oregonpapa:
Here is my cell phone - five- seven-five-six-four-four-one- four- six- two.
Those You Tube posts were great. I would listen to Lightning Hopkins play live on AM radio on the Jim Lowe Blues Show late at night. Alligator clip from the window metal screen to the antenna of my (4 transistors) radio and the music going to my single ear plug. No air conditioning in my parent's house (Dallas, Texas) in the 50's and early 60's. You could hear the sweat in Lightning's voice and I could feel the sweat lying in bed with my head pressed against the window screen hoping for a little bit of cool air.
I still love the old blues from the 30's to the 60's.
A hundred hours now on the 300b amp that I have nicknamed Cutie Pie. It is small in size and light weight - 25 lbs. But with it's very good circuit design, high quality part utilization, new Psvane 300 WE output tubes, and Synergistic Research fuse it is really driving my horn system with emotion .
The amp is based on a design by Shannon Parks' Get Set Go circuit and was built by Greg Johnson.
David Pritchard |
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Frank,
Fair enough, Belafonte isn't a blues singer. In this instance though it comes off good overall and is an enjoyable listen. It is helped along by the accompanying musicians and the sound quality.
Charles, |
Charles ...
Belafonte really isn't much of a blues singer, but that album sure is demo quality. Belafonte should have stuck with the calypso stuff. To me, he sounds like Bobby Short trying to sing Led Zeppelin songs. Hard to pull that off. :-)
I've been fortunate in acquiring a nice collection of Cisco reissues, and Impex reissues as well. The care that goes into the remastering of these tapes is superb. You won't find any artificial digital re-verb here at all. Just very natural sounding recordings done in state of the art style.
Cisco is no longer in business, but it continues on as Impex. Some really good ones are the June Christy, Julie London, Monk, Miles and all of their classical reissues.
Impex will be at the Newport Show in the record booths.
OP |
Slaw ...
Its not very likely that equipment mfg's will be willing to put the SR Black after market fuses in their electronics. Everything has to be marked up in price as it moves along the market trail. If a mfg. pays a dollar for any given part, the dealer pays two dollars and the end consumer pays four dollars.
In other words, an amp that costs the mfg $2500 to produce, is sold to the dealer for $5000. The dealer then sells it to the end consumer for $10,000 (50 point item), less any discount the dealer wants to give.
So, in considering the above, and assuming full retail prices all along the trail, the end consumer would end up paying $480 for one fuse. Or, put another way, an additional $480 on the full retail price of the piece of electronics being purchased.
Unless I'm missing something, I think I have this correct.
OP |
David ...
Please email your cell # to:
oregonpapa@aol.com
I'll give you a call after Robert and I get settled at Newport on Saturday morning. We can set up a time to meet in the SR room. Should be fun.
If anyone else is interested, please do the same.
Thanks ...
OP |
This all sounds fantastic. One would think that manufacturers of audio equipment will soon be striking deals with SR to have these remarkable devices included as standard in their products. It would seem to be a "win..win" based upon all of the positive comments.(Maybe not a win for SR, in one sense, considering their mark-up would diminish.)
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"The room came alive with musical emotion " David that is what I have been experiencing ever since I got my 300b SET amplifier (in 2009). There are so many brands available I'm very happy to hear that you found a great sounding one.
Charles, |
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your kind words. If you consider the sheer length and huge number of posts on this thread it has remained remarkably on focus. Many people have become aware of a really nice worthwhile audio tweak.
Frank,
Funny that you mention that recording. A good friend of mine has that album and ripped a CD copy of it for me. Just as you describe, excellent music, wall to wall sound and terrific tonality of voice and instruments.
Charles, |
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jafreeman:
What a great description of the sound changes the Synergistic Research Black fuse makes at the 10 hour mark. Three sentences that summarize what these fuses do for a system.
Better separation - more detail - relaxation - a sweeter sound.
The same descriptive words I thought of when listening to the new fuse after it had 10-15 hours on it.
