Cool Jazz is totally different than smooth jazz. Cool jazz from California is as good as bebop to me. Smooth jazz like Bob James is boring to me. I really can't see anyone digging smooth jazz once they get into bebop. I started with smooth, but could never listen to it today.
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?
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Interestingly my Adcom 515 doesn't impart anything to my system other than its sequential power up abilities and has earned its place there until it dies…I've tried directly bypassing it to see if anything sounds better or worse, and it appears to be sonically transparent. I might replace it with something that has more inputs some day, but that's my only criticism of the thing. |
Jafreeman, Thanks for the music link. Frank I agree with you regarding the artificial reverb. He's a good trumpet player with a nice tone and I would like to hear him recorded in a more natural manner. I'd be interested in hearing him playing straight ahead as opposed to the smooth complementary genre. I suspect that he'd be very good. Charles, |
^^^ Jafreeman ... I pulled up a bunch of Rick Braun's recordings on Spotify. Never heard of him before your suggestion. I have a comment: Everyone of Braun's recordings are drenched in artificial digital reverb. I know a lot of audiophiles like this sound, but to my ear, it doesn't allow for a natural presentation of the music or the instruments. Same with most modern recording artists regardless of their style of music. I like to seek out natural sounding recordings, most of which, were recorded in the 50's and 60's. I'm not dissing your preferences here as it is a matter of taste. OP |
Frank, 100% agree, Clifford is unquestionably an all time great and he gets his due recognition. Sheldon is one of those fine jazz musicians who seem to be relegated to relative obscurity. When Clifford and Max Roach had their legendary quintet, it is said that Roach preferred Harold Land to Sonny Rollins. I can understand that. Rollins is by far the better known saxophonist but I enjoy Land's playing more. Frank you were fortunate to have those experiences with Bill Perkins. Charles, |
Charles ... There were so many great trumpet players in the past, Jack Sheldon among them. But ... Clifford was the bomb. Every time I listen to Clifford Brown I think to myself ... "eat your heart out Winton Marseilles." Here's one of my desert island recordings. Clifford's rendition of Autumn in New York is breathtaking. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLIFFORD-BROWN-All-Stars-EmARCY-36102-Mono-/141436962409?hash=item20ee4cc669... |
Charles ... Thank you for the John Lewis recommendation. I have that album on vinyl. On Bill Perkins ... Prior to his passing, he and I lived in the same town. In his "retirement," he formed a group with some local young jazz musicians and they would play at our local Border's book store every so often. A friend and I never missed these sessions. I have lots of his recordings, or recordings by other artists where he was part of the group. Bill Perkins was on top of his game right to the end. Also, the Curtis Counce recommendation is spot on. I have his albums on vinyl as well. Great jazz and great sound as well. Harold Land isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he's one of my favorites. A very distinctive voice that's readily recognized as Harold Land's tenor. Also, the original jacket cover on "You get more bounce with Curtis Counce" wasn't too shabby either. :-) http://www.ebay.com/itm/CURTIS-COUNCE-GROUP-YOU-GET-MORE-BOUNCE-WITH-CURTIS-COUNCE-V2-VINYL-/2916368... wolf_garcia ... Welcome back to the SR Fuse seminar ... your humor has been missed. On the SR Black fuses ..., they have been known to clear muddled thinking when one puts the fuses up one's nose. Also known to clear tinnitus when placed well down into the ear canal. And here's the best part, one that you may want to take advantage of; they are also known to treat acute tweak denial when stuffed up one's .... Oh, never mind. :-) Limniscsate ... I think the general consensus is the source. It sure was in my CD player and phono stage. OP |
Jond, While I'm at it, here's a very fine early stereo recording (1956 -57 ) that's just plain good music. You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce " Counce is the leader on bass. This recording features two very talented but underappreciated players. Harold Land on tenor saxophone and Jack Sheldon on trumpet. I believe you'll really enjoy it. Charles, |
wolf_garcia2,475 posts04-19-2016 1:02pmSo to sum up, the clarity, texture, sound staging, coherence, scent, otherworldliness, mojo, mass appeal, appeal to those in MA (where I live), bass profundity, basso gonzo delecto, air around instruments, air around your socks, heir apparent, apparent hair loss, and ear wax viscosity can be improved with SRs "fabulous half inch" of zapped wire irrespective of where the electrons came from or where they go after the fuse holder lets go of 'em. And if none of this happens, the fuse could be backwards or not burned in. If any of this is true, I am absolutely not worthy of such wonderfulness and shall remain unrefused until my sense of self worth deems me ready to deal with this avalanche of sonic boost as, currently, I just don't think I could take it. With your Adcom 515 line conditioner, you got nothing to worry about brother, everything sounds the same. Bose, Soulution ... just sit back and enjoy the noise. |
Hi Frank, I know you're a huge fan of West Coast jazz so I have a good recommendation (unless you already own it ) for you. John Lewis, "2 Degrees East-3 Degrees West". The CD version has additional tracks that are very good. Ýou get Bill Perkins on tenor saxophone and Jim Hall on guitar, Percy Health-bass and Chico Hamilton -drums. I think that you'll enjoy it. Charles, |
So to sum up, the clarity, texture, sound staging, coherence, scent, otherworldliness, mojo, mass appeal, appeal to those in MA (where I live), bass profundity, basso gonzo delecto, air around instruments, air around your socks, heir apparent, apparent hair loss, and ear wax viscosity can be improved with SRs "fabulous half inch" of zapped wire irrespective of where the electrons came from or where they go after the fuse holder lets go of 'em. And if none of this happens, the fuse could be backwards or not burned in. If any of this is true, I am absolutely not worthy of such wonderfulness and shall remain unrefused until my sense of self worth deems me ready to deal with this avalanche of sonic boost as, currently, I just don't think I could take it. |
