Ok, for those who have been waiting with bated breath, the new fuse I've been beta testing is the new Synergistic Research ORANGE fuse.
Price for either size, large or small, will be $159.95 and will be available in all values. Available through your dealer by the middle of the month. The 30-day return policy is still in effect.
This new fuse has more impact on SQ than going from the SR Black fuse to the SR Blue fuse. For those of you who have made this change, you know that is saying a lot.
The new Orange fuse's main strength, as I see it, is the improvement in tonal accuracy. In addition, everything just flows better, with lower distortion, better three-dimensionality, and improved dynamics.
This is a definite winner, for sure. Two thumbs up.
I have used many fuses and they sound less exciting, less impressive than the Blue fuse, never really liked the black.
My impression seems that it sounds in between the Black and Blue fuse.
Is it a good thing, i am not sure.
It does not have stronger bass of the Blues, the biggest minus for me.
I does not have the clarity and super detailed upfront, but the information may still be there... so it seems a little less clear and even seems a little veiled in character.
This sounds more like an equalizer of certain frequencies, so there is less confusion or detail thrust upfront.
Less dynamic and softer tonally which sounds like there is some relaxation as the OP put it,
Well, less competition for instruments upfront so i am getting a more comfortable presentation.
oregonpapa, I just listen through the new
SR
orange ( just a few hours burning). The result is difficult to discribe, but details, the sound stage, the easy to listen to. Do you think it might be a great upgrade to install also, on my peamp, that I would be as astonishing as the one on my power amp ? Thank you.
I just put an orange in my new Nord Ncore 500 amp. Nord was including a blue fuse in their top of the line Ncore 1200 amp so if the mfr trusts them so can I. Not exactly sure on the impact of the fuse as my amp is still in the break in period but everything sounds great to me. Next up is a better powercord.
What type of equipment is needed to hear the difference between Blue and Orange? I have Elac Navis speakers and an LKS dac. Am I going to hear a difference between Blue and Orange? I can get Blue for $92 and Orange for $157. Will it be worth it?
The reason I found these premium fuses blow say a 1 amp fuse in a stock steel fuse is because the cheap fuses can vary up to 15%+ in accuracy ,where the premium fuse is within 1%. on bigger slow blow you can only get saidvalues like 5 amp in a small fuse if it calls for a 1 amp ,I go 1,25 ampthis way it gives you a buffer. And I just bought for my Lampizator Amber3 dac the new orange it calls for a 3 amp 20 mm slow ,I put a 3.125 amp fuse. these new orange fuses make your whole performance open up and sound more natural. Another tip for DIY people the New VH Audio ODAM oil metalized poly capacitors are Great .and I have tried almost everything outthere over the years. before going out and buying top $$ Copper foil Jupiter,Millflex or Duelunds these are exceptional ,not over large actually tighter wound and compact and put 1.0uf in my Dac, Stunning realism even after 24 hours ,give them 100 hours ,and priced very reasonable vs the Big $$ caps. Just check them out !!
^^^ ... Yes, you have to buy the Reds, the Blacks and the Blues. This allows you to pass Go, and only then are you eligible to buy the Orange fuses. :-)
I suspect that the masking tape reduces micro-vibrations in the fuse.
Do you have to buy the black and blue fuses first, or can you go straight to orange? I wish I could justify the expense on a fuse... but I can't. However, wrapping masking tape around the glass part of an ordinary fuse yields a good improvement.
As the SR Orange fuses have been breaking in, I’ve been taking notes. Here’s some of my observations:
Compared to the SR Blue fuses ...
1. A further relaxation in the presentation. Less HiFi and more realism.
2. Clarity - less grain. I thought I had this one whipped, but who knew?
3. Expanded soundstage. Instruments and performers are more well placed within the stage.
4. More articulation in vocals. More organically human. The great song stylists have me hanging on every word, and really getting into the lyrics.