Charles1 dad:
I big thank you for all your posts about 300B tube amplifiers. I bought the 300B tube amp listed here at Audiogon that is based on the DIY Ready Set Go circuit. It runs the 300 tube conservatively putting out 5 watts. To go with the amp I bought the Psvane 300 WE tubes from Grant Fidelity (I think a much better source for Chinese tubes than take your chances on E-Bay).
The amp sounded nice after 24 hours of playing. And then the fun. I took a fully broken in SR fuse and put it in the amp.
Immediate and Dramatic improvement! The room came alive with musical emotion.
Six days to the Newport Beach audio festival- June 3 to 5.
Two simple suggestions to improving one's audio system.
1. Go to Newport Beach and listen to a lot of systems.
2. Try a Synergistic Research Black fuse in your system.
David Pritchard
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^^^
Joe ... As I stated before, I replaced the SR RED fuse in my ARC amp about a week ago with an SR Black fuse.. I don't know if its a synergy thing or not now that I have other Black fuses in the system, but its safe to say that the amp has afforded the most improvement of all.
For last night's listening session, I decided to pull out some of my Cisco/Impex reissues and have a go at them. The Harry Belafonte Sings the Blues album (45 rpm) was amazing. The instruments were wall to wall and tonally correct. Belafonte's voice was such that I felt I could reach out and touch it. The improved realism with the new fuse in the amp has brought the system to another new level. Percussion and skin tones on various types of drums is right there. Big improvement in the bass as well.
OP |
My thanks to Oregon, Charles and David, the true gentlemen here who have been exchanging preferences in music and food and also for holding this topic together against all boorish onslaughts.
Now about ten hours in on the SR Blacks in my Maggies, I am being treated to a sweeter, more detailed tapestry of instruments, some not heard in their fullest detail until now. Vocal harmonies are better defined for their separate voices, bass and low organ notes are extended and more relaxed. Congas and are popping out, cymbals are emerging that were before part of a whole that I had wished was more defined.
These fuses are a worthy addition that should continue to improve, but if they stopped here, I could not complain. I will change out the SR Reds for Blacks in the mains of my ARC amps and Wadia 861SE in the near future, as these areas have also benefited from every fuse I have tried.
Cheers to all,
Joe
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^^^
Having musicians in the family is a real bonus. One of my grandsons plays the bassoon at the concert level. He lives in Chicago, but when he comes home, he practices at my daughter's and son-in-law's home where he stays. I always try to take in a few practice sessions. Its been a real pleasure over the years hearing him develop from a Junior High School clarinet player to the fine, soulful bassoon player he is today. He covers the gambit ... from chamber groups to symphony orchestras.
OP |
goldencutt:
What a wonderful post. I find it interesting that you and I have had good results with these Back fuses and both of us have serious musicians in the family - your wife playing violin and my son viola. I am also blessed to have a reference point for the seemingly obligatory audio show female voice in my daughter who is in band and choir. It is a thrill to hear her sing the national anthem at a school function. Acappella - no auto pitch- no compression - no retakes - no overdubs. Just heartfelt emotion.
That is more of what I hear with the Black fuses in place - emotion. This is with using three different systems in three different rooms.
So if your life experience would benefit from listening to music that communicates with more emotion give the Synergistic Research Black fuses a trial. If you are absolutely content with your system, quit reading these posts on Audiogon and go turn on your music system.
David Pritchard |
wolf-garcia ...
Its very comforting to know that someone, somewhere, voted you in as the spelling, punctuation and grammar Nazi for the site. Also comforting to know that you are watching our backs by taking a protection mode to ward off the profiteering manufacturing evildoers who try to steal our money for no gain what-so-ever. What in the world would we do without you?
Hmmm, I'd like to find out.
Take care ... |
If she says what a difference to the sound before, or even that sounds good, ill take it as judgment.
She's just keeping you interested, if you know what I mean??? Cheers George |
Op no it does not necessarily just because it does supposedly for some.
Its a good sales pitch but that's the extent of it.
