Hi Jond,
Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. I'll check him out.
Charles
Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. I'll check him out.
Charles
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?
4,839 responses Add your response
Lenny Breau should be included in any discussion of astonishing guitar players (I know his brother Denny from the Maine music scene and he’s why I know of Lenny other than simply having heard of him). He really deserves a listen if you don’t know the guy, and utterly worth a trip to Youtube as his technique is mind blowing. Also note that "special" supposedly transformative audiophile fuses are silly and unnecessary, and you can insure the fuse in your rig is doing all that needs to be done, or CAN be done by a fuse (it’s a fuse…a "tiny little wire" in a tube that’s there to melt if necessary…that’s its only job), by simply cleaning the fuse contacts from time to time. This information will save you time and money that can be spent elsewhere on something that actually matters, and this should end the "fuse" part of this thread. I look forward to seeing if it does. |
To Frank and Charles 1: Thank you for the kind words. I do hope all audiophiles who are reading this thread will try and attend the LA Audio Show this June 2-3-4 (Friday thru Sunday. It is a great opportunity to see and hear a lot of great equipment and perhaps as importantly meet the people who design and build this equipment. Also there will be playing live, a fabulous 16 piece jazz Big Band the "BBB ". This band will be playing some serious swinging jazz that is now nearly impossible to hear live. Mother is doing quite well with continued upgrading of her system! Not many 93 year olds use a computer based system streaming music thru an Antelope DAC to a type 45 tube amp. She does however wonder what Charles 1 does with all that extra power his 300B amp puts out (her amp max output is 1.5 watts!). David Pritchard |
There is a wonderful and new 10 page + review of the French audio resistors made by Lefson written by Jeff Day. These resistors are 35 to 90 Euros each ! He has considerable experience using audio quality parts with his Duelund capacitor + resistors in his Tannoy crossover project. He points out the final voicing of a system can best be done by only the owner of the system in the room it is to by used in. I think this approach is correct and can be appreciated by even the non soldering types such as myself. However, I can trial fuses and wall A/C outlets in my system and can achieve significant improvements. Unlike Lefson resistors and Duelund parts, Synergistic Research and Audio Magic fuses and outlets are sold with a 30 day trial or return policy. The results of using the SR Black fuses and SR Black outlets in my systems have been substantial. I do hope any new readers of this thread will summon up the courage and give the audio grade fuse and wall outlet an audition. The process of making this effort is a worthwhile endeavor. David Pritchard |
^^^ As we all know, this thread has expanded way beyond just "fuses." I'm glad it has ... and I hope it continues. As a result, I've made some new friends and improved my sound system immeasurably. Comparing my system from where it was when this thread started to where it is today is night and day. I would have never believed that such realism could be attained without changing or upgrading even one piece of electronics. Some of you are partially responsible for this with all of your hints/comments about past experiences and developments both old and new that YOU have discovered that helped you achieve better sound in your own systems. I'm totally grateful. I'm looking at this thread now as a watering hole where like-minded people can meet up to compare and discuss tweaks, music and just about anything else ... except politics and religion. One of the best experiences so far has been in exposing others to great jazz and opening the discussion up to what has been lost or hidden to most people in our society. In the commercial music world sales of jazz music is very low on the totem pole. Classical sales are even in worse shape. In some small way, I feel that exposing someone to the music of the past will start to turn things around. Its just too good to die off. We've had good discussions regarding recording quality too. I know there's plenty of old timers posting here who are acutely aware of the degradation the recording process has taken over the years, but there are plenty of newbies "lurking" around this thread as well who never post. They just read. (This is especially true since Ted Denny put this thread on the SR Facebook page. We're international ... !!) I'm hoping they become deeper, more critical listeners, and start demanding better recordings from the commercial recording companies. Red Book CD's can sound really great, giving even the best analog rig a run for its money (something I wouldn't have believed two years ago) if the recording process is done right. If we demand it, they will bring it forth. As for me, I've stopped buying poorly recorded music. I hope you will too. Frank |
| Post removed |
Why do fuses and music make some people so cranky? And what's wrong with talking about music on an audio forum? And what can be said about fuses that hasn't been said already? I wish some folks on this thread would just lighten up a bit. And on a lighter note been really grooving in Jim Hall last night and today, will check some Barney Kessel out later Frank. I've owned "the Poll Winners" for years so heard him before but never really delved thanks for the tip! |