5. Improved dynamics. Drums of every stripe have more impact and realism.
6. More body to everything. More meat on the bones.
7. Improved tonal accuracy. Violins, cellos, guitars, and pianos get five stars for sure.
8. The volume level can be set lower while getting the same loudness level as before making the switch from the SR Blue fuses to the SR Orange fuses.
9. There is an added warmth in the mid-bass that is very attractive and involving. Not overly done ... but just right. Everything is system dependent of course, and in my system, using ARC gear, this little bit of added warmth is a real improvement.
Years ago Shunyata offered a solid copper slug to use in place of a fuse. I wonder how that compares? BTW, I have all the SR blue fuses, before that blacks, before that reds, before that others.
Hi Frank: Do you treat your fuses (whatever brand ) with the Perfect Path paste?
Thanks for the question.
Yes, all of my Blue fuses were treated resulting in the expected improvement. I did not treat the new Orange fuses because I wanted to hear exactly what the fuses do and report my findings accurately. I will treat them at a later date though because I suspect that it will be another step up in SQ.
Better left to fruits and vegetables, the color orange hasn't worked on cars, carpet or clothing since the '60s and '70s, but Halloween is coming---guess I'll overlook their appearance and order some oranges. even though I have around twenty blacks and blues in and out of use---expensive, yes--but never disappointing.
Once they are broken in, you guys are going to love these new fuses. I know I keep using the same terminology in my descriptions here, but please bear with me ... I barely made it through high school. :-)
The Orange fuse is like putting the Blue fuse on steroids. After replacing the four Blue fuses with the Orange fuses the system has taken on a very enjoyable and lovely organic density to the overall sound. At this point, I just shake my head in disbelief. Super transparent with no HiFi effects at all. Just another big step toward realism.
With all of the tweaks and changes that have been made over the past couple of years, the superiority of this new fuse from SR can readily be heard and enjoyed. Here’s another cliche’ ... except it is for real ... it is like having a brand new record collection. No bull.
During the last listening session two nights ago, I put on a CD of the Newport Folk Festival. It’s a compilation of various folk singers. When Joan Baez took the stage, it was like she was actually TAKING the stage. The audience was right there. I was in the middle of it. Baez’s voice was the best example of her work sound-wise that I’ve heard yet. That’s saying a lot, because this is a standard, run-of-the-mill red-book CD. Of course, these recordings are transfers from the Vanguard tapes ... and for you guys who know your recordings, you already know how good the old Vanguard’s can be. On classical music, the Vanguard strings can’t be beat.
Release date for the Orange fuses is supposed to be in about a week.
I went from the stock fuse in an otherwise tricked-out Cary SLI-80 directly to the Blue. It was not subtle; clarity, resolution and all the usual audio suspects were enhanced.
+1, jaybe. I went through couple of blown black fuses with ARC AMP and the preamp. So I end up going .25 value higher than rated and no issues since then.
I've gone through complete sets of SR Reds, Blacks, Blues and now the Orange fuses. I've always used the values recommended in the ARC owner's manuals. That's at least six years of having them in the system. So far, no failures.
I find SR fuses to blow much more easily than a normal fuse with the same rating. After this happening a few times with the Blues I took the advise of Alfred at High End Electronics and bought a slightly higher rating fuse but it too eventually blew. Two pieces of highly regarded equipment this happened with that otherwise have no problems.
His description of the improvements attained is exactly what I'm experiencing.
The break-in time seems to be about that of the Blue fuses. They really come into their own at about 20 hours. Quite unlike the Black fuses that seemed to take forever.
Thanks for the news, Frank. You ARE saying a lot about a fuse that beats the SR black-to-blue improvements. Have you heard anything from SR about how this is achieved?
Never had Black, only Blue. Seems a lot for a fuse except the Blue does about as much as a really good $500-1k power cord, so on that basis is good value. Will have to look at upgrading one of my Blues to Orange.
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