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?
The Black fuse in my Mccormack amp is a winner. Definitely sounds better one way than the other. Was playing Moby Dick for my dad the other day on my Aerial 5t speakers, and I think his exact words were "did you get a subwoofer?" Bass palpability, and precise imaging are the hallmarks with the Black fuse in place.
In the preamp, it’s not so clear. With the Black fuse, precision goes up, but the sound becomes a little dry. With the stock glass fuse, precision is down, but the bounce and liquidity of the music comes through more. Gonna stick with the glass fuse for now there.
Again, thanks for all the posts guys. They’ve been both informative and helpful.
Vibraphonist, Charles can you provide another two or three good choices. Like every recording you have suggested in the past! Tidal is a beautiful thing! Thanks so much.
But they will sound different to those withl "expectation bias" because they just spent >$100 for a $2 item.
BTW I asked you to "post links" for factual scientific non audio related data, any data supplied by the company selling the fuse can be dismissed as hearsay.
They don't actually sound different, they don't actually sound at all. Fuses are utterly insignificant relative to the primary tone shaping components of any hifi gear, but seemingly can shape the tone in one's imagination if the listener really believes they do and spent enough on them. They're fuses…I say let them be as it's sad enough they're trapped in a little holder away from the rest of the more important bits, simply called upon from time to time to kill themselves by melting in an emergency. *sniff*…Hat's off to those little guys...
GeorgeHiFi, were you sleeping through class again? The fuse information has been discussed many times. The HiFi Tuning web site contains the independently measured voltage drop data for all types of fuses, both directions, including HiFi Tuning, stock fuses, other aftermarket fuses, cryo’d versions of those fuses, glass fuses, ceramic fuses, fuses in DC circuits, fuses in AC circuits. To summarize the results of the fuse data: all fuses measure differently depending on direction of the fuse in the circuit because the fuses are physically and electrically, uh, directional. And if I can be so bold, that is why they sound different depending on direction. Wake up and smell the coffee.
Fuses - all fuses - have been measured to have lower resistance in one direction than the other.
Please post links to proven scientific data on this, not just hearsay. Maybe old fuses that have had many switch-on cycles put through them, sag and get carbon build up, even then it’s doubtful. (see 5 different length of times same fuse, ageing over time first link)
For anyone worried that your old fuses have been subjected to too many switch on/off surges. "All potential fusers need to remember that fuses deteriorate with age from switch on surges (as pictured), and they just need to be replaced with good quality $2 fuse of the same value, as Almarg linked to.
Happy Friday I hope everyone is parked in front of their system high end fuses in it or not! Would love any more jazz recs you guys can throw my way. Cheers!
geoffkait: Who cares if it’s true or not? It's a red herring! Duh!
Cleeds: If you live in the real world, Truth Matters.
Cleeds old buddy, I’m afraid you either haven’t been following very closely this whole fuse directionality discussion or you’re pretending to be dense. If the later is true you’re doing an excellent job. Fuses - all fuses - have been measured to have lower resistance in one direction than the other. And they measure like that even in AC circuits. That means, my good fellow, it doesn’t matter whether current alternates OR whether voltage alternates. The fuses are still directional.
Al, regardless of your point about voltage being alternating, which may be true who knows, it doesn’t change the fact - as you well know - that resistance and therefore conductivity is measured as being different by 5% depending on which direction the fuse is inserted. Even in AC circuits. Your argument about voltage was the response to a trap I set especially for you. Nice try! The same argument I just made for only worrying about the current flowing toward the speakers and ignoring the current flowing toward the wall can be made for voltage. Hel-loo! Ohms Law! Gimme a break! 😛
As some have stated, on badly designed equipment with under-rated fuses the fuse can be stressed on power up and resistance may rise leading to eventual failure. This used to happen in the past with Zinc based fuses. This should not happen with modern copper or silver based fuses in proper modern well designsed equipment. Should you experience an improvement it suggests that the original fuse was faulty. That you hear no directionality is correct - there isn’t any.
Then comes the question of what exactly is the origin point, the true meaning... of phase lead and lag?
Not the textbook engineering (incomplete false dead end) answer, but how does it arise - as a complex question in the quantum sciences? That is more the essential question.
As the engineering answers, neither explain or solve any of these issues that the ear hears.
Otherwise this circular merry go round would have died off in the very first two person discussion.
The suggestion is that neither party has a true grip on the issues.
One is willing to admit there is a problem (listeners with ears), and willing to admit they don't know.
The other is not willing to admit that their engineering bible is flawed and full of holes in it's logic edicts.
Those who 'get it' from both sides of the scenario, will never be involved in such discussions, as the answers allow for the making of product or solutions in the scenario, which are also potentials for financial gain.
Some who may not know how it all works, might find themselves manipulating the effects in order to make money off the people who admit they hear something going on.
It is a market that is seemingly at odds with itself from all directions.
First, kudos to Aeoluskratos for a sincere and nicely done first post.
