After about 2 1/2 weeks with the SR Black I added Stillpoints 5's under my speakers, replacing Ultra SS's. I was unhappy with the change in balance, imaging, and loss of involvement. I made slight adjustments to speaker placement, but just couldn't recapture the magic. Not to waste the 5's I inserted four under the turntable. Nice improvement, but still a little bright. So...I decided to swap out the SR Black for an Audio Horizon, which I used prior to the Black. The system regained density, imaging, and most important, musical involvement. Not a criticism, but merely observational of how the fuses differed in my system.
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?
Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
4,833 responses Add your response
It does need to be repeated that these fuses are directional. Not bad vs good sound but a clear preference will be noted with direction reversal. For some reason the reversal of fuse direction was more profound with the Red than the Black in my components. There are differences with the Black, they just were not dramatic, noticeable? Yes. Charles, |
mid40sguy, Have you tried reversing the direction of the fuse? I noticed an improvement immediately after installing to include lower floor noise, incredible depth, air and extension after 75+ hours. Brownsfan, The SRB fuses improved each component I put them in, I feel as if I've been transported to the recording venue. The AH fuses are good but the SRB just take it to the next level especially with a high resolving system... I also experimented with fuse direction on the first day to discern the best sound before sealing the unit back-up. David, Thanks for the info on the ECTs, may have to contact the MW to see where the most sensitive parts are inside of my MW Sony 5400. |
Mid40s, which MW Oppo do you have? The 105 is usually powered by the 9.9 power supply, not the 9.0. Those two power supplies are very different animals. At any rate, I have found the 9.0 to be very sensitive to power cords, so I would have thought the same might apply to fuses. Wig claimed an OMG experience with his ModWright Sony 5400 when replacing the fuses with SR black. I think both the PS 9.0 and my HAPZ1 use the same fuse. If so, I'm going to buy just one and try it in both to see which gives the greater improvement. |
Synergistic Research HFT (High Frequency Transducer) Anyone else? If too far off topic please let me know and I'll withdraw this. I just now installed 13 of my 15 sale pack of HFT's. Five years ago I installed five acoustic resonators Franck Tchang brought to the market. The idea and results from transducers or resonators or whatever you call them is something I am aware of and enjoy the soundstage they bring to my room. I'm not 100% on placement now but find the forward soundstage much better in that there is a solid wall enveloping the area in a natural way. I can hear extension and depth over what was there before. There is more going on but I need time to listen. It is not easy for me to articulate in written form not exactly the most educated guy here. Very promising! |
I installed a BLACK fuse in my Modwright Oppo 9.0 power supply three weeks ago. Sadly, nothing. Maybe a bit more blackness (pun) but I'm not sure. Brownsfan, Please don't let my experience stop you from trying the fuse in your unit. You have a 100% return option so what to loose, frankly I am very curious what you think. The RED in my VAC was stunning. |
After two weeks my first SR black arrived. I installed it in my Coincident line stage, where it replaced a stock fuse. I did not detect any of the brightness or hard edge reported by others. I noticed a modest increase in resolution as judged by the clarity of the German in Schutz's Die Sieben Worte. A more significant increase in tonal beauty was noted. It was one of those deals where you start running through music you hadn't heard in a while, because you just didn't want to stop listening. I suspected their might be a hint of increased air, but it wasn't more than a hint. Soundstage and imaging were inconclusive. I did not attempt to reverse the direction yet. I plan on leaving the preamp powered up today and letting it idle. Wig, I plan on replacing the fuses in my PS 9.0 and HAPZ1 next. I hope the results parallel your experience with your MW Sony. If all goes as expected with the preamp fuse, I will probably place an order for the source fuses in a couple weeks. |