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Wolf, that's the Bass-O-Matic. |
Goldencutt…not knowing things like grammar and punctuation and how your Tesla works (no mystery to any of that by the way) might work for you, but my position on this over hyped baloney has been clear. SR uses terms in its production description that are nonsense (Quantum Tunneling? really?), produces products that, at least in the case of the fuses, have cashed in on the naiveté of possibly well meaning audio "seekers", and through the hard selling minions endlessly repeating their supposed astonishment at the magic in these things while rarely missing a chance to hard sell 'em like a Vegematic (which actually might work as described…no mystery there), SR sells the panting tweakers a fuse for around 4000% profit. Ka-ching! Allegedly bombing a fuse with 2,000,000 volts doesn't change the fact that it's a $2 fuse that has nothing to do with the circuitry of what it's stuck into except that it should blow if necessary, regardless of which direction (AC…goes both ways…look it up) it might be installed. Has all the supposed tonal improvement that the electrons buzzing through the "magic half inch" provide caused any brilliant gear designers to sign on to this stuff? Not the ones I know…but then they aren't on the SR payroll. |
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^^^ Insert part A (SR Black fuse) into part B (ARC REF-75se) and the synergistic magic happens. :-) |
The difference between buying a car and buying a component audio system is that the car comes with selected parts all assembled and the user chooses the parts that must work together in an audio system so knowing something but not necessarily everything about each part is absolutely required to get best possible results.
Of of couse things like integrated amps help make things a lot easier. |
to wolf Garcia:
why should i need to understand how it works technically . Do i know how my new tesla works. For me its jut fine if it works and if it fits for me. My wife is a violinist and has done many international contests. She has an absolute hearing, her aural ability is far beyond mine without even taking care about the technic. So from time to time when i changed some stuff in the system i want here to listen. Most of time she is not interested in what i changed. If she says what a difference to the sound before, or even that sounds good, ill take it as judgment. So easy isn't it. And if you would like to get a technical background ring up Mr. Deney from SR and talk to him, he is the owner and engineer and he will help you with all your question. In the meantime enjoy the music. |
Sherod,
Way to go, such a nice outcome.
Charles, |
sherod:
I absolutely agree. I now have a SR Black fuse in a Zvox TV sound bar that cost $399. There was a significant improvement in audio quality.
Zacho:
Black fuses and morning swimming - two great ideas that improve the quality of life.
David Pritchard
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So I dreamt about the SR Black fuses last night. Took it as a divine message and bought one the moment I woke up before heading off for my swimming training at 5am. Beyond excited now. |
I just made an observation that you don't necessarily have to have current top-of-the-line electronics to hear the audible difference(improvement) with the SR Black fuse. In my bedroom system, I have a 1960 Pilot 402 tube receiver and taking out the cheap glass fuse(AC fuse) and replacing it with the SR Black fuse made an enormous improvement. Of course, I have excellent cables and older Reference 3a Master Control speakers but these better cables and high-rez speakers only made it more obvious with the improvements given by the SR Black fuse...pretty impressive. |
Jafreeman,
I'm happy for you and your sucessful results with these Black fuses. Improving your system sound quality is always gratifying.
Charles, |
Just installed SR Blacks in my Maggie 3.6Rs. The blacks have replaced the reds, which sounded remarkably better than the Furutechs and SR20s. Two hours in--the blacks sound just as good as the reds right out of the box--I am hearing midrange information that was not audible with the reds--more space and decay, more inner detail. I am not hearing any of the harshness or lack of focus forewarned of before full burn-in. Perhaps this is because of their function in the signal path--they are not being held back. As with my reds, the blacks are 8A and 16A in the tweeter and midrange positions, far exceeding the stock 2.5A and 5A ratings. The larger filaments provide a more robust presentation--this has been the case with all the brands tried--like using a larger gauge wire. The fuses are no longer protecting--just improving. I look forward to an ever sweeter, wider soundstage as these blacks settle in for a few days.
Another score for those who have been believers--sorry naysayers and skeptics--these fuses are providing sound improvements that far exceed bias expectations or other variables such as cleaner contacts because of fuse changes. Try 'em!