Second, I don’t wish to rehash the subject of fuse directionality, which has been debated ad nauseam in this thread. But I want to correct a misstatement of fact:
Geoffkait 5-10-2017 It’s not really "electricity" that is alternating, it’s the current that’s alternating. The voltage is not alternating. Otherwise they’d call it AV.
Both the voltage and the current alternate in AC. That follows from the fact that per Ohm’s Law, which applies to resistive loads, voltage and current are directly proportional to each other. (And for a capacitive load current is proportional to the rate of change of voltage, and vice versa for an inductive load, and all of those quantities also alternate in the case of AC).
That can be easily seen on an oscilloscope, where the vertical axis of the graph that is displayed corresponds to voltage and the horizontal axis corresponds to time. AC will look like a close approximation of a sine wave, swinging both positively and negatively, above and below zero volts.
georgehifi Finally I just installed the fuse with direction along with the flow of electricity and decided to leave it then.
"Hate to tell you, but AC electricity doesn’t flow, it alternates back and forward 50 or 60 time a second (50hz 60hz) depending which country your in. So the directionality of an ac mains fuses is all "expectation bias". You’d have better cred if you belived in the tooth fairy."
It’s not really "electricity" that is alternating, it’s the current that’s alternating. The voltage is not alternating. Otherwise they’d call it AV. Furthermore as we’ve discussed many many times all fuses, even bog standard fuses, exhibit voltage drops that are slightly different depending on direction - even in AC circuits! [Refer to HiFi tuning data sheets.] So fuses ARE directional with respect to conductivity, even in AC circuits. Hel-loo! Also recall we aren’t worried about the direction back toward the wall anyway, only the direction toward the speakers. So the alternating current argument is dead in the water. And when someone says, "in the direction of the flow of electricity" that means in the direction TOWARD the speakers and AWAY from the wall. The electricity does eventually get to the speakers, doesn’t it?
Finally I just installed the fuse with direction along with the flow of electricity and decided to leave it then.
Hate to tell you, but AC electricity doesn’t flow, it alternates back and forward 50 or 60 time a second (50hz 60hz) depending which country your in. So the directionality of an ac mains fuses is all "expectation bias". You'd have better cred if you belived in the tooth fairy.
This is all potential fusers need to know: "All potential fusers need to remember that fuses deteriorate with age from switch on surges (as pictured), and they just need to be replaced with good quality $2 fuse of the same value, as Almarg linked to.
My 1st post here on Audiogon after several years of silent reading...
I just want to tell you my own experience regarding the SR Black fuse. I bought a 1A 20mm slow blow SR Black fuse yesterday for my DAC (NAD M51). I read and found that the SR Black fuses are directional. I also read that in order to figure out which direction is ideal/correct, you have no other way than listening. One direction will give you much better sound than the other.
So as soon as I received my SR Black fuse, I did a critical listening comparison. I installed and flipped the fuse. Then I'm a bit confused as I actually heard noticeable improvement over the stock fuse but I heard NO differences between both directions. I tried to listen closely but there was nothing that I can notice firmly.
I think there may be a couple of reasons for this: - My system does not have resolution enough to 'reveal' the differences between the directions of the SR fuse (My system: Laptop (source) -> Schiit Wyrd (USB linear power supply) -> Audiobyte Hydra Z (USB converter) -> NAD M51 (DAC) -> Arcam Alpha 10/10P biamp -> Monitor Audio Silver 2 (speaker)) - My listening skill is not good enough. - The SR Fuse actually has no direction.
It drove me a bit crazy thinking about that. So I decided to ask Synergistic Research. I left a message to SR and received a useful answer from
Andy Wiederspahn from SR, and I quote:
"Yes, it is directional. The electricity should flow the way you read the label. From S to R.
Thanks,
Andy"
After I received this mail, I immediately tried to figure out the way the electricity flow in my NAD M51 circuit. In order to figure out the direction of the electricity within the NAD M51, I removed the fuse holder (below the AC inlet), then I plugged the power cable in and used a phase tester to check inside the "hollow hole" where the fuse holder was before. One terminal/side/phase made the light of the phase tester light up and this is a hot one (i.e: the 'beginning' of the electricity) while the other phase didn't. By doing that, I could know the direction of the electricity of the circuit in my NAD M51.
Finally I just installed the fuse with direction along with the flow of electricity and decided to leave it then.
I post this just to share with you guys about some information if you're in the same boat as me - i.e. own SR black fuses but can't hear the difference with the directions of the fuse.
Thanks for all of the well wishes guys. Its very helpful. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 tomorrow morning with the surgery scheduled to begin at 7:30 am.
On a completely different note: My friend Robert came over two nights ago for a listening session and brought a CD I thought some of you would enjoy. Its a modern take on the old cartoon film music of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Its a tribute to Raymond Scott, the leader of a quintet back in the day that used to do the sound tracks for these films. The modern group playing on the disc is the Beau Hunks sextet. Here is some really nostalgic jazz for us oldsters ... and hopefully a new find for the younger guys. Its really fun music and a good introduction to early American jazz. Sound quality is really good on this well recorded stereo disc. It’ll have your toes tapping. Highly recommended. Here’s a link:
Here is a music rec for you guys The Stan Getz Quartet "Live at Montreaux 1972" the quartet is Stan and Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Tony Williams. Can't imagine a better band than that and though it's more of a jazz fusion style than I normally like it's really fantastic. The tune La Fiesta in particular is great, check this album out it's a tour de force for sure!
