

Manufacturers don't use them for good reason. They don't work. If all of the wonderful devices did improve the sound, wouldn't companies rush to use them? Audio is a place where magic displaces science.

Most audio add one are harmless. They do nothing. You can place weights on your amps, paint the edges of your CDs green, or bi wire your speakers. The wrong fuse can fry your equipment, or you.

germay0653 · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 Feb 2015, 10:13 pm »

Been running HiFi Supreme's for close to six months now and the amps have been on 24/7 with no problems. Can't say the improvement is that noticeable though, although I haven't tried re-orienting them since originally installed but will try that very soon since I'm moving and will have the opportunity to do so.

If the fuses were that bad, out of spec electrically, one would venture to guess that the manufacturer would have been out of business a long time ago.

I'm of the opinion, so don't criticize me for it, that everything in the chain from power cords to fuses to interconnects, etc., etc. matters. As Klaus always indicates, it's the synergy between components that makes the most difference. That is an art, not a science!

MtnHam · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 12:27 am »

While I am a believer in the wisdom of providing the best power possible and have taken extensive steps to do so, I think the concept of uber expensive fuses is silly and directionality of same even more so.

steve f · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 03:08 am »

I hate to beat a dead horse, but this is a safety issue.

Boutique fuses aren't safety rated. Experts like Modjeski warn about their use.

Just because you have used them for six months means nothing except that the fuses aren't underated. They may be too large to do their job. You are probably placing your expensive equipment at risk.

There are audio practioners who have made junk products for years. No correlation to staying in business. They do have nice ads in the audio mags though.

Any EE will tell you safety is the most important part any design.

I'm not trying to pick on anyone with this post. Please do your homework on this one.

Steve

OzarkTom · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 03:27 am »

And then there is the company of AMR that makes and installs their Gold fuses in all of their components that they make. I have used these $20 fuses and has blown a few, but no harm to any of my electronics. This fuse even improved the sound of my TBI amp.

steve f · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 03:54 am »

Tom, I guess you know I don't buy into that. And I'm not in the minority. Are there any fuses in the sound path?

The only way a boutique fuse could "improve" the sound would be if the original fuse contacts were dirty. Audiophile types could save a lot of money by cleaning contacts now and then. Peace.

Steve

OzarkTom · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 04:03 am »

But Steve, power cables are not in the signal path either, and they make a difference.

G Georgopoulos · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 04:41 am »

What he means is these fuses might compromise SAFETY

As for power cables transformer primary current is a fraction of secondary,and there the wires might not be very good (thick),so this makes power cables a useless idea,if you want to rewire an amp is better left to a qualified person/engineer

Cheers

Haoleb · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 12:20 pm »

Quote from: Wolfman on 17 Feb 2015, 01:24 am

Hey tripwr,
I'm not positive on the Ks, but the Stratos Monos have 4 Fast blows inside, but the exterior fuse by the switch is a Slow blow.
Printing seems to be different on either end, so it'd be a matter of running them all one way for awhile, then swapping them out. I'm sure you know this, but it doesn't hurt to repeat, be DARN sure there's no juice inside when you go to swap them out. The Stratos insides are tight enough, I imagine the Ks are even tighter. There's enough juice inside any Odyssey Mono to seriously ruin your day!
Unplug the cords while music is playing, you'll hear the music fade as the caps drain and then still wait awhile.
If that's not acceptable, just turn them off, unplug, and then wait a good while.
Makes doing comparisons tough, but much better slightly confused, alive and safe...
Let us know what you think when you're thru...

These amps have a relay that shuts off the output as soon as you cut the power, not like some other designs that you really can just turn the thing off and it will still play music (The Audire crescendo I had comes to mind)

Yanking the plug or turning off the switch does the same thing. Just let them sit for a bit to drain the filter capacitors.

As others have stated, not using a safety rated fuse can turn out bad for you. But then again the whole amp doesn't have any safety certification so its a bit of a moot point when you look at it that way.

steve f · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 Feb 2015, 06:53 pm »

IF used in an amp or preamp designed with fuses in the signal path, fancy tuning fuses wouldn't help. Modern fuses are made with copper and silver, oftentimes blended, elements. Since copper is rated at 100 on the conductivity scale and silver at 105, and gold at only 70, your fancy fuses are of poorer electricalquality than the standard fuses they replace. And that's only if they are correctly rated.

Power cords (designer type) are also a gimmick. Your amp doesn't care where the AC power comes from anymore than your car cares how the gasoline was poured in its tank.

The only time a specialty cord can make a difference is under circumstances in which high EMF is present which is possible with a tube amp with lots of output tubes. Then you may need a shielded cord. You can make a deluxe cord by taking a standard $5.00 cord, cutting off the connector, braiding the last foot of wire, and reinstalling the connector. (Recommended by a friend who has the ability to measure EMF) This leaves you with a lot more money to buy music or beer. Either will improve your listening experience.

Ric Schultz · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 Feb 2015, 12:55 am »

My opinions are based on listening experience. Fuses suck....they are distortion machines. If you cannot hear it....fine. But for me....an audiophile fuse is a must. Most of the very in the past problems reported with Audiophile fuses were that they blew too early.....well, this is not going to hurt your equipment. What you don't want is a fuse that will not blow till twice its rating. I have not seen any posts about this. But maybe they exist. You cannot go back to distortion after you have cleared it out. All audiophile fuses sound different from one another. This game is very subtle.....every single thing you do is audible. Power cords for sure.

There are probably 10 people on the planet who bought audiophile fuses today. Almost all of them will hear a difference and be glad they bought them. These people mostly don't post on these types of forums. They are busy enjoying the better sound. The "non believers" just love to be heard and spread their message of disbelief. What a pity. They could have better sound and really be dancing around the room in total joy. Instead they just want to be "right"........We choose every second......to be right or to be loving. Your choice. I choose love and being open to finding and listening for the best sound. What do you choose?