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  3. 1152917695

Isoclean fuses: definitely worth it

I just installed Isoclean fuses in my Naim CD5x and Nait5i. I sort of felt like I was going to the fringe by installing these but keep in mind they are right in the AC path so it made sense to me after installing a dedicated line and an "audiophile grade" AC receptacle.

I tried Buss ceramic fuses beforehand and they were just slightly better than stock.

The Isocleans, however, definitely provided a noticeable improvement over stock or Buss ceramics. In a nutshell: smoother treble, a touch more overall resolution (especially in the mids and treble) and elimination of a bit of grain and veiling. Polarity does matter. I checked a few times to verify but arrow down for my equipment was more natural (less bright) than arrow up. You may prefer the other polarity, of course. Note that they didn't affect rhythm as many products do (especially a lot of isolation devices) nor did they add any brightness (at least in the polarity I prefer).

They're not cheap for what they are ($25 per fuse) but the improvement was definitely worth $50 total investment to me.
greg7

Showing 2 responses by sean

sean
6,231 posts
 
Bob Bundus: You'll be glad to know that there is hope after all. My Brother is currently in school via the local electrician's union. In class, his instructor asked the class to vote whether fuses or circuit breakers were superior. My Brother and one other guy voted for fuses with the rest of the "electricians to be" voting for breakers. The instructor went onto explain how fuses were superior to breakers in every respect, except one. That one exception? Convenience : )

After discussing that, my Brother brought up wire geometries to the instructor. In the long run, my Brother ended up explaining the benefits of various wiring configuration to not only the class, but to the instructor also. The instructor had him bring in some wiring as an example.

This worked out well for the class, as they will now be better versed in dealing with various types of installations and wiring products that can benefit A/V enthusiasts and their dedicated installations. It also worked out good for the instructor, as he wasn't familiar with the various designs and ended up learning quite a bit himself !!! Hopefully, he'll keep passing on what he learned to future generations of electricians : ) Sean
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sean
6,231 posts
 
As i've mentioned in other threads, simply pulling and replacing fuses can improve conductivity. This is due to breaking up corrosion and making fresh metal to metal connections. Whether or not this is audible would depend on how corroded those contacts were.

Other than that, maybe Isoclean has found that the corrosion takes appr 6 months to build up to the point of measurable degradation, hence recommending this as the interval to replace their fuses. Replacing the fuse at this point "might" achieve the same results as simply cleaning the contacts on the old fuse and replacing it.

One approach is obviously a lot cheaper than the other whereas the manufacturer stands to profit from the other. Use your own judgment and go from there. Those with the Isoclean's and / or HiFi Tuning fuses aren't the only folks that can try this either : ) Sean
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