The Synergistic Research Electronic Circuit Transducers (ECT) definitely have an effect on my Marantz SA11-S2 SACD player. I have about 7 in the SACD player and 8 on the tube amp. You can over do it and you can also put them in places where the sound gets worse. But after trial and error (following Synergistic Research Guidelines) you can be rewarded with a much improved sound from the CD player or DAC. I used a stick of Blue Stick from Home Depot to afix the ECT's temporarily while deciding where the best locations were. A good spot seemed to trigger a sense of more music or better focus. A bad location would trigger a sense of loss of music or emotional impact. I like the ECT's a lot . They can be removed and used on the next piece of equipment when you get upgradeitis. Although since I have been using ECT's , upgradeitis does not seem to ocurr as often. The potential downside is they are not a plug and play but rather an install and evaluate. Personally, I enjoyed the installation journey to sonic improvement. David Pritchard |
I have notice changes in my SRB fuses after 300 hours, especially on my CD Player and Tube Power supply and it's possibly due to the small amount of power that these components draw. But I noticed on the CDs that I've been listening to for weeks that images has shifted toward the inside of the left speaker with more depth. Maybe my next upgrade will be the SR ECTs inside my CD Player... |
Oregonpapa: That is a great CD. When a system is dialed in and the SR Black fuses are broken in, her piano sounds out of this world. Especially when she strums the piano strings with her hand. Boy o Boy! The music coming out of the Teresonic Speakers that are powered by the Black fused Emotion Type 45 tube amp is great today. I hope all have a good weekend. David Pritchard |
Are $150 fuses or 3K power cords too much of an extravagance? http://hifisenses.com/sg-en/house-visit/journey-to-audiophile-haven-at-manila-philippines-part-9.htm... By the way, the last Black fuse is completely broken in now. During last night's listening session I put on Jessica Williams' "Live at Yoshi's" Vol. I. It was just like being there. Highly recommended ... a great recording. http://www.ebay.com/itm/JESSICA-WILLIAMS-Live-at-Yoshis-Vol-1-CD-Digipak-Jazz-Piano-Music-2004-MaxJa... Onward and upward ... |
Jetter, That's true. Components, cables and certain tube replacement/upgrading, it can become expensive in a hurry. What makes these fuse tweaks so attractive is their performance /cost ratio . The power cables could certainly be worth every penny for what they provide in sound quality improvement. However, "Whole different ballgame" is right. Charles, |
David ... Thanks for all of your advise. I'm looking forward to the SR power cord thread as well. With the same technology as the fuses, I can only imagine what a five-foot long power cable will do. And ... I will reporting on four of the cables as they break in, in the system. 150 to 200 hours, eh? Wow. OP |
oregonpapa: Looking forward to your Atmosphere power cord thread. Atmosphere cables take longer to break in- equilibrate in a system than many cables. I suggest 150 to 200 hrs. I do think the UEF technology in the fuses and cables do somehow interact positively with each other. When replacing the A/C wall receptacle please remember to turn off the circuit breaker before starting the replacement. Make sure it is the correct circuit breaker! Take the time to clean the house wires going to the new duplex. Give the new a/c duplex 7-10 days to fully open up and enjoy. Not as jaw dropping as installing Black or Red fuses but still helpful is treating the entire audio circuit all the way back to the power company's transformer with a Jim Hagerman FryCorder. This is a "cable conditioner" somewhat like the AudioDharma Cable Cooker but it treats the house circuit. The price is about that of two Black fuses. I have one and like it. I treat my audio circuits about every 4 mouths. I use my system while the FryCorder is plugged in to the system. Hagerman sells direct and he has a web site. The Marantz SA11-S2 SACD player uses 7 fuses! One power fuse and 6 rail fuses. Each new Black fuse has made a sonic improvement. These Black fuses also improve the headphone listening experience to a degree I simply did not think possible. With the Synergistic Research Black fuses in place, the Sennheiser 800 and Enigmacoustic Dharma headphones are producing sound stages that are thrilling to experence. David Pritchard |
My used Reds arrived and have been placed in the Coincident Franks. I was skeptical, but there was an immediate improvement, just as promised. I am glad that the ears I trust in the thread were proven correct. Maybe when they introduce the next round (Golds maybe?), I'll buy up some people's broken in Blacks. Looking forward to the arrival of my last 1A so I can open up my DAC. |
