Just out of curiosity,I installed one in my amp and at first I thought I heard something different.After listening for a while I realized that there was no change what so ever in tonal quality.I will not be buying anymore.As to your last question,I'm sure the manufacturer installed a fuse from a bin that contained hundreds of them that they bought in bulk for about 10 cents each.Just my thoughts. |
IsoClean Fuses do make a positive difference. Improvement in overall clarity and detail. Make sure to put them in with the directionality correct. A good tweak is to paint the glass body with AVM to reduce resonance.
I also hear very good things about the Furutech ceramic body fuses.
Soon, Synergistic Research will be introducing high quality fuses that have been Quantum Tunneled. These will be the HOT TICKET! |
Some of them have a picture of a diode/rectifier on them.If their
diagram on it is true,it may cause damage to the power supply by
partially rectifying the A/C needed for the power supply.The others
look the same as a stock fuse available at Radio Shack.I would never
put this fuse with the diode/rectifier in it in any of my gear.Ask a
technician,or engineer what a rectifier can do to the A/C side of the
the power supply.Those "cheapo"(as they call them) UL listed fuses do
their jobs as intended.They protect the equipment used to engineer, calibrate, and make our equipment. This is myopinion.[http://www.vhaudio.com/hifi-tuning.html] |
Hifitime,
The HiFi tuning fuses you refer too are the entry level aftermarket fuses and they are both sonically inferior to and of lower construction quality than the IsoCleans and Furutechs. I did not and do not recommend them.
"The others look the same as a stock fuse available at Radio Shack."
If you know of any "Radioshack" fuses that look ANYTHING like these, please let me know:
http://www.vhaudio.com/isoclean-fuses.html
The IsoCleans are of vastly superior quality than your "cheapo" fuses and do indeed provide a slightly more detailed sound with a more extended top-end in a high resolution system.
I notice that you also actively trash the use of aftermarket power cords on other threads, offering no real information about the sonic impact, but only vague criticism about the solder quality of unspecified power cords in an attempt to cast dispersion on these products as a whole.
If you choose to stay clear of the whole notion of improving the sound of your system via improved power signal quality, good for you (at least for your wallet if not for your sound), but a little due diligence (perhaps actually trying the very products that you condemn) before panning a line of largely sonically beneficial products would better serve members interested in improving the sound of their systems than such unfounded speculation. |
Dave,Show what it doe's when the equipment is on test gear. Your the one telling people to spend their money,I say save it.It appears to be standard issue fuses.I've read test results on interconnects showing a change in the sound like I hear.Not so with the power cords I've heard.It's the placebo effect.Like I said,it's my opinion,and also what is measured.
Power conditioners are a better investment.They do clean power too. |
Its a good thing DLcockrum provided this link to look at the fuses.They look the same as the ones brought over by a friend.He has the same preamp that I have in a bedroom.They look the same as Bussmann and Radio Shack fuses.My friend may have left it in the unit.But that got me thinking when I saw the picture in the link,those look like slow blow fuses only for sale.DON'T put a slow blow fuse in place of a fast blow fuse! Check with the maker,or manual.That what I was always told.They also say they have UL approval.UL does not approve fuses.They let them use their UL listed emblem if it meets their testing requirements from what I understand.Be careful.Make sure you are using the correct replacement fuse!If your not sure,please don't try it.DLcockrum,don't assume I make statements without hearing something first.The one fuse I did say I wouldn't try.♫Links>>[http://www.vhaudio.com/isoclean-fuses.html][http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/isoclean.htm]
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Perhaps someone was asleep during the early eighties, when SO MANY of us learned that measurements mean VERY LITTLE when it comes to the sound of a high end system. I was skeptical(to say the least) about whether Hi-Fi Tuning fuses would make an audible difference. Any doubt was washed away by the first few notes of my favorite reference recordings, after trying them in the AC line of my main amps. Some systems are simply not resolving enough, some listeners' aural acuity cannot discern and/or some are too convinced/mentally blocked/untrained to hear the differences that higher end fuses and(some) PCs make. I've been listening to live music, sound reinforcement and home audio systems in a professional capacity for decades, and if I hear a difference(good or bad); IT EXISTS(placebo effect be damned). |
Rodman,
Did you try replacing the original fuses to see if the improvement went away? I believe you heard a difference but am curious if it could be attributed to the contacts, as opposed to the fuses. If not, and if you still have the original fuses, could you try them and report your findings back? |
Mr Z- Yes, the effect has been verified, more than once and with different listeners(uncoached). Even some half-deaf musician friends noticed the more(what I term), "organic" presentation with the HiFi-Tuning fuses(gold ones), as opposed to Bussman or Littelfuse. BTW: The paralleled capacitor and diode pictured on their fuse is simply their logo, and has NOTHING to do with the fuse's internals(silly notion). |
I have replaced ALL the fuses in my equipments with hI-FI tUNING ones and has been amazed by the improvements.I have compared them to the Isoclean,furutech and countless others and found the Hifi Tuning ones to be audibly superior after the burn in period[which is much longer than the others].In what manners are the hifi tuning fuses are superior?
