How & why are fuses directional?!

Yes, but that only applies to brand-new Naim items.

I’ve built an all-Naim system mainly from older Naim products that is much better than anything one could buy new from Naim with the same budget.

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Agreed :+1:

Same here… :slightly_smiling_face:

Yes… Apart from your speakers! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Within one manufacturer’s products I would certainly expect a correlation between price and performance / sound quality. And in general with like for like items (e.g. power amp vs power amp, DAC against DAC, speaker against speaker) a similar relationship commonly applies, though not as certainly and from time to time there are exceptions (a notable one that comes to mind from other threads here, the ATC SCM40A active which seems remarkably good value for money.), and with DACs some remarkably good products have appeared from time to time at unexpectedly low costs. Also the same does not hold when comparing different approaches to a solution, e.g a separate renderer (transport) and DAC vs combined streamer, especially when there is an element of personal expertise is needed to set up, as opposed to plug and play, but there of course it is a trade off between that ‘diy’ element and simplicity.

But with other things price and performance is far less certain: e.g. cables, for which from reported experiences on this forum most expensive is not always best, depending a lot on the system and individual. Ditto esoteric network switches, power supplies etc. And then there are things like fuses… (He says, neatly returning to thread subject, if obliquely!)

I’ve now had the Synergistic Research pink fuse in the plug for about 6 days now so I think I can post my first impression of the fuse.

I should mention that I had to move the heavy gauge power cables around a bit so the sound was completely off for about 3 days.

It took until day 5 for me to hear real improvements over the previous fuse. That improvement being a more resolving sound throughout the frequency band. Today comparing this fuse to the silver plated Bussman I cannot think of an area where this fuse isn’t better. The treble initially was too bright for my taste but that has now calmed down. It’s a very balanced treble. It’s able to soar high without being harsh yet it still exhibits attack and bite to the sound when the track demands it. The bass is noticeably more controlled and I am able to discern even more notes in music in the lower frequency. Simply put I can follow any instrument or vocal in any song no matter how poorly recorded the album may be. The tone has not really changed at all and I would describe the tonal balance to be very neutral, not warm like the AMR gold fuse that I’ve had before.

I’m still expecting more changes as the fuse burns in as it has only had about 20 hours of music playback so far.

Would I recommend the fuse? Yes I would. Please bear in mind that I do think £250 for a fuse is a considerable amount and it’s something that can blow at any point.

I think it’s a worthwhile investment if your system is nearing completion.

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I tried Synergistic fuses in the mains plugs of my av gear about 4-5 years ago and they were brilliant. Instant improvement and got better. No disadvantages whatsoever. I liked them so much, every piece of av gear has them.

Amazingly, I still haven’t tried them in the plugs of my Naim stuff. Mostly because my Naim boxes need servicing and because other things have taken more interest/priority since.

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And if there’s a problem, for new components, it will erase the guarantee. @Richard.Dane won’t disagree I am quite sure.

If you were to put anything but the correct fuse inside any piece of Naim equipment and there was a problem then it would undoubtedly void any warranty. This is the fuse that protects the equipment, which is very different to the fuse in the mains plug which is there to protect the mains lead.

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But… what if the fuse is found by Naim to be the wrong way round. Hopefully that doesn’t void the warranty :grinning: :innocent:

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What colour?

I have an update for you guys.

So I’ve been experimenting with the plug fuses and my findings are as follows.

Standard Bussmann still rules. Most of the system should consists of this standard fuse. Which is built of nickel plated copper caps and a copper/tin wire. The case is ceramic.

However I have found that the silver plated Bussmann fuse- which is essentially the same as the standard fuse with silver coating on the caps- can be used very well to improve on tone and detail in the system.

When my system is running the standard fuse throughout I get great bass, midrange and treble. There is emotion in the music. I should mention that it’s taken me quite some time to realise that the standard Bussmann actually does midrange better than ALL other fuses. Even the gold AMR now that I think of it. Even better than Synergistic research Pink.
But what happens when this fuse is used throughout the system is there is a roundness to the bass and a smidge of excitement/energy is sapped.

