Cool thread. Just installed Black fuses a few days ago. Everything the "sheep" say is true. I too have no idea why...baaaah!
Best to you all, sheep or otherwise,
Dave
Best to you all, sheep or otherwise,
Dave
Synergistic Red Fuse ...
I installed a SR RED Quantum fuse in my ARC REF-3 preamp a few days ago, replacing an older high end fuse. Uhh ... for a hundred bucks, this little baby is well worth the cost. There was an immediate improvement upon installation, but now that its broken in (yes, no kidding), its quite remarkable. A tightening of the focus, a more solid image, and most important of all for my tastes, a deeper appreciation for the organic sound of the instruments. Damn! ... cellos sound great! Much improved attack on pianos. More humanistic on vocals. Bowed bass goes down forever. Next move? .... I'm doing the entire system with these fuses. One at a time though just to gauge the improvement in each piece of equipment. The REF-75se comes next. I'll report the results as the progression takes place. Stay tuned ...
Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
Showing 50 responses by dlcockrum
Hi audioman58, Good to read your impressions of the various fuses. Too bad you used the post to editorialize about cables. My experience with SR products over many years is completely contrary to yours. As there is no Virtual System posted for you, I have no idea as to your frame of reference. It is comical to read your adamantly supportive comments on boutique fuses followed by complete ridicule of high-technology cable products. I suppose that the latest Graphene products from SR and Cerious Technologies are fool’s fodder also? In order to avoid a protracted series of flaming posts, I must go ahead and concede to being easily deluded with PT Barnum-like power of suggestion, yet I feel confident in defending my God-given skills related to hearing and, just as importantly, discerning great sound. Best to you audioman58, Dave |
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1116/Synergistic_Research_Black_Quantum_Fuses_UEF_Bl... Apologize if this is old news. Best to you all, Dave |
"Once you have determined that you’re very happy with your components and speakers for the long term, these audio accessories/tweaks help extract their full sonic potential." Exactly Charles. Understanding this in its entirety is fundamental to good purchasing decisions, regardless of where one is along the journey. Best to you Charles, Dave |
Hi Charles, I posted the review with the hopes of providing information primarily to prospective buyers as you say, but also to those that already bought the Black fuses but may have some curiosity remaining. I have used the pre-SE Teslaplex receptacles for years. One was actually zapped by Ted on SR’s Tesla coil while I watched during a visit to their factory back in 2010/2011. Very impressive to actually see this. The Powercell 10 UEF/FEQ I recently purchased from a friend included the "SE" version of the ’red’ receptacle and I recently replaced one of the older non-SE receptacles with that "SE", mounted in an Oyaide WPC-Z billet aluminum housing with CF plate running to one of my side-by-side yet independently-wired-and-breakered 30 amp lines, leaving the well-broken in non-SE red receptacle on the sister 30 amp line for use in the interim and for later comparisons. After 10 days of burning in the new "SE" receptacle using an extension cord to the fridge in the garage, I moved the Powercell’s power cord over to new SE receptacle. Not a night-and-day difference like many of SR’s products, but a nice improvement in refinement of the upper-mids/treble. I imagine that the Black UEF receptacle may yield the same level of improvement (or more) over the red SE receptacle but don’t know without comparison. I have used the PorterPort (very good, a steal for the price, and still available from Albert Porter here on Audiogon), a couple of early Oyaide versions, and Hubbell non-nickel hospital-grade receptacles in addition to the SRs. The PorterPort is a fine sounding receptacle, very neutral sounding (not to imply lean or threadbare, but balanced sounding and true-to-the-music), while the SR Teslaplex receptacles are more dynamic and forward sounding with more ambience and space (the SR sound). I didn’t cotton to the early Oyaide receptacles that I tried. Can’t speak to their newer offerings. I imagine that there are many fine-sounding receptacles out there today, including the Avatar Audio model that you use. I think that the metal type used for the prongs, the backing plate, and the ground strap (both for the sublayer and for the plating), as well as the type of material used for the housing play the major role in differences in sound between them. There is one other thing I will share regarding my limited experience with receptacles: Different receptacles do indeed impart a different sound in my system and I feel that it is advisable to select the one you prefer early on, as it may alter later decisions on tuning choices, i.e. power cords (and the metal composition of plugs/IECs) and even ICs and speaker cables. Just my opinion as is everything in audio. YMMV. Best to you Charles, Dave |
