^^^
Okay, I finally broke one of the SR Black fuses open and discovered the absolute truth. Here it is my fellow audiophiles and music lovers ...
Somehow, the folks at SR have developed miniaturization to the point that they can actually shrink instruments and musicians down to the level where they fit into these clever little fuses.
Inside the fuse in the phono stage, much to my delight and surprise, was a very tiny Sammy Davis Jr. and Laurindo Almeida in residence. Almeida with guitar in hand strumming away. Sammy Davis Jr. singing "Here's That Rainy Day."
But wait! ... There's more!!
I then broke open the SR Black fuse in the preamp, and there stood Victoria de los Angeles surrounded by the entire La Scala orchestra di Italia along with hundreds of rabid Italian opera fans, box lunches comfortably resting in their laps, all waiting with baited breath for the great soprano to start singing. I had to quickly wrap electricians tape around the fuse to close it up. The crowd noise was deafening.
How did Ted Denny and the crew at SR figure out how to get all of that inside one little fuse?
I had a hell of a time prying Fats Domino and Jimmy Rushing out of the two fuses in the CD player. Those two guys obviously haven't passed up the bacon cheeseburgers and the Saint Louis ribs.
Upon further investigation, I discovered that whatever piece of music one plays, the artists seem to be reincarnated inside these wonderful little fuses. As it turns out, there is nothing different about these fuses at all ... other than the musicians and instruments are actually inside them.
Now we know why, with the installation of the SR Black fuses, everything sounds so real. Because IT IS REAL.
So there you have it, Wolfie Cotton Ears. All of your technical questions have been answered.
You can go away now.
Ted Denny ... you are a genius!
OP
|
Ghosthouse sez:
"8. The OP = Shill"
Nope ... just a dyed in the wool old time audiophile who found a tweak that works so well that I wanted to share it with other like-minded individuals. So far, its paid off big time for a lot of happy posters here.
With all due respect, I suggest that you read the thread from the very beginning before you form any concrete opinions.
Charles ...
We're very lucky to have so much of Harold Land's music on recordings. He was a very prolific sideman as well. Some of his best work was done on some of the Montgomery Brothers albums.
OP
|
Geoffkait ...
Again ... there are those of us who really don't care how an electronic devise works, only that it does. The bottom line for us isn't the technological aspects of the hobby ... its about the musical enjoyment one derives from the devises that have been designed and put together by others. This would include tweaks like upgraded fuses, cones and little thingies that adhere to the walls and profoundly increase the realism of what is coming out of the speakers. If this weren't the case, we'd all be building Dynaco Stereo 70's and Heathkit amps from scratch. The last time I tried using a soldering iron, I burned the hell out of my thumb. :-)
OP
Charles ...
I have an LP of The Montgomery Brothers that I believe was recorded exclusively for radio stations. I found it in a used record store back in the early 70's. Even though I keep searching, I have never seen it since. Its mono, but the sound is spectacular as is the performance. Its one of my reference and demo LP's. I love playing it for people just to show them how good mono can sound. Harold Land is spectacular on the album. If you can put up with a little surface noise, I'll burn a copy and send it along to you.
Frank |
Wolf ... Instead of expecting the rest of us to do your research for you, why not do it on your own ... then report your findings here when you're finally satisfied? Here's the contact information for Synergistic Research ... phone numbers and all. Maybe you can get Ted Denny on the phone. http://www.synergisticresearch.com/contact/Be sure to report your finding here. Thanks ... OP |
Charles ...
Mister Record (Robert) came over for a listening session last night. I dug into the vault and took out the Montgomery Bros. album and played both sides. I haven't played it for a couple of years. Gotta say, with the fuses, room treatments and the cable upgrades made over the past year, its even better than I remembered.
In addition to Harold Land on tenor, the Montgomery Brother's album also features Freddie Hubbard. The vibes playing by Buddy Montgomery is outstanding ... and in the room.
Frank |
^^^ Charles ...
I'm a huge Vibes fan. Cal Tjader is my favorite.
I have a couple of double album reissues (LP's) of Milt Jackson's recordings on the old Roost label. Again, they're mono ... but the transfers were really good and Milt is in the room. I'll dig those out for you too. :-)
Frank |
|
Charles ...
Do you have this? If not, I'll send it along. Great performance and sound. I played it for Mister Record (Robert) the other night and he loved it. Terrific sound and performance.
Frank |
|
|
Wolfie sez ...
"
I just talked to Ted Denny and he says this stuff really doesn't do anything and no real research was involved other that some marketing ideas. He says enjoys reaping a pile of money from the "seekers' who are seemingly born every minute, and apologizes to those who have found his products to be useless…he has issued a resounding "meh."