Papa... If your looking for an fantastic tweak for your system look into a Akiko Audio - Triple AC Power Enhancer. They make tuning sticks in a few different versions,but the Triple would be a good place to start. Just plug it into your ac wall outlet that feeds your system or into your power conditioner and hold on to your hat... |
^^^ Thank you for taking the time in listing those improvements, David. Much appreciated. The SR tweaks and upgrades will become a permanent part of my quest for getting as close to live music in my home as possible. I've really been taken by SR's demos on YouTube. After I'm done with the fuses, the next tweak will be the ECT's. I know folks are getting astounding results from them. I'm using the Oxaide wall outlet now, but its an old one ... older technology. So, I will be changing the Oxaide out for the SR. I've got to say, after being in this hobby for somewhere near 40 years, I've tried most things. NOTHING has been as cost effective, brilliant and such an overwhelming improvement as these SR fuses. I thought I had a musical, resolving system before, but now I realize just how much more there is. Over the years, I've paid particular attention to reducing micro vibrations in the system to the lowest level possible (at least I think so). Perhaps that's one reason why I'm getting such fantastic results from the fuses. They have been absolutely system changing and stunning. When a person such as I, and many others posting here, has an investment in an audio system that would buy a new Mercedes Benz or a Porsche 911, the improvements afforded by the folks at SR is very much appreciated. In the next few days I'll be evaluating and reporting on SR's new Level 3 Atmosphere Series AC Cords. They will be put throughout the entire system. http://www.synergisticresearch.com/new-atmosphere-series-ac-power-cords/ As they break in I'll start a new thread so that this fuse thread can carry on as a fuse thread. Thanks again, David. You, Richard and so many others here have been a real inspiration for me. And ... at my age, I need all of the inspiration I can muster. :-) Stay tuned ... |
Oregonpapa: I am sure you have a good blend of power cords and interconnects. Might I suggest four system upgrades that work for me in three different rooms with different speakers, amps, front end players, and acoustics. 1. If you have not already done so optimize your a/c wall outlets. I have evaluated the Synergistic Research Teslaplex SE, Oyaide R-1, and Furutech GTX-R. The Oyaide is rich and dark. The Teslaplex allows the most music thru to the system. The Furutech is the most detailed with a more etheral sounding soundstage- similar to Type 45 mesh EML tube. The Teslaplex is nice as it can be tried for 30 days and returned. 2. Add a Synergistic Research Grounding Block to your system. 3. Experiment with the placement of Synergistic Research Electronic Circuit Transducers (ECT's) inside or outside your amp and CD player. I have about 15 of the ECT in each system. These ECT units really allow you to fine tune your system. I think you in particular would enjoy the fact that you need to experiment with their exact placement. It is a very satisfying journey leading to audio excellence. 3. Try a Synergistic Research Atmosphere unit. Their latest mini model is $1499.00. I have the standard model and yes it does everything they claim it does. I suggest this upgrade path because it is universal. These four devices work with any room and any system. They are adjustable. If you change components or listening rooms they still work. Each one can be returned if you do not like the change in sound. I hope everyone takes time to enjoy music this weekend. David Pritchard |
Frank, Our audio systems have different components. Your amplifier is moderate power KT 150 tube based push pull. Mine is low power 300b tube SET. Despite the obvious contrast we have near identical results with the SR Black fuses. They have as you've noted increased further the sense of realism and presence factor. Power cables? So many choices. Regarding the Hammond B3, are you familiar with organist Shirley Scott? If not check her out, I think you'll like her quite a lot. She has some really good recordings with her ex husband Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophonist ), good stuff. Shirley has superb swing. Charles, |
I've found that the right way actually sounds SMALLER in scale, but with a proper image size and relationship. When the fuse is wrong. The soundstage sounds oval with a huge hump in the center, making the center image mushroomed out, creating just a huge center image with a tiny band on each side. Bingo! Exactly what I hear in wrong direction ... sounds out of phase. |
