[DTgill]

More to the point, what happens when you do this? Does the sound change?

That's what I'd like to know too.

 

[Pharmaboy]

…a late bloomer?………

more like a late boomer

 

[David222]

That's what I'd like to know too.

Ball-parking here... to my ear.... you get around +10% bump across sonic domains (Dynamics/Speed, Resolution, Stage, etc.). It has a break-in period and unfolds over time. It's akin to Lance using performance enhancers... he's still Lance at the end of the day...but in our hobby it's encouraged and not a rule break

With the Orchid...I was pleased with the slight boost in speed/dynamics (most specifically) as R2R sometimes presents (by design) slower at times. Also, with certain familiar tracks... I've observed micro-details - not noticed before or not heard as clearly previously. Note, this is in pairing (primarily) with my Burson Soloist 3XP. So far, I've found it to be a worthwhile investment.

I have a second Purple fuse which I'll be putting into my Woo WA6... I anticipate a more noticeable impact on AMP vs. DAC...will find out soon.

My evolving approach (on Head-Fi) is to try and avoid deep descriptions of "what I hear"... since we all have/use different headphones, AMPs and interconnects. So, apologies for any lack of in-depth review here. My previous post from the other day re: Johnny Cash experience best sums up (emotionally) where the Fuse Mod + Tube Investment have netted out

 

[David222]

Update -
The Toucan after about 100 hours of use and with a EH 6922 gold pins, is very musical and enjoyable without missing much in technicalities.
Reminds me of the Pontus II but with better flow and more effortless, natural sounding.
A hell of an achievement for the price.

Thanks for doing this

Curious if you are considering / able to get an Audial S5 from Pedja to compare with Orchid and/or Balanced Pagoda?

 

[Deleeh]

Ball-parking here... to my ear.... you get around +10% bump across sonic domains (Dynamics/Speed, Resolution, Stage, etc.). It has a break-in period and unfolds over time. It's akin to Lance using performance enhancers... he's still Lance at the end of the day...but in our hobby it's encouraged and not a rule break

With the Orchid...I was pleased with the slight boost in speed/dynamics (most specifically) as R2R sometimes presents (by design) slower at times. Also, with certain familiar tracks... I've observed micro-details - not noticed before or not heard as clearly previously. Note, this is in pairing (primarily) with my Burson Soloist 3XP. So far, I've found it to be a worthwhile investment.

I have a second Purple fuse which I'll be putting into my Woo WA6... I anticipate a more noticeable impact on AMP vs. DAC...will find out soon.

My evolving approach (on Head-Fi) is to try and avoid deep descriptions of "what I hear"... since we all have/use different headphones, AMPs and interconnects. So, apologies for any lack of in-depth review here. My previous post from the other day re: Johnny Cash experience best sums up (emotionally) where the Fuse Mod + Tube Investment have netted out

Hello,
save your money for the woo.

I have not tried the Purpel but have found that these fuses are not optimal for tube amps.

For Dac's and DDc like a Su 2 something like this is quite usable and almost better.
With the Hifi tuning supreme fuse (the golden one) that I bought, they made a nice subtle leap forward in the Dac and DDC.
Not so much with the tube amp, I thought it sounded forced there.
When I switched back, the sound was much more open and wide, as it should be.

How is the bass response of the Orchid?
I've read that it's a bit thin on the chest.
Is that true or more subjective?

 

[David222]

Hello,
save your money for the woo.

I have not tried the Purpel but have found that these fuses are not optimal for tube amps.

For Dac's and DDc like a Su 2 something like this is quite usable and almost better.
With the Hifi tuning supreme fuse (the golden one) that I bought, they made a nice subtle leap forward in the Dac and DDC.
Not so much with the tube amp, I thought it sounded forced there.
When I switched back, the sound was much more open and wide, as it should be.

How is the bass response of the Orchid?
I've read that it's a bit thin on the chest.
Is that true or more subjective?

Well, I have 2x Purple Fuses...so I have to stick it somewhere I've heard from reliable sources that the Fuse + WA6 (specifically) has produced good results.

