Synergistic Red Fuse ...
nyame ... Thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated. But ... all of the credit goes to the designers at Synergistic Research. All I did was put skepticism aside and took a chance based upon their 30 day return policy. I was so taken by the overall improvements in the system with just one Red fuse in my preamp that I felt compelled to share the outcome with the members here. These SR fuses have benefited so many now, for so little money in relation to what one would have to spend for similar results via other means, that its a bit mind boggling at this point. It's encouraging me to try other SR tweaks. Based upon SR's Youtube videos, there are a lot more exciting things to come. As I try them, I'll be reporting the results here. Charles, David, and others have experienced some of the other offerings from SR with very positive results ... so I suspect they would like to share their experiences as well. On ending this thread: Not yet ... I still have to replace a Red fuse in the amp for a Black fuse. I'm going to wait another week for that though. The system is sounding so good that I want to put off the 70 hours of break-in for the new fuse for a little bit. My friend Robert came over last night and we listened to a whole variety of music. One thing we listened to was a jazz compilation of previously released material titled "Jazz Like You've Never Heard It Before." One cut features Mel Torme' singing "Too Close for Comfort." It was "reach out and touch Mel Torme' ... so realistic. Another cut featured Sonny Rollins playing "Body and Soul." That tenor sax was right there in the room. So tonally correct. Robert called me again this afternoon to compliment the system and its natural, realistic sound. His comments: "You've got the tonality of the piano just right." "I've never heard a muted trumpet sound as real as that cut you played of Joe Gordon. It was right on." "Wow, Sonny Rollins was real!" These are truly great compliments coming from Robert. He has talented ears. If something isn't right he can nail it right away. He's been around the hobby for years. Robert works with one of the great mastering engineers helping to master some of the most well thought of vinyl reissues we enjoy so much today. Also, Robert has been instrumental in the choice of what records are to be reissued by a well respected audiophile reissue record company. And ... Robert is very critical of recordings that are not done right ... and systems that pretend to be high-end but that just don't cut the mustard. Bottom line ... if Robert says its right ... its right. Stay tuned ... more fuse updates to come. |
^^^ And it continues on. These SR Black fuses do amazing things. One more to go in my system. I'll be ordering another SR Black fuse to replace the SR Red fuse now residing in the ARC REF-75se. When I replaced the HiFi Tuning fuse in the amp for the SR Red fuse, it was really ear opening. The Black fuse in the amp should be another significant improvement. |
^^^ Bob ... The Scotch was really good too. :-) I heard the same improvements in your system that I'm hearing in mine. There's a sense of realism that one just doesn't expect in an audio system. It really makes you sit up an notice. Guitars, voice, cellos and pianos all have life. I had my friend Robert over this evening for a listening session. He brought over one of his thrift store finds. Would you believe a 1945 recording of Scheherazade? Blue label Columbia ... Ormandy conducting. It was a little noisy, but man, the sound that came out of that record was really, really good. One of the best performances of Scheherazade I've ever heard. How a 70 year old record can do that is beyond me. The AT ART-9 really gets mono playback right. The SR Black fuses get the textures right. The massed strings and the woodwind section was great, and of course the violin was superb. All in all ... a welcome relief from trying to figure out what goes on line 43 after subtracting line 27 from line 32 and adding line 16 back in. Bah! OP |
^^^ I haven't been listening as much either. I've been immersed in preparing my annual financial confession that must be submitted to Caesar under threat of violence by April 15. In the meantime, I did find the time to listen to Bob's wonderful system with his newly broken in SR Black fuses. Man, the textural richness that came through those Venture speakers was really spot on. SR Black fuses and Venture speakers ... NICE! OP |
mapman ... Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Yes, I did receive your package ... thanks. I had to set it aside until I have the time to figure out how to use it. I was going to let you know the results at that time. So far ... its just been sitting under my computer table. When it comes to the tech stuff, I am such a dunce. Duh! *lol* When I figure it out, I'll let you know. I would only use it for my little computer system .... which sounds quite nice with the Audio Engine A2+ speakers, by the way. Did you ever get the SR Red fuse to come around?? OP |
For those of you still playing vinyl, here's one that my friend Robert brought over last night ... Its demo quality and thanks to the grain-less nature of the system brought about by the SR Black fuses, the musicians and vocalists are in the room.
