Synergistic Red Fuse ...

wolf_garcia ...

Following your lead with the "no fuse" idea, I pulled all of the tubes out of my amp last night before starting the listening session.  Man, talk about a quiet background ... I could hear a pin drop. 

If I owned a Pass Labs amplifier, I would definitely add fuses...the more the better...and I would try all of the same type and then one of each, I would also try them in series and then in parallel, and try them in each of two directions and in different orders.  Now I remember why I never bought a Pass Labs amplifier.

I have now about 30h with the AH Platinum (just in one device to hear the difference), no downsides compared to SR Red, more delicate, more "au naturel". Joseph uses a different coating (silver on?) on the fuse than other good fuses. 

/wolf
>> I think you're all insane, but mildly entertaining.
Tell me something we don't know :-) If a Benjamin can make your system (much) more "organic" then so be it, it is very well spent compared to other insane stuff I have. You don't have to rush and buy a dozen like mitch2 (who I believe saves a ton by DIY his own cables), just upstream devices to start with. 
IME fuses have a much higher value/buck than power cords.

Thankyou wig  for your response post,  I'm also interested in more feedback from jazzonthehudson on the AH platinum fuses, Charlesonedad, are you going to pull the trigger on the AH fuses? 

Given my sucess with the SR Quantum fuses the past few years The SR Red would have been my next move. All reports say they're better than the Quantum. Wig and Jazzonthehudson  have made direct comparisons and favor the AH over the Red. More so for my interest the AH seems better in the areas most important to me, naturalness,body and tone. The two published reviews of the AH note or confirm the same desired attributes. I'm going to give the AH a listen. I don't doubt that both are excellent choices.

In my experience fuses have had a level of impact very similiar to better cables placed in the system. The fuses acomplish this for far less money. Their performance/cost ratio is high. I don't know why the fuses have this positive effect sonically, I just judge by listening to them as I do everything ielse in audio.
Charles.

It's all very interesting, and I do believe the SR Red and/or the AH would make an improvement in high end audio equipment.
I'm waiting for charles1dad's thoughts and report back here, before I "bust a move" ;-).

Hi lak, I'm with you on waiting for Charles1dad to report his impressions , his taste in sound is similar to mine,  I trust his ear's,  an example,  Charles said,  body, naturalness, tone.

I'm dumbfounded.

I don't understand how this little thing can make such a difference.

I've had both the AH fuse and Red fuse in the same Preamp and definitely preferred the Red. To me with the AH fuse in the imaging and stage sounded bloated and almost smeared. Whereas the Red lit everything up with great detail without being bright or harsh. The big difference comes when after having the Red in for a month or two then take it out and put the stock in, you can't put the Red back in fast enough.

I've decided to buy the SR Red fuse. I need 4 fuses (2 mono blocks, Line Stage and DAC). For the cost different between the AH and the SR (27.00 USD X 4 =108.00), I'll use that savings and purchase an Avatar Acoustics After burner AC wall outlet. (which is reputed to be excellent and only 75.00, less than the individual fuses!). I believe both the SR Red and AH fuses  are terrific and worthwhile. I like the bang for the buck package of four SR Red and the AC outlet(wall to my BPT balanced transformer to which all components are plugged into)..
Charles,

Hi Fliz,
I can attest that the premium fuses do make a difference in my system You can remain doubtful or try some in your system and listen and decide. I no longer try to convince people (waste of time endeavor) about the merits of audio products. Each individual has to listen themselves and form their own impression.

With the SR RED Fuses in the Amp (ARC REF-75se) and in the Preamp (ARC REF-3) now fully broken in, the improvement is astounding.

A third SR RED Fuse will be arriving today, to be put into the phono stage (ARC PH-8). I'm doing this incrementally in order to gauge the improvement in each piece and how that improvement affects the overall sound of the system (not to mention that I love new audio "fixes.") 

So far, with just the two fuses, the system has evolved well beyond my expectations. I cannot believe what I'm hearing from the system. 

