Fuses that matter.


I have tried six different fuses, including some that were claimed to not be directional. I have long used the IsoClean fuses as the best I have heard. No longer! I just got two 10 amp slow-blows WiFi Tuning Supreme fuses that really cost too much but do make a major difference in my sound. I still don't understand how a fuse or its direction can alter sound reproduction for the better, but they do and the Supreme is indeed! I hear more detail in the recordings giving me a more holographic image. I also hear more of the top and bottom ends. If only you could buy them for a couple of bucks each.
tbg
Hey Chad - Believe me, I dream of Duelund caps. But wow are they pricey. If I could just stop buying fuses, I'd be well on my way!

bc
As good as I thought the HiFi Tuning Supremes were, they are now much better. I had relied on the information I got from my amps' (BMC M1s) imported about the direction to be used as well as that of the HiFi Tuning importer on how to install the fuse. Friday I did an A/B direction testing. I had it in wrong.

To not offend doubters' sensibilities, I will just say that such an A/B testing to get it right is absolutely necessary.
Whether HiFi Supremes are better than the Iso Cleans,I can't say.I have no experience with any of the other HiFI fuses in the test and I have no expereince with the gear they were used in.I appreciate the effort and respect the findings.How could I argue with them?I wasn't there.

What I can state is that the IsoCleans bettered the stock fuse in the following components, Classe Dr 8 mono blocks,
power conditioner from Foundation research,a Cary SET 300B,and an EAD DVD player.

And the HiFi Supremes have improved the sound in a Manley Steelhead and a pair of Acoustat tube servo amps over their stock fuses.

All gear had to be turned off then on and off again,so that I could start with stock fuse, then Supreme, then back to stock and then Supreme.

I listened to the exact same music track and focused on background detail and the cymbal work.

My observations were that the initial impression of going to the Supreme fuse was favourable, every time. Listening without it less so and then back to satisfactory on the final insertion of the Supreme fuse.

I feel that the degradations of plugging and unplugging were evenly split in this manner.

I also listened with the Supremes in after a few days of play and also noticed a further refinement in the sound.

Well known music used for comparison purposes over years of gear swaps, exposed the increase in detail and body that the Supreme fuses were now providing.

I re-state that I didn't have any other types of fuses to compare the Supremes to, just the stock fuses,other fuses may or may not be better at any price points.

The important thing is that a fuse does affect the sound of what it's used in.

It's just as important as anything else. Because fuses can be constructed differently, like tubes and wires are made up of different materials,why is it hard to understand that they can also sound different from one another?

Cardas products are constructed differently than Nordost, and you can hear the difference and it's your choice what sound you like.

Everything does something to the sound,to state that the fuse can have no impact on sound quality lumps it into the realm of all amps sound the same.

I would presume that most folks on this site could be able to discerne the sonic traits of an EL 34, 300B or 6550 tube, and never state that they all sound the same.

So why should the fuse be different?

I should add this bit of news,the HiFi Supreme fuses will do the job of protecting your gear and they can be destroyed just like any other fuse,I know this from painful experience.

A 500 ma fuse will self destruct when inserted into a 5 amp holder.

The 5 amp fuse was fine in the .5 amp spot.

So much for worries about reliabilty and protection issues concerning the HiFi Supreme fuses.

They do what they are supposed to and sound better in the process.
Lacee, I entirely endorse what you say about the IsoClean fuses. I probably used them in fifteen different components in the last five years. The HiFi Tuning Supremes in my present system all replaced IsoClean fuses.

Your question about why fuses sound different is beyond established scientific knowledge at this time and probably will remain there as few researching scientists would bother with the issue.