This is one that you'd want to throw on the turntable to impress your "all digital" audiophile friends. Be sure to get a really clean stereo copy. http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Christy-Minstrels-sing-and-play-Cowboys-And-Indians-Condition-VG-VG-... And another great stereo album that I pulled out of the female vocalist vault last night was this one ... simply amazing sound and voice: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DORIS-DAY-WHAT-EVERY-GIRL-SHOULD-KNOW-STEREO-LP-/250659121405?hash=item3a5c7... And for those who know how good vinyl can sound in mono, we listened this as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CL-968-six-eye-Jo-Stafford-Once-Over-Lightly-w-Art-Van-Damme-Quintet-/152049... Art Van Damme plays jazz accordion. Don't laugh, he's great. Both he and Jo Stafford are in the room. These SR Black fuses are bringing out the very best in the vinyl collection. Honestly, we just sit there in amazement. Even on vocal records, the instruments played by the backup musicians are dead nutz on tonally. Take care ... |
^^^ Agreed, Lak. I thought my system was pretty much grain free before I got into the SR fuses. They have transformed my system from top to bottom. The clarity and textures of instruments are way beyond what I thought possible. On good recordings, the performers are in the room in 3D relief. Massed strings, solo instruments and vocals have such a natural presentation ... it matches the best I've heard except for a few multi-hundred thousand dollar systems. Over the 40+ years I've been in the hobby, I've tried a lot of tweaks. Some were effective. Some not so much. Some not at all. The SR Black fuses are the best tweak yet and well worth the money for sure. The SR Black fuses were more effective than swapping out the KT-120's for KT-150's in the ARC REF-75 amp, or changing out the turntable belt for one from www.originlive.com. And by the way, for those reading this who are still into vinyl, I highly recommend upgrading to an originlive turntable belt. Like the SR fuses, Its another amazing upgrade and very cost effective. Lak ... Not sure if you're into classical music .. but if you are, wait until you hear bowed strings like cellos and acoustic bass when the fuses finally break in. A beautiful, organic presentation awaits. :-) Here's another LP recommendation: Its a Chris Connor reissue two-LP set. Its in mono, but so good that you'll be saying: "who needs stereo!" Here's a near mint copy available now on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Finest-of-CHRIS-CONNOR-Shrink-NM-2-LP-on-Bethlehem-Records-/322066568288... Buy it. Throw it on the turntable. You'll think Chris Connor is in the listening room singing to you personally. OP |
Charles ... There were so many great trumpet players in the past, Jack Sheldon among them. But ... Clifford was the bomb. Every time I listen to Clifford Brown I think to myself ... "eat your heart out Winton Marseilles." Here's one of my desert island recordings. Clifford's rendition of Autumn in New York is breathtaking. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLIFFORD-BROWN-All-Stars-EmARCY-36102-Mono-/141436962409?hash=item20ee4cc669... |
Charles ... Thank you for the John Lewis recommendation. I have that album on vinyl. On Bill Perkins ... Prior to his passing, he and I lived in the same town. In his "retirement," he formed a group with some local young jazz musicians and they would play at our local Border's book store every so often. A friend and I never missed these sessions. I have lots of his recordings, or recordings by other artists where he was part of the group. Bill Perkins was on top of his game right to the end. Also, the Curtis Counce recommendation is spot on. I have his albums on vinyl as well. Great jazz and great sound as well. Harold Land isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he's one of my favorites. A very distinctive voice that's readily recognized as Harold Land's tenor. Also, the original jacket cover on "You get more bounce with Curtis Counce" wasn't too shabby either. :-) http://www.ebay.com/itm/CURTIS-COUNCE-GROUP-YOU-GET-MORE-BOUNCE-WITH-CURTIS-COUNCE-V2-VINYL-/2916368... wolf_garcia ... Welcome back to the SR Fuse seminar ... your humor has been missed. On the SR Black fuses ..., they have been known to clear muddled thinking when one puts the fuses up one's nose. Also known to clear tinnitus when placed well down into the ear canal. And here's the best part, one that you may want to take advantage of; they are also known to treat acute tweak denial when stuffed up one's .... Oh, never mind. :-) Limniscsate ... I think the general consensus is the source. It sure was in my CD player and phono stage. OP |
^^^ Jafreeman ... I pulled up a bunch of Rick Braun's recordings on Spotify. Never heard of him before your suggestion. I have a comment: Everyone of Braun's recordings are drenched in artificial digital reverb. I know a lot of audiophiles like this sound, but to my ear, it doesn't allow for a natural presentation of the music or the instruments. Same with most modern recording artists regardless of their style of music. I like to seek out natural sounding recordings, most of which, were recorded in the 50's and 60's. I'm not dissing your preferences here as it is a matter of taste. OP |
