emaidel
08-15-2008, 12:25 PM
As promised, this is my "report" on having installed the "Hi-Fi Tuning" fuses in my Dahlquist DQ-10's: one main 3 amp fuse, and the other a .8 amp fuse for the tweeters in each of the speaker systems.
I ordered these fuses based on JMichael's favorable comments on using them in his Onkyo 9555 integrated amp (as well as Stereophile's equally favorable comments), and the manufacturer stating that they should make quite a difference in my speakers.
At $40 apiece, these are pricey little buggers, but I can't think of anything else for a total of $160 for both speakers that could have made as much of a difference as these fuses do. I initially installed the main fuse, after playing a passage of a particular CD and carefully listening to all the detail, clarity, imaging, etc. of that disc. After installing the Hi-Fi tuning fuse, I played the same passage again and was quite impressed with the overall improvement in sound: more detail, clarity, spaciousness and depth of image. Then, I replaced the tweeter fuses and played the same passage again. Now there was even greater detail, though primarily at the top end, with a good deal more "sweetness" and silkiness than before, and a lot more "air" around each instrument or vocalist. I would suspect there's enough difference in the velvety smooth high frequencies that these 30 year-old speakers now have that, if one didn't look, one would suspect I replaced the piezo tweeter with something else. There's absolutely no trace of the edginess or "spit" the piezo's can create, but rarely do on the DQ-10's anyway, considering that they're crossed over at 12,000 HZ, which is a good deal higher than in the less expensive 2 and 3-way speakers they've been used in elsewhere and sound horrible.
So, consider this a frank and most enthusiastic endorsement of the Hi-Fi Tuning fuse. I suspect that there are many other applications in which this fuse would make a difference too, but on the Dahlquist DQ-10's they do wonders and anyone who has a pair of DQ-10's owes it to himself to snatch up these little wonders. It's hard to believe something as simple and ordinary as a fuse could make such a difference, but these babies do. Very highly recommended!
I ordered these fuses based on JMichael's favorable comments on using them in his Onkyo 9555 integrated amp (as well as Stereophile's equally favorable comments), and the manufacturer stating that they should make quite a difference in my speakers.
At $40 apiece, these are pricey little buggers, but I can't think of anything else for a total of $160 for both speakers that could have made as much of a difference as these fuses do. I initially installed the main fuse, after playing a passage of a particular CD and carefully listening to all the detail, clarity, imaging, etc. of that disc. After installing the Hi-Fi tuning fuse, I played the same passage again and was quite impressed with the overall improvement in sound: more detail, clarity, spaciousness and depth of image. Then, I replaced the tweeter fuses and played the same passage again. Now there was even greater detail, though primarily at the top end, with a good deal more "sweetness" and silkiness than before, and a lot more "air" around each instrument or vocalist. I would suspect there's enough difference in the velvety smooth high frequencies that these 30 year-old speakers now have that, if one didn't look, one would suspect I replaced the piezo tweeter with something else. There's absolutely no trace of the edginess or "spit" the piezo's can create, but rarely do on the DQ-10's anyway, considering that they're crossed over at 12,000 HZ, which is a good deal higher than in the less expensive 2 and 3-way speakers they've been used in elsewhere and sound horrible.
So, consider this a frank and most enthusiastic endorsement of the Hi-Fi Tuning fuse. I suspect that there are many other applications in which this fuse would make a difference too, but on the Dahlquist DQ-10's they do wonders and anyone who has a pair of DQ-10's owes it to himself to snatch up these little wonders. It's hard to believe something as simple and ordinary as a fuse could make such a difference, but these babies do. Very highly recommended!