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?
Many have said that you should install the fuse and if it does not sound good reverse it and it is now in the correct direction. What if, like other audio gear, the initial listening isn't indicative of its true character? That is, how can you be sure that what sounds not quite right on first listen isn't in fact in the correct direction and will produce the best sound after break in?
I seem to recall Ted Denney saying to try switching the direction, after the fuse is broken-in. Go with what sounds best.
I expect vitriol about my personal hearing ability, my tube amp (I tested the SR blacks in a SS amp also…but mostly in a push pull tube amp), my questioning Denney's patent claims (if someone claims something is patented and it's not, that goes to their credibility unless their worshippers don't mind utter nonsense, which seems to be the case), and I get that. Religious people don't like my atheism either, and I see similarities when magic thinking is involved in anything. My basic beef with Oregonpapa and other Fusers is simple: Claiming that the FUSE has such a transformative and obvious effect on the sound of your gear heap is simply not believable, and when you understand why fuses are there in the first place, simply as a safety item protecting your stuff from catastrophic failure, it seems very strange indeed. The main reason I'm harping about technical explanations of this "magic" isn't due to being obsessed with technical explanations, it's simply because in the case of "special" fuses, there are none…a conspicuous absence. None. A scam by SR to sell an item to gullible fans at an insane profit seems to be working well, and since it's only judged by subjective opinion I'm offering exactly that…me and most high end gear manufacturers.
I've only had experience with HiFi Tuning Silver Star and PADIS fuses and in both cases, reversing them gave me much better sound. The HiFI fuses were in for almost two years and the PADIS fuses were in for only three days and in both cases, they displayed the same deficiency in regards to how they sounded: rolled off highs, an out of phase focus and a one note bass, among other things.
I was never in the camp in regards to directionality which is why I waited so long to do it the first time around. With the PADIS fuses, I immediately suspected they were in the wrong direction but gave them three days to see if things cleared up, but they didn't and reversing them improved things considerably.
It would appear to me that hearing something amiss the first time around should at least prompt someone to simply flip the fuse. There will be time needed to break in but even at first listen, you should be able to tell.
Jetter, that’s why - in most cases - one does not evaluate equipment immediately any more than one would assess a speaker system after 30 hours. I was trained to play music through a component for weeks, and if you have ever read The Absolute Sound, you would recall that they did the same thing for weeks. Amps, preamps, speaker cable, power cords. Everything. I clearly remember Andy Benjamin’s review of Audio Research’s Classic 60 amp, way back in the day. He was appalled by the sound of it out of the box, and it took weeks for the amp to fully burn in, and for him to hear its virtues. Shunyata cable is the same: it takes hundreds of hours to break in (Shunyata demurs on this), but the owners almost universally state otherwise (including me). And God forbid you move the cable around and then listen to it immediately: you have to wait an hour or two for it to "settle." Sound ridiculous? Perhaps, but nonetheless, that’s the reality. I didn’t always know that, especially about Shunyata (I don’t know if everyone’s cables work that way, but Shunyata’s sure do!), but I know if after 15 years of owning their cables, power cords, etc. And I have friends with better ears who have good systems, who will come over and listen, too, and they can hear it as well. And I don’t tell them what to expect. I just let them listen. Some of this is VERY esoteric, but that’s why the non-believers state it’s "hysteria," "hogwash," etc.. Of course, they say this with little-to-no personal experience, or a one-time listen on a poorly set up system at a dealer’s "who has a $200,000 system," they proclaim loudly, as though that means it is well set up. I know otherwise about setup (and the setup can kill even the best electronics and speakers’ ability to deliver the optimum performance). Poor electrical isolation can mask differences, too.
The same thing applies to fuses. I don’t know why, but I imagine Synergistic allows a 30-day guarantee because they KNOW it will take time for the fuse to break in. I wonder why other manufacturers of fuses don’t do the same. It would certainly provide assurances for the Doubting Thomases, although some people are simply unwilling to trust ANYthing. That’s their prerogative, but it sounds exhausting, not to mention depressive in nature.
