By Juan C. Ayllon
For some, the idea of using a specialty electrical fuse to improve the performance of a stereo is preposterous and on the level of wearing a tin foil hat to protect one’s brain from mind reading, mind control and electromagnetic fields.
Recently, Bernd Ahne of the Berlin, Germany-based firm, Hifi Tuning, challenged my friend, Barry, an electrical engineer and one of my fellow administrators at The Audiophile Group on Facebook, to simply try some of his audiophile fuses and make his own conclusions.
Barry refused on the grounds that he might fall prey to Expectation Bias -- or the “tendency for experimenters to believe, certify, and publish data that agree with their expectations for the outcome of an experiment (Jeng). He said that to form an unbiased conclusion, he’d have to make a series of recordings, placing them and a control fuse, alternatively, in the signal path and replay them over his system for electronic measurements, as well as blind comparisons. Being an extremely busy independent contractor, he did not have time for such a test..*
I, on the other hand, had heard that some owners of Lampizator Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) had reported wonderful results with Hifi Tuning fuses and, owning a Lampizator Lite 7 DAC, this caught my attention. The fact that several reputable audiophile publications gave them glowing reviews motivated me to find out for myself, so I contacted Mr. Ahne. Several weeks later, eight 1.6 amp fuses (four each of their Supreme 3 Copper (using Cardas Low Eddy Grade 1 wire, according to Ahne) and their Supreme 3 Silver/Gold) arrived at my door. Now, I have been burning in my brand new Odyssey amplifier -- with its new capacitors, etc. -- which are supposed to perform optimally after three months and had arrived in early December, so I postponed trying the fuses out in my system. Then at the behest of Mr. Ahne to speed things up, on January 15th, I decided to try the comparisons. Huh? Available in 5 x 22 mm and 6 x 32 mm sizes, Hifi Tuning fuses are housed in a black ceramic body versus the standard glass, are “cryo treated for stabilization of the conductive materials”, and “resonance optimized” by sheathing the filament in a Polyolefin tube. (Weaver) I have my reservations about the merits of cryogenic treatment on electronics, but I am willing to go in with an open mind. The Method to My Madness Sitting down with my wife, Belle, who has a keen ear, I decided to do perform some listening comparisons of songs between the Supreme 3 Copper, Supreme 3 Silver/Gold and the Littelfuse fuses in my Lampizator Lite 7 DAC with her. I played a handful of songs from different artists running between a minute and 1:25 (depending on the song selected, but I kept the time consistent for each song played for comparison purposes). To help offset Expectation Bias, I ensured that Belle was not aware of which fuse was being used during playback; as the one switching them out, I was aware of the fuse in play, but she was not.
The difficulty in doing this comparison is that the fuse goes into a small plastic drawer tucked underneath the power cord and in order to access it, one has to unplug it. Moreover, whenever the DAC is unplugged, my Lampizator DSD Komputer music server has to be rebooted in order for the ROON Labs music player software to detect the source -- a process that takes roughly minute and a half or longer. This causes a significant delay between playback after switching out fuses; one has to rely on auditory memory a great deal more and compromises the short term comparison.
Thus, for the blind A-B-C comparisons with Belle, I used CDs played through my Sony BDP S-5500 3D Blu Ray player where this was not an issue. After each run, I turned down the volume to zero (to avoid damaging the speakers with a loud pop), turned off the DAC, unplugged the power cord, extracted the fuse drawer, swapped out fuses, tucked the drawer back in, plugged the power cord back in, turned on the DAC, reset the volume to a level marked by tape on my volume control, and replayed the song. With practice, I became quite efficient with this process! For ease of access, my DAC was pulled out of the entertainment center and sat atop a wooden wine box. While practicing switching in and out the fuses with a Larry Coryell CD, I noticed right away that the Hifi Tuning Supreme 3 Copper had a slightly fuller and richer presentation. I could hardly wait for the trials to begin! Chris Isaak. “Pretty Girl Don’t Cry.” Baja Sessions. Reprise Records. 1996. Isaak’s vocals shine in his cover of the Roy Orbison classic that is a favorite of Belle’s. Combined with the acoustic guitar, electric guitar and snare, it makes for a compelling ballad. I played this selection in this order: the Supreme 3 Copper, the Supreme Silver/Gold and then the Littelfuse. After hearing this song played with each fuse in place, Belle said, “I like the first one better: it’s a little clearer. It’s a bit more full-bodied.” I agreed. She did not notice much of a difference between the Silver/Gold and the Littelfuse, whereas I thought the Supreme 3 Silver/Gold, while more neutral than the Supreme 3 Copper, was a little more forward. Pat Metheny Group. “Part One.” The Way Up. Nonesuch. 2005. This jazz fusion song starts out slow with Cuong Vu’s compelling, but simplistic arpeggio on Glockenspiel (or toy piano -- which is it?) comped by Lyle Mays on keys, is joined by Pat Matheny’s electric guitar at the 15 second mark for a mournful, but intoxicating and hopeful slow song that builds and is joined by drummer Antonio Sanchez’s cymbals and the bass 30 seconds in. The second song into this album which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, it’s one of my favorites and was actually my theme song that I played nightly while courting my wife. This time, I start off with the Littelfuse, followed by the Supreme 3 Silver/Gold and then the Supreme 3 Copper. Belle notes that the Littelfuse was “a little sharper.” She has a hard time distinguishing it from the Supreme 3 Silver/Gold, but notes that she likes the Supreme 3 Copper, which follows, better: “I like it better than the second one, but the difference for me is very subtle.” Reflecting on the comparisons so far, she reiterates, “It’s subtle. If you want more smooth sounding versus sharper, that’s what you’re paying for. It’s kind of like my lipstick: do I want red or pink?”
