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
Tab110s - obviously you've never seen both the Hi Fi fuses and the Isocleans. They are a long long way from being alike.

Cheers
My dealer gave me the info. What is the overall concensus...Isoclean or HiFi Tuning. I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these items.
No doubt one can buy the HiFi Tuning fuses in Europe atg half price also. I don't know what the purpose is of this post. As with everything some don't find a component to be good and others do.
Well to be blunt there may be good reason that the HF Tuning will "won across the board" versus Isoclean, as another Gon' member put it. The simple truth is though Iso and HF are priced similar, they are not made equal but more likely the result of usual inflated pricing with Isoclean products.

Whether it is possible to get HF Tuning in Europe at halve the price I can't tell, but I would certainly be interested in getting audio cables at 1/3 of what they sold for in the US. I would recommend anyone thinking Isoclean "definitely worth it" to take the benefit of the doubt. There are better choices out there.