October 21, 2012

  • HiFi-Tuning Supreme, Part 2

    30 years ago, during the Fall '82 semester, I started hearing more and more modern rock.  One good example was the Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way."  In my bedroom, I had a Sanyo personal player, and a Hitachi boombox.  Or was it the other way around?  Back then, did I know about fuses?  Heck no.

    In late '82, were Simaudio in existence?  Maybe, but their name might have been Celeste, not Simaudio.  Geez, in late '82, I was eating Celeste frozen pizzas.  But anyway, the Simaudio 600i integrated amp has an external fuse holder.  You only need a flathead screwdriver to access the fuse.

    The 600i uses a 5A, fast blow, 6.3mm x 32mm fuse.  Keep your equipment's fuse's ratings in mind, when you order a HiFi-Tuning replacement. 

    HiFi-Tuning fuses are supposedly directional.  A good point of reference is to look which way the "arrow" is pointing.  You're supposed to give the fuse a week of use in each direction.  I can't vouch for other gear, but in the Simaudio 600i, the HiFi-Tuning Supreme sounds radically different, depending on which way it is pointed. 

    In the photo above, the arrow is pointing to the fuse holder's cap.  Other audiophiles have reported that they prefer the sound of their Hifi-Tuning fuses in this orientation.  Ugh.  In this direction, the fuse makes the Simaudio 600i sound all midrangey, with some grungy, f---ed up rhythmic capabilities.

    With the Supreme pointing the other way, the 600i (versus the stock fuse) adds a small ability to lock in the sound.  Thus, more low-level detail becomes apparent.  Plus, there's greater silence between the notes.  And on occasion, the soundstage itself seems larger. 

    It's no contest.  In the Simaudio 600i, the HiFi Tuning Supreme reigns supreme.  It simply allows the 600i to do its job, which is take the source, and feed it to your speakers.