In previous posts having to do with the Newport Show ... and the best sound from that show, I referred to the Optimal Enchantment room three years ago, specifically about the three dimensionality of that soundstage and how believable it was. Well, the fuse upgrade hasn't gotten me to that point yet, but I'm getting a nice taste of it. I suspect when I install the new fuse in the phono stage today the system will be bought even closer to the edge of that great ARC/Vandersteen system in Randy Cooley's room three years ago.  

I continue to shake my head in amazement at how much information is hidden in those record grooves and digital bits. Stay tuned ... I'll report on the third fuse after listening today.

Happy listening, guyz ... 

Like everything in audio, it's a matter of personal preference.  SR RED is more neutral compare to AH.  Not better or worse but different.

I use SR RED in all my components except for ARC.  Kal doesn't recommend using after market fuses but I finally gave in.   Since SR RED doesn't offer a large slo-blo 7A for my REF250, I bought IsoClean from theCableCo for $49.95 each.   This is my 1st experience with Isoclean but a local friend use a loom in his $500k system.

All I can say is WOW!   It added a beautiful tone and color to the sound and surprisingly dead neutral since it's gold plated.  It's directional and I installed them rear to front.  Highly Recommended!

Knghifi,
It is quite impressive what a high quality fuse can provide in already very good sounding audio equipment.  This is why I say these premium fuses  provide very high-value, given their performance per cost ratio.

Charles1dad,
In general if one doesn't have an open mind, they are missing out.  Aftermarket fuses are probably the best ROI in audio.   It's inexpensive and easy to roll.

charles, you misunderstand.

I have one.  I can hear the [huge] difference it makes.  I agree it's well worth the money.

I remain dumbfounded as to how this is possible.

If you want to be even further baffled, add a WA Quantum fuse chip to it.

Like you said, it'd be a waste of time to try to explain the difference it makes.

Most amp manufacturers don't believe in after market fuse, and in lesser extend -power cords. I have had several well known brands (ARC, Krell, CJ to name a few) and they all HAVE to say that it does not matter from a corporate point of view. 

The IsoClean is of course better than stock but nowhere as good as the SR Red or the AH Platinum. I have tried most of the after market fuses in my systems and fuses provide indeed one of the highest ROI (highest is dedicated line(s), then AC outlet). When I try a new device, the first thing I do is to upgrade the fuse(s) after initial listening. 

Most amp manufacturers don't believe in after market fuse, and in lesser extend -power cords. I have had several well known brands (ARC, Krell, CJ to name a few) and they all HAVE to say that it does not matter from a corporate point of view.

Actually Kal at ARC concedes after market fuses are superior quality but timing is different so MIGHT not fully protect the component when it blows.

From my experience only ARC doesn't recommend after market fuses.

This was the end of the first listening session with the SR RED fuses all the way down the chain ... phono, preamp and amp. The addition of the third fuse to the phono stage today was a nice improvement in the beginning. After a few hours of burn-in, the rear of the stage opened up like never before. Wow! Everything sounds so pristine. Way more inner detail. Records that I know by heart are a new experience. The experience I'm having tells me that the fuses really come into their own after about 10 to 20 hours. So ... tomorrow should be a banner day for playing records at my house. Best bank for the buck ever. 

Fliz,
Yes I did misinterpret your comment, my aplogies.
Charles,

Oregonpapa,
Your reported results are very impressive! I hope the level of my improvement with the SR Reds  comes close to what you have described. Those fuses cost a fraction of your  components yet look (listen) at their positive effect, very encouraging.
Charles. 

These SR Reds are pretty amazing at what they can do. I have two monoblock amps that have not only a fuse at the inlet but 4 on the board inside. I had changed two at a time over the course of a couple months but when I placed the last two Red fuses in each amp everything really opened up and took the performance to another level. It was rather shocking. 

I've changed nothing but cabling and fuses in my system over the past year and certain songs that used to sound shrill and harsh are now naturally detailed and enjoyable to listen to. Same speakers, amps, pre, dac, and source but just different cabling and fuses did this.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  If fuses can make such a big difference imagine for a moment of the industry suddenly got smart and manufactured all wire like that.  All wire, all cables, all internal wiring of components and speakers, the transformers, capacitors, everything?  Hel-looo!

