I’ve been asked to evaluate/beta test some new fuses that will be coming out soon. I should have them as soon as this coming Saturday.
At this point:
1. I cannot reveal the name of the manufacturer of the fuses. 2. I do not know what the retail price will be. 3. I do not know what the name of the fuse will be.
For comparison purposes, I have a full complement of SR Orange fuses that can be used throughout the system. I have one QSA Yellow fuse now being used in my ARC-PH8 phono stage, with another one to arrive soon to be used in my ARC REF-75se.
I’ll be comparing the SR Orange fuses, and the QSA fuses, with the new prototype fuses. I’ll also be using the ears of three of my well-seasoned audiophile friends, as well as my own to make the evaluations. These guys are all truth-tellers that I have full confidence in.
According to the manufacturer, these new fuses are real game-changers, so stay tuned.
Roger was a wonderful designer and that is a fact. He did not believe, in general, in many things that improve sound quality like cabling and boutique caps. This based on several conversations we had as a owner of his gear. That is not uncommon with talented designers. They simply have other interests and passions. Understandable.
In addition, seems he had a bad experience with one particular brand and value of fuses in one particular amp. Should we then extrapolate all high end fuses are a bad idea and snake oil? Probably not reasonable. Right? I can certainly understand how this bad experience could invite general skepticism and near distain for high end fuses.
I have long stayed out away from this discussion, having myself done no comparing of fuses. But the Johnny Walker Black (the favorite blended Scotch of both myself and Chrisopher Hitchens) has kicked in, and I’m thinking what the Hell.
I suppose it’s possible that the electrical characteristics of any given fuse could be great enough to effect the electricity reaching the power transformer of, say, a power amp. Roger Modjeski measured a variety of fuses, and posted his findings in his Music Reference section in the AudioCircle Forum. He DID measure differences, but at levels far below, he claimed, the threshold of audibility. And he had real good ears, and listened through ESL loudspeakers, both QUAD and those of his own design and manufacture. His own great electronics as well, obviously. He was also a musician, and "advanced" music lover.
But a fuse impacting the sound characteristics of the amp? Transparency, frequency extension, tonal balance, instrumental and vocal timbre, depth/soundstage/imaging, etc. etc. etc.? I’m very skeptical that is even possible. A fuse doesn’t "see" those kinds of information, only electricity. That the electricity passing through a fuse could be effected in ways that create effects in the ways mentioned above seems most unlikely to me.
But then I believe in science, not mysticism (George Harrison discovering the sitar and The Beatles taking LSD ruined the Beatles). Western vs. Eastern? Somewhat related, I like what Dylan (Bob, not Thomas) said: "It’s not left or right, it’s up or down".
Every page needs the opposite side shown to counter any . And here it is.
cerberus79 A few months ago I purchased a used pair of speakers from another Agon member. To my surprise all the fuses were Orange fuses. I listened to them and then to satisfy my curiosity I replaced them with ordinary buss fuses and could not hear a difference. I did this test with a bunch of friends and neither I or them could hear a difference. Kind of just says it all doesn't it?
To those non technical thinking of purchasing these $$$ fuses. Just save your $150+ and do this instead.
A fuse: 1: two end caps 2: short piece of fuse wire connecting the two end caps through a glass tube (that’s all she wrote).
To those "non technical" members that are interested in "maybe" wasting their money, do not listen to the non-technical, listen to the technicians of this industry that design the audio products you have and listen to. AND YOU WON"T SEE THEM ON THREADS LIKE THIS AGREEING WITH WHAT SAID HERE ABOUT THE SOUND IMPROVMENT DETAILS AND AC FUSE PLACEMENT DIRECTION, EVER!!! Just clean and tighten your fuse holder and re-new your fuse (if old) with a good quality 50cent Bussman, Littlefuse or similar.As with "many switch-on surges" they do deteriorate, bend, stretch and get crusty with electrolysis formations on their fusible wire elements before they give out, as these pics show of a fuse wire element ageing over time show. https://ibb.co/9NbTwqK (even the $$$ boutique ones will age just as much also)
With a full complement of the prototype fuses in use now, the system is sounding better than ever. It is hard to believe that a home stereo in an average-sized living room could perform like this. It is truly mind-boggling.
Mister Golden Ears is scheduled to arrive at nine in the morning for a listening session. He knows the system almost as well as I do. We'll see what he has to say. Plus, at some point, we will be replacing two of the prototype fuses with the QSA Yellow fuses to compare.
By the way, I haven't told Mister Golden Ears anything about the prototype fuses. As far as he knows, the system is still outfitted with a full complement of SR Orange fuses.
The last time he was over, I was just breaking in the first QSA Yellow fuse in the line stage. He heard the abnormalities in the midrange too, so we swapped out the fuse with the SR Orange fuse that was previously in the line stage ... and the music came back into focus like before. And yes, I did try the QSA Yellow fuse in both directions, so that wasn't the problem.
cerberus79 A few months ago I purchased a used pair of speakers from another Agon member. To my surprise all the fuses were Orange fuses. I listened to them and then to satisfy my curiosity I replaced them with ordinary buss fuses and could not hear a difference. I did this test with a bunch of friends and neither I or them could hear a difference. Kind of just says it all doesn't it?
