Synergistic Red Fuse ...

"Hello guyz ...

Just as a heads up ... I have learned that the WA chips are NOT compatible with the SR Black fuses. Putting a WA chip on the Black fuses will degrade the sound.

Take care ..."

Well, let’s look on the bright side. It’s not like the WA Chip did nothing. I can’t recall, do WA Chips break in? Anybody? Is it possible that two nanotechnology/quantum audiophile thingies, Graphene and WA Chips, cancel each other out? (Yes, that’s a quantum mechanics joke).

Footnote: to OP, you learned this first hand one assumes.

"Wa Quantum Chips: I spent a lot of time and effort trying them on fuses, power cords, interconnects, etc. They do produce a sonic change, bit in my system there was always a sense of information loss. Sort of a more detail but less emotion effect. Other users have had a more positive result."

i spent quite a bit of time with WA Chips, too.  What I found was a little different.  I found the WA power cord chip on the circuit breaker box wrapped around the wire coming into the breaker for the audio system worked great. But not on power cords. When I say great I mean more information, more dynamics.  I also thought the inductor chip worked as advertised in close proximity to the transducers on my Sennheiser 600s. And also the capacitor chips worked on small and large capachitos.

Ogegonpapa wrote,

"First hand? No .. from the horses mouth. The Black fuses have a coating on the outside of the fuse. The WA chips interfere with that coating and degrade the sound of the fuse."

Right, that’s second hand information. The WA chips sometimes don't work on fuses of any type.  The cable chips work on cables yet the cable jacket and shielding doesn't interfere with the chip.  It's not cut and dry either what the WA Chip is doing, how it operates, OR why it doesn't work in some cases.  Can't the WA Chip be attached to one of the end caps of the Black fuse, avoiding perhaps interfering with the coating, if in fact the coating is really the issue?

Oregonpapa wrote,

"^^^
First hand ... second hand ... from the horse’s mouth. No matter, geoffkait ... the info I have came from SR’ s Facebook page. If you want to try a WA fuse chip on your Black fuses ... go for it. As for me ... I’ll take SR’s word for it.

Take care ...

no problem but wasn’t it SR who stated that their fuses were absolutely positively NOT directional?  I have a definite tendency to take everything I read on Facebook or anywhere else for that matter, when it comes to high end audio, with a grain of salt. Nothing personal against you or SR.

Cheerios

Geoff at MD

Oregonpapa wrote,

"By the way .... I’m getting sound from records now that I never thought I’d ever hear. If you have a phono stage that takes a fuse, be sure to put a SR Black fuse in there. Here’s the deal ... the AT ART-9, for the price of a $120 fuse has gained at least $1000 in sound quality. No joke."

Now that you mention it, I don’t use any fuses in my current system. That would be a what, $2000 improvement in sound quality? Did I luck out or what?

Oregonpapa wrote,

"^^^ ... Hmmm ... I don’t recall anything about SR saying their fuses weren’t directional. I may have missed it though."

at this point in time I suspect SR doesn’t really care one way or the other since it’s common knowledge or at least it should be that you’re supposed to try all fuses both ways, even the ones like Isoclean and HiFi Tuning that come with directional arrows as well as stock fuses. You know, better safe than sorry.  Speaking of which, do the SR fuses come with directional arrows or directions for how to insert the fuse into the system, e.g., per direction of writing on the fuse?

Addendum to previous post regarding directionality of SR fuses, in particular the Black fuse.

This is an excerpt from the Stereo Times review of an earlier SR fuse that addresses the subject of fuse directionality (of SR fuses) as apparently SR see it. Maybe SR has changed it's mind about directionality, who knows.  I do know that HIFi Tuning used to claim that their fuses were not directional but would burn in properly no matter which way they were inserted.  Of course, HiFi Tuning has since recanted.

"Finally, the Synergistic Research Quantum fuses are put on the Tesla coil both directions, which they claim makes them not directional. That would be convenient, but I have found that not true. I find the lettering on the fuse runs opposite of the direction of the fuse that sounds best. This is not a major factor, but with their exceptional realism, it is not one you would want to forego."