jafreeman .. The next time you listen to "cool" jazz, listen for all of the artificial artifacts the recording engineer added to the sound. Its totally unnatural. A perfect example is the music of Kenny G. Personally, I can't stand to listen to the guy because his recordings are so off-putting. However, years ago, I heard him play as a featured guest on the Arsenio Hall Show without all of the electronic enhancements. Well, to my utter surprise, the guy can really play that sax. He was great. If his recordings sounded that good, I'd buy them ... especially if they were of the old school ballads. If you have a source like Spotify, where entire albums can be downloaded for free, try some of these suggestions to see what we're talking about: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Little-Band-Big-Jazz-Hollywood-1960-Conte-Candoli-Audio-CD-/311589910238?has... http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHICO-HAMILTON-QUINTET-PACITIC-JAZZ-1225-JAZZ-LP-/371069884277?hash=item5665... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Paul-Quintet-Horn-Something-Blue-CD-New-/141597515341?hash=item20f7de9e4d:g:... http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANNONBALL-ADDERLEY-BILL-EVANS-KNOW-WHAT-I-MEAN-LTD-RM-BONUS-LP-/29164615518... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cal-Tjader-Latin-Kick-Fantasy-3250-RED-VINYL-/381207291272?hash=item58c1b9a5... http://www.ebay.com/itm/DAVE-BRUBECK-QUARTET-JAZZ-IMPRESSIONS-OF-THE-U-S-A-NM-LP-COLUMBIA-6-EYE-CL-9... Those are just a few examples. Some are available on CD and some are not. Some are in stereo and some are only available in mono. ALL of them put the musicians in the room in a very natural presentation. And ALL of them are recordings of great jazz and great jazz artists in their prime. And dare I say it ... the SR Black fuses bring out more of the accurate, natural sound of the instruments. Happy listening ... |
Charles ... I agree on the West Coast jazz.; its very melodic. All of the albums I recommended above are prime examples of it. I use Spotify to play recommended recordings before I consider buying anything that has been recorded over the past 20 years or so ... including new recordings. For example, those recommended in Stereophile and TAS, or here on this site in the "music" forum. So many of them sound as though the recording occurred in a cave. I think some vocalists are recorded this way to cover a lack of talent. Sarah Vaughn, Billy Holliday, and Dinah Washington weren't recorded like this, right? What some of these guys are listening to, and recommending, have been totally butchered by the recording engineer and/or the mastering engineer. You hear this stuff at audio shows all the time. To hear it done right, check out almost anything mastered by Kevin Gray. He's done almost all of the reissues for Impex records. The Julie London and the June Christy albums are prime examples of Kevin's excellent mastering. If anyone reading this attends the audio shows, a visit to Ralph Karsten's room (Atmosphere), or Randy Cooley's room (Optimal Enchantment) should be on the short list. These two guys know great music and great recordings ... and that's what they play at the shows. Just as a side note ...one of the very best sounding recordings in my entire collection was recorded by Ralph. Its a small chorale group singing upbeat folk songs. Its uncannily real. I love playing it for the digital download guys just to demonstrate how good vinyl can sound. Jafreeman ... I hope you'll take advantage of the recommended recordings I listed. They are really something else. Take care ... |
jond & jafreeman ... You are both entirely welcome. I get a kick out of recommending great performance and recordings to friends. I heard Cal Tjader live at a jazz club called Zardies in Hollywood when I was a senior in high school. That was 60 years ago (1956). I've been hooked on Tjader ever since. There are a lot of fine vibes players from that era, and many more from today ... but in my estimation, none can top the great Cal Tjader. If you guys like Milt Jackson, you may like Lem Winchester even more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qCNx93mjkM And then there's Victor Feldman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30lkzeo-GVQ And we can't forget Wes Montgomery's brother "Buddy" Montgomery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27qtFS2p4GQ&list=PLKR3dXfS_ykFTdV87bojt0mSEU3mgxXVx Happy listening ... |
Wow! Just in case any of my fellow SR Fuse lovers have missed this artist, I present Ms. Barbara Dennerlein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ut7yIuCEY |
tzh21y ... Glad you like her. How about four times that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdJeCjIwGFk&list=RD60ut7yIuCEY&index=6 |