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  If fuses can make such a big difference imagine for a moment of the industry suddenly got smart and manufactured all wire like that.  All wire, all cables, all internal wiring of components and speakers, the transformers, capacitors, everything?  Hel-looo!

Companies such as ARC and CAT have been limiting the number of fuses in their components for superior SQ.    You do need to solder instead of just replacing a fuse if something blows.   No free lunch!

My compliments to all of you here who have provided one of the most informative empirical discussions on the effects of different fuse brands on your listening enjoyment.  These reports help anyone who is looking to reach that next plateau of sound from the gear they now have rather than buying new, costly pieces.  After so many cable, cord, isolation, room acoustic, fuse tweaks with much of the same set up I have had for over ten year now, I have forestalled a major overhaul/upgrade up until now--very satisfying.   

So, my friend Mr. Golden Ears (Robert) came over last night for an extended listening session. The last time he was over, I had a broken in RED fuse in the preamp, and a brand new one in the amp. Last night, all three fuses were at work ... amp, preamp and phono, with all three fuses broken in at this point. 

We played a variety of music, all of which sounded better than ever. The most striking was a Pacific Jazz stereo recording, recorded in 1956, that I have of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (STEREO-1005). Now here we had that realism similar to the Optimal Enchantment room at the Newport show three years ago that I alluded to earlier. Fred Katz's cello was particularly good with correct tonal balance, woodiness, resin and all in three dimensional relief.  Robert called me again this morning raving about Katz's cello that he heard last night. That's saying alot considering Robert's second nickname is "Mr. Cynic." 

This Chico Hamilton record is one of my favorites in the entire collection and I know every groove in it. With the simple exchange of three fuses ... $300 bucks total plus tax and shipping .. and walla! an entirely new record collection.

No joke guys ... this was as good as going from my ARC Classic 60 to the ARC REF-75 ... and that's saying a ton.  Put another way, better than going from the REF-75 to the REF-75SE ... and that's saying another ton. 

So now, instead of sitting just outside that wonderful soundstage reproduced in the Optimal Enchantment room of three years ago, the system now allows one to sit at least on the inside edge of that soundstage.

Delightful, to say the least. 

I have an important question. Let's say you are using one of these aftermarket fuses and it blows and causes damage to your equipment. Are the manufacturers still going to honor your warranty?

Hey taters, would you like to start another thread with your question? I can start if for if you like.

Uh, when a fuse blows it prevents damage to the equipment the last time I looked.

T_ramey,

That would be great.

Oregonpapa,

You state that changing the fuses made an improvement like changing to upgraded equipment. I am wondering if you have power conditioning, upgraded power cords and upgraded outlets. If you do maybe the combination of everything is giving you better sound. And not just changing the fuses.

Geoffkait,

i know with some of the ARC gear that don't always have the right fuse ratings. So if you are using a fuse with the wrong rating you could still cause damage to your amp. That was what my question was pertaining to. I should of made that more clear.

I have an important question. Let's say you are using one of these aftermarket fuses and it blows and causes damage to your equipment. Are the manufacturers still going to honor your warranty?

I have an important question. Let's say you are using one of these STOCK fuses WITH THE WRONG RATING and it blows and causes damage to your equipment. Are the manufacturers still going to honor your warranty?

Am I clear?    Duh!!!

Knghifi,

i was was not referring to stock fuses.

Taters, I see what you mean.  That's if the fuse doesn't blow I'm pretty sure. I.e., if the fuse rating is too high to prevent current from roasting capacitors by the open fire. 

OK, so I have been reading this wonderful thread, and a while back I had this idea. My fuses are of the smaller kind (20mm) and they just so happen to be exactly 4 Ga. in thickness. Home Depot sells 4 Ga. grounding wire which is solid core copper bare wire. At $1.11 per foot you can make a bunch of "fuses" from that. So I got some, and with a hacksaw (which took less than a minute) was able to make a segment that is the same length and of course width as a fuse.

Now I know I am effectively putting a 100 Amp fuse in there, but it's only an experiment for a short time. I'm going to see if it makes any difference in the sound. So now to my question... Who thinks the solid copper rod will sound better, worse, or about the same as one of those fancy $100 fuses? Again, this is only an experiment to see if there is an audible improvement. I know people are saying things like "substantial", "dramatic", even "night and day", but audiophiles throw these terms around to describe minute differences sometimes, and before I spend hundreds I want to see what a buck will do.