1.they do not alter the basic sound of your system.This is extremely important for me;I find that the furutech fuses tend to emphasis the high;so if your system is in need for such things try them out.
2.The sound gets more holographic;the low level details come out less forcefully.
3.The brightness from certain digital recordings dissapears;likewise certain mellow recordings sound more energetics.
I must mention that all the fuses that i use are treated in the following manners;
1.I clean them with Kontak contact cleaner
2.the ends are coated with Silclear;just a tiny amount.
3.the body gets Tourmalline paint coats.
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Manufacturers put diagrams on semiconductors for the user to know whats inside,and for hookup purposes.Can anyone imagine trying to build something without the proper markings.I also don't have any faith in a company that is making safety products and either has total ignorance of the product,or the laws in our country.Possibly both,or they just don't care. |
Perhaps a bit of reading would have eliminated your confusion? Note that HiFi-Tuning's literature mentions their fuses having a, "burn wire"(like any other miniature fuse) and nothing else, outside of endcaps and a body. Further- that the company "logo"(NOT, "schematic") indicates the fuse's directionality:(http://www.ultrasystem.com/usfeaturedprodsFUSE_LIT.html) BTW: I can't speak to whether the fact that I'm using them in tubed monoblocks(two fuses each), with dedicated AC, FRED rectifiers and upgraded PCs, makes a major difference or not. But I suspect that it does. Those changes were made incrementally, and time given between each, so any differences could be noted independent of the prior. Happy listening! |
I have the logo part now.But secondly,I was speaking of this company stating that it has a UL approval.That's an improper claim to make.Any company that makes electric products should know this.That may be a violation of FTC laws among others. There are no UL approved items.Oh well,keep enjoying your modded Cary amps.I've enjoyed their amps in the past.Good gear. [http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/isoclean.htm][http://www.vhaudio.com/isoclean-fuses.html] |
In fact I have tried many.. Isocleans are good, Hifi tunings might be a little more costly in construction actually as a regular ceramic vs. glass may be. However in the end I did find Isocleans very good with Tube gear, and Hifi tuning better with Solid state gear, but in most cases they both work just as well. There is one issue most don't realize, desired "Notable" effect is probably still very subtle however most prominent when replacing fuses in the Power amps, then the Preamp, then source gear will have the least effect as it just draws less energy.
The only way I have totally proven that they do in fact work by extending power and frequency response over standard and ceramic fuses is to actually replace every single fuse in my signal chain. Reason for most not getting full results is they start with one or two and hope for the best being they are rather costly. But when I pushed them into all gear including Power conditioners, Balanced transformers etc... feeding the system as well as the gear itself it made excellent results.
This will take some open minded approach and cost to do in most systems, and this will be effective. The problem with these fuses is the marketing alone, they do charge a bit much, and they have no trial period so you just lose money because nobody is taking them back, maybe even a re-stock fee?
If you skip some gear skip the front end gear for the most part in my opinion. Change the amps and any other power equipment for more results. |
It has been beyond my ability to notice any consitent, identifiable improvements with these specialty fuses. But that might say more about my hearing than the fuses. To me it is just part of the hobby and if you can excited by the prospect of adding a $25 fuse that will make your system sing, why not? |
This is one area of our hobby that does not make any sense to me;that a fuse can make a audible difference;maybe I don't have the ears to hear it though. |
"1.they do not alter the basic sound of your system.This is extremely important for me;I find that the furutech fuses tend to emphasis the high;so if your system is in need for such things try them out."