My $0.02 --> the tube (investment) is going to dictate your Bass response (along with the rest of the frequency curve). Garbage In / Garbage Out --> The Orchid is tube responsive and seems honest in returning ones (sonic) investment (big or small).

I picked up a Qutest just b/c I felt the Orchid was (as designed) a little soft-footed at times... Now having invested (heavily) in great tubes and rolling the Fuse --> I'm questioning if the Qutest is still needed in my chain

 

[Ichos]

Thanks for doing this

Curious if you are considering / able to get an Audial S5 from Pedja to compare with Orchid and/or Balanced Pagoda?

I have contacted Audial but it isn't very easy to arrange it, maybe in the summer.
When I am finished with the Toucan, I will certainly ask MHDT for a better DAC.

 

[Wes S]

Hello,
save your money for the woo.

I have not tried the Purpel but have found that these fuses are not optimal for tube amps.

For Dac's and DDc like a Su 2 something like this is quite usable and almost better.
With the Hifi tuning supreme fuse (the golden one) that I bought, they made a nice subtle leap forward in the Dac and DDC.
Not so much with the tube amp, I thought it sounded forced there.
When I switched back, the sound was much more open and wide, as it should be.

How is the bass response of the Orchid?
I've read that it's a bit thin on the chest.
Is that true or more subjective?

Fuses (depending on which one) work great in any kind of amp, and especially tube amps. Just like anything else some fuses are "better" than others at making a noticeable difference. Synergy between components is everything, and it applies to fuses as well. I have an SR Purple in my RH-5 (hybrid tube amp) and it took the amp to another level, and the differences between the stock fuse and the Purple were not subtle either. Perhaps the HiFi Tuning Supreme just does not have the synergy you are looking for with your specific tube amp and preferences.

 

[Deleeh]

Fuses (depending on which one) work great in any kind of amp, and especially tube amps. Just like anything else some fuses are "better" than others at making a noticeable difference. Synergy between components is everything, and it applies to fuses as well. I have an SR Purple in my RH-5 (hybrid tube amp) and it took the amp to another level, and the differences between the stock fuse and the Purple were not subtle either. Perhaps the HiFi Tuning Supreme just does not have the synergy you are looking for with your specific tube amp and preferences.

Hello and thank‘s for the reply,.

Yes, I have also thought about that, that the Hifi tuning on tube amplifiers may have a suboptimal effect.
In the Feliks Euforia amplifier it still worked but something bothered me and I only noticed it when I bought the same fuse for my hybrid amplifier, I came pretty close to both in terms of sound. What had irritated me.
The bass range in particular was not so well defined in its contour on the hybrid amplifier (rather spongy).
With the Feliks it was OK because it is tuned differently, it wasn't necessarily bad but not 100% OK either.
And was reason enough for me to reinstall the originals on both units.

But spending $200 on the Purple, which is only being used as a test and needs a good 200 hours to burn in, is a tough ask.
Then try to replace the glass fuse with a clean ceramic fuse first.
But I'll be happy to hear more about your impressions of the Purple.

Personally, I think the Hifi Tuning is good but is better in Dac's and DDC devices than on tube amplifiers.
Would still be a cheap option for those who want to spend $200 on a fuse but still want to try.

I didn't mean to badmouth the Purpel, but rather to warn against it for tube amps, even if it's a different manufacturer.
And that $200 might have been better spent somewhere else, even if it was a fancy dinner with the wife.
Since you won't see the $200 again if it was a failure even if you resell it.

 

[David222]

Hello and thank‘s for the reply,.

Yes, I have also thought about that, that the Hifi tuning on tube amplifiers may have a suboptimal effect.
In the Feliks Euforia amplifier it still worked but something bothered me and I only noticed it when I bought the same fuse for my hybrid amplifier, I came pretty close to both in terms of sound. What had irritated me.
The bass range in particular was not so well defined in its contour on the hybrid amplifier (rather spongy).
With the Feliks it was OK because it is tuned differently, it wasn't necessarily bad but not 100% OK either.
And was reason enough for me to reinstall the originals on both units.