Davidpritchard wrote,

"The Synergistic Research Black fuse is definitely directional. This is coming directly from Synergistic Research in a call I placed. They suggest the flow of current to go From the "S" end to the "R" end."

Of course it’s directional. That’s kind of my point. All fuses are directional. All wire is directional, at least if it’s metal. It’s just that some fuse manufacturers are late to find out, like HiFi Tuning and SR, and maybe some still haven’t found out. So, the 64 thousand dollar question is...drum roll...are they SR right? Is that the best sounding direction, with current flow from S to R?

davidpritchard also wrote,

The Stereo Times article was about the earlier Synergistic Research SR-20 fuse. I have several of those fuses and the Black fuses are much better. I did not find there to be nearly the direction difference with the SR-20 fuse. To me it was a small difference and not huge.

So, not to beat a dead horse, but SR was wrong then about claiming it wasn’t directional, no?

Davidpritchard also wrote,

"Geoff:
Actually the Synergistic Research fuse may improve the sound better than no fuse or a piece of straight wire."

Really? That’s a pretty bold statement. How so? I have no fuse, by the way, not a straight wire. No fuse, no fuse holder, nothing. Maybe two Black fuses would sound better than one, eh? ;-)

Davidpritchard also wrote,

"It’s time to get your headphones cryo treated! I had my Sennheiser 650 treated and I like what I hear."

Been there done that. I was one of the first to get into cryo big time. That was about twenty years ago. My Sennheisers were also completely naked, no grills no internal foam. Plus the WA Inductor Chips. The Stephan Arts headphone cable was also cryo’d of course.

cheerios

Oregonpapa wrote,

"mapman...You can bet that there are those of us who are waiting with baited breath for your assessment of the fuse."

With baited breath? Nice Freudian slip.

We are expecting a little choppy weather ahead, so we’ve turned on the Fasten Seat Belts sign.

:-)

Mapman wrote,

"Geoff. For someone always declaring straw man arguments of others you sure are a champ. What does a tice clock have to do with fuses? Answer: Nothing."

Actually the list of reasons why audiophiles sometimes don’t get the results they expect is not a Strawman argument. A Strawman argument is by definition a misstatement of the other person’s position in an argument or debate. The difference is we are not actually having a debate on your test of the Red fuse. So I cannot be misstating your position. I’m simply offering possible reasons why you had an unsuccessful experience with the Red fuse. Maybe you can add to that list.

These reasons are the same for ANY audiophile device, whether it be a fuse, a cable, but IMHO usually involves a controversial audiophile device, one that often creates some angst and trepidation in the audiophile, perhaps especially when it’s done in public. Maybe there is some psychological aspect to why audiophiles sometimes get negative results with certain audio devices, things like clocks, silver foils, Shakti Stones, Schumann Frequency Generators, crystals, tiny little bowl resonators, green pens, purple pens,....fuses.

There are many reasons why someone might not get the (excellent) results most other people report or might only get minimal results. This sort of thing actually happens with almost every audiophile device and even with cables. There is never a guarantee of 100% reproducibility in this hobby. I suspect with fuses especially, you know, what with the directionality issue and long burn in times, it’s mighty tempting to blame negative or null results on one or both of those particular things. But there are other reasons, too. George Tice, in his letter to Stereophile regarding a particularly angry response from a dissatisfied customer of his Tice Clock, proposed four reasons why audiophiles sometimes don’t get the results they expect from certain audiophile products (like the Tice Clock). And I quote,

"There are four reasons why someone could not get the full potential from a TPT Clock. They are: 1) You did not follow the directions. 2) There are one or more choke points in your system (a choke point is a component which is significantly below the quality of the rest of the system). 3) Your audio system is not up to the standards by which anything can be accurately judged. (I noticed in your letter you never mentioned what components you use.) 4) Your hearing ability is not as refined as that of other music lovers and audiophiles."

Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/tice-r-4-tpt-coherence-electrotec-ep-c-clocks-letters-about-tice-...

Geoff Kait
Machina Dynamica

Skeptics generally take the opportunity once they have no luck with a particular tweak to take pot shots at everyone else who did have good results. It’s all part of the wonderful game we call audio. I suggest we throw away the outliers and keep the line moving along. The results of one test is simply a data point on the curve. If there is a data point way off the curve it’s an outlier and can be thrown away. The problem with the theory that results vary widely for fuses is that’s not actually true. Results are almost always good. It’s your result that’s the outlier. Thus, there’s really no call for all the angst regarding the high cost of tweaks, the wide variation in results, fuse bashing, yadda yadda yadda.