I think this is exactly what I am hearing as the fuse is a a Furutech. Sound is very clean and detailed but the high end is a bit much. Maybe I should try a different brand |
"The only way I have totally proven that they do in fact work by extending power and frequency response over standard and ceramic fuses is to actually replace every single fuse in my signal chain. Reason for most not getting full results is they start with one or two and hope for the best"
Absolutely true Undertow.....This has been my experience too...... |
Well I received a HiFi Tuning fuse and campared it to the Furutech. bear in mind this is for my sytem only. The HiFi sounded more open in the vocals and seemed to have more extension. When I switched back to the Furutech I felt like the midrange got sucked back and I had to look at the floor as the sound stage dropped.. keith |
Hifitime,
"DLcockrum,don't assume I make statements without hearing something first."
Prove it. Name the aftermarket fuses (and powercords for that matter) that you have auditioned in your system and give your listening impressions specific to those products.
"They look the same as Bussmann and Radio Shack fuses"
Nonsense. I am still waiting on you to give me the part number of the Bussman or Radio Shack fuses that look anything like the IsoCleans.
"I also don't have any faith in a company that is making safety products and either has total ignorance of the product,or the laws in our country.Possibly both,or they just don't care."
More non-specific gobbly-gook. Do you think that anyone finds your posts helpful??
Hifitime, try reading the above post from Undertow. Use this as a guideline for what members of Audiogon want to see in a post. See it, read it, be it. |
Interesting reading and here's another view.
I have HiFi Tuning fuses in my amp. One for the AC input at the IEC, and one on each power rail, for a total of 5. In order for any effectiveness, ALL fuses need to be changed. If you only change the AC input fuse, the easiest one, you are not really changing anything except lightening your cash on hand.
I only did this after reading an interesting little blurb on the pcX site, put out by HiFi tuning of course, about how their fuses had way way less resistance than standard fuses, of any genre. I thought that perhaps this might make a difference in power delivery as it may let power thru a little easier.
So, I got them and installed them, and then listened for any differences, and basically heard none, but nothing was worse, so okay. After a couple months I switched them out for the stock fuses, out of curiosity, and listened again. Now the music is not quite as loud, so bumped up the volume one notch, 2 db., and it's louder. So fancy fuses back in, and down goes the volume setting and all is more better.
This makes sense. A fuse is in the power supply rail and there is NO musical signal there. All the fancy fuse, with it's far reduced resistance, can do is make power supply delivery easier, faster. This may allow some improved performance from the amplifying section it supplies.
Everyone likes to describe what they hear as frequency response changes, but really, a fuse only supplies current to the amp, not music.
As to any cost effectiveness, well, you can buy a lot of music for the costs of the fuses. And you have to change ALL the fuses in an amp for any difference to happen.
But it's all part of the hobby. |
I didn't expect a HiFi tuning fuse to make a difference in my modest system (at the time, running a JoLida 502B). The idea that a short run of very small diameter wire should make a difference seemed silly. But as a $30 tweak, the single one I needed wasn't that much of an expense. Installed, I thought I heard, primarily, a more open soundstage; possibly a bit more detail. When a tube went and took the HiFi fuse, I had to use a Radio Shack fuse until a new HiFi fuse arrived. Going back to a $0.50 R/S fuse convinced me the HiFi Fuse made a difference...without it, something was missing. Things just didn't seem as lively. Compared to the prices for so many other upgrades, the HiFi fuses seem like a bargain.
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Just for the record: The first HiFi-Tuning fuses that I changed were ONLY the AC mains for my Cary tubed monoblocks. The positive impact that they made there, convinced me to purchase the others that now reside in my system. It seems that few understand that the power amp's power supply is actually directly coupled to the speaker, through it's output device(s), and thus IN the signal path. That's the reason even minor upgrades/tweaks in that part of an amp's circuitry can yield audible improvements. |