To those non technical thinking of purchasing these $$$ fuses. Just save your $150+ and do this instead.
A fuse: 1: two end caps 2: short piece of fuse wire connecting the two end caps through a glass tube (that’s all she wrote).
To those "non technical" members that are interested in "maybe" wasting their money, do not listen to the non-technical, listen to the technicians of this industry that design the audio products you have and listen to. AND YOU WON"T SEE THEM ON THREADS LIKE THIS AGREEING WITH WHAT SAID HERE ABOUT THE SOUND IMPROVMENT DETAILS AND AC FUSE PLACEMENT DIRECTION, EVER!!! Just clean and tighten your fuse holder and re-new your fuse (if old) with a good quality 50cent Bussman, Littlefuse or similar.As with "many switch-on surges" they do deteriorate, bend, stretch and get crusty with electrolysis formations on their fusible wire elements before they give out, as these pics show of a fuse wire element ageing over time show. https://ibb.co/9NbTwqK (even the $$$ boutique ones will age just as much also)
The primary effects of psychedelics like mushrooms and LSD are visual and breaking down the illusion of the ego. They do not for the most part affect the perception of sound. Not directly, anyway. You still hear everything as usual. It is more like you don't care as much, realizing you are the universe and all.
Gotta call BS on that. LSD affects all the senses. Perceptions are the same for all senses (in that they work as usual) but differ in the mind's interpretation. Depending on that interpretation, any sense can be profoundly effected and distorted. Every trip is different.
I put the final new prototype fuse in the amp this morning. So now the amp, preamp, and phono stage all have the new prototype fuses in them. I'll report back on the results later.
I have Mister Golden Ears coming over tomorrow to take a listen. Besides myself, he's the person most familiar with the system. He's a very critical listener. So, what I have planned is a listening session where we start out with all prototype fuses in place, then changing out the fuses in the preamp and amp for the QSA Yellow fuses. That should be a fair comparison.
jetter ... I have a collection of investment quality Reds, Blacks, and Blues I would sell you at a good price if you're interested. Let me know if you want the PPT "Total Contact" left on or not.
I’m with ebm on this one. I am also getting 6 to put in a presentation case as these being "first batch" are destined to become collectors items and appreciate markedly. I will place them right next to my SR "first batch" unused red, black, orange, and blue fuses and my collection of QSA black,blue, yellow, purple,and red fuses.
You folks that are actually using them are ruining their collectors value.
The primary effects of psychedelics like mushrooms and LSD are visual and breaking down the illusion of the ego. They do not for the most part affect the perception of sound. Not directly, anyway. You still hear everything as usual. It is more like you don't care as much, realizing you are the universe and all.
I spoke with the manufacturer yesterday about how good the prototypes sounded right out of the box. His response was ... "they continue improving as they break-in." clearthinker ...
oregonpapa I think your posts on this are fiction. I don't think you're testing fuses at all. I think you just want to see which of us fantasists will suck it all in.
"I would be interested in reading about a Fuse-Shootout involving your ARC cd player."
I wish I could tell you. The CD-7se had a laser failure and I haven't used it in over a year. I'm using a modified Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi DVD player that I found in almost new condition. I had Grover Huffman do the modifications, and I have to say, I think it runs circles around the ARC unit. Grover is THE man.
Thanks for your vote of confidence. I'm trying my best to report what I'm hearing as accurately as possible. My only goal here is to tweak my system to the Nth degree possible and then to share the results with the rest of the members here.
For the naysayers, there is no monetary reward. The reward comes at the end when the system sitting in my living room becomes transformed into this incredible magic music machine like it did tonight. I had a friend over, someone who knows my system very well, and the guy was flabbergasted by what he heard. Me too.
"Are any of your previous fuse findings based on pasting with PPT?"
The QSA Yellow fuse that is/was in the phono stage was evaluated both ways ... with Total Contact and without. Putting TC on the endcaps seemed to calm the midrange down a bit and put a little more meat on the bones. Both ways, the QSA Yellow fuse sounded dynamic, transparent, went deep in the bass, but I still can’t get around that thin (for lack of a better word) midrange.
So for tonight’s listening session, I replaced the QSA Yellow fuse in the phone stage for one of the prototype fuses. The result? ... The midrange is back in spades. The sound stage is huge and the musicality is really something special.
So at this point, I have an SR Orange fuse in the amp, a prototype fuse in both the line and phono stage. Things are sounding amazing.
Tomorrow, I will replace the SR Orange fuse in the Amp for one of the prototype fuses. That will put prototype fuses in all three pieces of the electronics. We’ll see what happens.
I received another QSA Yellow fuse in today’s mail. So, after tomorrow’s listening session, I will replace the two prototype fuses that will be in the line stage and amp with the QSA Yellow fuses. Stay tuned.