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Hi goldencutt,
Congratulations on your very gratifying outcome with the Black fuses.
Charles, |
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goldencutt: Congratulations on your sonic improvement. Your system sounds like it has achieved the level so many desire and yet so few obtain. Ordering ten fuses and then taking the time to orientate the fuses takes courage and dedication that many lack. I hope you will try the Synergistic Research Black outlets in your system. They do use the same technology as the fuses. And like the fuses, they need 100 to 200 hours to fully settle in. David Pritchard |
OP & C1D & David
i do appreciate you all share your experience here.
I would like to give you a update due to my last change to the black fuse. Today we changed the fuses in the active bass-amps. Expensive experience, since there are 5 in each amp. :-)
After that change the picture became what oregonpapa experienced, huge, colorfull and so on. The audience when you listend to Music registered live, is huge. Handclaps are real which is a hard thing to do.But the the presentation of the space is woooow.
Never heard before.The Direction of the Fuse is against the Writing. It sounds like out of Phase otherwise and not focused. Did someone already tried out SR power cords made which are using the same technology then the fuses?
Enjoy your Music.
GC |
tbg ...
Too old for vinyl? When does that happen? :-)
Newport is almost here. Looking forward to meeting some of you folks.
OP |
tbg:
I am glad you are enjoying the SR Black fuses in your already wonderfully performing system. I hope you will be able to give the SR Black A/C outlets a try in your system.
I am finding a very good synergy with using the Black fuse with the Black outlet.
Will you be able to attend Newport Beach this year?
David Pritchard
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I got SR Blacks after I had experienced the benefits of High Fidelity cables and power cords as well as the new H-Cat X-10 MkIII amp with zero distortion. Together they gave me the most realistic sound stage I had ever heard. Then I added the SR Blacks which further embellished this realism.
I must say that perhaps twenty years ago, I thought I had the best sound reproduction I thought possible. Now I know how wrong I was.
I should also add, that I have an Archiving Vinyl AMS Mk III music server and play mainly SACDs converted to DSD but also many CDs. All are played in quad DSD on Signalyst software. I have excellent vinyl but it does not rival what quad DSD does.
I a;m getting too old and lazy for vinyl and have well over 700 albums to choose from, merely by touching my MS Surface screen. |
Thank you both.
Actually focused is the right word to describe the difference in direction. |
clifton ...
If the fuse is installed in the "wrong" direction, the sound will be somewhat diffused as if the system is out of phase. The sound stage may appear to be a little wider but don't be fooled by that. When the fuse in in the "right" direction, everything will be more focused and locked into place. |
Clifton,
You note that the sound changes based on the fuse direction (as many have also noted). Choose the fuse direction that sounds best to you. As Geoff pointed out that the fuse lettering is done randomly and isn't current flow /direction specific.
Charles, |
Hello all,
I have one of these in a power cord running my CD player. Can anyone confirm which way they generally have the fuse inserted - with the SR writing with or against the flow of current?
I'm not sure which is correct as they sound different each way. Currently I have it against the flow of current as that was the way everyone said the Red and earlier SR-20's worked best.
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Goldencutt ...
Loved your picture analogy.
All of the harshness will go away when the fuses finally break in. That's when the "picture" comes forth in full relief. Its pretty amazing really.
OP |
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Hi goldencutt,
It's good to know that the Black fuses are burning in for you successfully and improving your system's performance. The number of people who have posted their positive listening experiences with the SR Black fuses is really quite remarkable.
Charles, ,
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Hi OregonPapa & Charles1Dad,
thank you for your experienced answers. Things start to wake up.
In my system the change from RED to BLACK, was not immediately
better. It was harsh, i had the feeling the softness of the middle
was gone and the tonality of that part as well. Like if there was a Gap between the octaves with a slightly cut out of the middle. Made me nervous.....:-)!
I changed the CD, AMP and Powerconditioner Fuse at the same time. I could hear from the beginning on, that the heights - which i missed with the REDS- where there and the BLACKS where much more dynamic.
