PROTOTYPE FUSES - NEW THREAD
pauly ... I believe that both fast and slo-blow will be offered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We had a wonderful five-hour listening session today. The system sounded fantastic. My friend has a terrific record collection and a multitude of high-quality recordings, specifically high-quality reissues. The gem of the day was his copy of Miles’ "Kind of Blue" reissued by Analogue Productions. It’s the "UHQR" reissue that is pressed on clear vinyl. This is the closest to having real instruments playing in the room as I’ve ever heard. I have the original six-eye stereo, and several reissues, including a Japanese reissue of this recording. I’ve always found the original to sound the best, until today. If you want the best version of Kind of Blue, seek out the Analogue Productions reissue. It is amazing. Now then, back to the fuses ... My friend heard what I’ve been reporting about the prototype fuses, in that they allow for a major increase in realism because the music is presented in a more relaxed manner akin to live music. It’s as though someone not only cleaned the glass window through which we listen, but removed the window altogether. We discussed how the prototype fuses stack up against the QSA Yellow fuses. Here it is in a nutshell: The prototype fuses kill the SR Orange fuses. My friend had the QSA Yellow fuses in his system and went back to his SR Orange fuses because he felt they are more involving from a musical standpoint. I concur. The prototype fuse is the better fuse of the three, hands down. The prototype fuses are totally involving. While listening to the Kind of Blue album, I pointed out to my friend that we were both doing the old toe-tapping thing. He made the comment that he didn’t even realize he was doing it until I pointed it out. He was just totally immersed in the music. Me too. What a great album. What great fuses. Frank |
elangley01 ... "Sounds like a whole lot of placebo effect. No evidence that fuses make any impact on sound quality." Other than listening for differences, and noting those differences, do you have another way to measure sound quality? Is there a meter that can be used to measure the tonal accuracy of instruments? Are there scientific instruments that can detect the three-dimensionality of a sound stage? Can the personalities and human artifacts presented by vocalists be measured in some way other than through listening? If you have a way of doing so, please post it. Thanks ... Placebo effect? Hardly. Frank |
fbgbill ...
Nope, sorry but it doesn’t say it all. The fuses were not used in speakers in either my system or my friend’s system. They are being used in electronics. In my case, the amp, line stage, and phono stage. The differences in using each brand of fuses are quite profound and can easily be heard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ yoby ...
Exactly. Like you, I found the QSA Yellow fuse to be more detailed than the SR Orange fuse. It was impressive initially, but upon listening further it just didn’t have that "connection." It kind of reminded me of brewing a pot of coffee with really good coffee and then discovering that you miscounted and left a scoop out of the mix. If one is into this hobby for HiFi artifacts, and sits with his/her friends and says ... "OK guys, get ready ... here comes the bass drum! Listen for it!" ... then perhaps the QSA Yellow fuse would be the way to go instead of the SR Orange fuse. If, on the other hand, one is into the hobby for pure musical enjoyment then the SR Orange would be the choice. If one wants to put Miles, Coltrane, and Adderly in the room in all of their musical splendor, then the new Prototype fuse is the one to have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ jafant ...
There were way too many deleted threads written by our teenager in residence for the old thread to make any sense anymore. Hopefully, he’s been sent to his room for a time out and can behave in a more adult fashion in the future. :-) Frank PS: Guys, get that Kind of Blue album. It is amazing. |
cd45123 ... I'm curious ... did you, like myself and my audiophile friends, find that the SR Orange fuse provided a more complete musical experience than the QSA Yellow fuse? I'm looking forward to you and millercarbon's reportings on the QSA Violet fuse. Frank |
tomic601 ... Thanks ... This Acoustic Sounds "UHQR" reissue of Kind of Blue really is something special. I checked it out on eBay this morning, and the lowest price I could find was right at 200 bucks. Wonderful sounding, and comes in beautiful packaging. Once out of print, it will undoubtedly increase in value over time. Frank |
willgolf ...
