FUSES??? Just when I just replaced all my PC cords.
So I come across what I think is the next magic pill. "FUSES" Synergistic Research RED Quantum Fuse to be specific. Guaranteed to make a significant improvement in overall sound quality. Or a full refund. Gotta love that, total satisfaction. So, it's got my interest. Let's say one would like to challenge the promise. I have a Jolida tube amp (801) a Jolida JD9II phono pre and a Jolida glass tube DAC III. And I would like to try one fuse to start with. Which of the three components of my system would you recommend trying first?
But he does not supply an upgraded fuse with his amps. I can not find a
post where he states which fuse to the ears of his customers sounds the
best.
The amplifier builders I have talked with are not
interested in evaluating fuses , power cords, expensive capacitors such
as Dueland, or any tubes (except run of the mill Chinese or Russian).
They leave those decisions to the minority who are really looking to
maximize their systems.
We found a long time ago that people are going to try different stuff and will discard the supplied parts (tubes, power cords, connectors, fuses...). We do audition capacitors and resistors (we were the first to use Caddock resistors, back in 1978) and that continues to this day. Those parts are options in our lessor expensive products and standard in our more expensive units. This has the benefit of reducing the instances of people making a rat's nest of the interior of the product as we can do a much better job of installation in most cases, and we already know what parts work the best. We have some real craftsmen on staff- take a look at the video on our home page and you will see what I mean- all of our gear is signed!
We know how our amps sound and what is possible, but on a more practical level there is no point in spending a lot of money on something that is going to get thrown away! That is one reason we have IEC connections on our gear- in that way people won't hack the chassis up trying to replace a power cord.
We do have higher end fuses on our MA-2 amplifier- about 27 years ago we were experimenting with fuses and the ones in the MA-2 beat all the others hands down. 27 years later that is still the case. Those fuses use a much larger fuseholders with much greater contact area and contact force.
mapman: Ralph of Atmosphere amplifiers has said in another thread that he has had customer feed back from many Atmosphere users that this or that fuse improved the sound of amps. But he does not supply an upgraded fuse with his amps. I can not find a post where he states which fuse to the ears of his customers sounds the best.
The amplifier builders I have talked with are not interested in evaluating fuses , power cords, expensive capacitors such as Dueland, or any tubes (except run of the mill Chinese or Russian). They leave those decisions to the minority who are really looking to maximize their systems.
Kenny 928:
I do hope you will try a state of the art fuse such as the Synergistic Research Black and an audio grade A/C wall outlet. By picking a company with a good 30 day return policy, I have found it to be a fun experiment. It seems like it is an all win situation. If you buy the fuse, like the sonic change, and think the sound improvement is worth the cost -you keep the fuse.
If you try the fuse and are not happy for ANY reason you send it back. You then have the satisfaction of relying on your own priorities in what is good sound and what is worth buying and not some reviewer.
Unlike auditioning amplifiers or speakers, no worries about shipping damage or expensive shipping costs. Returning a fuse is $6.80 USPS flat rate box priority shipping with tracking and insurance. They can be returned via regular mail even cheaper.
I do hope everyone reading will enjoy a beautiful Mother's Day this weekend. I will be fortunate to be with my mom in person and get to listen to her beautiful music system that uses an Antelope DAC, Type 45 SET tube amp, and Terasonic speakers.
And yes she uses Black fuses in her system. After all, your Mother really does know best.
If its a good product and has good sound, chances are they made very educated decisions about the fuse just like everything else that goes into the design. Why did they not use a fuse that costs the end buyer $100 and the seller likely a small fraction of that? Don’t know but they didn’t apparently. I’m sure it was a sound engineering decision and no prejudice against any particular kind of fancy fuse.
BTW the stock fuse in my ARC pre-amp is not your run of the mill 50 cent fuse you might have found at Radio Shack (not that there is anything wrong with that). I replaced the stock ARC fuse with a Synergistic Red Fuse (given to me to try) and have not heard any significant difference for example.
Kenny928... "The issue there is why in the heck did the manufacturer not go with quality parts to begin with? A 5K and above amp or audio equipment with substandard fuses and power cords???"
Merrill Audio does just that . They supply quality fuses and power cords with their Veritas mono block amps. Merrilll would have it no other way.
Kenny928..."Explain that one to me! "
Every audio company has different profit margins and after market parts would kill their bottom line... would be my best guess... while other audio companys put the customer and company name first.
"I understand what you are saying David, but what annoys me is when they use terminologies such as "Quantum Tunneling" which is a quantum mechanics phenomenon, something I am familiar with and why they chose a term if it has nothing to do with their claimed process annoys me to no end."