Cymbop- don't forget to play with direction. I've noticed, at least on the red fuses, that there is a distinct change in sound depending on direction.. I've found that the right way actually sounds SMALLER in scale, but with a proper image size and relationship. When the fuse is wrong. The soundstage sounds oval with a huge hump in the center, making the center image mushroomed out, creating just a huge center image with a tiny band on each side. Youll know its right when you hear the correct perspective. |
^^^ Charles... There is such a sense of realism in my system these days ... the B-3 was in the room last night. I can hardly wait for my next listening session with my friend Robert. He loves the B-3 like you and I do. On vibes ... my favorite player is Cal Tjader. Saw him live when I was in high school at Zardi's jazz club in Hollywood back in '56. It was a great night of jazz. My girlfriend was gorgeous, the atmosphere was romantic ... and Tjader was the bomb. Its nice that we can relive these moments in our very own listening rooms ... at least in our minds with our eyes closed. :-) These SR fuses, and the vast improvements they have brought to the system, have really peaked my interest in the hobby again. I've decided to look for more ways to drastically improve the system. I've been thinking hard on the issue, and took a good look around the system to see what could be the next step. I have a mishmash of power cords, good ones to be sure, but I think that's the next step. In the meantime, I still have two SR Red fuses to swap out for the Blacks. Stay tuned ... :-) |
Got the Blacks for my DAC/pre in the mail yesterday. VH Audio shipped fast. Out of the box, the sound was a little muddy and indistinct. After about six hours, I had a listening session. The mud was gone and leading edges of horn notes had a nice bark to them, but overall I felt I was lacking the harmonic and overtone development that I had enjoyed with (burned-in) stock fuses. I still retain great hope that these things will rebound with burn-in. I won't be able to listen again until Tuesday night, at which point we'll have about 125 hours. |
audiolover718 ... A change from the Reds to the Black in the CD player was huge. Had a hard edge and lost musicality to begin with .. but WOW, when the Black finally broke in, it was simply a revelation. I was listening to a jazz CD last night that featured the playing of a Hammond B-3 organ. That was the best reproduced B-3 I've ever heard in my system. Sooo real. |
Your welcome Lowrider57, electroslacker, great post, you gave me a detailed explanation as to why I have the large 1-amp fast blow ×4 fuses in my krell 700cx, you said-If the fuse is in series with a transistorised power supply’s pass transistor, then it needs to be a very fast blow., however, I’m still going to go with .2 .3 .25 higher, lol! , I would be like a zombie around the house if my fuses blew up, in the world of high end audio, $520.00 is not a lot of money, but fuses, mmm, yes it is! , you should have heard Ray Muchler’s-the service manager voice change in tone their at krell when I told him the cost of the fuses on the phone, let’s just say he thought I was crazy, but hey, what’s new? , most people believe all audiophiles are. |
I'd look at the fuses that work and see if they have a T inscribed on the end, or have a spiral wire instead of a straight element. If either are true, they are likely slow blow. I found this, but can't vouch for its correctness: "If the fuse is in the loudspeaker circuit, ie, in series with the loudspeaker as a load, then it needs to tolerate occasional overloads, but open on continued overload - so, medium slow blow. If the fuse is in series with a transistorised power supply's pass transistor, then it needs to be a very fast blow. If the fuse is in the mains input lead before any power supply unit, then it needs to sustain the start-up current required to charge the main filter capacitors - so, slow blow." |
^^^ Exactly geoffkait ... even if they are offered a spare Red fuse FOR FREE!!!! Isn't it interesting how the naysayers come right back out from the shadows the very moment someone has a problem with his quirky amp that was saved from being blown to smithereens by a fuse that did its job? What more can a person do to make a point other than to offer his spare fuse to a member for free, including shipping ... or to resolve joncourage's problem for him, then supply him the contact information for SR? Personally, I'm sick and tired of trolls who try to tear the seams of everyone's dreams. (Hey, wasn't there a song to that effect?) :-) In the meantime, my system is sounding terrific. Its never sounded better. And, I'm looking forward to the next SR Black fuse that will be going into the ARC REF-75se. Oh yes, and on the subject of ARC ... we find the same naysayers in every thread started regarding ARC products too. What's up with these guys? Envy? Jealousy? Dark hearts? Someone kicked their cat? What???? Hang in ... |
