Hi-Fi Tuning Fuse Loan Offer

[Fast/Forward]

I am willing to loan a new Hi-Fi Tuning fuse of 1A, 2A, 4A or 5A to any member of WBF who would like to determine on their own if there is an audible difference under the following conditions. I'm willing to loan one fuse each to two WBF members. I have no relationship to the manufacturer or other fuse maker. First come first served! PM me.

1. You must be able to record to a CDR. (You may be capable of recording to a hard drive or a tape based (analog or digital) media but it seems sensible to keep the recording chain simple to reduce variables.)
2. You must compare this loaned Hi-Fi Tuning fuse to your own original stock fuse of the same value (i.e. 4A) in the same component (CD/SACD/ DVD-A player, phono pre-amp, line stage/ pre-amplifier or the CDR unit) in the recording chain.
3. The component chosen must be used in recording a track of music (your choice) four times.
4. The selected track will be played back and recorded twice (once with each fuse direction) with your original stock fuse.
5. The selected track will be played back and recorded twice (once with each fuse direction) with the Hi-Fi Tuning fuse.
6. Play back the tracks consecutively and post your observations in this thread or a new thread in the "Review" area on WBF.
7. Return my Hi-Fi Tuning fuse at your expense.

This experiment will be completely subjective of course. Since so many member of this forum and others only trust their own ears
to form a judgement perhaps the resulting CDR could be loaned or files emailed.

 

[mep]

Are they fast blow or slow blow?

 

[Fast/Forward]

Are they fast blow or slow blow?

All values are fast blow. The fuses are @30mm or 1.25 inches.

 

[GaryProtein]

What happens if a fuse blows?

 

[mep]

What happens if a fuse blows?

Do you mean whose liable to pay for it?

 

[Bruce B]

Count me in

 

[Fast/Forward]

Hi Gary,
I will test the fuse before mailing. If the fuse blows I'll take the loss. But I don't think I will be paying for your repairs. My Sonic Frontiers Power 2 amp blew a tube and took out the fuse. The fuse looked undamaged as it is ceramic in construction and not glass.
I could place a discreet mark on it so I know that the returned fuse is the same
The fuses that I am willing to loan most likely will not go into high current fused power amps which tend to fail more often than a simpler device such as a phono stage. I gather that most here are very careful with our toys!

 

[Fast/Forward]

Count me in

Bravo!
Bruce PM an address and I will mail it out. As the fuse is a spare (I have several of each value) there is no rush to return it. If you have a spare fuse of the same value I suggest you try a comparison between non broken in fresh fuses to make it fair.

 

[edorr]

I blew two Hi Fi Tuning fuses in my Modwright preamp. Stock with same specs worked fine. Also use them in poweramps, powerconditioned and my previous DAC and never had a problem.

 

[rockitman]

I use Hi-Fi tuning Silver Star fast burn in my DAC, Pre and Phono amps. My power amps use thermal coupled circuit breakers. Never had an issue.

 

[HedgeHog]

Be sure the gear is meant to use fast-blo. I went through two HiFi Supreme before the manufacturer told me they meant to say slow-blo in my email.

 

[LL21]

Count me in

Looking forward to your thoughts after trying it!

 

[Roysen]

When my Lyra Connoisseur 3.0 blew the fuse in both power supplies I had a hard time finding appropriate fuses in the local stores. So I bought some HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses from Cable Company. They were not slow blow like the originals but otherwise the specifications were the same. Since then Stig Inge Bjørge of Lyra has been kind enough to ship slow blow fuses of the original kind to me but since I had already installed the HiFi Tuning fuses and since it should not be a problem if the fuses blow faster than the originals I have left the HiFi Tuning fuses inside and they have not cause any problems for the 8 months I have had them.