ronragsg ... This thread has found a life of its own at almost 70,000 views. Who knew? Interesting idea of reducing the toe-in of the speakers. I think I may try your suggestion this weekend. Its kind of a hassle for me as I have Mapleshade platforms spiked through the carpet and then the speakers spiked to the platforms. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but the speakers weigh 145 pounds apiece. You didn't mention what cables you're currently using, but some members are getting really good results from SR's new Black power cords. There's a thread on the subject in the cable forum. Hang in there ... |
^^^ ronrags ... Nice! SR has some really innovative new products. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Newport show where I hope to meet several Agon members in person. Anyone besides Bob and David going? If so, we could set a specific time to meet in the SR room sometime on Saturday afternoon. It would be interesting to observe SR's entire presentation. OP |
I really like a balanced discussions, but when certain posters (not you mapman) start insulting members by suggesting that there's something nefarious going on with the tons of positive reviews, its time to call their BS out. I won't stand for being called a "shill," or anything else that might be crooked. Everything positive I've said about the SR fuses is nothing but the truth. I've heard the positive results in my system, other folk's systems and my friends have heard the results in my system as well. Rah-Rah on lads, Rah-Rah on ... :-) |
This was included in last night's listening session. If you like soulful Mexican music, and if you have a turntable, get this. Its magic: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Noche-Los-Tres-12-Vinyl-LP-/131779146640?hash=item1eaea63390:g:oncAAOSw3xJVe... Okay not ... who's going to be the first one to try the new SR Black wall outlet? I vote for lak. :-) |
mapman ... You can find the answers to all of your above questions via Youtube. You you go: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=synergistic+research Charles ... thanks for the response. I know you've tried all of the outlets, so I look forward to your assessment of the new SR Black outlet. If it does what the fuses and PC's do, it should be a significant improvement over the others in your collection. OP |
mapman ... I believe you're correct in your assessment that the more resolving a system is, the more impact the "small" tweaks will have. Early on in this thread I made the comment that eliminating micro-vibrations in a system is a must in order to gain super resolution ... and if one can't hear the improvement the SR Black fuses make, then one needs to pay attention to the micro-vibrations first. sgordon1 ... Warren Gehl is the chief listener at Audio Research. There isn't a piece of equipment, repair or new, that leaves the factory until its signed off by Warren. He not only takes the time to orient the fuses' direction, but also the proper rotational position to ensure that the equipment will sound its best when it arrives at the customer's home. wolf-garcia ... It just amazes me that a wonderful wordsmith such as yourself could be so wrong about so much. Me thinks perhaps you should check your micro-vibrations. :-) OP |
^^^^ Put another way ... If there is a need, someone will recognize that need and will step in to fill it and make a fortune in the process. The consumer gets what he/she wants and the producer gets what he/she wants in return. Free market capitalism, baby ... free market capitalism. :-) Last night's listening session included a performance on CD of Spanish music featuring a trio of two cellos and one piano. The sixth cut was a piece composed by Isaac Albeniz. Simply fantastic ... and in the room. Based upon what these SR Black fuses have done for my system, they are worth every penny. I hope SR sells a million fuses ... they deserve it. OP |
^^^ Personally, I believe that very few harsh words were posted in t his thread. Here's what I think ... Because we use a keyboard to "talk," and because we can't see each other through the computer monitor, we cannot see facial expressions or hand gestures. In other words, we cannot always decipher the true intent of the person we are responding to. So much of what I read in this thread I see a humor being the intent. Some folks, myself included, tend to have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor ... and at times, especially if you can't see a smile on the other side of the screen, we take the comments as a put-down or even verbal abuse. That's why I try to included one of these :-) when I'm joking. Personally, guys like "mapman" and "wolf-garcia" crack me up with some of their posts. Happy listening .. .and happy fuses, guys. :-) |
^^^^ tzh21y ... Yeah, there you go. And here's something else you may have noticed: Things sound a little rolled off or less bright than before ... except its really not "rolled off," or "less bright," its just more relaxed, akin to live music in the flesh. And ... you are getting more inner detail too. Do you find this to be true? mapman ... I have to admit, I used up almost the entire 30 day trial period on your skewed sense of humor (wolf-garcia's too) before I realized that we are simpatico. Must be the way our brains are fused ... err, I mean wired. |