But spending $200 on the Purple, which is only being used as a test and needs a good 200 hours to burn in, is a tough ask.
Then try to replace the glass fuse with a clean ceramic fuse first.
But I'll be happy to hear more about your impressions of the Purple.

Personally, I think the Hifi Tuning is good but is better in Dac's and DDC devices than on tube amplifiers.
Would still be a cheap option for those who want to spend $200 on a fuse but still want to try.

I didn't mean to badmouth the Purpel, but rather to warn against it for tube amps, even if it's a different manufacturer.
And that $200 might have been better spent somewhere else, even if it was a fancy dinner with the wife.
Since you won't see the $200 again if it was a failure even if you resell it.

Or....the Feliks Echo (instead of Euphoria) then could take wife to 6x dinners @ $200 ....and still acquire a purple fuse ...assuming wife does not order wine

All joking aside, the SR Purple Fuse is costly (relative to Fuses), but as we know, manufacturers sometimes use inexpensive fuses (stock) since its not something the consumer sees... and is often out-of-sight / out-of-mind. This investment is certainly "down the line" of improvements to consider (Headphones, Interconnects, Tubes)... but it's not by any means frivolous.

 

[jonathan c]

Or....the Feliks Echo (instead of Euphoria) then could take wife to 6x dinners @ $200 ....and still acquire a purple fuse ...assuming wife does not order wine

All joking aside, the SR Purple Fuse is costly (relative to Fuses), but as we know, manufacturers sometimes use inexpensive fuses (stock) since its not something the consumer sees... and is often out-of-sight / out-of-mind. This investment is certainly "down the line" of improvements to consider (Headphones, Interconnects, Tubes)... but it's not by any means frivolous.

• I do endorse the idea of upgrading mains fuses. The electricity flows through the fuse before any element in a circuit. The more electrically transparent the fuse, the better the elements within a circuit and the circuit itself perform. The benefits are audible.
• Red wine, in excess, becomes a purple fuse…

 

[David222]

I've continued to test the MHDT Orchid with a few different AMPs.

So far, achieving the greatest synergy with Burson Soloist 3XP and the mighty iFi Zen Can

• I'm curious what other (AMP) pairings folks have tried/enjoyed?

 

[Pharmaboy]

I've continued to test the MHDT Orchid with a few different AMPs.

So far, achieving the greatest synergy with Burson Soloist 3XP and the mighty iFi Zen Can

• I'm curious what other (AMP) pairings folks have tried/enjoyed?

Violectric V281, for sure. Also the Woo WA3 OTL tube amp. And the Liquid Carbon v2.

What opamps do you have in the 3XP? I keep hoping someone who uses 4 x Sparkos SS33602s will weigh in (love that opamp).

 

[David222]

Violectric V281, for sure. Also the Woo WA3 OTL tube amp. And the Liquid Carbon v2.

What opamps do you have in the 3XP? I keep hoping someone who uses 4 x Sparkos SS33602s will weigh in (love that opamp).

I'm (currently) running the V6 Vivids in 3XP. I'm partial to the Burson house sound...so not a strong pull to experiment.

I've seen a few (fleeting) posts in the Burson thread about combinations 2x Sparkos and 2x Burson... seems like no one has run a legit A/B.

 

[fcdvpds]

Thanks for doing this

Curious if you are considering / able to get an Audial S5 from Pedja to compare with Orchid and/or Balanced Pagoda?

I have the Audial S4 and the Atlantis. Love both immensely. They offer a different presentation and both keep impressing me. I ve had the Atlantis for almost 3 years now. The S4 only for 6 months. The mhdt offers one of the best three dimensional sound stages I have came across. I feel super involved with the music. The S4 has a cleaner very calm and relaxed presentation. I really love both. I use an audio note CD zero as source (coaxial). The cd zero itself has a very good dac but both the atlantis and S4 are a clear improvement. I don't enjoy the sound I get from my macbook pro via usb. I tried audio Nirvana and it did improve things a great deal but still far from the sound quality I get with the audio note as cd transport. I love the flexibility of the atlantis in terms of inputs. I also have an ak300 dap which i often use with my atlantis with outstanding results.