Charles 1:

Congratulations on a wonderful taken path to sonic improvement. The wall A/C receptacle and equipment fuses have a significant effect on the sound produced by the system. 

Once an audiophile has these bottlenecks removed the sound is so much better.

And finally overcoming the fear of changing a wall receptacle or a fuse in a piece of equipment is actually quite liberating!

David Pritchard

koestner, I know Mike Farnsworth of past Talon Audio fame did just that with his personal Edge amps,replacing the cheap fuses with solid bar copper instead. He said it was a fantastic tweak that he loved and he never looked back. Of course you would do so at your own risk.

I had the Synergistic Red fuse before on a previous source and it definitely imparted its own sound signature - glossy with sizzle.

I now have the Audio Magic Beeswax installed on my Exemplar DAC.

I had spoken to Jerry at Audio Magic before taking the leap, but he really underplayed how much of an upgrade it would be. 

Voices and instruments sound like . . voices and instruments.

But perhaps more importantly it drops the noise floor significantly so you get more music, texture, and dynamics.

The grit and scratchiness that you're used to hearing is reduced.

This is most obvious in the background layers of a track that you've heard a thousand times. They are no longer congested and presented to you in broad daylight.

I'm not sure how a fuse does all of this and I wasn't expecting this big leap in musical flow and engagement.

It's different than connecting a top of the line Entreq grounding box to your source, though they are complementary.

The closest experience I've had was swapping my interconnects for Ziro Disclosure. The Ziros dropped the noise floor and all of the sudden there was so much more music and dynamics.

I just wanted to write this to thank Jerry at Audio Magic for developing this fuse and making it available to us.

Well, you know, since all wire is directional, not just fuses, it all depends on which direction you insert the copper rod as to whether it will sound better than the fuse you're replacing, assuming of course that the direction of the fuse was correct in the first place.  There's a 50% chance it wasn't correct. 

macdude, thanks for the comments on the AM Beewax. Love to hear anyone's experience on the A/B between the AM Beewax and the AH Platinum. 

As for shortening the fuse, this is an old trick, not tweak. I tried that on some of the devices before, the same goes for hard wiring your device directly to the AC socket (I tried that on the power conditioner cord once), yes of course it works but no thanks, I'd rather have a safety in the form of a fuse in case something goes south. 

Aren't the Beewax fuses twice the price of the SR-red?

Are the beeswax and platinum fuses made by the same company? 

taters ...

The beeswax fuses cost $175.00.

To answer your previous questions ...

Yes, I have aftermarket wall sockets, custom power cords built by Dave Magnan, a power conditioner that's been upgraded with high-end sockets. There are filters in the power conditioner built by Dave Magnan. I'm using Nexus ICs between the phono and the preamp. 

There are Shatki Holograms (two pair) ... one pair in the front corners and one pair in the back corners of the room (huge improvement).

I bi wire my speakers. The two 12 foot pairs of speaker wire was built by a company in Oregon called Music Advancement Company, or more commonly known as MAC. The stock speaker terminals have been replaced with Cardas Copper terminals. The bi wire location at the amp uses Cardas copper banana plug adapters (another nice improvement).  The speakers sit on thick Mapleshade maple platforms that are spiked to the floor with those beautiful German solid brass spikes that were so popular in the hobby 20 years ago. Finally, the speakers are spiked to the platforms.

I also have two heavy 12"x12"  marble platforms sitting on top of each speaker. They fit the tops of the speakers perfectly.  I've found that on some floorstanding speakers, adding weight to the top of the speakers is like adding mass to the speakers and removes some grain (more removal of vibrations). The platforms that sit on top of the speakers are made up from two heavy slabs of marble with that same dampening material that's used so successfully elsewhere in the system. The dampening material is cemented between the layers of marble.  