^^^ Excuse me for interjecting mapman ... but it certainly doesn't mean that a system isn't "good," it just means that its not as good as it could have been had it been responsive to the fuse upgrades. For those who own systems that ARE responsive to the fuses, those systems become fantastic. Quite amazing, really. To date, I've heard two systems that have been responsive to the fuse upgrades ... mine and Bob's. In both systems, there is that improvement in the tonal colors of individual instruments and vocals. A more realistic. organic presentation very representative of what one hears with live music. Not perfect of course, but much closer than before. |
David ... Kudos to you for taking care of and respecting your mother. So many seniors are just cast to the side by their kids. I have a couple of older friends about my age who continually tell me how disconnected they are from their children. And this is after a lot of effort to connect on their behalf. I think the younger ones get way too busy with life and lack the discipline to stay in touch. Too bad, because in the long haul, discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. Thanks for the update on the new SR Black outlets. As I mentioned before, I'm currently using an older Oyaide ... so in reading your assessment the SR Black has now been put on the bucket list. My friend Robert came over last night with an armful of vinyl records that he recently rescued from thrift stores and garage sales. Some were really amazing, including one artist you may have heard of ... The Page Cavanaugh Trio. https://www.discogs.com/artist/878802-Page-Cavanaugh http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAGE-CAVANAUGH-PLAYS-FOR-THE-COCKTAIL-HOUR-LP-MONO-L1523-/361332512065?hash=... This album puts Page's piano in the room and the brushed cymbals are uncannily accurate. And, its a mono record that had us asking ... who needs stereo! This brought up the subject last night about how many great recordings are out there featuring artists that most audiophiles know nothing about and have never heard. How many posters here own a record by the great accordionists Myron Floren? Or soulful music from Mexico ... or even some of the old stereo demo records that came out in the late 50's and early 60's. There's a lot of junk to wade through, but the great ones make an audio system really come to life. Robert and I agreed last night that there is a huge section of the audiophile hobby missing from most audiophiles systems, and that is the "component" known as "the great records from the past that they never heard of." Looking forward to meeting you in Newport Beach next month David. Take care ... |
This is kind of like a group of like minded guys sitting around the pub, kicking back a few brewskies, and talkin' audio. :-) By the way, if you want to hear a wide, deep, lush sound stage and great music, buy this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7zMYa47ws0 Available on ebay. |
David ... I believe that so many audiophiles are taken by the 180 gram modern reissues that they miss the real classics that would make their audio systems come alive. Here's some more beautiful music with a deep, wide, floor to ceiling sound stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S1GuZLsqMo&list=PLORhWcDj8iRNCFoueY0stkZrMgvIukS47 This is their best ... amaze your friends and bask in the musical beauty of this album: http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-NORMAN-LUBOFF-CHOIR-BUT-BEAUTIFUL-CS-8114-COLUMBIA-VINYL-LP-RECORD-12-/1... |
No better interpretations of Liszt's piano compositions than those done by Peter Katin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5VMhVaE-vg This is the album to get. Don't bother looking for the original, its super rare. The Stereo Treasury is a great reissue. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Peter-Katin-Piano-Music-Of-Liszt-LP-London-FFRR-STS-15133-Vinyl-/28103216507... |
Its time for another "fix" so I ordered an SR Black fuse today to replace the SR Red fuse in the amp. Should be a nice upgrade. I'll report the results here. Here's a nice treat for you guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeytzmSWee0 |
Guys ... Robert brought this over last night ... another great thrift store find: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BONGOS-BONGOS-BONGOS-VINYL-RECORD-LP-COMMAND-RECORDS-1959-STEREO-/2720368222... This record is demo quality ... amaze your audiophile friends. These gems, unfortunately, don't end up in the majority of "audiophile's" record collections. Well ... at least not the ones who have nothing but 180 gram reissues in their collections. Time to expand into the unknown realm of early stereo masterpieces like this one. In the room ... in the room. Happy listening ... |