Alcohol is such a wonderful drug. <Sheesh!>
OP |
^^^ ... Thanks, Charles.
The "Hagerman Frycorder" has been connected to the Oxaide main outlet, the one that I plug the power conditioner into, for 24 hours now. Very nice improvement in overall articulation and a much improved three dimensional presentation.
I connected it yesterday when it arrived in the mail and let the system warm up for a couple of hours. The improvement was heard immediately ... and was even better this morning. I'll let it continue cooking in that one outlet for two more days, then start running it through each power cord, and subsequently through each socket on the power conditioner.
After that comes the TV system. Its a 73" Mitsubishi rear projection set. Its an awesome toy for this football junkie and his similarly affected friends. According to the reviews I've read, the Hagerman Frycorder is supposed to improve not only the sound of the TV, but also the picture as well. Looking forward to the results.
And speaking of football ... For those of you who haven't been to a high school football game in the last 20 years, you must go if you're a football fan. These high school athletes have come a LONG way and are competing at the college level of 20-25 years ago. Training and nutrition, that's where its at. I've missed maybe five Friday night games over the past 25 years. We're just a bunch of old coots who meet up each week and we still love our Friday Night Lights. We get there early for the JV game and stay 'till the end of the Varsity game. We even go to all of the "away" games. Fun.
Fourwnds ...
Thanks for the well written report. Your description is right on. Its the removal of the grain that you didn't know was there until you changed the fuses. That lack of grain accounts for the improved articulation and naturalness of the instruments. You should be getting more of a 3-D effect too, with more space between instruments.
Moving up to the SR Black fuses would account for even more improvement in the areas you described. That's because as good as it is now, there's still a lot of grain left to be removed.
Its getting to the point in my system where there is no longer "space between instruments." There is a real sense of actual musicians and vocalists moving about in their own spaces between and around the speakers. In fact, on most well recorded material there are no longer any speakers. No electronics either. Its like all electronic devises have been removed from the room with the music being left in a more real fashion than ever before.
Looking forward to more of your reports. Please post the results as the fuses continue breaking in.
Thanks ...
OP |
^^^ I'm enjoying your posts Marqmike.
My roommate is a die-hard Beatles fan ... but he's not an audiophile by a long shot. Last night he was literally begging me to play a Beatles album. I thought ... what the hay and threw on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club. I thought the Beatles were in the room. It was Soooo good. My room mate was loving it.
This is the first high end system he's been exposed to. His musical taste doesn't expand beyond 60's and 70's rock. He hates jazz. I figure another 6 months or so and he'll come around. Who can resist Paul Desmond and Chet Baker??
The good news is ... I've got him hooked on high school football. :-)
OP |
|
^^^
Politically, I'm just to the right of Darth Vader. :-)
With that said, Its not a good idea to discuss politics on a site like this. Just way too much of a chance for conflict resulting in ruined friendships.
In the meantime, I'm burning a few very rare LP's onto CD's for friends and to play in my car. The AT ART-9 and the SR Black fuse in the phono amp has the vinyl singing.
OP |
Charles ...
Yeppers ... Lou Dobbs fan here. Dobbs has no problem goring sacred cows.
I'm a total political junkie. Libertarian, free market, honest money sort of stuff.
Also a big Mark Levin fan. I subscribe to Mark's TV show and listen to his radio show via his podcast. No commercials. In addition to his talk show and TV show, Mark is a prolific author and constitutional attorney. He heads up the Landmark Legal Foundation. The foundation challenges unconstitutional law all the way to the Supreme Court ... and they have won many cases in front of the court. Mark also worked in the Reagan Justice Department. The guy is brilliant. One of the best commentators of our time.
I'm burning that Montgomery Bros. CD for you as I'm typing this. A little surface noise ... but the music is outstanding.
Tommylion ...
Please post the results/improvements that the Black fuse brings to your transport. I believe the most significant improvement that I got was from putting the Black fuses (it takes two fuses) in my ARC CD-7se.
OP |
Still digging through the archives and pulling out more Zoot Sims albums to burn for friends. The album with Jutta Hipp and Zoot Sims is fantastic. But ... there are others as well, including a French pressing of an RCA recording featuring Zoot.
Tons of fun ...