This is where I feel the silver plated Bussmann does very well. I’ve added it to the Audioquest Hurricane cable that’s connected to my MusicWorks distribution block and it’s worked well. I’ve also just added one fuse to the Furutech DPS4.1 LE cable which is connected to my Nap 500DR. This cable is now directly plugged into the second receptacle. What this fuse is able to do is clean up the low end and provide more energy to the sound. The sound becomes more lively. I don’t recommend any more than 2 in a system. Maybe start with 1 and see.

I think that’s as many as I need in my system. Any more and the detail takes over the warmth and the midrange qualities that I enjoy from my system begin to fade.

Feel free to try this. IIRC the fuses cost me £5 for a pack of 5. If anybody does decide to do this please understand this is only the 13A plug fuse. Also please allow at least 7 days of fuse burn in. Initially the sound is thin and bright.

Left is standard. Right is silver plated.

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I think it would be simpler to just emigrate to a country that didn’t use plug fuses and get rid of the whole problem.

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lol that definitely wouldn’t be a more simple solution. Changing a couple of fuses is hardly cumbersome.

Although no fuse will sound better but it’s a safety hazard in the U.K. and as such we have to oblige

Oh I dunno. I did it :grinning:

Even though I spent the first 20 years of my life in the UK, every time I go back to visit family and come face to face with this gigantic cartoon of a plug and socket, I wonder, “WTF were they thinking?” :joy:

Then at 2am on my way to the loo it dawns on me, “They were thinking about the single most painful device you could possibly step on guaranteed to rest pins up.”

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The hazard is not unique to UK, and in fact the risk is greater in countries with lower mains voltages - the current through the cables at 110-120V is double that at 220-240V. What is different in UK is mitigating the risk with a plug fuse, statutorily required. In an earlier post in this thread I described my personal experience of seeing a cable failure in the absence of a plug fuse - and the driving force behind the UK’s legislation will have been the resultant property damage, injuries and maybe even deaths that will have happened over time (and I’m sure they weren’t confined to Britain). However, cable materials and construction have improved since then, and provided a high enough rating cable is used, of a type intended for the application, I’m sure the risk now without plug fuses is considerably lower than it was 60 years ago, even in mains circuits with the same current rating (the difference in that mains circuit ratings between UK and many other countries was highlighted by someone, @feeling_zen I think),

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Well according to Marvan Trading who have a decent article on this, the fused plug is largely a product of it’s time and basically nonsense these days if a modern CU is fitted. Since we cannot post commercial links here, some quotes

In reality the fire risk (from the 1940s) is probably overstated, as a lot depends on ambient temperature and airflow around both the fuse and the cable it protects; the 30°C temerature the tests are conducted at is unlikely to be achieved in the UK climate unless in an enclosed or heated space. The PVC cable used in the majority of applications will melt and short-circuit long before combustion temperatures are reached.

Modern sensitive MCB and RCD circuit breakers have now largely made the plug top fuse redundant by tripping much faster and more accurately, but fuses still play a role in protecting thinner mains flexes, and preventing overload situations which can still happen reasonably easily with e.g. multiple high current devices powered through an extension lead, or a single item designed for temporary use pulling too much current 24/7. A circuit breaker is a switch, which can be reset manually; a fuse blows and has to be replaced completely.

I should add, I’ve also seen cable fire in the UK. Albeit in wiring from a house that was last wired in the 60s with a CU being possibly one of the earliest models no not use actual giant fuses. The fuse in the plug did not blow and the lead and the wire behind the wall under the plaster just burst right through.

That said, I wonder if domestic electrical fires are statistically more common outside of the UK. I’m betting they are not.

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Yes, even as you were writing that I waa adding the last bit to my post!

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The 30’C temperature the tests are conducted at is the standard control (baseline) temperature that all European (TUV, BSI) are conducted at. It’s used for all testing, power, thermal etc… USA uses a 100’F control baseline.
None are typical of ambient conditions, thinking deep cold winter conditions in Scandinavia or high summer in Spain.

With the highest temperatures recorded in the UK being in excess of 40°C it hardly seems excessive to test at 30.