Day after Day it gets better. The Soundstage becomes huge, and Instruments seams to stand in the room. Spectacular is the bass and drums, the heights are shining and they are real.
The starting experience is like if you are used to look at a picture and you could see every color, now you can see the picture as a whole and the frame, as well as the room where it hangs.
I hope that is not to bloomy:-) But still, i have only 75 Hours on the Powerconditoner and maybe 15 Hours on the AMP and CD.
I will change also the Fuses in the AMPS for the Active-Bass.
Enjoy the Music.
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slaw
1,137 posts
05-22-2016 3:23pm
"almarg:,
Your post makes more sense (to me), rather than trying to explain, in some fashion, things that cannot be explained or measured, but can be heard by listening."
Sometimes it’s probably best not to try to figure out what’s going on with these controversial tweaks and devices. It would, however, not be true that these cannot be measured or explained. It’s a question of the thick membrane of skepticism that cannot be broken. Aftermarket fuses and wire directionality has been around for almost 20 years. So, while fancy fuses might appear mysterious or bizarre they’re not exactly breaking news.
“If a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going somewhere.” - Groucho Marx
Technology that is sufficiently advanced is intistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke
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nyame ...
Your last post was excellent and right to the point.
For tonight's listening session, I pulled out one of my favorite CD's. Its a private recording of a live event featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra accompanying a young pianist playing the winning performance in a Rachmaninoff piano concerto contest.
With the new Black fuse in the amp and the system completely warmed up, I was awestruck by the realism of the hall. In the beginning of the CD, the orchestra is warming up and there is a lot of noise coming from the audience ... coughing, chatter and such. I was transported into the room. Just prior to the start of the music, I could hear the conductor's feet getting settled into position on the podium.
The presentation was fantastic ... The massed strings enveloped me very much like they do in a live performance. During peaks, the dynamics were off the charts. I can't tell you who the conductor was, or who the young man was that played the piano ... but I can tell you that this is about as close as a home system can get to being true to an actual live event ... at least in my experience. And that experience includes listening to a lot of live orchestral music close up ... hearing tons of systems over the years at the various audio shows ... and visiting other audiophiles' homes with ultra high-end systems.
I'm totally stoked!
I'm going to leave things as they are for a month or so, then decide on what new tweak to try. I'm thinking about trying either the new SR Black wall socket or the ECT's. The
XOT Carbon - Crossover Transducers have my attention too.
Has anyone here tried the XOT Carbon -Crossover Transducers??
OP
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nayme,
You raise some very good points. I can recall the ridicule and skepticism when capacitors were first said to vary in sound quality despite identical specifications. Same ridicule regarding power cords and interconnects. People aren't laughing anymore. The problem is that often people can hear sonic differences long before a reasonable scientific /technical explanation is formulated.
I accept this lag between observation and explanation but recognize that others find this difficult to do. If given the opportunity to hear an audio product I'll report what I hear ,good, bad or indifferent. If I can’t provide a technical argument to support what I've heard, that's okay with me. Eventually one will be found, in the mean while if the product sounds good I'm going to enjoy it.
Charles, |
I'm glad everyone is enjoying the music. |
On 5/20/16 slaw wrote: "Can any of you explain why an item such as a fuse has such an impact on sound?
The honest answer is that we do not have all the answers. There are probably several factor involved. We do know however that it does. And accepting this fact is the first step on the road to finding out why.
We do know that the best fuses can elevate the performance of a high definition system to startlingly higher levels of performance. The sonic benefits of the fuse are proportional to the quality of the system in which it is placed as well as the capacity of the audiophile to know what live music sounds like. A low quality system ( which in some cases includes expensive amplifiers and/or loudspeakers) may not have the resolution to reveal some of these changes. For example many systems cannot important changes to soundstage information like front to back depth and soundstage height. Also if the system lacks quietness, low level information will be lost.