OP |
My Ref - 3 uses a large fuse. 3.15. |
Tommylion ... I could not agree with you more. That's exactly it. This morning I had an early morning listening session. I love listening to the system with the purity of the power that comes into the house around 5 am or so. Two nights ago, my good friend "Mister Record" (Robert) dropped off a rendition of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" with artur Rodzinski conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. recorded in 1956. This is a CD transfer from a Westminster stereo analog tape
recorded in 1956. I already had a budget CD of the work that I thought was pretty good. In fact its very good,. BUT ... while listening to Robert's CD this morning, I was transported right into the recording venue. What a beautiful performance. This is the best Analog tape transfer of the work that I, or Robert, has ever heard. Yes, there's a small amount of tape hiss, but that's a good thing as the highs aren't rolled off. Then, I put on the Reference Recording of John Rutter's "Requiem" performed by the Turtle Creek Chorale. Wow! That chorus was spread out from wall to wall ... and so believable. And so utterly beautiful. I haven't played this CD in a couple of years, having put it on the back burner. It has never sounded as good as this. Its a reflection of the improvements made to the system over the past year, with a big jump due to the SR Black fuses. This is the budget version I already had. Its quite good. I found it on Amazon. Its a two CD set. This is a must have. You NEED this CD. :-) https://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Nutcracker-complete-Symphony-No/dp/B00005OLDM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&...Here's the Requiem CD. If you like choral music, you'll need to jump on this one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/John-Rutter-Requiem-Five-Anthems-Referecne-Recordings-RR-57CD-Still-Sealed-/...
So many recordings in the collection ... so little time to listen.
OP |
Tommylion ..
That Nutcracker I led you to on Amazon isn't the budget version, its the version Robert brought over. Honestly, its a CD that should be in every classical music lover's collection.
OP |
^^^
One way to determine when your audio system has "arrived," is when your friends stop saying "Hey, your SYSTEM sounds great," and instead they begin to say: "Hey, those GUYS sound great." |
Astro58go ...
When I took delivery of my ARC REF-75se, I replaced the stock fuse with a HiFi Tuning fuse for a nice, but marginal improvement.
When I read the advertisement in TAS on the SR RED fuses, I decided to replace the HiFi Tuning fuse with the SR RED fuse. I figured ... Hey, if I don't like it, I can always send it back using SR's 30 day return policy.
Replacing the HiFI Tuning fuse with the SR RED was a major improvement, not unlike a real upgrade in electronics; maybe to a better pre-amp. This is what started this entire thread. I subsequently did the entire system with the SR Red fuses, much to my delight.
Within months of changing all of the fuses in the system, SR came out with the BLACK fuses. I decided to take a flyer and try one in the amp again. There was no contest at all. The Black fuses blew (no pun intended) all of the other fuses down the tubes (again, no pun intended).
The point is this ... if you don't at least try an SR Black fuse in your amp, based upon the many positive experiences other's have experienced, as attested to in this thread, you are most likely missing out.
What I thought was a grain free amp in the ARC REF-75se, I realized right off the bat after installing the SR Black fuse that I wasn't even scratching the surface. Not even close.
So, with a money back guarantee, as Donald Trump says to his Black audiences: "What do you have to lose?"
:-)
OP
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jm ..
Its not politics if you don't take a side. At least not by my thinking .
I'd say, just relax and have fun. Sorry if you were offended. No offense intended.
OP |
|
Hi, whitestix ...
Welcome to Crazy Town. :-)
Glad to hear you're getting good results.
Just for clarification, did you install a
SR20 Quantum Fuse, or the
Synergistic Research BLACK Quantum Fuse? The reason I ask is that there is a huge difference in price.
They both have rave reviews on the Highend-electronics site.
OP
|
Hi, David ...
If possible, would you stop in at the Von Gaylord room to take a listen. I'd like your assessment on the sound. Also, introduce yourself to Ray Leung the designer. He's a brilliant designer and a complete gentleman. If you find the time, please say hello to Ray for me.
Hope you're having a wonderful time at the show.
Frank |
Les ...
I just noticed that I addressed you as "Lee" and I should have said "Les." Sorry, I just woke up and still have sleepy eyes. Its early here. :-)
OP
|
Hello, Lee ... I hope all is well this morning in Singapore. Thanks for posting your results. Your experiences with the SR products mirrors that of so many others who have tried them. Each step you've taken is a new adventure. The HFT's transformed my room too. While the SR Black fuses improved each component like a component upgrade, the HFT's brought everything into focus. And that was with a lot of room treatments already in the room. Please report back with the results you get with the new power cords. You can expect the usual break-in time with the cords as well. In case you weren't aware of it, there is a thread on the SR power cords here on A'gon. Here's a link: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/synergistic-research-atmosphere-power-cordsAgain, congratulations on the great results. OP |
^^^ Over 124,000 views and counting. :-)
Start a clubhouse? I thought we had a pub going on right here. *lol*
|
^^^ I have a CD player that takes two fuses. Each one made a significant improvement.
