I'm still quite confident that I prefer to listen to my "whatever's left" with a good glass of wine in hand, than to your "high end" and the worries of directionality. Never mind, I'm fine with that too. You continue to enjoy changing fuses, I will continue to enjoy changing cd's.
Something For The Fuse Guys ...
There are fuses, and then, there are fuses.
I'm evaluating some prototype fuses that I received in the mail three days ago.
Over the past few years, I've used fuses from five different manufacturers. The last three were the Red, Black and Blue fuses from Synergistic Research. Each one incrementally improved the sound of my system. My favorite so far was the SR Blue.
The prototype fuses being evaluated presently raises the SQ beyond all of the others mentioned above. The major improvement to my ears is better tonal accuracy. Instruments and voices are more life-like. The noise is reduced allowing for a more solid 3-D presentation with the musicians more solidly presented on the sound stage. Overall, more information is fleshed out of CDs and LPs.
The manufacturer, the price and the name of the prototype fuses will come later. I don't have the information thus far. My understanding is, if all works out, the release date is to be mid-October.
Stay tuned ...
Frank
I'm evaluating some prototype fuses that I received in the mail three days ago.
Over the past few years, I've used fuses from five different manufacturers. The last three were the Red, Black and Blue fuses from Synergistic Research. Each one incrementally improved the sound of my system. My favorite so far was the SR Blue.
The prototype fuses being evaluated presently raises the SQ beyond all of the others mentioned above. The major improvement to my ears is better tonal accuracy. Instruments and voices are more life-like. The noise is reduced allowing for a more solid 3-D presentation with the musicians more solidly presented on the sound stage. Overall, more information is fleshed out of CDs and LPs.
The manufacturer, the price and the name of the prototype fuses will come later. I don't have the information thus far. My understanding is, if all works out, the release date is to be mid-October.
Stay tuned ...
Frank
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Had to think twice before posting here as I may be perceived as a heretic. But I think just for the sake of people who stumble across this thread looking to learn something it has to be said that any amplifier which sounds different after you change the fuse has some pretty dodgy engineering. Fuses are there for one reason - to protect you and your equipment from harm. A design engineer has put them there for a reason and if they've done 1/100th of a decent job they will have no impact on the sound whatsoever. I would never design an amplifier without correctly rated fuses and I would never put them in the signal path... To qualify what I mean by the 'signal path' I mean the conductors that carry the signal - power supply rails are not part of the signal path (I have a feeling that some people here would claim my fridge is in the signal path because it's plugged into the same ring main). Let's assume that the fuses we're talking about are between the transformer and the rectifier, that would mean that any small change they make have to survive the AC signal being chopped up by the rectifier, smoothed out by the reservoir capacitors and ignored by the ripple rejection designed into the amplifier... and that's before they even get near the signal path. Running off batteries is a different matter, they deliver a clean DC supply with a low impedance and regardless of fuses may show an improvement to sound particularly with phono or headphone amps. |
@pragmasi You might find here that there is an direct relationship between the amount of conjecture that goes into promoting a product and the likelihood of a dissenting view being accepted by the promoters. Also that self-proclaimed theoretical physicist and BS tweak vendor Geoffkait (Machina Dynamica) will go on endlessly promoting that pretty much everything in the universe not only is intertwined, but affects your sound (which he has never even heard). He might even say parallel universes should concern you as well...you never know. |
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“Has anyone tried unplugging all of the household appliances during a listening session ... TV, dimmer switches, and especially the refrigerator?” Frank, I hope you’re not suggesting another level of sonic bliss by turning off TV, dimmer switches and refrigerator. If you do, you got some serious fundamental issues with your system....cause after spending $9200 plus in magic pads, SR fuses, and The Gate, your system should be immune to any possible interfere from TV, dimmer switches and refrigerator. |
lalitk ... The post was in response to this:
I haven’t tried unplugging the refrigerator or the TV. Way too many dead brain cells that have reduced my short-term memory. I’d get up in the morning only to find that the freezer compartment has melted all over the floor. That would be right before I called the TV repairman to fix the TV because it won’t fire up. :-) On another note, I do have a couple of audiophile friends who unplug their appliances for all serious listening sessions. They are yet to purchase "The Gate." Frank |
An audio geek lawyer friend in The Great North told me Vermont’s Attorney General’s Consumer Protection unit will likely be investigating "The Gate" soon (and other "Path" stuff)...that should be interesting...get ’em while you can! And hat’s off to Pragmasi for injecting some logic into this thread...well done! |
Send in the clowns! 🤡 Lawyer joke: What do you call a lawyer who’s up to his neck in concrete? Not enough concrete. 🤗 The only way the refrigerator would not be “part of the audio signal” is if the audio system was on a dedicated circuit. This explains why cleaning or using contact enhancer on the refrigerator power plug is audible. Duh! |
geoffkait ...