charles1dad With 86 pages and 4200 + posts what more would you like to see regarding the SR or other upgrade fuses Don? Both sides of the issue have been presented ad Nauseum. Music/recording recommendations have been an intergral part of this thread for quite some time. My apologies for asking this question, as I’m pretty sure it’s been asked already but never answered, but has anyone compared the SR Black fuse to the latest Audio Magic Beeswax fuse? Also, has anyone cryo'd his Black fuse and/or used contact enhancer on the end caps of the fuse? You know, something like new Graphene contact enhancer.... |
@charles1dad +1 You and Don are right. This thread is so diverse - thanks to all the wisdom displayed here and some great contributions. Perhaps the thread could be expanded even further! How about My Little Pony? Anyone have a favorite from a audiophile perspective? I quite like Applejack. I usually place her on the left speaker. It really adds to the imaging within the soundstage (more so than cables). I find Pinkie Pie adds depth and I usually place her on top of the DAC. |
Jond, My personal list of early master modern jazz guitarists in alphabetical order Kenny Burrell Jim Hall Barney Kessel Wes Montgomery Joe Pass Each is superb with their own individual sound. I make no attempt to try and rank them in terms of a hierarchy. Pointless endeavor for me. I just listen and enjoy. Charles |
jond ... If you like jazz guitar, here's one of the best: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Barney-Kessel-To-Swing-or-Not-to-Swing-New-CD-/361633608792?hash=item54330af... This is a wonderful recording. It was never issued in stereo. I don't like to say who's the best this, or who's the best that ... but Barney Kessel would be in my top three jazz guitar players for sure. geoffkait ... "Ah, the good old days, before solid state and before compression. Before solid state microphones, before crappy orchestras. Sigh" What gets to me are some of the remastering of old recordings where I have the originals and can make a comparison. One of the most disappointing to me are the Mosaic reissues. This is a typical example of trying to eliminate tape hiss by rolling off the highs. I've tried a couple of their expensive box sets only to be frustrated. As an example, I bought their Chico Hamilton box set .... and compared the recordings to my originals, they sound dull and boring. The originals have life. The Mosaic reissues sound dead. I never play them. A waste of money. I guess I should put them on Ebay and see what happens. Frank |
Frank I ditched Spotify years ago, you should consider giving Tidal a whirl it's real music as far as I, and many others are concerned. And agreed older analog recording are the way to go love that sound! And Charles, Jim Hall is a new discovery for me will certainly investigate further! I also love that on this recording Jimmy Giuffre's sax is so rich and burnished sounding! |
^^^ And to think that these recordings were made back in time and turned out with such realism. It proves it can be done ... so why don’t the major labels do it anymore?? Sure, there’s tape hiss on a lot of the old analog recordings, but I look at it as a blessing actually. Why? Because if the recording engineer removes the tape hiss, he’s removing some of the highs as well. Note to recording engineers .... hands off, please. Jond ... I very rarely buy any music before checking it out on Spotify first. Its saved me a lot of money. I get both Stereophile and TAS. I check out all of the recommended music on Spotify. I wonder more often than not how the reviewers can come up with accurate reviews on the sound of equipment if this is what they’re listening to. Lots of electronically enhanced digital artifacts to be sure... but its not music. Frank |
Guys ... Here's something really special. The music is great for those nights when you want your jazz a little further out there, but still want it subdued and relaxing. The recordings are first rate and demo quality. In the room kind of quality. And ... its a four-disc set: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Complete-Studio-Recordings-Audio-CD-Giuffre-Jimmy-Jim-Hall-Trio/122440386210... Ha! Who's going to jump on it first? Its a must have, really. Frank |
^^^ Thanks, Charles. I was taken up in the debate betweem West Coast vs East Coast jazz. I heard the difference as being "West Coast, melodic --- East Coast, discordant." But what did I know ... I was only 16-18 years old during those days and in love with Rhythm and Blues and Doo-Wop. Earl Bostic was The Man! I was in the Louis Armstrong camp on the issue. He said it best when he first heard Parker and Miles playing bebop together ... he said: "It sounds like Chinese music!" ... and he walked out. Nothing against Chinese music of course, but it can get really "out there." The good stuff sounds like pots and pans clanging together along with a very badly out of tune weird trumpet. *lol* I couldn't stand Monk's music for sure. Couldn't stand listening to the stuff. Nope, at the time, just give me Bruebeck & Desmond or Getz & Cal Tjader. Then, my cousin, who was into all kinds of jazz told me to just keep listening to bebop and the genius would be revealed to me. Well, I did ... and it did ... and there's been no looking back. On the Lighthouse Allstars ... Lucky for us that they did a lot of recordings, and on the Contemporary label no less. I have most of what they recorded in the LP collection. Really good stuff. Here's some of my favs: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Howard-Rumseys-Lighthouse-All-Stars-Vol-3-New-CD-/291496880862?hash=item43de... http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOWARD-RUMSEY-ALL-STARS-Lighthouse-At-Laguna-CD-Barney-Kessel-etc-1955-No-IF... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Howard-Rumseys-Lighthouse-All-Stars-In-the-Solo-Spotlight-CD-1990-/142328123... http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOWARD-RUMSEYS-LIGHTHOUSE-ALL-STARS-Double-Or-Nothin-JAPAN-CD-Charlie-Persip... This next one is one of their few albums in stereo ... and its really good: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Howard-Rumsey-All-Stars-Music-For-Lighthousekeeping-CD-Bob-Cooper-1956-Cando... All of the above are total winners. Excellent sound and excellent performances. Frank |
