Hi Fi Tuning Supreme fuse-Burn In?

@macdude 

Based on my listening impressions after trying variety of fuses, Supreme Cu is by far the best fuse for digital components if you’re after organic and slightly warm sound…zero listening fatigue. 

I have a supreme cu on order, based upon @lalitk recommendation.

I’ve tried many different fuses, and many of them cause listener fatigue over time because they are too bright. They push the upper mids and highs.

Spectacular at first, but quickly becomes tiresome for me.

VH audio feels hifi tuning supreme fuses improve musicality without the listener fatigue.

Final update on the HiFi supreme silver/Gold Fuse: I kept hearing an annoying treble spike on my speakers, stage  was getting too crowded at times, drops in resolution.....basically getting ear fatigue. This  was  why I kept trying to find a calmer fuse, maybe something gold plated. 
Turns out the culprit  was a cheap 50 cent DC power connector in my audio chain (tin plated God knows what), replaced it  with a pure copper Gold plated connector, and Voila!!
DAC has its top lid screwed back on, and the Supreme is staying on for good. 
This fuse  will expose any chinks in the audio chain, but  when you get it all figured out... the end result is just incredible. 

Update Again:
Turn out  when I was trying out different fuses, I had accidently installed the Supreme fuse backwards, Treble became piercing. Just noticed it, and after the correct orientation, the upper-mids problem is completely corrected. The fuse sounds amazing again :))))
Sorry for spamming this thread, but this has been a  wild roller coaster ride. 

Update: The HiFi Supreme silver Gold fuse pushed the upper mids too high in my system. I am using Maggies hooked up to a Rockna wavelight. I tried swapping cables etc, but just couldn’t compensate for the additional energy in the lower treble/upper mids.
Having said that, I found a very good match for my system...A Gustard Hifi Nano copper fuse. Got it shipped from China. $25 Just an excellent fuse that brings out the very best in my system, very balanced sound without any peaks. Resolution is on par as the Supreme if not higher. Treble is just liquid, flows  without any glare. 
I will at some point try out the HiFi tuning supreme Cu fuse, the copper should be a good match with my speaker setup. we shall see....
The AG/AU supreme fuse is a very good fuse, but it must be carefully matched to the system, it will probably work very well with systems that are inherently on the warmer side.

greh

are you still using Hi Fi Tuning fuse(s) ?

Happy Listening!

@antigrunge2  This is the best I have ever heard Pianos in my system, the decay is pretty much perfect. All ringing is gone, and notes sound super crisp. 
Thank you for this little hack, I am enjoying it very much and it'll be a staple for me going forward. Dynamics have improved quite a lot, and everything sounds more real and tangible than before. 
USB cable, Fuse, AC cables, XLR.....Everything has gotten the paste treatment. 

@ antigrunge2 This stuff is magic. 
I just put it on my USB cable, and all my power cords (all DIY) opened them up and applied the paste on the inside as  well as outside. I am hearing another jump in resolution, and smoothness in playback. Everything sounds more "Real".  I'll listen more critically after everything has had time to settle down. 
Thank you for the recommendation.

@Yuviarora,

congrats: RCAs, power chords (particularly if they are fused, otherwise just the prongs), USB, ethernet and tube sockets (particularly on signal tubes!) next. The stuff is amazing.

The graphene paste took a certain ringing out of my playback. Crazy, just some paste on fuses  was able to do this. HI-Fi is one  weird Rabbit Hole. 

Just got the graphene paste, put it on all my fuses, amps DAC. Unless I am hallcinating, there are a lot more microdetails present in the playback. A sort of Grain vanished from the music immediately. 
micro details, micro details, microdetails...
Amazing simple tweak. Directions say 48 hours for the full cure. 
Thank you!! 

I have some Deoxit on hand, will order some graphene contact enhancer right a way. Thank you
I left the DAC I am using the fuse with running 24/7 the last few days, (using pink noise) big improvement so far. The fluctuations in sound have eased up quite a bit. I have never heard such a clear burn in for a fuse like this, at times it just sounded wrong, but it’s coming along very nicely.