Mapman wrote,

"The difference between these tweaks and the fuses though is the fuses are essentially a black box with little info to work with regarding how they work or when they are most effective or not. So its a potshot/hit or miss. Almost every tweak enhancement has known dependencies that determine effectiveness. You are shooting totally blind until you try with fuses. That’s really the only objection I have and why I would not recommend them to others. There is nothing to base saying they will work or not on other than what I hear. Each case could be quite different and results vary as we are seeing here."

So you keep saying. Actually in case you weren’t paying attention and as I just commented to Al, we have already listed many reasons why fuses should work. In addition, I just listed four reasons why audiophiles sometimes don’t get good results from tweaks. I suspect what we actually have here is a full blown case of the Backfire Effect and no, I’m not referring to eating too many Boston baked beans. Besides we are actually NOT seeing what you say, "results vary as we are seeing here." What we ARE seeing is everyone else getting good results and you, who didn't get good results.  So as we say in the biz, your statement is pretty much of a, you guessed it, Strawman argument. 

From Rational Wiki

The backfire effect occurs when, in the face of contradictory evidence, established beliefs do not change but actually get stronger. The effect has been demonstrated experimentally in psychological tests, where subjects are given data that either reinforces or goes against their existing biases - and in most cases people can be shown to increase their confidence in their prior position regardless of the evidence they were faced with.

As they say in France, the more things change the more they stay the same.

Al wrote,

"I’ll have to admit that when it comes to mediating disagreements with Geoff, staunch defender of the faith when it comes to unexplainable and seemingly implausible tweaks, that my reconciliatory abilities approach a nullity."

I’ll let you off the hook. But not before I point out that aftermarket fuses are not unexplainable. Although I can certainly appreciate why Skeptics prefer to make it look that way, along with associating the poor little misunderstood Mr. Fuse with things that really are unexplainable and seemingly implausible. You know, things that go bump in the night. We’ve already listed many reasons why aftermarket fuses should sound better than ordinary stock fuses. Hel-looo!  You can rest easy, no Laws of Physics have been broken, including quantum mechanics.

geoff kait
machina dramatica
we do artificial atoms right

Mopman wrote,

"Please just be honest and report your results here either way. Don’t let anyone intimidate you."

Oh, brother, this is getting weirder and weirder. In any case it looks like you're on your own, Scooter.

Georgelofi wrote,

"Al’s a bit of a fence sitter with things like this.

But to me these fuses are up there with Shaun Mook Mpingo pucks, very unexplainable things going on, can really **** with your head."

The Shun Mook Mpingo discs work by sympathetic resonance. So, it’s actually explainable. It’s not voodoo. It’s not pseudo science. No reason for all the angst and wringing of hands.

From the Shun Mook website:

"There is no real magic about our products. They are all based on simple high school physics - "Sympathetic Resonance". As all elements in this universe will resonate when like pattern energy is generated from another material. Just as in a physics experiment when you excite a metal tuning fork of say the "A" frequency and hold it close to another static "A" tuning fork. The result is that the second tuning fork will also get excited because same frequency energy is transferred through the air to cause the vibration."

Note to Davidpritchard. Re fuses, I thought we already went over this. I have no fuses or straight wires (fuse bypass) in my system. I.e., there is no fuse protection and no fuse protection necessary, and no provision for fuses or fuse holders. Thus the question I had put to you earlier in the thread: "Wouldn’t no fuse be better than any fuse, even a Black fuse?" Does that jog your memory? ;-)

geoff kait
machina dynamica
we do artificial atoms right

""But to me these fuses are up there with Shaun Mook Mpingo pucks, very unexplainable things going on, can really **** with your head."

This is where I find being generally disinterested in how this sort of thing works a true bonus. I already have enough stuff ****ing with my head both professionally and as an unpaid volunteer elected official!"

More sympathetic I could not be. Have you tried Dr. Phil?