Tommy, This or even a Powercell 4 would be the better solution all the way around (excepting price) for getting much, much more of the SR sound you say you like throughout your system: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/ac-conditioners-synergistic-research-powercell-6-se-ac-conditioner... Whichever cord you prefer least could be sold to recover some of the difference... Best to you, Dave |
Hi alexa6404, My experience is that the SR Black fuses are delicate. I went with a 2 amp vs a 1 amp on my Ayre preamp’s power supply after the 1 amp blew. I have used boutique fuses for many years and this is the first one that I ever had one blow. Due to the length of time it takes for a new SR black fuse to settle in, I can’t say for sure that the higher rated fuse sounds better, but I am confident that it does not sound worse. Can’t speak to the advisability of using a fuse with a higher rating than spec’d by the mfr. Perhaps almarg will weigh in on this? Best to you alexa6404, Dave |
"It's possible that SR fuse is affected by the turn-on sequence. My Pass XP-15 phono stage has no on/off switch. It's powered on once the AC cable is connected. I blew two Red fuses before I successfully used a Red with higher amperage rating." Exactly the same as my Ayre K-1xe phonolinepreamp/power supply where I lost two 1A Black fuses before going to a 2A. Best to you mtseymour, Dave |
"Dave: I’ve also owned the Ayre K-1xe pre with internal phono for a few years. Enjoyed it a lot. Audition the KX-5 Twenty if you can because it’s stellar." Hi Paul, I dare not. My wife and I are raising a Grandson (unexpectedly) and I am grateful to be blessed with the equipment that I already own, yet even more so to be able to make a positive impact on the life of this fine young man. Best to you Paul, Dave |
Thanks Al. I was speculating that REL used the ceramic fuses to buffer against extreme vibration as might be encountered inside a sub enclosure. I am beginning to believe that upping the fuse rating to the next increment is indeed a good idea with all of the SR Black fuses for toroidal power supplies. Thanks again Al and Merry Christmas, Dave |
Okay guys, I need some help in understanding what SR Black fuses to order this round. First, an admission and then a question. The admission: I posted earlier in this thread that I had two SR 1A small Black FAST fuses blow in my Ayre K-1xe’s external power supply when plugging in the power cord. After re-inspecting the stock fuse I realized that the marking nomenclature had a "T" at the beginning, as in "T1L250V". Not knowing what that meant initially, I simply looked at the filament and saw that it was thin with no windings around it (like the higher value SLO BLO fuses I had around) and ASSUMED that the original fuse was FAST blow. After doing some research, I learned that the "T" means "Timed" and therefore SLO BLO. That probably explains my problems with the FAST BLO fusing blowing. A pretty expensive mistake. Doh! The question. I am ready to order SR Black fuses for my REL subs. The "power fuse" is a small GLASS fuse that has this marking: "T5AL250", so I should order the SR SLO BLO 5 amp fuse. Now for the twister: The RELs each have two SMALL rail fuses on the circuit board inside the cabinet that have WHITE BODIES (CERAMIC?) with markings "T6.3 AH 250V". Research online gives mixed opinions as to the advisability of replacing a ceramic fuse with a glass one. Bottom line: is it okay to use SR Black fuses of the same rating to replace the stock CERAMIC ones in the RELs? Best to you all, Dave |
Hi Frank, I want to congratulate you and thank you for a wonderful thread that has brought many a new satisfaction with their audio experience. The one year anniversary of this thread came and went with no fanfare, but I encourage you to review the entire thread as I did over the last two days and appreciate what you have done here for the many audiophiles that have found great success by simply trying these products and, even more impressively, graciously acknowledging the virtues of the feedback from those that did not. You have endured the personal ridicule of flat-earthers, atheist, and those insatiably intent on ruining the pleasure and enthusiasm of others (often the three are of one mind and one voice) with grace and dignity in order to share your genuine experience with an audio product that you feel deeply about. All because, and only because, you care enough to put yourself on the line to bring new and great products to light. Again, thank you very much for your contribution here and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Dave |
Hi Frank, I hope you won’t mind if I make one or two minor adjustments to your statement above: "So, unless everything is addressed from the room itself, to the equipment rack, to footers, to fuses, to tube dampeners, to the furniture in the room, to our listening position, to AC quality, to cabling, to the tow-in of the speakers .... it all makes a difference. So if there are those who haven’t had success, and also haven’t taken the time to address all of the issues listed above, its no wonder they can’t hear the improvement that "INSERT ALMOST ANY AUDIO DEVICE HERE" can ultimately make. Best to you Frank and Merry Christmas, Dave |