I Have used Furutech, Hifi-Tuning, SR, Buss and other fuses, never found one sounding the same both ways. Strong suggestion: use graphene paste or other contact enhancers. The effect is strongest on fuses and fuse holders. My last upgrade was from Acoustic Revive ECI-50 spray to Mad Scientist Audio Graphene Contact Enhancer and it is a very significant improvement

Just got this fuse.....At first it sounded like it was out of phase, had a weird "phasey" effect on the sound, vocals has a weird reverb effect.
Fuse is definitely directional, one side is very peaky and treble heavy. The other is much more balanced. Over the first 30 or so hours, the timbre of instruments is constantly changing....I have never experienced anything like this. Tonality goes from warm to cool from one listening session to another. A total roller coaster ride.
The one question I have for the people that have used this fuse, what is the consensus for the total break in time?
And if others had similar experiences as I did.
Also what is the final sound signature that I can expect at the end of all of this?
Thank you for any help that you guys can offer.

sorry, I can't comment on tube equipment.  I don't have any experience with that.  I would imagine that you want to be very careful about keeping the stock recommended fuse values.  On tube equipment, the 115/120V AC voltage actually gets converted to a much higher voltage, such as 250V or 300-400V to be able to drive the tubes, so a short in the circuit could have an even more catastrophic impact. 

This is the reverse of normal solid state equipment where the transformer converts 115V AC to something a lot lower - anywhere between 25V to 80V (which can be on some amplifiers).

Thank you, auxinput2.  I had a similar experience, also.  But, was not sure if the difference I was hearing was because I was using a larger amperage fuse or because I had changed the fuse type. 

What is your thought and recommendation on doing this (using a larger amperage fuse) on tube equipment?

I have experienced in some cases on preamps that have high current analog circuits (such as Class A) or on HT processors with a ton of op amps that a larger amperage fuse will improve things. For example, replacing the standard 800 mA fuse on a Krell preamp with a 2 A fuse will have a good impact. The music just hits with more authority (such as snare drums, kick drums, impacts, etc.), and it is more open as well. It is like the 2A is letting the music breath. With the smaller 800mA, the sound was more constrained and closed in. You want to be careful with how you do this because the fuse is supposed to be there to protect the entire device if there is a short that occurs somewhere in the circuit. On a normal stereo preamp with only op amps, I probably would not go higher than a 1A.

For amplifiers, I don’t recommend bumping up the fuse much because with amplifiers, the 4A to 15A fuses already carry a good amount of current.

And sorry to say, there is no fast way to burn in a fuse.  You can always burn the fuse in on a separate piece of equipment.

I have a couple of questions about audiophile fuses that I wanted to ask the experts in this forum:

- Given the same fuse type and generation, does a higher Amperage fuse sound fuller and better than a lower Amperage fuse (eg replacing a 500mA fuse with a 2A fuse) ? I assume the higher rated fuse has a thicker filament and could actually result in a better response.

- Is there any way to accelerate the burn-in process? The 200-300 hour burn-in process for these fuses means that I put in 200-300 hours on the very expensive and hard to find tubes that I have in my equipment before I get good sound. And, to compound that, since I periodically upgrade my fuses gradually (ie one fuse at a time), this means that I will be putting in many hours on the tubes in my DAC, preamp, and amp before the fuses are burned-in. By then, the tubes have aged considerably, which is very concerning.

One thing not mentioned on fuses is the cheap 50 cents zinc
buzz fuse can vary up to over 15% . This is why for example I used a 1 amp Hifi tuning and synergistic fuse 
in a preamp and it popped 2x reason being ,the quality fuses are accurate to within 1-2%. By going up to a 1,25 amp solved the problem .
Mfg build in over 20 % rating into most all products.with boutique fuses go one size up ,with slow blow fuses they  are more resistant and slower
to blow on turn on .

@geoffkait 
I know you from the Stereophile forums... This is Glotz. Good see you're fighting the good fight in here as well.

Do you know how to tell the proper orientation of the fuse holder is (to match the directionality of the HFT Supreme fuse indicator)? I have the insertable type into an IEC power cord housing

Chances are good you connected the Van Den Huls in the “correct” direction whereas the previous interconnects were in the “wrong” direction.

Out of curiosity I swapped out my interconnects to a warmer kind (van den hul) and all of a sudden everything clicked. My phono stage with HFT supreme sounds great now, the highs are more tame and it sounds "right". 

Thanks for the tips. Will try to experiment, who would’ve thought that this tiny fuse change would result in an exercise in patience. 

Absolutely correct. Anytime you have access to a fuse that was not been tested for the best direction it is a worthwhile  experiment to listen with that fuse in both directions. 