"I’m trying to think but nothing happens." - Curly

Question, there is a review in Positive Feedback of the SR Red Fuse, a very positive one I might add.  Here's the relevant paragraph for my question.

"The Synergistic Research Reference RED fuse is a horse of a different color. The basic design features proprietary alloy wire and end caps utilizing anti-resonant ceramic bodies. They are treated with 2,000,000 volts of electricity that Synergistic Research calls Quantum Tunneling. In addition, Synergistic Research claims that "a new treatment process applied exclusively to RED fuses realigns the crystal structure of both the burn wire and the end caps for a refinement in high frequency characteristics and improved timbre linearity"."

So, this begs the question, does Synergistic Research claim the Red Fuse is non-directional?  It seems to me that their "new treatment process applied exclusively to RED fuses (that) realigns the crystal structure" would make the RED fuse non directional. If that's true what all this about the letters S and R? Or does that S and R business apply only to the BLACK fuse? Furthermore, and this is really my question, regardless of what SR claims, is the RED fuse really non-directional, or is it directional?  Has anyone actually gotten to the bottom of this?

Jafreeman wrote,

"I have seven SR reds in my system that were placed in three phases, each of which sounded so right, I have not felt a need to flip them. I would discount directionality on the reds in favor of a long break in period."

That's nice.  I actually don't blame you for ignoring the directionality issue. Sounding right is relative. Most audiophiles probably think their systems just sound right.  You don't actually see too many audiophiles saying, gosh, my system really sucks.

Jafreeman wrote,

"By the way, Geoffkait--in looking at your MD site, I presume your intent is to amuse and educate audiophiles. I appreciate your inventiveness and humor. Just wondering though--if I were to add your teleportation tweak or the intelligent chips to my shopping cart, do you then say, "Stop--enough--I don't actually take your money or send you anything. It's all a hoax, meant to educate the naive." Or, do you really take my money to commit the ultimate scam? You may want to start a new thread on this, or you may choose silence, but please--let's get to the bottom of MD and your real mission."

It's whatever you want it to be.  

Cheers,

geoff kait
machina dynamica
advanced audio conceits

Mapman, you should write a book, How to go from Fuse Pseudo Skeptic to Fuse Basher in 10 Easy Steps. 

Cheerios

Mopman wrote,

"Geoff,

Its Ok to have a sense of humor. No reason to get your undergarments in an uproar, as you often like to say."

If it’s OK, how come you don’t have one? And It’s not my undergarments that are in an uproar. Geez, you'd think someone gave you an atomic wedgie.  ;-)

Georgelofi wrote,

"OK, try this one for an experiment only, definitely not for long term for safety sake.

Make sure all is working fine and you grown used to how it sounds. Then remove the "red fuse" and bridge out he the fuse holder with some copper wire, you can even tack solder it on the outside of the fuse holder. It should sound the best, if anything at all."

actually, with all the advancements in fuse technology, including quantum mechanics and nanotechnology, in the past twenty years including, but not limited to, purer wires, better end caps, attention to vibration, attention to EMI/RFI, and attention to "energy flow efficiency" (WA Quantum Fuse Chip), the old copper wire bypass trick probably actually isn’t up to snuff anymore. And I didn't even mention cryogenics.  Shame on me. Besides you’ve only got a 50% chance of inserting the copper wire correctly according to my calculations. Otherwise you’ll wind up with a big mess. Not to mention the unpleasant sound resulting from soldering the copper wire.

geoff at MD
no goats no glory

Some evidence, Exhibit A

from long time Synergistic Research dealer’s website,

"Synergistic Research has a new, ’top of the line’ addition to their highly regarded fuse lineup: the BLACK Fuse.

For best performance, fuses should be installed one way, listened to, and then reversed the other way to determine best sonic orientation."

to recap, the RED fuse is supposedly non-directional (according to SR?) by virtue of the special RED fuse only treatment that realigns the crystal structure or some such thing. We can come back to that claim later. The BLACK fuse on the other hand IS directional, but not marked for direction, apparently not even using the S and R approach, so the user must try it BOTH WAYS to see which way sounds best. Make sense?

Exhibit B - the same dealer states for the RED fuse:

"For best performance, fuses should be installed one way, listened to, and then reversed the other way to determine best sonic orientation."