Manufacturers sometimes choose terminology for their products that they hope will get a rise out of people and garner attention. It’s the nature of the business. With so much competition these days manufacturers are sometimes obliged to try to make their products stand out from the crowd. It’s called artistic license. Or marketing. What would you prefer they call their technique, Proton Tickling? This could be just a case of people being afraid that anything audio related with the word quantum in it must be some sort of con job. It wouldn’t be the first time.
geoff kait machina dynamica we do artificial atoms right
I certainly can understand your annoyance with using a quantum physics term to describe basically a manufacturing process. I am faced with the same situation when reading about "health products and treatments" as I am an Anesthesiologists when not listening to my music.
So I audition products that can be returned so I only have to decide if the product improves my system. I do not study reviews, nor as I did in the 70's and 80's pore over spec sheets. Does the change in the system improve my enjoyment of the music. That is my gold standard- nothing else.
I have not tried the Audio Magic Beeswax fuse. They have a no return policy. That precludes me from evaluating their product without a pre hearing bias. It is also not clear to me when they sonically stabilize. However,they do have their proponents.
My amplifiers are all made by well respected boutique manufacturers. I have talked with them on the subject of fuses and power cords. Not one has an interest in trying or supplying an audio grade fuse or power cord with their products. They all think the audiophile will be happy with average vanilla or will tube, fuse, and power cord roll no matter what they put in their product. Bobby P of Merlin speakers was one of the few manufacturers who made very specific statements as to which amps and wires to use with his speakers. And then of course there would be all these threads here on Audiogonas to which amp and wire really worked better than what Bobby said !
I understand what you are saying David, but what annoys me is when they use terminologies such as "Quantum Tunneling" which is a quantum mechanics phenomenon, something I am familiar with and why they chose a term if it has nothing to do with their claimed process annoys me to no end. Did you see the newest beeswax fuses at 149 bucks? As an audiophile, I just want products that will produce quality sound without the claims that defy the principles of engineering and physics. I too have tube rolled and tried different fuses. The issue there is why in the heck did the manufacturer not go with quality parts to begin with? A 5K and above amp or audio equipment with substandard fuses and power cords??? Explain that one to me!
Synergistic Research applies 2 million volts to the fuse at a certain frequency and time. They call this process Quantum Tunneling. A descriptive marketing term,in the likes of the Motorola "Quasar" televisions. I have tried several of the aftermarket (but not all ) fuses. I have heard small changes (Isoclean) to large sonic changes( Synergistic Research Black ). SR sells three fuses each with a different sonic change at three price points. I especially like the way my system sounds with SR Black fuses in place. Because the amount and direction of change a fuse can make, I buy from a company that offers a money back policy. I have also experimented with tube rolling in my amps but I know of no tube vendors that have an audition with return policy. That certainly would be welcomed when considering the expensive Elrog, Psvane , KR, or EML tubes.
From an engineering standpoint I do not understand exactly how different brands of tubes, capacitors, and fuses change the sound. But they do.
I have enjoyed taking a considerable amount of time auditioning various fuses and I believe my system sounds better for the time and effort spent.
May I suggest that you look into the claims of Quantum Tunneling before you pay crazy amounts of money on fuses? I would also ask the manufacturer to provide you with actual proof of their claims and not rely on testimonials. Also pose the question on whether they used the
Schrödinger equation
in their treatment of said fuses. Sorry, but my physics and engineering background has me questioning a lot of these claims made.
You were the one who posted that you were interested in trying a " Synergistic Research RED fuse" with a money back guarantee and you wanted to "challenge the process". For the price of return postage $3.00 for regular mail and $6.80 for priority mail you could have taken the challenge.
You may have found the sonic improvements exceeded or at least matched the improvements of your new power cords. Your wife may have even applauded your decision to upgrade your music system with the addition of a new component that cost about $120.00. The fact that the sonic component is a fuse is is not important. I think you were lured into the purchase of a different fuse since it was 50 % off.
I did not say you were a cheapskate. I said you were went cheapskate on your system. I believe Parts Connexion pushed you button with their "Sale Price". I have been there and done that myself. I have gone cheapskate on my system and in the long run not saved money.
Modestly priced audio systems can and do often sound better than uber expensive systems. Go to any audio show such as the Newport Beach, California show June 2 -4 and you will experience exactly this .
"Mr. Pritchard, I'm truly sorry you feel that I became a cheapskate in trying a fuse upgrade that only cost $20. For your information, I'm a disabled veteran living on a fixed income, and personally would feel awfully guilty telling my beautiful wife that I spent $120 on a fuse for my amp."
It actually wasn't that long ago that rather than replace the six or so fuses in my system, which I could have done at that time since Isoclean and HiFi Tuning fuses had come out already had I a mind to, I simply reversed the stock fuses one a time, listening after each switcheroo, until they were all in the correct orientation. Am I cheap or what?
Mr. Pritchard, I'm truly sorry you feel that I became a cheapskate in trying a fuse upgrade that only cost $20. For your information, I'm a disabled veteran living on a fixed income, and personally would feel awfully guilty telling my beautiful wife that I spent $120 on a fuse for my amp. Not everyone on this site makes seven figures, and can spend without regret, but I will tell you one thing Mr. Pritchard, nobody enjoys listening to their gear ( though modest by most standards) than me.