Josh Groban. “Ala Luce del Sole.” Josh Groban. 2001. 143 Records.
Order: Supreme 3 Copper, Littelfuse, and Supreme 3 Silver/Gold. This platinum award-winning tenor’s vocals wow Belle everytime out, and it’s no different this time. Perhaps it’s the sheer beauty of his voicing that has her transfixed, but Belle has a very hard time distinguishing between the three fuses this time around. “I couldn’t tell between the first and second -- there’s very little difference,” she says. However, she adds, “the second (Littelfuse) seemed the softer one.” It’s that latter point that I want to focus on. Whereas I was impressed with the performance with all three and felt the Supreme 3 Copper had the richest midrange of the three, I felt that perhaps both Hifi Tuning fuses seemed to add some sort of gain to the signal versus the Littelfuse. However, as she said, they were very, very similar sounding in this song. Orbert Davis. “Blue Notes.” Blue Notes. 2004 3Sixteen Records. Order: Littelfuse, Supreme 3 Copper, Supreme 3 Silver/Gold. I had first heard him on NPR and saw him perform a wonderful tribute to Louis Armstrong at the Terra Museum in Chicago when I was student teaching in 1995. And as Artist in Residence at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 2011, he endeared himself to my wife and I with a delightful visit there after we’d just returned from our honeymoon. Mr. Davis kicks off his straight ahead “Blue Notes” with a masterful trumpet mute. At 1:16 into the song, a female vocalist chimes in with rich, deep tones and strikes a high, sibilant note -- the very same one that when Cassandra Wilson hits it in her collaboration with Jacky Terrason, Rendezvous, is troublesome -- that sounds excessively sibilant and causes my tweeters to clip. I find nothing wrong with the Littelfuse’s presentation; it strikes a good balance. When the Supreme 3 Copper takes over, I feel that it’s a touch fuller sounding through the midrange -- but as with the rest, when that harsh note hits, I cringe. The Silver/Gold strikes me as very balanced and neutral. Belle notes that the Supreme 3 Copper “...is a little sharper for me -- louder for me,” but when it comes to hearing any other differences, she adds, “not really.” Russ Nolan. “Neruda.” Call It What You Want. 2015. Rhinoceruss Music. Order: Littelfuse, Supreme 3 Copper and Supreme 3 Silver/Gold. Saxman extraordinaire Russ Nolan and I had met at church as single men in 1993 (he played gigs at night and was an insurance salesman by day while I was back in school working on my teaching credential) and, having both found lasting love some years later, this is where our similarities end: whereas I’ve remained in the Chicago area as a working stiff, he’s gone off to New York City to make it as a successful professional musician. In Nolan’s passionate and energetic rendition of “Neruda,” the Littelfuse delivers a very balanced but detailed presentation. As always, it does what it’s supposed to do -- serves as a safe conduit for the signal to pass. The Supreme 3 Copper seems to open up the song for me, delivering a slightly richer, fuller presentation. However, Belle says she notes barely any difference, adding, “It may have been a little softer -- not as sharp as the first one (Littelfuse).” For Belle, the Silver/Gold seems to deliver a little more detail in the treble area. “I think that’s sharper,” she says. I agree. Conclusion It’s hard to believe that a tiny, five x 20mm fuse can affect the way music sounds over one’s stereo, however, as I have witnessed, it can make a difference -- albeit a subtle one. Now, some may point to the fact that I was aware of what fuse was in the signal chain, giving rise to the likelihood of Expectation Bias. Yet, my wife, who listened in blind comparisons, also noted small, but notable differences. Pressed to make an educated guess, I would place their positive impact on my system somewhere in the vicinity of a five to 10 percent improvement. That’s no small thing. Granted, the impact of these fuses may be product specific, but In a hobby that some people spend tens -- and sometimes hundreds -- of thousands of dollars to wring out marginal improvements in sound, at a cost of $60, I believe the the Hifi Tuning fuse is a relative bargain. Although I believe their Supreme 3 Silver/Gold to offer a more neutral, subtle boost, I am especially impressed with the enhancement of the Hifi Tuning Supreme 3 Copper fuse to my Lampizator Lite 7 DAC. Its impact on my system is somewhat similar to replacing a silver plated interconnect with a good copper one. As a result, I plan on using it in my reference system for music playback and high fidelity audio equipment evaluation. I also plan on keeping the Supreme 3 Silver/Gold handy for future trials and experimentation. Equipment Used