Re: SR Black break in, my experience is that they sound glorious when first installed, super punchy and robust bass, excellent dynamics, etc. This is the time to check direction and listen for the more open, focused, and dimensionally-correct soundstage. A few hours later, well, the sound turns dreadful. Wanders all over the place over the next three days (just as Frank says), still brittle and two-dimensional the whole time, but then, on the fourth morning, BAM. Gets even better after that in a more subtle way. Found the same to be true of the SR receptacles, power cords, and Powercell. fleschler, I use Hollographs in the rear corners (behind me), and agree that they add a bit of image focus and expansiveness to the soundstage when rotated properly. They actually hurt the sound when placed behind my Thiels, as did the HFTs, the latter intolerably bright, but good results in bringing the soundstage forward with no loss of depth when placed at tweeter height behind me. Suspect this is an anomaly specific to my speakers and room. Best to all, Dave |
Hi fleschler, These are my experiences and they are real in my system and room. Other’s have stated similar observations with SR’s power products, including Ted Denney III and Eliott Nommensen of SR as well as any reviewer that has written about them. I have been using SR’s cords, cables, receptacles, and Powercells for about 7 years now and have always found that, when new, they undergo a initial period of sonic unpleasantry before settling in. I always suspected that this was due to the Tesla-coil zapping that started with the Tesla line, but I find that even disturbing the SR active-shielding cords, cables, and MPCs requires an overnight settling period. Made it really tough to compare their different cables and cords during the brief trial period of the "free-loaner" program offered by SR dealers prior to the more recent 30-day money-back trial period offer. I have been told that the new Atmosphere Graphene power cords are even more sensitive. Maybe Frank will write on his experiences with his Atmosphere power cords... I will say that the effects of the Black fuses were much less pronounced in my amps, both in terms of the break in anomalies as well as their ultimate benefit to my system’s sound. YMMV. If your amp is SS, it won’t hurt a thing to leave it powered up for a few days. I’m confident that it all will work out for you either way, but expect that you will hear differences/improvements once the fuses and receptacles are undisturbed for a few days or longer. Best to you fleschler, Dave |
"It’s judgmental to talk negatively about people who may not think that buying 10 or 15 fuses is worth the sonic improvement and may experience "cognitive dissonance". Some people may have more important things they value than to spend their hard earned on fuses." Well written post, jetter, and it is true that many important priorities in life take, or should take, priority over audio, fuses or otherwise. Having gone back through this entire thread a few days ago, I recall no one, no not one "believer", criticizing anyone for not buying these fuses. What I did read ad nauseam was repeated personal attacks by those intent on ridiculing them that experienced success and were sharing their positive results (to be expected on an audio forum, no?), and doing their best to defend against the onslaught of personal attacks. All but one or two of these attackers had never tried the fuses and were clearly only interested in using ridicule and viciousness to fuel their intentions to spoil the thread for everyone. The detractors may have been invited or even urged off of the island, but in fact, chose to leave once their motives were evident and their tactics were unsuccessful, behavior typical of malevolent and contemptible bullies in all walks of life. Best to you jetter and a Happy New Year to you as well, Dave |
Very happy to read that you achieved success, fleschler. Not at all surprised that you had to make some changes in your room acoustics. I put the Blacks in my REL subs about a week ago and had to cut the output levels back at a good bit. Some re-positioning work yet to be done. "Previous to the fuses, I could not enjoy low listening levels, the sound was just not rich and dynamic." I think you hit on the most unique and amazing effect of the Black fuses with that statement. Not sure that this has been brought to light before on this thread. Usually only major component changes generate that response IME. Congrats and enjoy! Dave |
Or perhaps some manufacturers fail to try things outside of their realm of understanding or fear that buyers will not accept those things either based on the same reason. Should a manufacturer choose to use SR Black fuses in their products, I can only imagine the outcry of the trolls. Why would they invite this? I would not if I were them. Dave |