I also owe the dude at Tweek Geeks an apology, he did know what fuse and did his homework unlike me. And I own 2 Blackhawks….
Quantum Science Audio light blue fuse; $71, what a bargain!
I wanted to start a new thread about the more affordable versions of these fuses. I don’t doubt that the higher end versions are amazing, but most of us aren’t very likely to be able to hear them for ourselves. Fortunately, pretty much anyone who is serious about building a musically enjoyable and engaging system can get a good taste of what they’re all about.
I’ve had the light blue QSA fuses ($71) in my CD transport and DAC for over two weeks, now. They replaced SR blue fuses, at around twice the price, and easily bettered them. I am expecting one more light blue tomorrow, to replace an SR orange in my amp. I’ll give an update on that, once I get it installed and listen.
Meanwhile, here are a couple quotes from my posts on the other thread:
“What I am hearing is; voices & instruments are more solid and lifelike, with increased natural detail and sense of space, better dynamics, and a more relaxed overall sound.”
“Just got in a second light blue fuse for my DAC. So far, more of the same improvements I got in my CD transport. Very nice!😃 One thing I appreciate is the break in seems to be pretty quick, without any of the nasties you get with some other stuff. Pop it in, and you’ll hear improvements in short order, at least that’s been my experience.”
I am continuing to greatly enjoy what these fuses bring to my system, and am really looking forward to getting the last one in my amp.
436 responses
| Post removed |
@glory I never run. Not in my makeup. When I am wrong I own it and will apologize. I honestly did miss that when installing my raven. Only part of the manual a read was on the tube install. My bad and I did a own it. Now let’s move on and look forward to @millercarbon review of his new Blackhawk and we’ll his fuse. |
| Post removed |
The Raven Blackhawk MK3 (and all Avian MK3 series amplifiers) uses a 3 AMP SLOW BLOW 250 VOLT fuse per the last page of the user manual. The fuse is located in a holder located immediately below the IEC inlet. It has an embossed diagram of a fuse on it. https://www.ravenaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Avian_Series_MK3_Manual_V1.0.15.pdf |
| Post removed |
| Post removed |
| Post removed |
@jmphotography , I've only had 4 or 5 different brands of fuses to try out and none of them really got any softer or less bright over time. If anything, they all opened up in the end, and that was trying them both ways. It could be that as more balance came to the fore, the brightness was evened out, but not by much. Now, that was some time ago as I've settled on the ones I like but if past is prologue, then I don't see them settling down for you unless these fuses are a different animal entirely. Might be best to contact the seller and get his take on it. All the best, Nonoise |
earlflynn-
Chuck please do tell where the fuse installs on the Blackhawk.? Coulda sworn you had one?! May have jumped the gun but it sure looks to me like it is one of those where the fuse is incorporated into and directly below the IEC connector. There is no mention of a fuse at all in the Owner's Manual (pdf on-line) but the pictures look so exactly like that I didn't even bother to call and ask. |
jmphotography From QSA website translated : Wrong fuse direction it will too sound very harsh and bright with a rough overall quality. Sound is harder, brighter, thinner with much more hash. Who else tried these fuses and what were their impressions? The wrong fuse direction will make the sound sound very harsh and bright, and the overall quality is poor. The sound is harder, brighter, thinner, and more hashed. Who else has tried these fuses and how are the sound effects? |
It’s possible the higher up you go the longer the break in. Mike at Tweek Geek said his Red receptacle took quite a while to get to where it finally settled so maybe the idea is that the higher up colors have more of the "treatment" and need more time. Just speculating. Anybody order the new magic stones? I’m going to try the red, figured what the hell it should be fun. https://www.tweekgeek.com/qsa-stones-set-of-two/ |
So I just pulled the trigger on a used SR Orange Duplex (220$) and a used SR Orange Fuse (100$). I have another orange fuse already installed in my converter and I loved what it did. They're about to be delivered today and I was all excited... until I came across this post. Seems like a whole lot of y'all are in agreeance that these QSA fuses are better. Does the SR Orange beat it in any aspect? ( detail , bass, soundstage ) Also has anyone tried their duplexes? |
I am still in the auditioning phase. But, I am experiencing break in for sure and for me at least a rather lengthy one. What I don't know is whether the various color fuses all break in the same way? i.e. longer time frame, shorter time frame, different type of break in etc. Also, different equipment may respond differently...I am auditioning a RED fuse, so cannot comment on the blue fuse. But I think it may be a bit early in the break in phase. |
Has anyone experienced a little harshness in the highs? I just put 2 blue QSA fuses in both my Innuos Zenith server/streamer and PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated. I did notice more openness and greater separation and some dynamics. I listen to a lot of female vocals like Sarah Jarosz and Norah Jones and seem to get a little bit of shrill on the upper most notes. I have had them in about a week so they have maybe 15 hours on them. |
Well I must say the one yellow fuse in my Lumin X1 does seem to provide a more detailed soundstage. But, this was not the case at least initially. I dunno, but it has improved quite a bit. I used the 1260 contact enhancer on the fuse ends and perhaps that delayed or changed the fuse performance. Looking forward to getting the yellows for my mono amps. ozzy |
@ david_ten You are spot-on! The SR had an advantage of 8+ months of use verses the first few seconds with the QSA; that's how long it took me to discern the differences... Then the swopping began over a 3 hour period and just couldn't believe the level of clarity I was hearing. It's going to be a long haul to hit 200+ hours as my system is all tube based and typically listen 3-4 hours nightly. 😁 |
David, I use the 1260 Elixir from High Fidelity Cables on all of my connections externally as well as internally..a progession of sorts. Makes an improvement on my magnets and all other tissues that join. Wonderful and musical. No insertion loss post connection..seems to reduce warm up time as if there hardly isn't any..Will try on my speaker tinsel leads and then onto other moving electrical conductors. Tom |
I am demo’ing a RED fuse in my Sorcer X 4... I will hold off on any detailed observations for now as it has not been 3 days yet. But, to my ears there is definitely break in...It was rolled off in the highs when I installed it...now the highs are coming in, but the overall "balance is not there yet. After I get a handle on what the fuse is "doing" - I will switch to the original fuse and do some comparisons...I have some thoughts already on what it is doing, but I am waiting until I am convinced it has "settled", which I don’t think it has. glory mentioned 175 hours. So, I will give it several more days. |
Here is what I posted on the other thread. dammit man, you need to get with the program ozzy what you are saying is NOT OK... how recently have you gotten your hearing checked? or maybe you are just NOT trying hard enough to hear the difference these AWESOME fuses make... did you compare to a home depot bussman fuse????? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 |
Here is what I posted on the other thread. So I received my first yellow fuse for my Dac. First minutes of listening, its just ok. Actually, I don't think it is any better than my SR orange. But that fuse was treated with the High Fidelity 1260 contact enhancer. And perhaps I was expecting more based on all the chatter. I have 2 more yellows to receive for my amps, so we shall see. UPDATE: Now, a day later still no great revelation in sound quality. ozzy |