I pasted my refrigerator plug with TC. Same with the TV. And any unused outlets have a "Stop It" inserted into it. wolf_garcia ... Very interesting wolfie, considering that PPT is located in New Hampshire. Hey, Putz, if you're going to be slinging BS in these forums, the very least you should do would be to get your story straight. Frank |
oregonpapa OP geoffkait ...
I pasted my refrigerator plug with TC. Same with the TV. And any unused outlets have a "Stop It" inserted into it. >>>>All appliances, computers, floor lamps, air purifiers, etc. in the house should get the treatment. All unused outlets in the house should get the treatment. |
This sort of problem is so very real, that i convinced a few audio show runners that before their given show plays out in the given hotel complex... ..that they needed to have an electrician come around and give a little twist and check on every single associated in room and out of room AC power line tie down (screw down) points in all the associated AC power boxes. and to not neglect the ground lines, either. And the outcome is an obvious better sound quality for everyone in the display rooms. As most hotels will never have their AC panels checked or serviced, unless there is a severe problem. As AC operation is critical for them, and AC power quality ---means nothing. But the audio folks want quality as well, and that requires making sure the lines have no issues. |
Hi Frank, I'm glad to hear that the new Orange fuse sounds better than a broken in Blue fuse immediately. The Blue fuse sounded better than a broken in Black fuse immediately. The Black fuse sounded like drek from hours 15 to 72 and I hated keeping my big tube amps on for 3 days to get good sound. I will probably try the new relatively inexpensive tweak which has such a positive sound improvement with my amps (so easy on mine). The duplex change from Black to Blue was not as nice. The Blue sounded bright and hard compared to the Black. It took almost a week until it broke in and sounded better than the Black in all respects. The fuse improvement was more significant so the Orange fuse is the way to go. Robert didn't like the Stop-its initially and now we know why, they were uncured. I think I'll try Stop-its too. |
fleschler ... The uncured "Stop It" receptacle plugs sounded really bad. Lost most of the mid-bass and some of the lower bass. They finally came around at about three weeks. The cured ones that you'll be receiving will make a nice improvement to your system right off the bat. If you can, order enough to insert into every unused outlet in the entire house. The Orange fuses will give those Legacy Focus' of yours a new level of bass. Also, more realistic sound. Wait until you hear the violin and piano. By the way, my invitation is still open to you at any time. I'd love for you to hear what the Signature IIIs are doing now. Legacy speakers, at least the ones I'm familiar with, perform way beyond their price point. I think the Signature IIIs are becoming somewhat of a cult item. Come on up ... Frank |
Hi Frank, I’m glad to hear that the new Orange fuse sounds better than a broken in Blue fuse immediately. The Blue fuse sounded better than a broken in Black fuse immediately. The Black fuse sounded like drek from hours 15 to 72 . The duplex change from Black to Blue was not as nice. The Blue sounded bright and hard compared to the Black. It took almost a week until it broke in and sounded better than the Black in all respects. The fuse improvement was more significant so the Orange fuse is the way to go.Is this for real or are you taking the piss? Or is Stop-it’s, another new SR product you insert in your ear to get you sane again from the voodoo fuses insemination infection? And no I couldn’t be bothered to see if Stop-it’s is actually some to purchase to make audio better. oregonpapa OPAnd give the SR Orange fuses voodoo a rest, you have your other thread closed, you now want this done too? |
^^^ Georgie-Porgie sez ...
