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Your Best Tweak Lately

My latest, and perhaps best tweak, is a continuation of fuse upgrades, first using HiFi Tuning, two types, then Furutech, and finally, Synergistic Research Reds. Now, you may not believe in fuses, and that's ok---not here to convert anyone, just to report that these SR Reds are so far ahead of the others listed--to my ears, at least. If you have Maggies that you want to easily improve, put these in. I also have them as the mains fuses in ARC 210s and 861GNSC. If you have confidence in your power supply as stable and plentiful--another tweak in itself--no worries about the safety of these fuses--I even push the ratings a bit to match my big-gauge power cord capabilities. In the Maggies, I push them to 8A and 16A (stock is 2.5A and 5A) for a more "straight wire" effect by way of the bigger elements--incredible upgrade without molesting the speakers. With potentials in power supply, cords, cables, isolation schemes, room tricks, etc, this is a tweaker's paradise--I'm stealing the term back--just for audio.
128x128jafreeman
brownsfan
1,238 posts
 
Jafreeman,

When I had Maggies I found that replacing the fuses and jumpers really did a wonderful job of reducing grain. With the Maggies, the musical signal passes through the fuses, so it makes sense that this would be a logical tweak. Not sure about increasing the maximum current rating though. That kind of defeats the purpose of having a fuse.
jafreeman's avatar
jafreeman OP
448 posts
 
Very nice system and room, Brownsfan. As you have found, the value of a Maggie fuse upgrade is irrefutable. Yes, I have sacrificed the fuse protection for a bigger signal path--or so I like to believe. I also like to think I have addressed the usual anemic, noisy power supply with something that also provides stable, plentiful current the system can safely operate in, as you have. There is just no substitute for providing the right power supply at the components---more than a tweak.
papermill's avatar
papermill
79 posts
 
Jafreeman,
SR offers a 30 day trial for their products - really, nothing to loose to try the HFT tweak. As far as the Plasmatron is concerned, it provides a liquidity, a flow - especially with digital, yet it does not inhibit detail or definition. Several layers of digital haze is removed. Dare I say more analog?:)
dorkwad
317 posts
 
The RTS couplers now being sold by Audio Horizons. They made a nice improvement in making the bars solid over hollow like they once were. They are definitely additive--the more components that you couple to the shelf, the bigger the difference in sound. The drawback of these couplers is it takes about 7-14 days until you hear the dramatic improvement and they continue to improve for awhile. Initially there was no difference other than each component is now securely clamped to its shelf. I have Sistrum racks and platforms which already made a big difference in the sound. The RTS couplers made an even bigger change. I use them on each component except the turntable. If you are skeptical, I understand. If you don't try them, it truly is YOUR LOSS. No other thing I have ever done to my system has ever been as big of change for the good--no drawbacks in sound.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
The musical signal has 2 or 3 amps in the Maggie's? Interesting.
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