I will listen initially, wander in and out of my music room, and then listen again seriously, at, say, 200 hours, and then - if I am missing certain aspects of the sonics I KNOW should be there from having owned the disc for 30 years - reverse the fuse to see how it sounds and then give it time in that (reversed) direction, although I can usually determine where the human voice (unamplified) is displaying its full harmonic palette. Voice is, I find, the easiest way of determining correct orientation, but yes, it does take time. But it helps to use discs you know really, really, really well, vinyl OR CD. You can’t pull some new CD or LP that you haven’t used over the course of years and thru several different components in YOUR OWN SYSTEM and expect to make experienced observations. And even after I’ve tested the new component (in this case, the fuse), I will still take it out and re-insert a previous generation of the same company’s fuse, let IT warm up for a few hours (or, if I’m REALLY unsure, days) and see if the voice is missing information and/or harmonics. Some people don't have the time or the patience, and I understand that. They would also not be hired to write for audio magazines. That requires curiosity, patience, a little skepticism, and a love of music above all. And even then, one can make a mistake. But at least the whole experiment has been conducted in as scientific a manner as is possible. And that's all anyone can ask.
Many have said that you should install the fuse and if it does not sound good reverse it and it is now in the correct direction. What if, like other audio gear, the initial listening isn't indicative of its true character? That is, how can you be sure that what sounds not quite right on first listen isn't in fact in the correct direction and will produce the best sound after break in?
@auxinput--Darn it! I wish the four out of five fuses I have were in the amp and not my SACD player. The PADIS fuses made the biggest difference in the my source player than the amp but......
Dudes! Y'all mean that after setting up the Tekton DI's I still get to experience another huge leap in sound improvement with these Red Fuses! oh boy! greg
@willgolf - thanks for the feedback on the PADIS and BLUE. There could be a couple of things going on here. One is that the tube amp may not be high resolution enough to reveal any slight differences between PADIS and BLUE (I'm not saying this is true, I'm only saying it is a theory). In my experience, the very high resolution equipment can reveal differences. In stuff that is lower resolution or warmer voiced, the differences between elements such as fuses or interconnects are more difficult to see and sometimes impossible. Having no experience with your specific tube amp, I cannot be sure.
The other one is that, in my experience, the differences in fuses for amplifiers have much less impact than fuses in preamp/source equipment. I think that part of it is the fuses in the amps have a larger internal fusewire (because of higher amp rating) and the nature of fuse composition has less influence in amps. In any case, a fuse will still have an influence on an amplifier's sonic signature, it is just much less of an influence a fuse would have in a preamp/DAC.
The final option would be that there is no discernible difference between PADIS/Futurech and BLUE fuses. I think more testing with different types of equipment would have to be done before we came to this conclusion.
@willgolf, Thanks for the update on the SR Blue fuse. For me, it's nice to hear that you didn't hear an improvement over the PADIS fuse since that's what I have and I'd need to replace 5 of them. 😩
I truly feel that these PADIS fuses offer real value not only over a standard fuse but easily compete with the other aftermarket brands and all at their $25 asking price.
Just let the PADIS continue to break in as I'm still getting improvements with mine.
I have now tested Padis fuses and the new SR Blue. I had a $2.50 fuse in my Raven Tube amp before. Yes I experienced an upgrade in performance when I went to the Padis fuse. After installing the SR Blue both ways, I DID NOT experience any uptick in performance from the Padis. I get more performance when I change out my various Russian tubes. I doubt it is a defective Blue fuse. Maybe my equipment just performs better as is. I played Lumineers, Louis Armstrong / Ella Fitzgerald, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Michael Hedges as part of my test.
I don’t suppose it would further the discussion to say the Synergistic verbiage sounds like so much gobbledegook, would it? Not to mention their description of how electricity works on their new Blue Fuse page. As I opined earlier sometimes it's better for a manufacturer not (rpt not) to offer an explanation.
Jay23 9-29-2017 ...the patent for "UEF Technology" is the paint.