OP |
Thank you Al. I'll address your questions with Warren the next time we speak.
As you know (hee, hee), I'm not technically inclined at all. EC's just look at me an shake their heads with disdain. Pity, really. But, I was thinking about your comments above and I was wondering if the wiring leading into the fuse from outside of the house and through the wall outlet, would really have an effect on anything entering and coming out of the fuse and subsequently into the power supply. Also, is it possible that a manufacturer such as ARC could/would determine through R&D the directionallity of the wire they use internally in the equipment? In other words, would the proper direction of all of the internal wiring inside of a preamp or an amp improve the sound of the finished product?
Just some random thoughts ...
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks ...
|
I spoke with Warren Gehl at ARC this morning and the conversation eventually got around to the directional property of fuses and why they sound their best in one direction and defused (no pun intended) in the opposite direction.
Warren said that its a metallurgy situation and not an electrical one. According to Warren, when metal is extruded (drawn) to make wire it affects the direction of the grain in the metal. When the fuse is orientated in the direction of the grain, the sound will be the best. When the fuse is in the opposite direction, it will sound as though the system is out of phase. That's certainly been the experience of most of us posting here. Its fairly dramatic in my system for sure.
I also asked him about the rotational position of the fuse, and he said that it has nothing to do with the wire. He said that each fuse has a position where the contact point of the end caps is best. Find that best position and the sound will be at its best.
OP
|
^^^
So then geo ... Can assume that you're tired of discussing fuses? :-)
OP |
^^^^
geo ...
Thanks for the input.
I know ARC does not use after market fuses in their products. Its my understanding however, that the fuses they do use are oriented in the proper direction by Warren before the product is shipped to the customer.
Your comment:
"
The electricity and the electromagnetic field (audio signal) prefer to travel down wire that is oriented in the correct direction. It measurable and audible."
Okay, so does that mean that the "proper" direction of a fuse can be measured?
OP |
"I trust my ears." ___ Tesla |
|
^^^
ronrags ...
The SR Atmosphere level 3 PC's were a game changer for me. Prior to the change, I was using some of Dave Magnan's experimental PC's that were mighty, mighty fine. Had them in the system for years. The Magnan PC's are now residing in a friend's system. He loves them and so did I, but they are no contest for the SR's.
I haven't compared the Atmosphere's with the UEF Blacks, but my understanding is that the UEF Blacks are a real bargain and they get you some of what the Atmosphere's achieve for a LOT less money. |
^^^ Haven't tried the other levels. With the 30 day return policy, perhaps you could try them out and go from there. You'd only be out the return shipping. |
^^^
fazee ...
Any feedback from the supplier? |
^^^ ...
Not to worry, fazee. When I ordered my four, Level 3 PC's, they sent one with a note saying that they had to build the other three. I got them in about 10 days from the time the first one was delivered.
Amazing product, by the way. The build quality is suburb as is the sound. They keep improving over a 200 hour period as they break in. They killed the PC's I was using before right off the bat, and the ones I was using before were no slouches at all.
Good things come to those who wait. :-)
OP |
Charles ...
The Montgomery Bros. was recorded from the LP. Sorry for the surface noise, especially on the first cut. That record is approaching 60 years old now. I found it in a used bin at a record store back in the 1970's. My favorite cut is "Bobbles Bangles and Beads." Buddy really rips it on the vibes on that cut.
On the Spanish Cello Music disc, my favorite cuts are from #6 on.
Please let me know what you think of the Israeli Percussion Orchestra recording. The first cut is amazing. Its one of the very best recordings I've ever heard. Its a private recording and was never released to the public. So ... only a few specially selected people have been deemed worthy enough to have it. :-) If I'm not mistaken, I believe you and David are using low powered amps ... I hope it comes across with all the dynamics that are on the disc.
fazee ...
I believe you have to have current flowing through the PC's. Patients is the key ... good things come to those who wait. :-)
Woo-Hoo ... !! The mailman (oops, I mean the postal person) just dropped off enough of Herbie's tube dampeners to do the preamp. Good sounds ahead for this evening. :-) |
^^^ Charles ...
You are more than welcome. Its a pleasure sharing music with someone who I am confident is a true music lover.
I see a great divide in this hobby and its been evident to me for many years. There are those of us who will sacrifice a lot financially in the quest to get us closer to the music. And then there are those who consider their stereo equipment to be some kind of exotic jewelry that they can show off to their friends.