So, is that the dealer’s suggestion or SR? You be the judge.



Geoff Kait
Machina Dramatica
Advanced Audio Concerts

Mapman wrote,

"Well I guess if one cared enough one could easily call Synergistic Research and ask any question they like. Nothing like getting info straight from the horses mouth. There is probably a simple yes or no answer to most questions.

If I get the urge to actually buy a fuse from SR, that is what I will likely do prior. There should be no need to guess if one has questions."

Think of it as a mental exercise. You’re the one that’s been guessing the whole time anyway. And incorrectly I might add. ;-) 

Mapman wrote,

"Well if teh Black Fuse truly uses Graphene as claimed then it might well be more conductive than silver. How about in teh interest of science open up a Black fuse and report on the contents for us?"

hmmm, one can’t help wondering if the little black dot on the outside of the BLACK fuse is the Graphene, you know as in graphite. Isn’t that the thing that supposedly interferes with the WA Quantum Chip for fuses? One gets the feeling the Graphene is not being employed as a conductor. I know what you’re thinking: how do you know that!

pop quiz: what's in the WA Quantum Chip for Fuses?

geoff at md

Sometimes it’s the better part of valor not to respond to my posts. ;-) I hate to play the guessing game but I’m guessing you didn’t get the memo about Graphene being a good RFI shield due to it’s very high conductivity. I’m guessing (again) you probably thought they were using Graphene on the fuse wire. ;-) Also, I can’t help notice you didn’t take the bait on my pop quiz and the WA Quantum Chip for fuses. Smart man. In any case, it looks like the case of the Black Fuse is solved.

geoff kait
machina dramatica
An ordinary man has no means of deliverance

Geoffkait: "the old copper wire bypass trick probably actually isn’t up to snuff anymore. Not to mention the unpleasant sound resulting from soldering the copper wire."

geoff at MD

To which George replied,

"Your kidding right???

What do you think the yards of traces under your circuit boards are made of??? Copper!!!"

You’re opening with that? A Strawman argument?  We’re not talking about the copper traces or about any copper wire anywhere. We're talking about the fuse bypass. Let's keep things simple. We’re just comparing a modern aftermarket Fuse like the ones we’ve been discussing with a copper wire bypass. After all that was YOUR claim - that a straight wire bypass would outperform an aftermarket fuse.  And I just gave you plenty of reasons why a modern fuse will outperform the copper wire bypass. In fact, now that you bring it up, I’m all in favor of maintaining correct directionality for all copper wiring EVERYWHERE in the system - circuit boards, internal wiring of speakers, transformers, of course interconnects and speaker cables but also capacitors, resistors, etc. All wire is directional. Not just fuses. Hel-looo!

Al wrote,

"I’ve pondered the possibility that unusually high resistance might account for the differences that have been reported, compared to stock fuses. It seems unlikely for several reasons, including the consistently positive direction of the differences that have been reported, the directionality that has been reported, and the fact that the fuses would probably be getting warm or hot if their resistance was great enough to drop significant voltage. But still, it would be interesting if someone could make those measurements, if only because it may rule out a possible contributor to the differences."

pretty sure we’ve covered this question you’re pondering before. See link below to some data on HiFi Tuning’s website for resistance of various fuses - several of their own, stock fuses and others - backwards, forwards, cryo’d, what have you. No sense torturing yourself pondering. ;-)

http://www.hifi-tuning.com/pdf/wlfr.eng.pdf

"I'm trying to think but nothing happens." ~ Curly

cheers,

Geoff @ Machina Dynamica

Geoffkait: After all that was YOUR claim - that a straight wire bypass would outperform an aftermarket fuse.