As a point of information, I had said as follows in a post in this thread dated 9-23-2017:
The Blue’s description at the SR website states in part as follows:
The new SR BLUE Quantum Fuse was developed over a two year period and represents our most advanced UEF Technology to date. At its heart is a completely new UEF / Graphene coating that delivers a dramatic increase in resolution and holographic realism over SR Black....
... At Synergistic Research we’ve isolated key factors that affect how electricity propagates by changing the behavior of electrons through Inductive Quantum Coupling methods we collectively call UEF Tech. In fact, UEF Tech is so powerful even an electrical chain several miles long is fundimentally [sic] improved with nothing more than a single fuse engineered with our patented UEF Technology.
Yet none of the four patents we have determined to have been granted to Mr. Denney make any mention of fuses, UEF (Uniform Energy Field) technology, or Inductive Quantum Coupling.
Mr. Denney’s acoustic paint patent is one of those four.
Also, FWIW, Mr. Denney responded in this thread shortly after a request was posted for someone to identify the patent referred to in the Blue Fuse description, and for whatever reason he did not address that question.
Finally, and also FWIW, it should not be forgotten in this discussion that Wolfie did in fact try several of the Black fuses in several different components, with the result being no significant benefit and two of them blowing.
Regards, -- Al
Yes, and you didn't make the connection. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stated, "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." It should be clear. Your own post/comment has the three key words. A patent need not discuss every usage and effect. Ted Denney can wax poetic. "A rose by any other word would smell as sweet."
Yes, Wolfie claims to have tried the Black fuses. And by the "technical views" logic, we can say his system is not resolving enough, he is deaf, his listening skills are subpar, and/or his beloved tubes create too much distortion. See how fun that is. 😁 If people don't hear a difference, they can send the products back, and they save money. I see no reason to harp on things that you will not agree with, when any technical reasonings will be dismissed.
Jay23 9-29-2017 ...the patent for "UEF Technology" is the paint.
As a point of information, I had said as follows in a post in this thread dated 9-23-2017:
The Blue’s description at the SR website states in part as follows:
The new SR BLUE Quantum Fuse was developed over a two year period and represents our most advanced UEF Technology to date. At its heart is a completely new UEF / Graphene coating that delivers a dramatic increase in resolution and holographic realism over SR Black....
... At Synergistic Research we’ve isolated key factors that affect how electricity propagates by changing the behavior of electrons through Inductive Quantum Coupling methods we collectively call UEF Tech. In fact, UEF Tech is so powerful even an electrical chain several miles long is fundimentally [sic] improved with nothing more than a single fuse engineered with our patented UEF Technology.
Yet none of the four patents we have determined to have been granted to Mr. Denney make any mention of fuses, UEF (Uniform Energy Field) technology, or Inductive Quantum Coupling.
Mr. Denney’s acoustic paint patent is one of those four.
Also, FWIW, Mr. Denney responded in this thread a few hours after a request was posted for someone to identify the patent referred to in the Blue Fuse description, and for whatever reason he did not address that question.
Finally, and also FWIW, it should not be forgotten in this discussion that Wolfie did in fact try several of the Black fuses in several different components, with the result being no significant benefit and two of them blowing.
"All of the information needed to understand audiophile fuses is out there." It is? Because it's certainly not in here! And not in the minds of most audio engineers and modern gear designers either. SR's gibberish about "Quantum" something or other certainly doesn't explain anything, and their apparent need to mention imaginary patents (a lie conveniently ignored by the "Fusers," as it simply doesn't fit into their SR worship format) doesn't either. Remember, you're entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts. I don't consider my posts to be a waste of time as clearly I enjoy poking the Bear of Mythology, and shall continue to do so in the face of this steaming heap of nonsense because I can.
Some or all of it has been mentioned in this thread. For instance, the patent for "UEF Technology" is the paint. You're just a little, shall we say, obtuse. 😉
He's for the same reason as Al and others are, to give honest technical views to the gullible who may be sucked into this snake oil/voodoo.
EG: picking up 3-4v of mains voltage, this is laughable, as are other improvement statements.
