Synergistic Red Fuse ...


I installed a SR RED Quantum fuse in my ARC REF-3 preamp a few days ago, replacing an older high end fuse. Uhh ... for a hundred bucks, this little baby is well worth the cost. There was an immediate improvement upon installation, but now that its broken in (yes, no kidding), its quite remarkable. A tightening of the focus, a more solid image, and most important of all for my tastes, a deeper appreciation for the organic sound of the instruments. Damn! ... cellos sound great! Much improved attack on pianos. More humanistic on vocals. Bowed bass goes down forever. Next move? .... I'm doing the entire system with these fuses. One at a time though just to gauge the improvement in each piece of equipment. The REF-75se comes next. I'll report the results as the progression takes place. Stay tuned ...

Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
128x128oregonpapa
Thx, Gwalt.  I had them in right.

My previous concern over the Red's deep bass has disappeared.  They sound great.  In fact, I begin channeling Gollum, wanting to hold onto my precious Reds.  Do I really want to send them back for the Blacks?  I have ten days to decide.  If there's not consensus that the Blacks are obviously better, I'm leaning towards holding at Red and getting two more for the DAC, but even that seems greedy based on how good things sound now.
Oregonpapa:

I am glad your fuse settled in and the music is really flowing. I think your description is quite good between the BLACK and RED fuse. In some rooms + systems the "added" noise of the RED maybe psychoacoustically more pleasing than the more accurate BLACK fuse. No different then a live music performance with a dead crowd, a noisy crowd, and an energized crowd.

almarg:

In my system that has had the pronounced improvement, the fuses are in an Antelope DAC that is never turned off and has a music source running 24/7. I certainly hope you will try the RED or BLACK fuses. I have found the changing of fuses to be a facinating and worthwhile project.

IT is certainly cheaper than comparing Psvane to Elrog tubes !

David Pritchard

Bravo! , the findings of the sr-black's are resulting in what I needed to confirm, very informative thread,  enjoyable as well.
It seems we should arrive at some conclusions based on our experiences with fuses:  Stock fuses provide overload protection but degrade the signal path.  They are necessary to meet safety standards and prevent costly damage, but they are detrimental to sound quality.  This degradation has been discovered and can be improved by inserting a better conductor.  Maggie owners who modify have gone even further, saying, "No fuse is the best fuse."  They remove the fuse bank that protects their midrange and tweeters and wire directly.  Maggies provide perhaps the best opportunity to show how these boutique fuses are far superior to stock fuses. The differences are unmistakable and leave no room for alternative explanations. With due respect to you, Al, those of us who are more "plug and play" audiophiles have sought out the easy tweaks of fuses, cords, cables, etc, and have been rewarded. In a funny way, knowledge has not been an obstruction for us.  The drawback to these fuses is how well do they protect?  It's buyer beware on that question.  A lot of us are getting such good sound, we don't seem to care.  I know I will not go back to stock fuses or power cords, not with the superior conduction materials on the DIY market.