To which Georgelofi responded,

"Technically YES, if one is a technician and a betting man you would put your money on the "temporary" 10mm piece of copper wire everytime, unless one is a voodoo’ist then your a believer that pigs can fly. That’s why this sort of thing is not getting any reco in the "Tech Talk" forum and should not be given it as well. Unless these fuses are resistive, capacitive, or inductive in nature, then there are grounds for a technical discussion on them, and if they are any of these then they can only be detrimental to performance in the power supply chain."

well, actually maybe YES for a stock fuse or perhaps for an aftermarket fuse of yore. But, as I already explained fuses have evolved. They’re like the Alien. Many modern (I.e., aftermarket) fuses address a wide range of problems, problems that exist with a stock fuse AND with a copper wire bypass. I am going out on a limb here but I’m guessing that techs don’t believe in wire directionality, do they? I'm getting the feeling techs might be a couple paradigm shifts behind the curve. Anyway, to summarize, the real answer is NO. 

geoffkait @ Machina Dynamica

Al, I trust the HiFi Tuning data answered your question regarding fuse resistance.  

Cheers,

GK

Al wrote,

"So the mystery continues."

Al, sorry to be so contrary but actually there’s really not much mystery left. Didn’t you get my memo? Yeah, yeah, I know, all the world loves a mystery. ;-) Now, don’t get me wrong, manufacturers do use a different array of tricks sometimes, like the Nano Fuse and Super Fuse from Audio Magic that are liquid filled. I can see you and Mapman wince when I say that. ;-) of course SR has "quantum tunneling" and the little black dot.

geoff at MD
no goats no glory

At all, even the SR claim that the WA Quantum Chip for fuses interferes with the operation of the Black fuse is probably no longer much of a mystery either since placing a WA Chip, although it’s teeny tiny, on the Black fuse could likely cover up the Black Dot, and could, one supposes, keep it from doing it’s duty. Sorry to disappoint.  On the other hand if that's what SR was referring to couldn't an enterprising audiophile place a WA Chip on the Black fuse WITHOUT cause any "interference?" Speaking of which, HiFi Tuning ships their fuses these days (or at least the last time I looked) with a WA Chip already in place. It would be really cool if the WA Chip was located on the INSIDE of the HiFi Tuning fuse but I kind of doubt that’s the case. Now THAT would be a mystery. So, I notice I didn’t get any takers on my Pop Quiz, what’s inside the WA Quantum Chip? What’s up with that?! I guess all the world doesn't actually like a mystery. 

"I have a bunch of bottle caps from the dozens of Harp beers consumed at my home on St. Paddy’s day and I am gonna glue them all over the wall to simulate the effect of SR’s dots."

For even greater bass extension you might consider gluing the empty Harp bottles to the walls and perhaps the ceiling.  That would be cool.

Mapman wrote,

"Well everyone can rest easier now that machina dynamica geoffkait is convinced these things kick arse.

Mopman out."

Mopman, you’re putting words in my mouth again. You know what that means? Strawman alert! Take the day off. Come back when you’re fresh. Lol

"People would generally be much better off if they believed in too much rather than too little."  PT Barnum

One can't help wondering why more audiophiles lack curiosity.  This is quite worrisome.  Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought hum back.  Curiosity is the backbone of scientific reason. 

Geoff Kait
machina Dramatica 

Karma police wrote,

"I decided to switch the direction on the black fuse on the dartzeel amp after all because lack of bass weight was bothering me.

The improvement was immediate with the bass weight slam back and the soundstage easily improved from the red fuse.

it goes to show that experimentation is always necessary and trust your ears ......"

So, what about the S and R direction on the Black Fuse? Can we forget about that? Is that no longer valid, reliable, whatever?

Oregon papa doesn't know where PNW is? Come on! ;-)

Justtubes2 wrote,

"The black fuse does things good, no real nasties i could not live with. But curious from day 1 reading about Graphene, and what or how S.R has incorporated it into the fuse. I guess for the asking price and cost involved, it was either a pure Graphene fusable element, layer over the fusable element or Graphene fused to the endcaps. No mention of the black dot or substance on the fuse was ever made."

The (primary) advantage of the extremely high conductivity of Graphene is undoubtedly that it makes a great absorber of RFI.  Besides making the fuse a super conductor as it were wouldn't actually do much good since the rest of the wires in the system are you know, copper. If one wishes to make a better contact on the end caps one can always use a contact enhancer like Quicksilver Gold or whatever. Also, since Graphene by definition is one atom in thickness most likely the black color you see on the Black fuse is some sort of tape or perhaps paint for protecting and capturing the Graphene, as it were. Someone else on this thread had mention a black dot but looking at a photo of the Black fuse it appears that the entire outer surface of the fuse is black.