Cheers George
Wow! "Technical views?" Have you done any measurements of audiophile fuses, for their resistance, impedance, distortion, and so forth? No? 🤔
At least Geoff has provided measurements of another brand. But they were swept under the rug by your so called "technical views." Measurements only matter when you say they matter. Yes, that's very objective and scientific. 🙄
You should all buy some Revel Ultima2s, a Benchmark DAC3, and whatever amp measures the best, and enjoy your measured sound and cheap cables. 😜
Again Wolfie ... there are those of us who really don't give a damn how these things work, only that they do. Instead of going through life doubting everything, I prefer to just kick back and enjoy. Pull out your moth infested wallet and pay for one of the new fuses. If you don't like it, get yer money back and yer only out the cost of shipping.
Frank
PS: I don't care about patents either. And ... I believe you're the only one talking about them. Did Ted Denney mention patents?
"All of the information needed to understand audiophile fuses is out there." It is? Because it's certainly not in here! And not in the minds of most audio engineers and modern gear designers either. SR's gibberish about "Quantum" something or other certainly doesn't explain anything, and their apparent need to mention imaginary patents (a lie conveniently ignored by the "Fusers," as it simply doesn't fit into their SR worship format) doesn't either. Remember, you're entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts. I don't consider my posts to be a waste of time as clearly I enjoy poking the Bear of Mythology, and shall continue to do so in the face of this steaming heap of nonsense because I can.
Anyone else get the Blue fuses yet? They aren’t available here yet. I had another black fuse on order but it got lost in the post, so I’m hoping to change the order for a Blue fuse, although it will be mid October at the earliest when they get another fuse delivery.
Al you are probaby aware one can do their own digital mastering at home quite effectively and for free with a tool like Audacity. I use Audacity these days to digitally remaster all my audio files I convert from vinyl or tape. Some ripped from CD as well. Mostly I do click removal with vinyl source and data normalization in general for better dynamics but targeted noise removal is possible as well.
Results are clear and distinct. Need not be a fuse lover to hear them.
The hiss reduction functionality that is provided these days in professional audio editing programs works in a far more sophisticated manner than simply rolling off the highs. For example, the user can define a very brief segment or segments of the material in which there is no music, allow the program to sample and analyze the hiss during those moments, and by taking advantage of modern computing horsepower "subtract it out" from the musical passages.
Of course, that is not to say that there won’t be undesirable side-effects. There certainly can be, but to a greater or lesser degree depending on the judgment, musical sensibilities, and expertise of the user. And more specifically on how judiciously he or she adjusts the numerous settings that are involved in using any such program, and on how aggressive he or she chooses to be in minimizing the hiss. And depending also, of course, on the nature of the material and the amount of hiss that is present to begin with.
"On rolling off the highs ... I know recording engineers roll off highs while transferring analog tapes to digital CD’s to get rid of the tape hiss. I don’t like recordings like that. I’ll take the hiss and keep the highs."
Please someone tell me that’s not true. Mainly because if they rolled off the highs above the frequency of tape hiss there wouldn’t be any highs at all. There would be no air. I’m in deep kim chi if that actually is true since oh, I don’t know, something like 98% of all my CDs are taken from analog tapes. Since tape hiss is primarily in the spectrum 4,000 to 5,000 Hz the engineers would have to start the roll off well below 4,000 Hz to be effective, no?
Thank you for clarifying ... much appreciated. :=)
Actually, there seems to be more transparency and the highs are extended further than with the BLACK fuses. Not as much as with the bass though. I think I’ve gained an octave or so in the bass.
I’ve had two audiophile friends over on separate occasions to hear the difference the BLUE fuses have made in the system and both had the same comment ... "your system has become seamless."
On rolling off the highs ... I know recording engineers roll off highs while transferring analog tapes to digital CD’s to get rid of the tape hiss. I don’t like recordings like that. I’ll take the hiss and keep the highs.
verapsaneni ....
If it were me and I didn’t hear any difference, I’d return the fuse for a replacement and try again. You may have gotten a dud if such a thing exists. These are just too good for you to not hear the improvement.