Frank, Love those pictures which document a very special period in the evolution of jazz. The West Coast jazz s scene was very vibrant and is strongly linked with the "Cool Jazz " movement of the early1950s thru the early 1960s. There are many debates concerning west vs east coast sound and some consider the west coast musicians a step below their eastern contemporaries, I don’t agree with that. Without question the east coast (predominately NYC) produced iconic jazz figures with the modern (Bebop) style in the 1940s. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powel, Dexter Gordon , Miles Davis, Fats Navarro etc. I simply cannot dispute that fact. I will say however that the west coast spawned many excellent jazz musicians who played a style of jazz that I find beautiful and has withstood the test of time. IMO both coast genres have contributed heavily to the jazz idiom. I love both. Charles |
Glad you enjoyed it, jond. After the Lighthouse gig, Conte Candoli became a very busy studio musician. He ended his career as a permanent resident on the Johnny Carson Show band. Here's a good clip of Conte playing with his brother Pete. Conte is the one in the middle with the fuller head of hair. Pete would sit in at the Lighthouse from time to time as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUbkM7lZaxM One summer day, Conte played with a band that our our city hired to play in one of our outdoor summer music festivals around 25 years ago. I walked up to the trailer and introduced myself to him. I told Conte that I was a fan from the Lighthouse days back in the 50's. We shook hands and he told me the Lighthouse gig was the best gig he ever had. He signed an LP for me that I took to the festival for that purpose. Great times guys ... L.A. had tons of super fine jazz clubs back in the day. As jazz became less popular ( Elvis and those damned Beatles!) :-) it became unprofitable and fell out of favor. Too bad as it was truly wonderful. Here's a pics of the LIghthouse as it was back in the day ... 1 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, California: https://search.aol.com/aol/image?q=picture+lighthouse+jazz+club+hermosa+beach&v_t=webmail-search... Frank |
Frank, Buddy Collett, yep he's a wonderful musician who seemingly mastered many of the reed/woodwind instruments. He and Herbie Mann collaborated on "Flute Fraternity " in the late 1950s. Buddy plays clarinet, flute, alto and tenor saxophones. These two were a very good pairing. Regarding Conte Candoli, he is a fine trumpeter and thanks for the recording recommendation . Jond let me know what you think of this recording. Charles |
jond ... Let me know what you think. Conti Condoli, the trumpet player, and Stan Levy, the drummer, used to play with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse Allstars in at the jazz club known as "The Lighthouse" in Hermosa Beach, CA. My high school buddy and I used to go hear them a couple of nights a week ... and then try to stay awake in class the next day. I was so taken by Stan Levy's drumming that we would sit right next to him looking up at his foot working all of the pedals. Levy is one of the few drummers that actually plays music on the drums. Shelly Manne is another that comes to mind. As you listen to Little Band Big Jazz, listen to how Stan Levy drives the band and keeps his ego out of the way as he does it. The sax player, Buddy Collette, also did some really great work with the Chico Hamilton quintet too. Now THAT is some great work. Check this out. Its a must have: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PACIFIC-JAZZ-1225-CHICO-HAMILTON-QUINTET-Mono-LP-DG-/122423073830?hash=item1... Look for the stereo version ... and not the mono. Fabulous recording and some really cutting edge jazz (for the 1950's). It was considered to be really "far out" back in the day. Collette plays soprano sax on this album like there's no tomorrow. One of my favs ... and everyone I play it for loves it too. Frank |
I was just thinking ... we as music lovers seem to collect quite a few different renditions of the same music. As an example, the topic of "what's your favorite Scheherazade" came up the other day here on A'gon. We actually had a Scheherazade shoot out at my house a few years ago where everyone brought a couple of their favorites. We all agreed by the end of the evening that the one that was recorded on Vanguard was the over all best performance, even beating out the highly acclaimed "Shaded Dog" RCA with Fritz Reiner conducting the CSO. I forget the exact release but here's the LP's: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=S... I'm afraid to count how many recordings I have of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. I must have at least 20 different renditions of this music. Everything from Miles Davis, to John Wililams (the guitarist) to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Kind of like chocolate ice cream. Is there ever really enough? :-) Frank |