So, like Audio Magic Super Fuse and perhaps others aftermarket fuse manufacturers, SR is hip to the whole RFI/EMI thing, with the fuse just sitting there, exposed. If one wishes to cut strips or dots or squares of Graphene, what with Graphene being one atom thick, one must use very small and delicate scissors. Lol

geoff kait
machina dramatica

Justubes2 wrote,

"Having removed the WA fuse chip i had on for a week and now reinstalling them.

For believers of this little chip, which cost literally a bag of chips reveals that they fill up the mid regions on the BLACK fuse adding more vividness, upfront with slightly more apparent highlights of details. Well worth a shot if you have them laying around or even you you have’nt tried them."

I knew it! Good show.

geoff kait
machina dynamica
no goats no glory

"Justtubes2,, how about audio magic beeswax fuse vs synergistic research sr-black fuse? , try the beeswax, all that have talked to me say the beeswax is richer, organic, than the sr-black’s, and retain’s top transparency."

Excellent question. Having had the pleasure of the predecessor to Audio Magic’s beeswax fuse, the liquid filled Super Fuse - it’s the bee’s knees - I would also clamor in favor of a shoot out between the Black and the beeswax.

Davidpritchard wrote,

"It is hard to audition fuses in a now fuseless system as Geoff has. Time to put some back in! It might improve the sound. Without experimentation it is merely speculation on how the newest generation fuses would affect Geoff’s system. Of course installed in the correct direction!"

Huh?! I was experimenting with fuses when you were still wearing bell bottoms. I’ve already explained my system has no fuses, has no need for fuses and has no place to put a fuse, for the umpteenth time. The Audio Magic fuse overdamped? That’s rich. So now the shill is bashing the competition. That’s a fine howdya do. Just remember no fuse is better than any fuse.

Cheerios

Davidpritchard wrote,

"I think with the latest advances in fuse manufacture, that the old adage that "no fuse sounds best" may now be incorrect. But only with patience and a thorough investigation will we some day know."

Next up, replacing the stock fuse with two SR Black fuses.  You go girl!

Does anyone not see the irony in the Wolfman’s belief that electrons are moving through the fuse and the fact that he’s the only one who doesn’t believe in aftermarket fuses? On another note, Mapman apparently did not get my memo concerning the relationship between RFI shielding and very high conductivity nor has he feasted his eyes on an actual SR Black fuse, not even a photo of one, otherwise he could see the Graphene. Remember, Mopman, Google is your friend.  Besides, of what conceivable value would an extremely high conductivity fuse have when every other wire and cable in system is copper? Hel-loo!

geoff at Machina Dynamica
we do artificial atoms right

Mapman wrote,

"I hope they shed some light on the Graphene question. Geoff seems to think its used in the casing for shielding which might be fine but the vendor blurbs mention nothing about that but do cite the several million times more conductive thing."

Oh, did I mention Graphene is one atom in thickness? I hate to judge things too quickly but I'll go out on a limb and predict you won't see any Graphene wires in fuses anytime soon.

"Talking about Ben Webster and Lester Young ... Last night I dug deep into the vinyl vault and came up with an old mono recording on the "Jazztone" label that I’ve had in the collection since the 1950’s. These were compilation recordings featuring a combo of jazz players. Well ... there they were, Lester Young and Chu Berry."

True story. I bought the jazz record collection of the white dude who played with Lester Young’s band from the dude’s widow in DC back in the 90s. I'm not hot doggin' ya.

Charles wrote,

"You’re correct, ,the 30 day return policy isn’t unique but it is certainly useful and provides ample time for a thorough audition at home. I wish all audio products offered adequate return policy arrangements."

I’m pretty sure almost all audio products do actually offer a 30 day return policy. I have 30 products some of which are some of the most esoteric around and they all come with a 30 day return policy. You cannot hang your hat on the SR return policy. Now, I’m not suggesting SR gets many returns if any. They probably don’t. I don’t think I’ve seen where anyone said, "Gosh, this thing really sucks!" Frankly, I think the best course is to focus on SR's technology which actually seems to be unique. You know the Quantum Tunneling, the Graphene.