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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?
128x128oregonpapa

Showing 10 responses by kalali

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Sorry if this has already been discussed, but has anyone run into a situation where the stock fuses (end points) in your equipment were soldered to the circuit board? My fuses are inside the normal fuse holders but there are additional connectors - like how resistors are mounted on a board, connected at their ends. I'd need to cut these connectors in order to remove the fuse. Not sure what purpose this serves but a little concerning if the unit ever needs warranty work
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 

64 pages... this must be a record...I (obviously) haven't read every single post on every single page, but has anyone asked why not ALL manufacturers use these fuses in their components if they make their units sound better? If it were me, I would definitely signed a volume purchase contract with SR just to get some advantage over my competition. Sounds stupid?

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
I asked this question a little while back and I don’t know if anyone responded. Hard to keep track with so much traffic. Anyway, let me ask again: I got the new fuses but when I went in to replace the fuses, I see the stock ones are in the standard fuse holders but also have (thin) wires soldered at both ends of each fuse. Anyone else seen this set up in their gear? A bit reluctant to break the solder joints to replace the fuses since the amp is still under warranty.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 

Thank you mapman. I’m going to leave it alone for now and use the fuses if/when I really need to.

By the way, I mentioned this fuse "magic" to my brother a couple of weeks ago and suggested he try them in his older Magnepan 1.5QR speakers by replacing the stock (tweeter) fuses. I don’t consider him an audiophile type of person but he appreciates good sound. Besides, he hardly ever takes my advice seriously on anything. Well, I guess he took my advice this time. He called me yesterday literally 5 minutes after he had installed the new fuses in the Magnepans and had only played one song. He was literally freaking out about how much better they sounded. He said they now sound just like they sounded when had bought them together over 25 years ago. He simply could not believe replacing the fuses could make such a dramatic difference. And these were just the red ones not even the blacks. Go figure.

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
mapman, that was my takeaway too, e.g., fuse directly in the signal path, etc., and sort of proves my "seat of the pants" theory. The more (directly) the fuse is placed in the signal path, the more the improvement in the SQ. Its a theory (for me) because I only have one data point first hand to prove it but might explain why we have a dividend camp.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
I honestly cannot believe I'm witnessing so much drama for just a fuse! I would be embarrassed to tell my "non-audiophile" friends such a thread even exists and worse yet, I'm actually posting on it. This is a sort of thing I expected to see from teenage girls fighting over which lipstick makes them look more cool.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 

I just replaced the stock fuse in the headlight wiring harness of my old Jeep with a black SR fuse and wow, the lumens are now off the charts.... its even brighter than the LEDs on my other fancy car.....




Just kidding...... but hey why not if it works on audio....

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Folks, please forgive me if this has been asked and answered but I just got a pair of Magnepan MMGs and fuse rating is 3 AG - 4 Amp maximum. Should I get the 3.15A or 4A SR Red fuse? I assume it's Fast Blo but it doesn't specify. Also any input from MMG owners would be much appreciated.
Thanks..
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Thanks Al, as always. Looks like a 4 amp fuse is the correct value but part of the reason for my question was based on the reports from the users  - not Magnepan owners in particular, that recommended a fuse with a (slightly) higher amp rating than OEM to minimize the likelihood of prematured blowing of the fuse. That precaution might only apply to "powered" components and not apply to the Magnepan speakers thus the question.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Rodman, thanks a lot for your input. Much appreciated. I'm expecting to receive the speakers this weekend and am struggling to try to control myself and use them in stock form at least a couple of weeks before I jump into the upgrades. Both the fuses and the Cardas jumpers you mentioned were exactly what I had in mind when (not if) I go the upgrade route. Fortunately the speakers already have the Sound Anchor stands so the upgrade path is slightly shorter. Thanks again.
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