The Well Tempered Turntable has been modified as well. The arm has been rewired with Cardas copper wire. There's a custom TT belt that I purchased from originlive.com (highly recommended). I have heavy solid brass tweeks on the turntable that dampens the table by clamping the fluid-well and the paddle within it, the tonearm itself has a layer of shrink-wrap material for more dampening, and even a heavy brass bolt and screw that attaches the arm to the plinth. The brass items for the turntable had to be custom machined. These brass items made a significant improvement in the turntable ... especially the clamp around the fluid-well.  The turntable and detached motor sit on ultra hard titanium ball bearings that sit in the middle of a hole cut out of thick dampening material. The stock feet have been removed to facilitate the ball bearings.  

I have a custom equipment rack that has constrained layers of dampening material between the layers of wood used to construct it. My equipment all rests on custom made, very heavy, fine grade granite platforms that have the same dampening material between their layers that the equipment rack has.  

I've spent an inordinate amount of time, effort and $$$ to reduce micro vibrations in the system as much as possible. As you may, or may not know, ARC has paid a lot of attention over the past number of years on dampening their boards and chassis ... and even their vacuum tubes with the black tube rings that come with their equipment. Believe it or not, the positioning of those tube rings on the tubes is critical to attain the best sound from your ARC gear.

I've found that the newer ARC gear sounds best (at least in my system) sitting on their stock feet. Everytime I try aftermarket footers under the equipment, it detracts from the sound.

Oh, and I run my CD player, preamp and amp in balanced mode, using ARC IC's. These are excellent IC's, but unfortunately, ARC no longer sells them. 

 When you come right down to it, the only thing we want vibrating is that stylus between the grooves. All other vibrations smear the sound to some degree ... even if those vibrations are on a micro level. 

With the reduction in micro vibrations, and everything else listed above, the system was already a high resolution system. With the addition of the three SR RED fuses, the system definitely has been brought to a whole different level ... far beyond where I thought it would ever be. Next purchase will be two 1.5 amp SR RED fuses to be put into the ARC CD7-se CD player, and then I'm done with the fuses. 

Before I forget ... If anyone is having room problems there's a pair of Shatki Holograms for sale here on Audiogon. Check it out ... good price too. 

On the solid core copper plug in place of a fuse: A good idea if you have stock in your local fire department ... and if you don't care about your equipment, your house or your family's safety. I guess it would be okay if you never leave the room while your equipment is on and keep a small fire extinguisher next to your listening chair. . 

As a final thought ... If anyone is finding the SR RED fuses to be "sizzly" and "bright," I'd take a good look elsewhere in the system.  Work on those micro vibrations ... then get the fuses. 

Happy listening, guyz ...

Oregonpapa,

Thanks for the complete rundown. I wasn't expecting all of that. Personally I don't buy into all the tweets like you do. Yes, I have tried plenty and have sold most. The fuse thing makes sense to me and I willing to try that if I can find the exact fuse ratings. My ARC amp takes a 7 amp slow-blo and I see Synergistic only makes an 8 amp. I am going to talk to my technician and see if he thinks that is ok. He has repaired ARC gear for the past 30 years so I have complete confidence in him.

You're welcome taters. 

As you can see, I've tweaked the bejeezus out of my system. I became a believer in tweaks since I tried my first one, and that was a set of "Tip Toes" under the speakers when they first came out. Late 70's, I think. 

Yes $175 for a fuse.

Enough to make one question one's sanity.

It's up there on the pantheon of upgrades for me though.

This is the unexpected and fun part of the hobby.

Oregonpapa, I have a Stillpoints ESS rack and it allows my components to perform at a level I never imagined. So I'm a big believer in reducing micro vibrations. The rack would be the last thing I sell if I ever got out of this hobby.

It seems with fuses people worry to much regarding their cost compared to stock fuses. IMO the emphasis should be on the end result of effect on sound quality. If people got a similar improvement with a premium tube upgrade, cables, isolation/vibration platforms or component change they'd be thrilled. Going that route can often exceed the cost((by a factor of multiples sometimes) of a high grade fuse. As has been supported by testimony on this thread, there can be considerable  "bang for the buck" realized in many cases. Premium fuses are easy targets to be doubtful of due to no clear explanation of why they do what they do. Sometimes you just have to listen and then judge.
Charles,