I will compare stock fuse with Blue fuse in coming days and give my full feedback . Normally when i change any component in my system i can at least hear change in sound color. But that was not the case with the fuse.
With respect, I'm not trying to lump you into any group. Here in my place, the performers sound like they are in the room ... at least to my ears. I've used the phraseology "in the room" for many years to describe what I hear. Are they actually in the room? No. Have I actually been transported into the recording venue? No. But then there are the times when I kick back and close my eyes ... :-)
It behooves us all to remember that this hobby is supposed to be about fun.
As far as my writing being "transparent," what exactly does it "indicate" to you?
When you get the new BLUE fuse, please post your results here. Thanks ...
Frank
I did not say your writing is transparent. What you've written indicates to me that the Blue fuse is less transparent than the Black, while reducing more distortion. It appears that the low level highs have been removed along with the noise. The loss of low level ambient cues will create more of an "in the room" sound.
There's nothing wrong with this. Many prefer it. It's just like how when highs are cut in level, psychoacoustics deems that objects will sound further from you. This may be preferred by a group of people, but it is a coloration. This doesn't make the audio products that do this lesser, just less accurate. For those that love it, those products could be their holy grail.
To put it another way, sugar can be put on a piece of fruit. Some will say it's more delicious and sweeter. This doesn't make it more natural. Better or worse? That's up to the individual.
Hopefully the Blues end up being more transparent. I will see... 😎
With respect, I'm not trying to lump you into any group. Here in my place, the performers sound like they are in the room ... at least to my ears. I've used the phraseology "in the room" for many years to describe what I hear. Are they actually in the room? No. Have I actually been transported into the recording venue? No. But then there are the times when I kick back and close my eyes ... :-)
It behooves us all to remember that this hobby is supposed to be about fun.
As far as my writing being "transparent," what exactly does it "indicate" to you?
When you get the new BLUE fuse, please post your results here. Thanks ...
I continue find some of the descriptions of the degree of improvement that "special" fuses provide in the systems of the proponents of these things unbelievable, especially since a new round of claims of MORE wonderfulness is begat by the New Blues. It’s a FUSE (a safety related device that’s supposed to MELT if need be), and until some rational explanation is provided as to WHY and HOW these things "massage the juice" before it runs through the power supplies and all the other caps, resistors, transformers, rectifiers, tubes, transistors and every other part of an audio component’s circuits, I’ll continue to hold the opinion I’ve had since doing my own little test of the black version of these things…they’re a silly and possibly dangerous (sketchy fuse ratings) waste of time and money when compared to less precious (like ultra reliable way less expensive Littelfuse products) "standard" fuses. Unbelievable.
And despite being a "waste of time," you are still in this thread. 🙄
All of the information needed to understand audiophile fuses is out there. It is just either going over your head, or going in one "ear" and out the other. It’s time for you to do further reading, as until you have that "ah hah" moment as to the reasoning, even someone explaining things to you with kiddie gloves will be lost on you.
That is fine, but useless. That is what I was saying. You're more likely to meet God or the devil, than have it happen in your lifetime.
The new BLUE fuses have brought everything up to a new, and unexpected level. I was just listening to Charlie Mingus’ "Tijuana Moods." I don’t care what others are saying ... they were in the room. *lol*
...........
Frank
PS ... Has anyone else posting here ordered any BLUE fuses? It would be nice to compare notes
.
....... I know what I hear and I hear what I know. The BLUE fuses are a major step up from the BLACK fuses .... as the BLACKS were from the RED fuses ... and the RED fuses were from the stock fuses.
Once again, without hearing for themselves, the naysayers are coming out of the woodwork in an attempt to throw ice water on a perfectly good thing. Gets a bit old, doesn’t it??
Frank
Hopefully I am not being lumped in with that group. I have one on order. I just hope it's not less transparent, like your writing indicates to me.
