[DSK]

DSK etc.
I think you should check that the pin arrangement between US and OZ wiring is really opposite. I'm not sure this is actually the case. What you have to watch is the colour (or color in the US) codes.
US use BLACK for active and WHITE for neutral. Back in the days we used red and black for active and neutral respectively this caused no end of problems as folk would wire black to black and the white to the red which is exactly backward of what it should be. Thankfully we have since changed to the international browns hot (active) and blues not (neutral) colour coding which make us think about it a bit more....

Hi Ginger, yes I checked the codes many times to be absolutely sure. I didn't want to go playing around with AC half cocked. Our HOT is where their NEUTRAL is and vice verce. So, the only way to align HOT with HOT and NEUTRAL with NEUTRAL is to spin the US plug 180 degrees so that the EARTH pins are not aligned. The cheapie $4 US-to-Aus adaptors are small and align the  EARTH pins (that is how they manage to be so small) thereby reversing polarity. However, the much chunkier $20 Korjo US-to-Aus adaptors have 2 EARTH pin sockets ...one aligned with our EARTH pin at the bottom (reverse polarity) and the other at the top (correct polarity). They also grab the pins like a vice.

The US$20 cryo'd US-to-Aus adaptors referred to in this thread by Steve only allow correct polarity, with the US plug's EARTH pin at the top whilst the EARTH pin on the Aus side of the adaptor is at the bottom (ie. nearest the floor) to align properly with our Aus wall sockets. See here http://vhaudio.com/images/vhaussie.jpg

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the NEUTRAL blade on the US plug is wider than the HOT blade. This also confirms that the orientation of their HOT and NEUTRAL blades is the reverse of ours.

[andyr]

I have never been convinced that fusing both sides has any effect on sonics whatsoever.
Technobabble justification:
I did a quick measure of a 5 Amp fuse and its resistance was 0.3 Ohms. Add 0.1 Ohms (worst case) for each end contact - that gives an additional (worst case) 0.5 Ohms in the power transformer primary circuit.
In a 240V to 25-0-25 transformer this reflects into the full secondary as an additional 0.02 Ohms.
In a 110V to 25-0-25 transformer it reflects into the full secondary as an additional 0.1 Ohms.
Either way these are swamped by the actual resistance of the secondary windings.

If you think you can hear a difference and are happier with a single (active) fuse - feel free, BUT I suggest its purely psychosomatic and that you only hear a difference because you had convinced yourself ahead of the actual listening that you were going to.

I could as easily argue (for the sake of arguement) that the tiny increase in total effective secondary resistance will very marginally decrease the peak current flow in the secondary and the reverse recovery transients generated in the rectifier diodes. This would reduce the resultant radiated RF, and reduce the ripple currents in the filter caps, hence relieve them of some stress. From this point of view the additional fuse should make the amp sound better - hows that for a juicy rationalisation?

I the end what sounds best is what you are happiest with. It doesn't have to make sense.

Cheers,
Ian

Mmmm, Ian, you seem to be getting into the old "what measures good, must sound good" argument!   

Let's go back to the design of the AKSA ... I'm sure as an EE, you could develop a perfectly believable line of argument why, say, a 500VA power transformer for the 100s would make them sound better than the 300VA trannies which Hugh specifies (bigger means less saturation of the core, more reserve for transients etc etc).  Yet Hugh specifies 300VA trannies because he says bigger ones cause the 100 to lose some "nimbleness" ... kinda like there's more "inertia" in the bigger trannie which stops it reacting as fast!! 

However, I certainly agree that it would be enlightening to do a listening test with identical amps, one double fused, one only 'active fused' ... and one with no fuse at all, just as a reference.

Regards,

Andy