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| Model: | Fuse |
| Category: | Accessory |
| Suggested Retail Price: | $ 29.95 to 44.95 |
| Description: | Gold over silver endcap, silverwire ceramic fuses |
| Manufacturer URL: | HiFi-Tuning |
| Model Picture: | View |
| Review by oofer on February 16, 2008 at 15:59:16 IP Address: 216.110.206.97 | Add Your Review for the Fuse |
These fuses make a positive difference in the sound of my system. I read Robert Deutsch's side bar review in Stereophile (9/07). He started out his article with "Tweaks come and go...." Truer words never spoken.
What led me to act on his advice was the similarity of equipment I employ, and my own empirical experience that better conductors of any type almost always result in better performance. I contacted the Cable Company after I determined exactly the size and value of the fuses I would be needing for this little experiment. In my case, a large 7 amp fuse mounted into the chassis next to the IEC, and after a bit of hood lifting, two small 5 amp fast blow fuses in the output section of my PS Audio HCA-2. The amp itself was modded by RAM, but the fuses were still stock. Chromed end caps with I don't know what as a filament seen through a glass tube.
The HiFi-Tuning fuses are ceramic with gold over silver end caps with a silver trip wire.
A note on conductivity. I tested each fuse for continuity before I installed them with my multimeter. I had the multimeter set to sound. As I touched the end caps with the probes, there was no scratchy sound. It was either connected or not. Now when I pulled the stock fuses out, I tested them. It was much harder to get a good connection. Lots of scratchy sounds. I moved back and forth between the HiFi-Tuning fuse and the stock fuse with the probes. There was a difference just in making that simple connection. A big difference. I was an electrician by trade, and the difference in the two surprised me. But if the HiFi-Tuning fuses were that much easier to connect to, there was positive portent for how they would perform in the amp. Oh, yes, and they are cryo'd, as well.
I am not going to repeat Mr. Deutsch's review. There is a big dose of 'what he said' coming at you. The difference was immediate and obvious to me. And it got better with time. They've been in for two weeks now. The sound is clearer, quicker, especially in the transients, and marvelous.
I am 100% recommending this relatively low cost improvement. For me, it is no-brainer. I never spent so little to get so much improvement in sound, at least not in my memory. I will be changing out the fuses in my other equipment where applicable as budget permits.
| Product Weakness: | Expense. For a fuse, these babies are not cheap. OTOH, I have spent hundreds just looking for the right IC, and these guys just plug in and work. |
| Product Strengths: | Obvious high quality construction and packaging. Cryo'd. Hey, it is just a fuse--not! |
| Amplifier: | PS Audio HCA-2 (modified by Reference Audio Mods--way worth it) + DIY Neotech NEP-3001(UPOCC) Power Cord( from VH Audio) with FIM 302 & 303 UPOCC connectors |
| Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | ps Audio PCA-2+HCPS + VH Audio DIY Flavor 1 (made in the flavor 4 fashion) with FIM 302 and 303 UPOCC connectors. |
| Sources (CDP/Turntable): | marantz SA-8001 SACD/CD with full RAM Mods |
| Speakers: | jBL L200t3 (recently reconed) + LCY 100K Ribbon super tweeters+ACI Force subwoofer |
| Cables/Interconnects: | See oofer's system in Inmate Systems |
| Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Classical, Jazz, Folk, |
| Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
I wish to try the HiFi Tuning Fuses on my CALIFORNIA AUDIO LAB Alpha CD Transport and Delta D/A Converter, but do not know the specification value of the fuse. The tiny engraved figures on the fuse read something like: 3/10A 250V 313. I wonder whether you can help me decipher this? Does it means 333 m A? How can I tell whether it is slow or fast blow? Thanks!
This is the Littelfuse 313.300
I have not had the opportunity to try the fuses mentioned in the review, but just with PADIS on my Cary and Pass gear. I can confirm that there the music is just more fluid, with more air.... in one word:amazing. Cheers
I replaced the 1-7A and 2-5A glass fuses in my HCA-2 with fast blow Littelfuse ceramic fuses from DigiKey after applying Caig ProGold to them. Resolution, air, bass impact and realism improved noticeably. My wife noticed it right away.
I'm not suggesting that the improvement with plain ceramics is of the magnitude of the Hi-Fi tuning fuses, but merely sharing my findings on tweaks learned in this forum.
On the power supply of my tuners I have used glass fuses with leads (pig tails) based on past input from John Curl and the late Bob Crump. That made a good improvement also.
Regards.
I have had a real go around with silver, ofc copper, up-occ copper, silver plated copper, the whole panoply.
And I have tuned my system with some of each. But I find my equipment and my ears have a soft spot for silver. Not everywhere mind you, but it shows up in critical places and works. UP-OCC copper also. For instance, my speaker leads are OOC copper in a litz weave I made myself (each wire is 18 AWG with the final leg being 12 AWG. My pre to amp IC is a balanced ChrisVH diy silver as is my SACD to pre, though single ended.
My outrigger DAC (CIA) for my Squeezebox uses a UP_OCC Harmonic Tech IC.