U.S. Distributor: Ultra Systems 127 Union Square New Hope, PA 18938 (800) 724-3305 (215) 862-6570. www.ultrasystem.com End Note * Barry also was cautious, as HiFi Tuning fuses are not UL or VDE certified. When I mentioned this to Mr. Ahne, he said that they are indeed up to VDE standards, but it costs 50,000 Euros to receive that stamp. Others in the industry familiar with Hifi Turning and the fuses insisted they were fine, including Mr. Fikus, owner of Lampizator, who wrote via email, “We are OK to use these fuses providing they do not go higher than 2A and preferably should be of slow blow type.” Work Cited Jeng, M. “A Selected History of Expectation Bias in Physics.” American Journal of Physics. 74 (7): 578-581. American Association of Physics Teachers, 2006. Weaver, Greg. “Hifi-Tuning Supreme 3 Fuses.” March/April 2011. Positive-Feedback Issue 54. Positive-Feedback.com
10 Comments
Lewis
1/18/2018 02:59:36 am
How do you take output from the blue ray player? As far as I can see it has no phono outputs.
Reply
1/18/2018 04:26:51 am
Hi Lewis,
Reply
William A. Stevenson III
1/18/2018 06:52:42 am
Excellent review Juan. Thank you for taking the time and effort to conduct a thorough piece of research. I agree with your conclusion "a positive impact on my system somewhere in the vicinity of a five to 10 percent improvement. That’s no small thing" when you invest so much into sound quality, $60 is pocket change.
Reply
1/18/2018 07:28:48 am
You're welcome and thanks, Billy! Have a terrific weekend. :-)
Reply
Wil Sanders
1/20/2018 06:32:13 pm
I agree with your opinion " I agree with your conclusion "a positive impact on my system" too. In my system, the fuses add an extra layer of "glow" over the music. In one paricular situation the difference is much bigger:
Tom Rostock
1/22/2018 11:05:51 am
Just because you had your wife as a test subject doesn't satisfactorily remove biases associated with the measure of any results. Scientists developed the double-blind study because they found that if the experimenter knew which was a control group (which you don't have), and the treatment group (for which you have an n of 1, another serious problem), it affects the results. Look up demand characteristics and the Taylor effect. Your "experiment" is worthless except as a single data point, a/k/a an "anecdote."
Reply
Tom Rostock
1/22/2018 11:08:32 am
More here: http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-psychology-research-methods/demand-characteristics/ for a general overview of demand characteristics.
Reply
Stephen Iddison
5/15/2022 04:53:44 pm
If Bats had to be certified by a scientist to be of a discerning ear then bats would never had been created..probably. Sadly Science has a habit of ever changing opinions as time passes but usually the Human ear can hear a difference immediately without having to refer to any mathematical theory as do bats.
Reply
Stephen Iddison
5/15/2022 05:00:27 pm
I am fairly new to the upgrade game but I can with certainty that even my £5.95 gold plated Bussman made a difference to the final stage of my sonic output. Smoothing the bass and bringing better control, taking a little 'sonic bitterness' out of the vocals and midrange area that was evident even with a silver plated Bussman fuse never mind a standard nickle.
Reply
Peter Steffensen
5/13/2019 06:06:06 am
I guess that Barry was scared that he wouldn't be able to hear the difference while others easily can. He can't hear the difference of USB cables either. He may think that he is an Audiophile, but more mental openness and better ears are needed to obtain that status.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
|