I am not associated with Synergistic Research in any way. I am not a dealer, reviewer, or beta tester. I do not receive any samples or get any special "dealer pricing".
I am a Cardiac Anesthesiologist practicing in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I am on the Board of Directors of the chamber music series "El Paso (Texas) Pro Musica". The Emmy winning cellist Zuill Bailey is the artistic director.
I come from a scientific - medical- music loving environment. My father was Jack A. Pritchard MD who was the discoverer of the treatment of Eclampsia in pregnant women and the author of William"s Textbook of Obstetrics.
When I try to improve my listening systems I try to do so in a methodical scientific method. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to world class musicians up close and and the same program multiple times.
I do think the Synergistic Research Black fuses are a significant sonic advancement. The cost for said improvement is small , and the fuse comes with a money back trial. For these reasons I am an advocate for the Synergistic Research Black fuse.
Sorry at the last second you went cheapskate on your audio system. Those Hi-Fi fuses are accurately named. They have been on "sale" for a long time. You will hear some improvement or at least some change in your system.
The Synergistic Research Black fuse is currently the best audiophile grade fuse available according to most but not all who tried them.
What is not debatable is that the SR Black fuse comes with a no risk 30 day trial. This gives plenty of time to break in the fuse and try it in both directions.
No , No scientific way to install . Cross your fingers , say three hail marry's , Have a rabbits foot in your pocket too . If that does not work flip fuse over and reinstall .
Parts Connexion is selling Hi-Fi Tuning Silver Star fuses at $20 (originally sold for $40). So I ordered one for my amp. Basically a twenty dollar audition. If I feel there is an audible improvement I will replace all my fuses. Question; Is there right/wrong way to install fuses?
geoffkait3,003 posts03-11-2016 6:33am Let’s
see, how long has it been since aftermarket fuses first appeared on the
scene? Twenty years. Gosh, it seems just like yesterday. Yesterday, all
my troubles seemed so far away....It was 20 years ago today Sgt. Pepper
taught the band to play.....hahaha
The problem is nobody only kept him posted! Keep me posted and Happy listening!
I think you are going to be very happy with the sound after the 100 hour break in period. I tried several approaches to the breakin but this way "seemed" the best. Ran the equipment on continuously for 50 hours and then several on and off cycles to reach 100 hours. I do think they continue to improve even after that.
folkfreak:
I agree. Scott Walker Audio in Anaheim, California may be the most experienced Synergistic Research dealer on the planet.
I hope everyone reading this thread can attend the 2016 Newport Beach Audio Show: June 3-4-5. Synergistic Research and Scott Walker Audio will be there and it is a great opportunity to talk with them directly.
Ozzy -- As I mentioned on the other SR fuse thread SR do actually offer a quantum tunneled breaker. You simply send them your breaker and they give it the QT treatment for modest cost, I suspect they could do the same with your Pass labs amp breaker as well -- call your SR dealer and ask (I use Scott Walker)
Let’s see, how long has it been since aftermarket fuses first appeared on the scene? Twenty years. Gosh, it seems just like yesterday. Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away....It was 20 years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.....hahaha
yes, it appears that switching fuses is the next "big" thing. We all know that most companies cheap-out on all parts, including fuses. Looks like some of the companies figured out a way to make an over-looked piece of the equation more sound.
The Synergistic Research RED or Black fuse will definately reduce some of the brightness - digititis of your DAC. You will also hear better imaging. Your 5 cent fuse is really keeping a good DAC from showing it's full potential.
I hope you will give a good audiograde fuse a trial. If you are not happy with the results send it back.
Found a small Canadian company run by Denis Sureau on Audio Asylum. His prices were at a price point that got my attention, the build quality is excellent and his advice and knowledge was impressive. So I took a chance and purchased his recommended Mega Ultra LH cord for my Furman power conditioner to the wall. I was sold, and one by one replaced all cords with his line. Couldn't be happier.
All posters listed above know what they are talking about and speak the truth. Markeetaux, I feel your frustration. You just put some big dollars into power cables, and now you can read about improvements with fuses. On top of that High Fedility Cables has some new products out that are affordable and really does make an improvement. It never ends unless you want it to end. Maybe that's part of the hobby?
Synergistic Research has three fuses: the original SR-20, the RED, and the newest BLACK fuse. Each has different sonic attributes but within an overall house sound. Each allows more music and emotion to pass to the speakers. The RED and BLACK fuses take about 100 hrs. to fully break in. I would suggest auditioning two fuses at the same break in time frame. I would get a fuse for the amp and pre amp. Either two Black or a Red and a Black fuse. Put them in and no critical listening for 100 hrs. of the system being on. The system difference will be significant.
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