Today I decided to listen to some records, which I don't do very often. I put on one of my longtime favorites, Claude Bolling's "Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Piano" on RCA. I often used this record for demo way, way back when, and have always found it delightful to listen to. I still enjoy it to this day.

Shortly after the record began, I noticed how good it sounded. In fact, it had never sounded that good before! Why, I wondered? I haven't done anything to my turntable or cartridge in over a year; I'm still using the same phono preamp (Parasound PPH-100), and I've been using the Acrhomat platter mat for about a year too. Why does it sound so much better?

Then I remembered: this was the first time that I played a record since I installed the Hi-Fi Tuning fuses in my DQ-10's. They made a huge difference in improving the sound of my system while listening to my Marantz SA-8001, but I hadn't listened to any records, and this was my first experience doing so after installing those fuses.

I was mightily impressed with how good the record sounded, and started to wonder: am I turning into a vinyl junkie? After all, this record really sounded terrific! I've been an enthuisastic supporter of CD's and SACD's for years, and have I now, with the increased clarity and detail from my system, made an about face? So, I tried a comparison between a CD and an LP of a Kenny Loggins album, 'High Adventure."

I remember this CD sounding a good deal worse than the LP when I first bought it, and whenever I compared the two, the winner was always the record. On this go around, it was pretty much a tossup. While there was a bit more sparkle to the top end of the LP, there was a good deal more bass and midrange "air" on the CD. I also tried the same comparison between an old Alan Parsons recording, "Eve." On this occasion, the CD walked all over the LP in every area, most noticeably in noise as the LP has always had a lot of noise, and the CD has none at all.

So, while I'm not a vinyl convert, and still believe the CD and SACD mediums have the potential to be the best (though that's not always the case, unfortunately), everything sounds pretty good on a revealing system, and those little wonders, the Hi-Fi Tuning fuses continue to knock my socks off making the difference they do.