I'll just leave these posts alone with no comment for others to digest. Frank |
uberwaltz ... +1 I’ve been on this planet much longer than most. Grew up as a street kid and got knocked around a lot. Had my first full-time job when I was twelve. These experiences, plus fifty years in a commissioned sales career, gave me the ability to read the intentions of other people. So, I’ve had a lot of time to make certain observations about my fellow humankind. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that a person who constantly treats others shabbily, is abusive toward others, and/or relishes being a bully, really doesn’t feel good about themselves. They have a darkened soul. I consider it a form of insanity. Why? Because sane people treat others in the way they would like to be treated themselves. It has also been my observation that there is a cure for that malady. An instant cure if one is humble enough to seek it. :-) Take care ... Frank |
You have been told by so many known techs here with electronic knowledge that’s beyond your pay grade, that your telling the non technical members here to do something dangerous with these mains fuses, it's only time before someone gets hurt. Plus your much more than just a SR fuse junkie as well, as you push anything else voodoo SR makes, it’s funny that you hardly mention other brands in the same glowing "light" as the SR products you hammer home here on Audiogon.? It’s all there in your history, if members want to search. The only one with a "darkened soul" is you. |
georgehifi ... “The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” ___ Nikola Tesla “If your hate could be turned into electricity, it would light up the whole world.” ___ Nikola Tesla Start doing some serious soul-searching, George. You'll be a better man for it. With love ... Frank |
You and your "shiller" need to take a long look at yourselves and look at your own souls, don’t worry about mine it’s clear. Pushing the non technical members here, some that can’t even change a tap washer, to open their their equipment up and go inside start playing around with mains fuses that could injure them or worse. All because your saying they are going to find the "Holly Grail" of audio if they change their perfectly good 20c mains fuses and replace them with these $150 voodoo ones. More likely they will find the Holly Ghost instead. There’s a reason they say this on the back of audio equipment, and it’s not for a joke mate. https://ibb.co/TW8rbrJ |
georgehifi ... Uhh, George ... Most audio equipment has a fuse holder on the outside rear of the unit. It is a simple operation to release the holder, remove the old fuse, install the new fuse, then replace the holder. It certainly doesn't require an EE degree to accomplish the feat. The only talent it takes is for the user to remember ... "leftie/loosie ... righty/tightie." By the way, why so much animosity in your posts, George? The audio hobby is a fun hobby, remember? Take care ... Frank |
The audio hobby is a fun hobby, remember?Not when it’s dangerous with what your telling the non technical to do, and your are shilling for SR many have said it. Those here just need to look at your history with SR and the amount of threads and posts you put up for them, then they’ll see what your about. |
georgehifi ... If you were to become a more astute observer, and stow your animosity for a time, you would know that I have started threads on a multitude of products. Did you read my threads on Audio Research products? How about Herbie’s products, or Perfect Path Technologies products? Have you taken advantage of any of the multitude of music recommendations I’ve offered on this site over the years, George? If you were to reverse your telescope, George, you wouldn’t have such a myopic, negative view of the world and your fellow man. Life is good, George. People, in general, are nice, George. Enjoy a sunset, George. Have a good glass of wine, George. Hug your wife, George. Turn your talisman over, George. You can make the decision to have a positive mental attitude in an instant, George, just by turning over the aforementioned talisman from the negative side to the positive side. Once you make that simple decision, you’ll have a much more fruitful and enjoyable life. I sincerely hope to see you shining brightly with a much more positive light in the future, George ... Take care ... Frank |
I was going to stay out of this but some of these posts are irresponsible... has anyone ever burned his house down because of a faulty fuse? Has any amplifier every blown up 💥 because of a faulty fuse? Has a house ever burned down 🔥 or amp blown up because someone bypassed a fuse?Yes, yes (depends what you mean by 'blown up', but bang, smoke and fire are all possible) and yes... incorrectly rated or bypassed fuses are a fire hazard. There is a possibility that any component in your amplifier could fail at some time - whether that component fails open (safe) or closed (short circuit) is down to the component and the particular failure mode. In the event of shorted power rails the fuse will blow to both protect the non-faulty elements in the circuit and ensure that the current is stopped. If a 100W amplifier fails short then that 100W energy needs to go somewhere and it creates heat, the traces in a circuit board or a wire may not be able to dissipate the heat effectively and that is when you are at risk of starting a fire. The fuses are there to prevent damage and injury, if you bypass them or replace them with incorrectly rated fuses you are increasing the risk of both. It's worth noting that amplifiers often use slow blow fuses which will tolerate the current surge whilst the reservoir capacitors charge. This means that if you replace a 1A slow blow with a 1A fast fuse it may well blow during the inrush. If you then decide to go with a higher current rated fast fuse that will tolerate the inrush it may not blow under fault conditions. There's no reason not to experiment with fuse types (other than you shouldn't expect the audio performance to change at all) just remember that you're experimenting with a device that is there to protect you and your belongings. Is there anyone left on the planet that doesn't know to unplug their equipment before working on it? How many of us learned not to stick our fingers into an unused wall outlet by the age of two? Unplugging is the first step... reservoir caps will remain charged for some time depending on the size of the bleeder resistors and are able to dump their load almost instantly. You can weld a screwdriver to the terminals if you use one to short them, I've done it (unintentionally). I've no problem with people taking risks themselves (we've all done it) but we shouldn't advise others to do the same without highlighting the risks. |
pragmasi ....
Just curious, pragmasi ... have you tried any of the after-market fuses in your system? Frank |
Just curious, pragmasi ... have you tried any of the after-market fuses in your system?I've used many different fuses in many different designs but not the ones referenced here, I would remember if I'd spent $120 on a fuse. I don't wan't to spoil anyone's fun and if they have the money and want to give it a go and make their own decision that's great, just select the right ratings and take a few sensible precautions. |