Another reason why I don't want to replace the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses is that they made an improvement in sound. They firmed up the bass, created more resolution and better dynamics. Soundstaging was also improved. Like Mike is reporting with the Audio Magic fuses the HiFi Tuning fuses proved to be an improvement in most areas. Where they excelled most was they changed the tonal character slightly from being a little bit dark and sluggish compared to what the sound is like now with more extended and open top. I will not go back. From what I understand the HiFi Tuning fuses use a silver wire and have a housing made of ceramic.

 

[Roysen]

Be sure the gear is meant to use fast-blo. I went through two HiFi Supreme before the manufacturer told me they meant to say slow-blo in my email.

Would that be a problem. I understand that using a slow blow would be a problem if the component was designed to use fast blow but is the other way around really a problem?

 

[TBone]

I am willing to loan a new Hi-Fi Tuning fuse of 1A, 2A, 4A or 5A to any member of WBF who would like to determine on their own if there is an audible difference under the following conditions. I'm willing to loan one fuse each to two WBF members. I have no relationship to the manufacturer or other fuse maker. First come first served! PM me.

1. You must be able to record to a CDR. (You may be capable of recording to a hard drive or a tape based (analog or digital) media but it seems sensible to keep the recording chain simple to reduce variables.)
2. You must compare this loaned Hi-Fi Tuning fuse to your own original stock fuse of the same value (i.e. 4A) in the same component (CD/SACD/ DVD-A player, phono pre-amp, line stage/ pre-amplifier or the CDR unit) in the recording chain.
3. The component chosen must be used in recording a track of music (your choice) four times.
4. The selected track will be played back and recorded twice (once with each fuse direction) with your original stock fuse.
5. The selected track will be played back and recorded twice (once with each fuse direction) with the Hi-Fi Tuning fuse.
6. Play back the tracks consecutively and post your observations in this thread or a new thread in the "Review" area on WBF.
7. Return my Hi-Fi Tuning fuse at your expense.

This experiment will be completely subjective of course. Since so many member of this forum and others only trust their own ears
to form a judgement perhaps the resulting CDR could be loaned or files emailed.

I'm game, and I've done a lot of comparative CDR based needle drops over the years ... plus I live very close (Toronto).

The thing is, I have some criteria of my own.

PM me if your interested.

tb1

 

[microstrip]

When my Lyra Connoisseur 3.0 blew the fuse in both power supplies I had a hard time finding appropriate fuses in the local stores. So I bought some HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses from Cable Company. They were not slow blow like the originals but otherwise the specifications were the same.(...)

Contrary to what many people believe the simple fuse is a complex device - only this can explain why Bussman catalogs are so thick and filled with specifications and details. Fuses are mainly protective devices, and are mostly used in this function. However in reality they are dynamic resistors and inductors. The effect of this particular component can either be a nuisance or a benefit for the circuits where they are inserted. Also, their effect will depend in what position they are inserted - AC mains, output of AC transformers or DC lines.

A complete explanation of the transient behavior of fuses would need a long WBF post. Manuals only address the breaking transients - it is their main purpose, and most of the time we forget that fuses are not ideal binary devices, but analog components.

Many high-end manufacturers have known and said in public that fuses affect sound quality - some even use special more expensive fuses in their equipment or simply avoid them.

 

[treitz3]

For those who may be interested...below is a very extensive write up of the Hi-fi tuning fuses performed by DarqueKnight. I hope that you enjoy the read and yes, measurements are included.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/sho...e-Noise-Part-7-HiFi-Tuning-and-Isoclean-Fuses

BTW, that's a nice offer you have presented here Fast/Forward. Thank you for making this a possibility for select WBF members.

Tom

 

[HedgeHog]

Would that be a problem. I understand that using a slow blow would be a problem if the component was designed to use fast blow but is the other way around really a problem?

The problem would not be with equipment protection but, rather, premature death of a loaner fuse. If it's a fuse one were to buy for themself, then learning the "hard way" is just a $100 nuisance. That's all I was getting at.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I am still con "fused"

 

[cjfrbw]

I am still con "fused"

Maybe "con artist" fused? Maybe the circuit breakers belong on the audiophiles.