I continue find some of the descriptions of the degree of improvement that "special" fuses provide in the systems of the proponents of these things unbelievable, especially since a new round of claims of MORE wonderfulness is begat by the New Blues. It's a FUSE (a safety related device that's supposed to MELT if need be), and until some rational explanation is provided as to WHY and HOW these things "massage the juice" before it runs through the power supplies and all the other caps, resistors, transformers, rectifiers, tubes, transistors and every other part of an audio component's circuits, I'll continue to hold the opinion I've had since doing my own little test of the black version of these things…they're a silly and possibly dangerous (sketchy fuse ratings) waste of time and money when compared to less precious (like ultra reliable way less expensive Littelfuse products) "standard" fuses. Unbelievable.
Joe (Jafreeman), yes, the reason I asked about the subs is that connecting a sub to the outputs of amplifiers that are balanced or bridged or monoblocks can be tricky, and I’ve seen a lot of posts here in which people have described doing that in an incorrect manner, at least from a theoretical standpoint. Although in many cases the results are still reasonably good, due mainly to the happenstance of the internal grounding configurations of the sub and the amp.
And in the case of your particular sub the issue is further muddled by inconsistent and misleading statements in the manual, which I found at this link:
In various places the manual refers to using the sub’s balanced input for amps having balanced outputs or differential outputs or bridged outputs, or various combinations thereof. And in at least one case it refers to "differential output (bridged mode) amplifiers," which is completely misleading.
In this case, since it is a fully balanced amp it has a differential output, and the amp’s negative output terminal therefore has a full amplitude signal on it. By connecting the sub’s ground wire to that terminal you are creating a path for that full amplitude signal to the sub’s circuit ground, then through some unknown but probably low impedance within the sub to the sub’s AC safety ground, then through the AC wiring to the amp’s AC safety ground, then through some unknown but probably low impedance within the amp to the amp’s circuit ground. In other words, not quite a direct short of that full amplitude output of the amp to the amp's circuit ground, but a connection of that signal to the amp's circuit ground through what is likely to be a relatively low impedance. Which depending on the particular impedances that exist between circuit ground and AC safety ground in the sub and the amp might degrade sonics, cause hum, or even damage the resistors that probably connect those two grounds in each component.
The right way to do it is stated on page 18 of the manual:
For differential amplifiers using two subs, one for each channel: connect red to positive; yellow to negative; and black to chassis ground; plug the Speakon into the balanced high level input (Bal Hi Input).
The "chassis ground" connection can be to any screw on the chassis of the amp, assuming that paint doesn’t interfere with the connection.
As I indicated, compared to what you are presently doing there may or may not be all that much difference sonically, depending mainly on the internal grounding characteristics of the sub and the amp. But this is the right way to do it.
Finally, when you try this you may find (depending on the design of the sub’s balanced input circuit) that the output of the sub increases by 6 db, and if so you’ll have to reduce its level setting correspondingly.
Getting back to fuses, regarding your mention that...
... the front-panel display on each amp now reads at 120-121V, whereas at lower fuse ratings, the line voltage was at around 117V. The operating range of the ARC 210’s is 105V-130V.
That’s certainly surprising, but what I can say with certainty is that if the 7 or 8 amp fuses were dropping 3 to 4 volts, not to mention 3 to 4 volts more than the 10 amp fuse is dropping, while conducting the more than 3 amperes the amp draws even when idle, the fuse itself would be dissipating (consuming) upwards of 10 watts of power, converting it to heat, and promptly melting. Therefore I suspect that either the line voltage has changed, or the fuse holder has loose or corroded contacts, or the meter on the amp is erratic, or some combination thereof.
Whoa! Hey, that’s exactly what they said about the Black fuse when a couple regulars reported hearing nothing on these very pages. (Say, whatever became of Mapman, anyway?) No matter how many audiophiles go bananas 🍌 over one thing or another you don’t have to look too far to find somebody who doesn’t hear a gol durn thing. It happens all the time. That’s why controversial audiophile thingamabobs abound. Maybe the dude got a dud. 😛
I have to a agree with Frank’s last post. Given the pedigree of @veerapaneni components, i am finding it hard to understand as well. I was able to hear immediate improvements over a stock fuse in my system.