David Pritchard

Tip of the day, if you have any other fuses in the system, even stock fuses, they also degrade the sound if not in the right direction. 

Thanks for the response and suggestion on the SR blue fuse David. I have quite some time to go then as my guesstimation is that I have about 25 hours on it only. I’ve switched the fuse direction 4x and I’m pretty sure it’s in the right orientation. I’m getting much clearer and neutral sound but some vocals seem compressed and the bass got tighter but lighter. When I switched the fuse to the opposite direction the highs become almost unbearably sharp. These are my observations after listening today. 

Its my first fuse upgrade so wanted to get my feet wet so to speak with a moderately priced fuse and hear for myself if there is a change. Still hoping it will smoothen out as it burns in as I’m undecided if I like the change that I hear. 

I would give your fuse change 100 to 150 hours of having a signal run thru it. Also, you should try the fuse inserted in the other direction to see if you like the sound better.

If your sound is still too bright, I would suggest buying a Synergistic Research Blue Wall Outlet that is sold with a free Blue fuse. This combination will improve the details and soundstage and yet the music will be more relaxed and have better flow. The emotion of the music will increase and so will your enjoyment. I have tried the HiFi fuses and while better than most original equipment fuses, I now use the Synergistic Research Blue fuses.

And if you do not like the change in sound, you can return them for a full refund.

David Pritchard

Question to the OP. Given some "break in" time has passed, has the sound opened up or become more smooth? I have just put in a hifi tuning supreme fuse into my tube phono preamp a couple of days ago and I'm experiencing the same observations. Sound is much clearer and more detailed but somewhat thinner and a little bit too aggressive in the highs. My cart is an AT which is on the bright side and the change in fuse has highlighted this trait.

Uh, plenty of measurements. Where have you been? Nodding out, again? 😴 By the way, costco_emoji, you seem to be under a misconception. Didn’t your mommy explain to you measurements are not proof? 

davidpritchard725 posts12-06-2018 7:08pmkosst:
Congratulations on your modifications. Certainly a lot of thought and effort. Nelson does encourage the audio community to take his First Watt designs and see how they can be improved.

>>Ah, a valiant attempt at flattery and appeasement goes into the commode. 😥 

Let’s try to get back on track, people. Here’s where we are on this thread. Fuse proponents have provided measurements and listening (empirical) evidence supporting their claims that fuses sound different, that aftermarket fuses sound better than stock fuses and that fuses are directional. On the other hand, naysayers have not provided any evidence to support their claims that fuses are all sound the same and that fuse directionality is not real. Or in some cases, as we have seen recently just bad info or fake info. What naysayers do provide are overly emotional protestations of fake angst, fake disbelief and fake contempt. In fact, everything about the naysayers’ arguments are fake, fake, fake.

Huh? I don’t know what your game is, pal, but obviously HiFi Tuning is a big proponent of fuse directionality. Why do you think HiFi Tuning puts a diode symbol on their fuses? You are either mistaken or don’t know what directionality means.

I gave up contributing to the thread of the superhuman hearing creatures

And yet, you still persist. Which is it?

Infection580 posts12-06-2018 7:05pm

Geoffkait: HiFi Tuning fuses like all fuses are Directional

HiFi Tuning fuses are not directional. I was told this last year by Bernd Ahne from HiFi Tuning.

>>>>That’s so funny I almost forgot to laugh. Why do you think HiFi Tuning published the Data Sheets showing evidence that all fuses are directional, including listening tests? Hel-loo! Maybe your German English language dictionary was broken.

kosst:
Congratulations on your modifications. Certainly a lot of thought and effort. Nelson does encourage the audio community to take his First Watt designs and see how they can be improved. 

I do still hope you will try the Synergistic Research Blue fuses in your amp. It is a simple experiment to perform and the cost is only the cost of return postage. The results will be informative reguardless of the results.

David Pritchard

HiFi Tuning fuses like all fuses are Directional

HiFi Tuning fuses are not directional. I was told this last year by Bernd Ahne from HiFi Tuning. 

@lalitk - Depends(occasionally, my derisive snorts cause a small leak).

rodman99999,

I was trying to keep it light. It’s the same pack of rats continues to enrage tiresome debate over the effectiveness of aftermarket fuses.

How do you deal with one who denies, refuses, opposes, skeptical, cynical about something?