Frank's a great guy. I don't like to relay what I speak about with other people, but he's exceptionally candid, and deeply caring. One of the best guys on the forum, or in life, really.
Ciro, the other guy I met (goes by C_avila1) reached out to me on my offer on this forum to listen to each others systems. He's also great, mods equipment, and loves to tinker. Stupidly nice guy as well. The a/b comparison was a lot of fun.
And to Charles...
Its funny you mentioning the preamp slot...I told Frank when I met him that in my preamp, while I liked the Synergistic Black fuse, there were qualities I preferred about the stock fuse. In my amp, however, the Synergistic replaced a Furutech fuse, and it was a slam dunk, no question about it, upgrade. With it in place, now the preamp is better with the SR Black than the stock glass fuse. The two work well together. Still, might have to try an AH fuse in the preamp one day.
No Worries. Back in the day my dad did two open hearts a day - that was tough and recovery for patients was lengthy. These days with modern techniques it is a walk in the park.
+1 nonoise. Also if your doc needs anything be sure to have him check with Ted D first. He may have a better version of it already. I hope you found that funny.
O'papa, I would wish you luck but you are not going to need it. You'll be asking for your laptop to see what going on at the A'gon before you know it. George
Frank, as positive as you are, that will go a long way to a speedy recovery. Having a great sense of humor adds nicely to the mix. You're more than halfway back already. Best of luck.
Thanks. I watched some extensive YouTube videos on the heart valve replacements. The technological advancements have been nothing short of amazing. There are total geniuses working in the background to extend human life. They get no credit, no "academy awards" so to speak, and are the forgotten men/women of socialized medicine.
I have met most of the team that will be doing my surgery ... I have never met a more positive group of super intelligent people. They exude confidence. Amazing, really.
I have a grand son who is finishing up his third year of medical school. He’s 27 years old now and next year will mark his 20th year in school. Then he starts his internship. He is already being worked to death in the hospitals, and the same will apply during his internship after he graduates from med school. His main focus is to attain his goal of becoming a pediatric heart surgeon and saving the lives of newborns and small children with heart defects. He NEVER talks about money. The only reward he looks forward to is improving the lives of the kids.
Can you imagine rebuilding an amp and replacing the caps using nothing but a thin wire going up the power cord and using a monitor to guide you? Here’s an interesting video:
I’m stoked that you are enjoying the Lighthouse All stars. They were on the leading edge of the West Coast jazz movement. We (my brother, a friend and I) spent many a night while in high school at the Lighthouse in the 50’s listening to these guys play their hearts out. Listen closely to the drummer Stan Levey. He’s one of the few jazz drummers who actually played music on the drums. I used to enjoy sitting about ten feet from his drum set just to watch his fabulous technique and talents. He made it look effortless. Frank Rosolino , the trombonist, was in my opinion, the best of the best. Also, listen carefully to the pianist Claude Williamson. A totally underrated and under appreciated jazz pianist. He did a few albums on his own and they are worth owning. As you continue to explore these guys you’ll discover how innovating they really were. I’d suggest that you try their flute/oboe album with Bud Shank on flute and Bob Cooper on oboe. Its more laid back but really some beautiful jazz. Check this site out:
Thanks for the encouragement. I have to admit, at this point nervousa maximas is setting in. The butterflies in the stomach are starting to feel like a flock of freaking eagles. Three days and counting.
All best wishes, Frank, for a problem-free surgery and a speedy recovery. My impression is that heart surgery these days is a much more exact science and much more predictable than many other kinds of surgery.
Looking forward to your return to the forum in the not very distant future.
Frank good luck and best wishes on your upcoming procedure! Hopefully your doc has some NOS valves. :-)
Charles thanks for the rec I am familiar with the recording but as much as I love jazz I just don't do jazz vocals. Vocals in general don't bother me it's just jazz vocals for some reason. Listening to the Lighthouse All Stars right now Live at the Lighthouse and loving it!
The Doc told me that he uses special Graphene contact enhancers on the new valves along with Herbie's valve dampeners. I asked him if the new valves were "directional," and he looked at me askew and said ... "the only thing that's directional is my scalpel." At any rate, he assures me that when its all said and done, I will have a much lower noise floor, more articulation and will be walking in a heightened three dimensional space.
Damn! I haven't felt like that since the 1960's. :-)
I would like to wish you nothing but the best for your surgery and a speedy recovery. Please don't forget to tell the doctor to install a couple black fuses in those valves and let him know they are directional:) Take care!
Hey…I'm all about the new valves, and, although I don't pray, I absolutely insist that Frank gets back from this quickly so I can continue to pick on him.
Hello Frank, I wish you the very best outcome from this vital surgery. I believe that you'll have a speedy recovery and will return here jn no time to continue on with all of your many friends. Best Regards, Charles
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