May be he was expectating improvements equivalent to those that comes from a equipment upgrade :-)
The new BLUE fuses are so good in my system that its hard to believe that someone can install one and not hear the difference over a stock fuse. Perhaps the fuse is defective? Try another fuse? Hidden agenda? What??
I suspect it might be best to write failures like this off to, "that’s the way the cookie crumbles." 🍪 Failure to obtain expected results can occur - and have occurred - for just about every device ever conceived. And these failures to achieve expected results often generate a certain amount of angst and confusion, especially when they occur for something that's got a lot of buzz going for it. 🐝 Like the Black fuse or the new Blue fuse. There are many perfectly good reasons why these failures can occur; and those reasons have been thoroughly covered by your humble scribe ad infinitum.
Al, thanks for your response to my question on "pushed-value" SR Blacks in my AC input. Of note, the front-panel display on each amp now reads at 120-121V, whereas at lower fuse ratings, the line voltage was at around 117V. The operating range of the ARC 210's is 105V-130V. I'm glad you asked about the REL subs and Neutrik SpeakOn wiring. The Neutrik plug is the NL-F4C, a four-terminal plug supplied with the REL's. When I went to mono block amps and a sub for each amp, I followed the advice of my High-End retailer here in Mpls. For Magnepan speakers, I am using the 4 ohm speaker output terminals on the ARC 210s. I have connected both SpeakOn red and yellow (+) wires onto the 4-ohm (+) terminal of the amp and the black (-) wire to the 4-ohm (-) terminal on the amp. I left these wires in their original places on the Neutrik plug end. And where do I have the Neutriks on the REL input terminals? I have left them in the unbalanced high-level inputs a long time ago. This is the input recommended for a stereo amplifier. The balanced high-level input is described in the REL manual as being used for bridged-mode amplifiers. Thinking this was not my situation, I have ignored that input all these years. although the REL manual goes on to say, "Monoblock amplifiers may or may not be bridged output." Perhaps I should be using the balanced inputs on the REL's? Regards, Joe
The term "expectation bias" has been used many times in this thread. Its total bunk.
I know what I hear and I hear what I know. The BLUE fuses are a major step up from the BLACK fuses .... as the BLACKS were from the RED fuses ... and the RED fuses were from the stock fuses.
Once again, without hearing for themselves, the naysayers are coming out of the woodwork in an attempt to throw ice water on a perfectly good thing. Gets a bit old, doesn’t it??
there is no direction information on fuse and it looks same on both sides. I only changed fuse on PreAmp for now to test so that i can buy more in future but don't hear any difference what so ever.
Jafreeman 9-27-2017 I am hoping Almarg and peers will answer my question about AC mains and the functions of their fuses, as I am quite surprised with the sonic gift they are providing.
I can’t explain that, Joe. Obviously a 10 amp fuse comes a bit closer to being no fuse than a 7 or 8 amp fuse that is otherwise similar, at least in terms of lower resistance, lower voltage drop, and reduced fluctuations in voltage drop as current demand fluctuates. But I would expect both those differences and any resulting sonic differences to be small, especially between the 8 and 10 amp Black fuses you’ve tried. And especially with a robustly designed amp such as the REF 210, which per its description at arcdb.ws has numerous internal voltage regulators, large amounts of energy storage in its power supply (787 joules), and does not have a huge difference between its current draw at idle and at max power (that difference being well under 2:1).
Unrelated to the fuse question, though, after looking at your system description it appears that you are connecting your REL subs at speaker-level, and I assume you are using the balanced inputs of each sub, since the amps are fully balanced. Assuming that is the case, I’m wondering where you are connecting the ground wire from the subs (i.e., what would be the black wire in a typical REL Speakon cable)?
veerapaneni I got blue fuse for my ARC REF 5SE but don’t hear any difference in sound when compared to OEM fuse. Shall I run it for couple of days before comparing again ?
Could be a direction issue, who knows? Does the Blue come with any direction advice?
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