I have thousands of recordings in my collection, and I suspect that you and a few others posting here do as well. On the other hand, I've met so many folks who have systems costing in excess of 100k, with a paltry collection of, at most, 100 recordings ... all of which are of the "audiophile" variety. You know, typical would be Patricia Barber; totally drenched in artificial digital reverb. To each his own, I guess.
You and I, and others like us, can listen to a 60 year old recording of Zoot Sims and be blown away emotionally through his talent. The folks on other side of the coin, however, wouldn't be caught dead with that recording. "Eww ... there's a "tick" on the third cut of side two!" :-)
As for me, I'll take the music every time.
Glad you appreciate what I sent you. It means a lot to me.
Take care ...
Frank |
Charles ...
When I burned the Zoot Sims CD for you, I also burned one for myself. I played it tonight in its entirety. I find it pretty amazing that a mono LP that is almost 60 years old can be that involving and have such great sound. Sim's big, fat, voluptuous tenor is right there in the room. A real toe tapper for sure.
By the way, I installed five of Herbie's tube dampeners on the tubes in the preamp yesterday. All I can say is WOW! |
Charles ...
On that Montgomery Brothers CD I sent you ... I listened to that last night as well. What I could clearly detect was that it was recorded from two different sessions.
I discussed this album with my friend Robert, who knows more about recorded music than anyone on the planet. He even puts Michael Fremer to shame.
Robert knows my collection as if it were his own. Robert said that he thinks the album was recorded and used only by radio stations and was never released to the public. In all of our years of collecting records, this is the only copy either of us has ever seen. I've been looking since the early 70's for a cleaner copy with no luck at all. Not even on Ebay or on Amazon. I do have another Montgomery Brothers album with some of the same music, but no Buddy on vibes.
By the way, I know you like vibes. Do you have anything by Milt Jackson on the old Roost label? They were from the mono era and they sound fantastic. They were reissued as "twofers" about 30 years ago and the transfers are superb. Good BeBop played by a very young Milt Jackson. Quite different from his later recordings when he was playing with MJQ.
Frank |
Charles ...
Although I have quite a few recordings of the MJQ, I agree that his time with MJQ wasn't Jackson's best efforts. Too commercial for my tastes. I'll get the Roost recordings together and see how they sound burned onto CD. :=)
My favorite vibes player is Cal Tjader. I actually saw him live at a club in Hollywood (Zardie's) when I was a senior in High School. That was way back into the last century. *lol*
To my ear, comparing Milt Jackson when he was with the MJQ to Cal Tjader, is like comparing
Wynton Marsalis to Clifford Brown. No contest. |
Charles ...
I made a mistake. The Milt Jackson recordings I alluded to are on the Savoy label. Title is "Second Nature - The Savoy Sessions." Do you have it in your collection? |
Charles ...
I was recording the Milt Jackson Savoy recordings this morning to use in my car. Its a two record set that features Lucky Thompson on tenor sax. All mono ... and near mint condition.
Hope I can fit both records onto one CD.
The recording engineer was none other than Rudy Van Gelder ... or as he was known on classical recordings that he engineered ... "Doctor" Van Gelder. That's something that always struck me as funny. Anyway, the sound is really good, just like the "Bags Groove" album you mentioned. I have that album too.
I'll shoot you a copy ...
Frank
|
grannyring ...
In my system, the RED fuses were a game changer over the stock fuses. But the Black fuses killed the Reds. No contest, really. But, if the budget is something that has to be considered, the Red fuses would be an excellent choice. The SR Red fuse that initially started this thread replaced the HiFi Tuning fuse in the amp. Night and day. |
grannyring ...
What values would you need in the Red fuses? I have several.
|
^^^ Hi, Allan ... I have two rail fuses in my CD player. The SR Black fuses are a game changer there too. With every fuse change, I've use Caig Gold contact enhancer as well. You might want to try the Caig products on all of your contact points including your tube pins (if any), RCA plugs, power cord spades, and even your speaker cable terminations. Just use a Q-tip for an applicator. https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-G5S-6-DeoxIT-Contact-Enhancer/dp/B00FC4YO60In the meantime, and now that the entire system is using the SR Black fuses, I'm concentrating on, and totally enjoying the effects ... especially with the five new Herbies tube dampeners in the pre-amp. All of these tweaks have a cumulative effect, and with every new tweak, more of the music and performance is allowed through the system. It allows the listener to absorb more of the intent of the players and the composers, therefore becoming more emotionally involved with the music. Would someone come over and rescue me? I can't stop listening. Frank |
