fuses - the $39 ones or the 85 cent ones

Here's an up-to-the-minute fuse story that even I can't believe. I'd bought a number of HiFi Tuning fuses and heard real improvements, mostly in terms of openness and dynamics (yes, I did before-and-afters -- it's easy with fuses).

So I bought one for my Raysonic CD 128, put it in the unit on Tuesday, heard an immediate increase in clarity, along with a glare/brightness that was NOT an improvement. What the hell. So I let it burn in (a fuse? burn in?) until yesterday afternoon I couldn't stand it anymore and put the stock fuse back in.

Don't try to tell me these things don't make a difference. Unfortunately, not necessarily a positive one. Dave

I'm no scientist, and don't understand the DBT procdures too much. But, if you had two "identical" pieces of equipment, and you switched from one to the other with the listener not knowing which was unit playing (one with $39 fuses, and the other with $1 fuses) would you not expect correctly identfying whether unit A or unit B was playing (forget whether you can decide which is better -that's a different issue) more frequently than random guessing. And if listener after listener was consistently incapable of identifying which unit was playing, would you still argue that the $39 fuse was worth it? I can tell you that I (and I would suggest any listener)could easily pass this type of DBT "test" identifying whether I was listening to my Music Reference amp or Atma-sphere amp. I don't know how much further we can take the argument. There are those think they hear difference, and those that don't; and I don't think it is because those that don't have less acute hearing, or less revealing equipment. Maybe there is a difference, maybe not, but if there is, it is not obvious to my ears - and I do really want to believe that $39 can improve the sound of my system.

As has been discussed previously, if a Hi Fi Tuning fuse is inserted "backwards" it will produce the overly bright sound of any fuse not in "correct" direction. Sorry about that.

What I am shocked by (and again I will argue that the price is still substantially high) that 39 bucks has everybody in a tizzy over this.. First off there is an EASY to discern difference at times hearing these fuses, again just as stated above might or might not be a "Good" difference for music in all cases, regardless they do something is the point, so its obvious enough work can be done to eliminate a cheap link if possible and if it helps great.

That being said, I don't think anybody that even logs onto or reads this site in the has anything less than THOUSANDS of dollars into audio in the first place, or even THOUSANDS into several failed or succesful tweaks over the years which are the sadder cases!! Try it or not, again you will never know, might be worth a shot for some, not for others. Not sure where the argument is here..

"First off there is an EASY to discern difference at times hearing these fuses" There lies the rub. You are right though in that $39 is not the issue, or a reason in itself not to try it. I know if I had not already done so, and read this thread, I would try them and end up pleased, or have a good laugh.