Each time I experiment, there have been changes. Failures include using OCC wire (18awg, again) in a balanced recipe going from pre to amp. Ugh. And there have been many others. It has been a constant trial and error thing for sometime. Calming down now, though, as the sound is to my liking.
The fuse change just surprised me more than I expected. I am glad so many people have tried different arrangements successfully. Makes the hobby rewarding to see all the opportunities for discovery.
... with surprisingly good results. They sound better after quite a few days of use( interesting how these fuses need break-in). I haven't tried any Isoclean fuses yet, but for the moment, I am content with the slight, but significant, improvement I've had with putting these in my amps.
Yes, I find it interesting these need some time to settle in, too. Ah, circuits..........
As a side note, I have never changed out something that I didn't like the sound of at first listen come around to be really good. OTOH, when something has sounded good at first listen, I haven't had it go bad. But when something sounds good to start and then gets better, well that is just the best.
a
Hi Norm,
Yes, I've read where you've found these audiophile fuses to be directional. I have considered this and once I feel comfortable that these fuses have settled into the system, I will try reversing them for effect. As is, they sound much better now than the cheap glass fuses that came with the amps.
I've compared the Hi-Fi Tuning and Isoclean fuses against each other and much prefer the Isoclean. Isoclean are available from AAudioimports.com for the same $25 per fuse. Just an FYI in case you really want to get tweaky on fuses as I have, LOL.
a
...tried the AHP fuses. Any idea how they compare to the IsoClean?
These are available in Europe for about $15.00 U.S. Also they are available from PS Audio for about twice that price.
See:
- http://cgi.ebay.de/ahp-Feinsicherungen-vergoldet-5x20mm_W0QQitemZ360024222470QQihZ023QQcategoryZ141226QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (Open in New Window)
Both HiFi-Tuning and AHP fuses are employed in my system. Initially, went with the HiFi-Tuning fuses, tried AHP and eventually replaced most but not all HiFi-Tuning with AHP fuses. Own experience is of one manufacture being preferred to other with certain equipment. For example, after installing silver interconnect and a HiFi-Tuning fuse on an Audio Note DAC2.1x Balanced, my wife, unaware of these changes, voiced her dissatisfaction with the sound of reproduction, claiming presentation of recording detail at the expense of ‘musical message’; replacing the silver interconnect with Living Voice copper interconnect elicted approval from her, but only with the substition by a AHP fuse did she ‘give the nod’. Reconsideration of own, earlier judgement, in the light of her comment, confirmed her assessment, which may be, hopefully not glibly, summarized as “less hif-fi and more like music”.
‘Traege’ apropos fuses, in German, means slow blow, abbreviated on the fuse cap to ‘T’. The German for fast blow is ‘flink’, hence, the ‘F’ on the fuse cap.
Nice write up. I have the AHP fuses, however they are in the main circuit breaker along with the "Klang Module". http://www.audiophiles-hifi.de/contents/de/toc.html?lmd=39470.961806
The AHP and Hi-Fi tuning fuses are in direct competition with each other in Germany. I have not tried the Hi-Fi ones because the dealer could only get the AHP's, but either way, these types of fuses do alter the sound and swapping either copper or silver fuses is like changing silver or copper interconnects.
This is probably the cheapest tweak anyone can do for the money and it is noticeable.
Ciao
Audioquest4life
a
Something of that issue, surely, may well be manifest in the situation described, and in the preferences expressed at the time and operative at home today, but I would not be inclined to say the situation was that ‘conundrum’ alone. Not all occasions of substituting the AHP fuse for a HiFi-Tuning fuse have been preferred, but the majority of substitutions have resulted in the use of the AHP in preference. Pure silver wire, that is, not silver-plated copper wire, has not been comprehensively removed from the system, though the instances of use are few, with but the digital interconnect, Audio Note AN-Vx, alone ‘surviving’ among the interconnects. Someone has suggested to me that the AN-Vx on digital duty, between transport and DAC, will be improved by using a comparably priced copper digital interconnect. That may or may not prove so to us. Simple prescriptions have not worked for us. And, there is a pitfall of spending too much time testing the prescriptions, the exceptions, the permutations, etc. When I have erred in this regard, a line has been thrown and a most valuable perspective offered.
They do look like slow blow and unlike the IsoCleans. I think, once again, that slow blow is merely to withstand turnon surge.
.
a
... I don't read German. Are they available in both fast and slow blow?
copy and paste the german at www.itools.com and it will provide something like a translation. The translation is sometimes good and sometimes terrible, but it might help.
Larry
Sherod,
I didn't find an English ad. But google translates träge as "sluggish" so I am guessing just slow blow?
PS Audio doesn't mention fast vs. slow either:
http://www.psaudio.com/products/criticallink.asp
Here is the google translation of the ebay page:
- http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.de%2Fahp-Feinsicherungen-vergoldet-5x20mm_W0QQitemZ360024222470QQihZ023QQcategoryZ141226QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 (Open in New Window)
... as I understand it, all the Isoclean fuses are slow blow as well. The Hifi-Tuning fuses have both fast and slow. Interesting how the AHP cap ends are pure copper. I would imagine that it might have a "warmer" nature to its sound, in general.
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