I‘m sure Frank will act impartially with an open mind seeking to eliminate any preconceptions or bias: terms which seem to be totally alien to our resident curmudgeon
Of course it did, that was going to be a given There’s ulterior rewards to say it did, and nothing to reap if it didn’t.
Total fail. The only "reward" is credibility. If Frank does a good job describing what he hears then others will hear it too and over time Frank will gain credibility. But if Frank gets it wrong then it is only a matter of time before others figure this out and there goes his reputation. No one will care what he has to say one way or the other. This includes the manufacturer. Who in their right mind is gonna give expensive stuff away to someone with zero credibility? They only do this when you are credible. With people like Frank.
If Frank does his job well then it is the manufacturer who takes all the risk. Frank can say good or bad, he wins either way when everyone finds out he was true and honest.
This is where we separate the men from the boys. Blather all you want boys, while Frank steps up and shows us the way.
Once you understand what is really going on then it also is plain as day it does not matter whether Frank got this stuff for free, or paid dearly, or anywhere in between. Doesn't even matter what he paid for any of it. All that matters is he accurately evaluate the differences between the choices. So we know how one performs relative to another. All that matters.
In other words then not only are the criticism and name-calling undeserved, they show a deep misunderstanding of what it is to evaluate, or review, and indeed what it is to make choices. We all must make choices of one kind or another in building our systems. If one cannot understand even this much, what chance do they have?
Of course it did, that was going to be a given There’s ulterior rewards to say it did, and nothing to reap if it didn’t. And then to s w with everyones head😜 to make things look legit, you’ll do a reversal on that, so the other fusee will reward you for a few more months.
The new prototype fuses arrived in yesterday’s mail. For last night’s listening session, I replaced the SR Orange fuse in the line stage with one of the new prototypes. The results? ... It killed the SR Orange fuse in every respect. There was a BIG improvement in overall clarity from top to bottom. And the midrange ... the midrange ... Zowie!
I’m looking forward to tonight’s listening session. I will be replacing the QSA Yellow fuse in the phono stage with one of these new prototypes. If what I heard on the line stage last night is any indication, I think the midrange abnormality I talked about previously with the QSA Yellow fuse will most likely be further evidenced.
It is the morally correct thing for A'gon "shadow endorsers" to disclose any actual or potential financial relationship with the product manufacturers even more than the full blown manufacturers and retailers whose self interests are clear.
cerberus79 A few months ago I purchased a used pair of speakers from another Agon member. To my surprise all the fuses were Orange fuses. I listened to them and then to satisfy my curiosity I replaced them with ordinary buss fuses and could not hear a difference. I did this test with a bunch of friends and neither I or them could hear a difference. Kind of just says it all doesn't it?
To those non technical thinking of purchasing these $$$ fuses. Just save your $150+ and do this instead.
A fuse: 1: two end caps 2: short piece of fuse wire connecting the two end caps through a glass tube (that’s all she wrote).
To those "non technical" members that are interested in "maybe" wasting their money, do not listen to the non-technical, listen to the technicians of this industry that design the audio products you have and listen to. AND YOU WON"T SEE THEM ON THREADS LIKE THIS AGREEING WITH WHAT SAID HERE ABOUT THE SOUND IMPROVMENT DETAILS AND AC FUSE PLACEMENT DIRECTION, EVER!!! Just clean and tighten your fuse holder and re-new your fuse (if old) with a good quality 50cent Bussman, Littlefuse or similar.As with "many switch-on surges" they do deteriorate, bend, stretch and get crusty with electrolysis formations on their fusible wire elements before they give out, as these pics show of a fuse wire element ageing over time show. https://ibb.co/9NbTwqK (even the $$$ boutique ones will age just as much also)
cerberus79 A few months ago I purchased a used pair of speakers from another Agon member. To my surprise all the fuses were Orange fuses. I listened to them and then to satisfy my curiosity I replaced them with ordinary buss fuses and could not hear a difference. I did this test with a bunch of friends and neither I or them could hear a difference. Kind of just says it all doesn't it?
To those non technical thinking of purchasing these $$$ fuses. Just save your $150+ and do this instead.
A fuse: 1: two end caps 2: short piece of fuse wire connecting the two end caps through a glass tube (that’s all she wrote).
To those "non technical" members that are interested in "maybe" wasting their money, do not listen to the non-technical, listen to the technicians of this industry that design the audio products you have and listen to. AND YOU WON"T SEE THEM ON THREADS LIKE THIS AGREEING WITH WHAT SAID HERE ABOUT THE SOUND IMPROVMENT DETAILS AND AC FUSE PLACEMENT DIRECTION, EVER!!! Just clean and tighten your fuse holder and re-new your fuse (if old) with a good quality 50cent Bussman, Littlefuse or similar.As with "many switch-on surges" they do deteriorate, bend, stretch and get crusty with electrolysis formations on their fusible wire elements before they give out, as these pics show of a fuse wire element ageing over time show. https://ibb.co/9NbTwqK (even the $$$ boutique ones will age just as much also)
Let’s see who wears out first ... you with posting your nonsense and insults, or me reporting you to the Mods. I’d bet on me outlasting you because I know what my level of endurance is.
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