Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Hagerman Technology FryKleaner Accessory by SRMcGee

Model:	FryKleaner
Category:	Accessory
Suggested Retail Price:	$25 - 125
Description:	System/Cable Burn-in Signal Generator
Manufacturer URL:	Hagerman Technology
Model Picture:	View

Review by SRMcGee ( A ) on October 09, 2003 at 06:52:08
IP Address: 167.25.108.29

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Years ago, a company called DuoTech marketed a product called the “Cable Enhancer”. The Cable Enhancer was a cable burn-in device that sported RCA and five-way connectors for burning in both single-ended interconnects and speaker cables; it had a flimsy plastic body and was poorly designed and constructed. It was highly touted in the high-end audio press (which also accepted DuoTech’s advertising and made no mention of its third-rate quality). I received one as a gift and it lasted less than a week before one channel stopped working. I obtained a replacement under warranty and it also worked sporadically before it, too, died. The Cable Enhancer was a piece of junk. Not surprisingly, DuoTech quickly went out of business and life moved on.
In the ensuing years, my main system has been completely revamped a couple of times. I have also assembled a second stereo (“assembled” being the operative term, given that my preamp and amp were both DIY projects) and helped several friends put together their first “high end” stereo systems. Given the amount of wire and number of components that I now own and have helped friends acquire, locating a successor to the Cable Enhancer seemed to be a wise investment of time and money. As I hadn’t played with my soldering iron in a while, my first choice was to find a simple DIY solution. After a little searching, I stumbled across Jim Hagerman’s FryKleaner. The FryKleaner had immediate appeal: it was inexpensive, adaptable (so many connector options), and it was a straightforward DIY project that didn’t appear very complicated.
Hagerman’s website (hagtech.com) had the FryKleaner manual in downloadable form, build instructions included. While you can purchase the FryKleaner board fully populated, it is also sold as a bare pc board. I chose the latter and ordered most of the parts from Jameco, as suggested in the manual (which conveniently provides Jameco part numbers). I deviated from the manual mostly with regard to the cosmetics: instead of a plastic box and rotary switch (very economical but, hey, remember the crappy Cable Enhancer?), I bought a very nifty Hammond extruded aluminum box (model 1445K1201A) and a tiny 3 position switch (part number 870-8610) from Allied Electronics. I also added a totally unnecessary on/off switch (Allied part number 870-8600), swapped the LED for a panel mounted version from Jameco (part number 14111), added some IC sockets for the integrated circuits and used some nice gold-plated RCA connectors that I had on hand. Total parts cost was about $85, which is probably $30 more than the cost of a standard build.
Assembly was a breeze. For such a simple project, Hagerman’s instructions are very thorough. You solder the resistors into place, then the capacitors, the integrated circuits, the transistors and finally the LED. A little more time is spent soldering RCA and power connections and you’re done. Soldering took me two hours or so, and it was fun (note: a fine tipped solder iron helps). My workplace has a machine shop, and one of the guys there punched the necessary holes in the Hammond enclosure’s end panels for me. Everything fit neatly into the box, with very little room to spare. My custom enclosured version of the FryKleaner looks very professional.
The Gods must have smiled upon me: the FryKleaner worked perfectly from the get-go. It generates a sort of fast fluttering sound at three selectable gain levels. The lower gain levels are useful for burning in components; HagTech recommends using the highest gain setting for wire.
I decided to try the FryKleaner out on interconnects first. I own two identical 0.5 meter pairs of DH Labs Air Matrix interconnects, both of which have been in my homebrew system for the past year and a half. I hooked one pair of the Air Matrix interconnects up to the FryKleaner and burned them in at the highest gain setting for 72 hours. My older daughter and I then compared the two pairs of interconnects using music that I am very familiar with. There was no doubt that the two pairs of wire sounded different: the FryKleanered pair sounded the slightest bit louder, more open and more detailed, as though a veil had been lifted from between the speakers and us. Had I known nothing about the interconnects used in the test, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if someone had told me that the pair burned in by the FryKleaner was the next model up in DH Lab’s product line – though there was a strong family resemblance, they were markedly better sounding than the other pair of Air Matrix interconnects. The amazing thing about this test was the fact that both pairs of interconnects had seen serious use over the past 18 months – if well-used interconnects could improve so dramatically, what result could you expect from new wire?
Having determined that the FryKleaner worked, I burned in the other interconnects in my second system and then hooked the FryKleaner up to my highly-modified Foreplay preamplifier for an extended spell. I was already very happy with the Foreplay’s sonics, and had spent a great deal of time tweaking it to my liking (built in a rack mount chassis, my Foreplay sports upgraded tubes, reverse recovery spike filter, filament snubber, pseudo-dual mono power supply, upgraded RCA connectors, Greyhill selector, DACT attenuator, C4S “Anticipation” mod, Auricap output capacitors, IEC power connector (and Chris VenHaus Flavor #1 power cord), T-Pad, a single-point grounding scheme and a lot of extra shielding). The FryKleaner bumped the Foreplay up by at least a notch – resolution, air, pacing, and clarity were all noticeably improved. In fact, there is an increased sense of presence now, as though the performers are just a little more real. No, it wasn’t like having a whole new preamp, but there clearly was an audible improvement. Was the improvement to my preamp alone worth the cost of the FryKleaner? Absolutely. The FryKleaner will next see some serious use in my main system, and then I’ll be loaning it out to friends.
I consider my investment of time and money in the FryKleaner to have been amply rewarded. Jim Hagerman is to be commended for a terrific product, and all self-proclaimed audiophiles should consider themselves on notice: this is one of the most cost-effective means of improving the sound of a system that I’ve ever found. Try it yourself. Get one, even if you have to share the cost with a bunch of friends, and use it often.
Regards to all,
Scott

Product Weakness: None that I can find.
Product Strengths: Inexpensive, adaptable, and it works really well!

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	See my two Inmate System entries
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	See my two Inmate System entries
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	See my two Inmate System entries
Speakers:	See my two Inmate System entries
Cables/Interconnects:	See my two Inmate System entries
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock, jazz, classical,
Room Comments/Treatments:	See my two Inmate System entries
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Each component is burned in for at least 72 hours; I've been using the FryKleaner for about 3 weeks so far.
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	See my two Inmate System entries
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	None that I can find.
Product Strengths:	Inexpensive, adaptable, and it works really well!