It is no coincidence that the originator of his thread "Oregonpapa" has a very high performance system with reference quality products. Moreover he is a music lover with keen ears and a history of live performances. (I confess that I have never met or spoken to Oregonpapa . My description of his system and life experiences are gleaned from this thread) When confronted with the dramatic results brought about the Synergistic Research fuse he could not restrain himself. He had to tell his fellow audiophiles the good news. It is important to note that he was blown away by the incredible realism of the saxophone in one of his favorite albums. An audiophile whose system is inadequate, or who has no knowledge of the sound of acoustical instruments may not notice any significant changes when playing the same album.
When I said above that we do not know why a fuse can have a large effect on the fidelity of a system, I do not mean to imply that no has the answers.
The first thing to realize is that a fuse by itself cannot improve fidelity. However when placed in an amplifier, the amplifier can produce the changes we hear. When I first heard the synergistic fuse I immediately recognized the changes as amplifier sourced. The addition of the fuse was a modification to the amplifier in the same way that Modwright or other
individuals modify amplifiers. The fuse when placed in an amplifier behaves in accordance with established fundamental principles. The real challenge is find out which of these fundamental principles has the most dominant effects in this application.
I was faced with a similar quandary in 1980. I had a system close to reference quality, which I sought to improve. But how? Then I saw an article by Jung & Marsh in Audio magazine. At that time audio designers would calculate the capacitance value of a capacitor for a given amplifier circuit. However, when Jung and Marsh built these amplifiers using capacitors from various manufacturers, listening tests revealed that they all sounded differently. This was a shocking result. How can caps with the same values sound so differently? It turned out that none of the caps were behaving as a pure capacitor should. Although each had the same measured capacitor value they had significant resistance and inductive values not specified in the circuit diagrams. To complicate matters even further each cap used a different dielectric and there was a huge correlation between dielectric material and sound quality. I was able to acquire some high quality caps, built in response to the audio magazine article and as I changed each cap I heard a massive improvement in sound quality.
My guess is that vibrational energy caused by current flowing through the fuse will be identified as a major factor in fuse performance. But this is a topic for another time.
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^^^^
"Can you believe it, there are even people who don’t hear the effect of aftermarket fuses or directionality?"
Based on my experience with the SR Black fuses, I DO find it hard to believe. Very hard. I have to question what else is going on in their systems.
On initial installation, the Blacks have it all over the Red fuses ... and the improvements are heard right off the bat after installation. That's not to say that there aren't problems. For example, there is some grain and a hard, non-musical edge initially until the fuse breaks in. BUT, one can clearly hear the blacker background, the additional air around instrument and the improved dynamics instantly. At 70-100 hours, the fuse seems to really open up and everything comes into serious focus and then the musicality hits you right between the eyes.
For those who cannot hear the difference, or for those who are so convinced that these fuse upgrades cannot work and won't even try them ... Well ... I'm really happy that I am not you. Why? Because the SR Black fuses have completely transformed my system into something unbelievable. My audiophile friends say the same thing every time they come over for a listening session. And I can assure everyone reading this that the system was no slouch prior to my first experiment with the fuses that started this entire thread.
OP |
slaw
1,137 posts
05-22-2016 4:18pm
"The OP wrote:..."there was an immediate improvement upon installation".
This statement alone was a verification of an immediate sonic improvement, without the benefit of further listening. However, the OP did go on to say that subtle improvements followed."
This is just (one) example of the "instant" effect, I base my posts on regarding this tweak.Similar comments can be made for any wire, cable, power cord, speaker cables. That’s not inconsistent with the concept of break in. There is no reason why a fuse that is not broken in, brand new, cannot sound better than whatever fuse it replaced. Especially if the previous fuse was installed backwards. Ditto interconnects, which are also directional. I also believe you'll find comments vary considerably, so one person might call results AFTER fuse break in subtle whereas another might use the word, spectacular. Can you believe it, there are even people who don’t hear the effect of aftermarket fuses or directionality?
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I haven't researched this topic. I'm just posting on it regarding my current interest in it.
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