I don’t like to draw any conclusions before all the facts are in but so far this appears to be just a lot of who shot John, with the usual suspects all lined up trying to punch holes in the whole aftermarket fuse balloon, as is their wont. It’s not like aftermarket fuses are anything new, what is it like twenty years? yet the pessimism and uber skepticism doth persist. True or false, all the skeptics are very content and happy with their systems and have no desire whatsoever to try and coax that last 5% performance out of their systems? :-) |
^^^ Affiliated? No. I'm a satisfied customer who has been around the business community longer than most of you have been wiping your noses. I did what joncourage should have done in the first place and what any astute consumer would have done. Rather than complain here in this forum and disrupt a perfectly positive (with a few exceptions) 15 page thread about a terrific product, what he should have done when the suppler failed to satisfy his complaint, was to simply call, or write, to the manufacturer FIRST in an attempt to get satisfaction to what he considered to be defective fuses. Look, if you were to have a gripe with a real estate agent, would you immediately write to the editor of the local newspaper with your complaint? Would you go to the State Real Estate Commissioner and file a complaint?Or would you simply drop by the real estate office and have a chat with the owner/broker FIRST? SR has a Facebook page. Here ... I got this contact information right off of SR's Facebook page. It took no longer than a few minutes to find it: http://www.synergisticresearch.com/contact/ Now, how damned hard was that??? |
"joncourage ...
Contact SR. They will see that the dealer from whom you bought your fuses will refund your money. You won't be out any cash. But please, once its been resolved to your satisfaction, come back here and post the positive results." Oregonpapa... Are you affiliated with SR? That reply sure does seem like it. |
Lowrider57, I'm not sure which type was blowing, fast or slow, I highly recommend going .1, .2, .3, no higher than .25 over stock fuse value, , these slightly higher values are in my opinion within range of protecting the given equipment that the fuses reside within, most anomalies that could happen will be far greater than these slightly higher fuse values, so, in general, your equipment investment's will be fully protected in my opinion. |
joncourage ... Contact SR. They will see that the dealer from whom you bought your fuses will refund your money. You won't be out any cash. But please, once its been resolved to your satisfaction, come back here and post the positive results. The SR fuses have been a genuine boon for the vast majority of us who have converted over to them. It would be a shame if one experience from a customer with a non compliant amp would dissuade anyone else from trying them. In this entire thread, there have been two who felt they didn't make an improvement in their Maggies ... and one failure in an Ayre AX-5 amp. Everyone else is raving about them. And by the way, Diana Krall was sitting in my lap tonight asking me to peel her a grape. :-) |
It seems to me that there is always a risk when using an audiophile fast blow fuse in an amplifier, since the "nominal melting point" is unknown (compared to major fuse manufacturers who publish their specs). With amps that use a slow blow fuse, the very nature of said fuse allows for a brief period of over-current. It seems like less risk to use an audiophile fuse with unknown specs. Provided that the fuse being used has the correct rating specified by the manufacturer. @audiolabyrinth, IYE, were the SR fuses that blew prematurely fast blow fuses or were there reports of all SR fuses blowing? |
Jon, if you choose to pursue Electroslacker's suggestion, you can order the Littelfuse fuses I referred to from the industrial electronics distributor Digikey, via this link. As you'll see in the listing, though, only the 0.0166 and 0.04 amps squared-seconds fuses are stocked. The intermediate value fuses (0.024 and 0.032) and also the 0.042 fuse are special order. I believe that Digikey doesn't impose any minimum dollar requirement for an order, and as you can see in the listing all of the fuses other than the 0.042 (which isn't necessary, if you get the 0.04 fuse) can be ordered in quantities as small as 1. I also checked distributors Newark Electronics and Mouser Electronics, but they too don't stock the intermediate values, at least for fuses made by Littelfuse. Regards, -- Al |