Good question. The answer is no. There really wasn't any need. All of the a/b/a/b comparisons between the SR Orange, the QSA Yellow, and the prototype fuses were done the other day with my friend Dave. Dave's conclusion was that the prototype fuses were at least equal to the PPT Gate in what they were doing for the system. Those fortunate enough to be using a "Gate" in their circuit breaker boxes know what kind of improvement these new prototype fuses offer. And for those who aren't aware ... The Gate retailed for $5000. The friend that was over yesterday for the five-hour session had the SR Orange fuses in his own system. He swapped them out for the QSA Yellow fuses, found them not musically satisfying, and went back to the SR Orange fuses. I offered to do an a/b/a/b comparison between the QSA Yellow fuses, and the new prototype fuses and he declined. He knows my system very well. The last time he was over, I was running the SR Orange fuses. We used the prototype fuses all during the five-hour session yesterday, and he clearly heard the advantages of the prototypes over the SR Orange fuses. And considering his experience with his own system and the QSA fuses, what would be the point? That five-hour session was all about the music and not about equipment or fuses. Frank |
So far, I’ve demonstrated the three fuses, The SR Orange, QSE Yellow, and the new prototype, to three of my audiophile friends. All three know my system well. All three were here on an individual basis. They were not a part of a group session. All three friends are, like me, into this hobby for the music first, equipment second, and scientific measurements a distant 20th. All three of these friends are experienced audiophiles of many years who own good to great systems of their own. Every one of these friends could easily discern the differences between the fuses. ALL THREE have come to the same conclusions that I have regarding the fuses. Counting myself, that comes to four sets of ears all arriving at the same conclusions which can be found by scrolling up in this thread, and the thread that preceded it. All agreed that the SR Orange fuse is overall more musically satisfying than the QSA Yellow fuse. All agreed that the new prototype fuse was the best sounding of the three by far. This is not meant to disparage the QSA people in any way. It is, what it is. Keep in mind that the only QSA fuse that I or my friends have heard is the Yellow one. Moving up the QSA line may be a different story. To jump up one level from the QSA Yellow fuse to the QSA Light Violet fuse will set you back $711, so it had better sound fantastic ... and cook your breakfast at the same time. Frank |
aolmrd1241 ...
Same here. That is exactly why I am always on a quest to discover tweaks that improve the system. Each tweak that has a positive influence on the system also has a positive influence on the music. Whether it is an aftermarket fuse, Herbie's Tube Dampeners, the SR HFTs that are around the room, the Tube Trap room treatments, or more expensive tweaks like the four Shakti Holograms sitting in each corner of the room, they all get me closer to the music that I love so much. That was your point, was it not, aolmrd? Frank |
The word is out >>> https://www.synergisticresearch.com/fuses/purple-fuse/?fbclid=IwAR3f2tkEB3bxl7bNmubqzktqKLsPmrtzIVPH... At $199.95 it is a BARGAIN. Included is SR’s usual 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy. Available mid-October. Frank |
cd45123 ... I'd love for you to get a new SR Purple fuse and compare it with the QSA Violet fuse, and report your findings here. David meets Goliath ... $199.95 vs $711.00. Frank |
rsf507 ... Your post from August 21:
What happened? Frank |
lalitk ...
The only QSA fuses I’ve tried are the yellow ones at $213. I had them in the amp and preamp. The SR Purple fuses are, in my opinion, and the opinions of others who have heard the system both ways, prefer the SR Purple fuse by far. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- david_ten ... Sorry for the confusion. I was just comparing the two fuses. No, the system didn’t sound broken at all. It was just a way to say that the SR Purple fuses are WAY better than the SR Orange fuses. Just a little hyperbole on my part, I’m afraid. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honestly, I can’t think of a more cost-effective way to make this kind of an improvement in an audio system. Frank |
rsf507 ...
Well Junior, if you had the reading comprehension of us elders, you would have noticed that I didn't say that it made my system sound broken. I said the Purple fuse made the Orange fuse sound broken. Here's the quote: " The new SR Purple fuses made my SR Orange fuses sound broken." Dang, you kids are getting totally out of hand! :-) Frank |
