Paean to a Fuse (and a tip of the hat to Chris Van Haus)


It's astonishing that most audio designers and manufacturers neglect an important element in the power supply: the fuse. The stock fuse, while meeting technical parameters, is almost invariably cheap junk. Thanks to the sage advice of Chris Van Haus of VH Audio, I replaced the stock fuses in both my dac and my amplifier with HifiTuning Supreme Cu.  Fisrt the dac. What a revelation. Then the amp. Another revelation. In both cases, I achieved an unmistakeable improvement in clarity, detail, tonal density, air... all the good stuff, with no loss of dynamics. I checked with the manufacturers before initiating this experiement and in both cases I was cautioned that audiophile fuses are not certified to protect their associated circuits in the same manner as a stock fuse. And both added that their product was voiced around the stock fuse and that I should be concerned about altering its sound character. This has not proven to be the case (which is not to say it won't in other instances). After questioning me about the kind of sound I was hoping to achieve, Chris made a recommendation that proved to be prescient, namely, the HifiTuning Supreme Cu. Just to have a comparison, I also ordered a different audiophile fuse of high repute, but I ended up returning it. Thank you, Chris Van Haus, experienced audiophile, straight talker, good guy. Dead on. 
pmboyd

Showing 5 responses by pmboyd

True that. Sure helps to have an experienced guiding hand like Chris VenHaus to light the way to the kind of sound character desired for a given rig. 
PS. VH Audio carries the HifiTuning Supreme Cu (at a friendly price). As of this writing, The Cable Company and most other parts suppliers, do not. I have no skin in the game, just a satisfied customer...
The Cu sounds very natural to me. It has all the resonance and sparkle that I require with triangles, harps and hi-hats, for instance.