Initial project - upgrade stock to SR Black in Ayre AX-5 amp - was a two-parter... First, replaced half the fuses (mis-informed on quantity so originally ordered only half what was needed and had to place a 2nd order after getting the amp opened up and realizing). Long story short, before having all SR in the system I was concerned, things just seemed off in a lot of ways. Not worth getting into since it didn't last, but a somewhat interesting lesson in that, it seems important to go "all SR" (or at least, "all the same" whatever that may be). Once I got all SR fuses (8 total so no trivial investment), and after one change in direction of installation (yes, this seemed to make a difference) things started to turn around. And with around 70+ hours burn-in, things started improving dramatically. Now, with substantial hours in and all-SR Black fuses in the amp, here's what my ears hear (forgive my lack of audiophile vocabulary, I'll just describe it as best I can): - Improved instrument separation, placement, and 3-dimensionality - Perception of more immediacy and "smack/oomph" - Lower, tighter, punchier bass - Overall just a better sense of musicality - I feel there was a very, very subtle loss of realism in instrument/vocal texture. The improvements, with possible exception of bass improvements, I would not say are profound, but I would say more than subtle. They are a matter of improving on the already excellent sonic quality of the amp, in nice, noticeable - but not earth-shattering - ways. The change in bass seems the most dramatic. I'm not an electronics engineer (although I am an engineer by training/trade) so I have little concept why the above would be the case, but I do have pretty good ears and have been a musician for 40 years, pro at times, so I trust that I'm hearing a difference, and that the difference is an improvement overall. Whether an investment in upgraded fuses is worth it is a pretty individual thing, dependent I imagine on how much your particular system benefits from a specific brand/model of fuse and your budget. I had a very positive experience with Hifi Tuning Supreme in my last Ayre amp so tried this, and I'm happy with the (in this case rather large) investment. I've ordered SR Black fuses for my DAC and transport now, and looking forward to hearing what differences they may make. At some point, I will buy a set of the Hifi Supremes to compare, since I liked what they did in the past. But for now, I'm quite happy with the difference the SR Black fuses make in my amp. |
Hi Lak, Clarity and naturalness summarized the Black fuse effect. I am glad to read that the fuses worked out well in your system although I am not surprised 😊. Frank I agree regarding bowed string bass(and Cello). Con arco bass is simply beautiful on my jazz recordings. It was already very good but improved further with insertion of the Black fuses.. Charles, |
^^^ Agreed, Lak. I thought my system was pretty much grain free before I got into the SR fuses. They have transformed my system from top to bottom. The clarity and textures of instruments are way beyond what I thought possible. On good recordings, the performers are in the room in 3D relief. Massed strings, solo instruments and vocals have such a natural presentation ... it matches the best I've heard except for a few multi-hundred thousand dollar systems. Over the 40+ years I've been in the hobby, I've tried a lot of tweaks. Some were effective. Some not so much. Some not at all. The SR Black fuses are the best tweak yet and well worth the money for sure. The SR Black fuses were more effective than swapping out the KT-120's for KT-150's in the ARC REF-75 amp, or changing out the turntable belt for one from www.originlive.com. And by the way, for those reading this who are still into vinyl, I highly recommend upgrading to an originlive turntable belt. Like the SR fuses, Its another amazing upgrade and very cost effective. Lak ... Not sure if you're into classical music .. but if you are, wait until you hear bowed strings like cellos and acoustic bass when the fuses finally break in. A beautiful, organic presentation awaits. :-) Here's another LP recommendation: Its a Chris Connor reissue two-LP set. Its in mono, but so good that you'll be saying: "who needs stereo!" Here's a near mint copy available now on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Finest-of-CHRIS-CONNOR-Shrink-NM-2-LP-on-Bethlehem-Records-/322066568288... Buy it. Throw it on the turntable. You'll think Chris Connor is in the listening room singing to you personally. OP |
oregonpapa; I'm looking forward to it! I already hear great improvement this morning in my main system. I added the SR Black Fuses last night to my Yamamoto Dac and Allnic T-1500 Integrated 300B amp in my secondary system and could not believe the improvement as soon as I powered the system up. And it sounded darn good before I ever added the SR Black Fuses! This is one of those tweeks one has to hear for themselves to believe! |
I’m happy to report that I received several of the SR Black fuses on Friday. I didn’t have time to install any of them until this morning. In my main system I replaced the SR Red fuse in my Yamamoto Dac with an SR Black fuse and due to my impatience I replaced the stock fuse in my Allnic L-3000 preamp with the SR Black fuse. I immediately heard deeper bass, a more articulate and natural sound of music along with improved imaging and a wider, deeper sound stage. In my main system I use a loom of High Fidelity products (interconnects, digital cable, speaker cables and power cords). I look forward to the replacement of standard fuses with the SR Black in my second system, in the following: (Yamamoto Dac and Allnic T-1500 Integrated 300B amp). I’ll get to that in a day or so. I'm anxiously waiting to hear what the break in period will do for improvement. |
For those of you still playing vinyl, here's one that my friend Robert brought over last night ... Its demo quality and thanks to the grain-less nature of the system brought about by the SR Black fuses, the musicians and vocalists are in the room.
This is one that you'd want to throw on the turntable to impress your "all digital" audiophile friends. Be sure to get a really clean stereo copy. http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Christy-Minstrels-sing-and-play-Cowboys-And-Indians-Condition-VG-VG-... And another great stereo album that I pulled out of the female vocalist vault last night was this one ... simply amazing sound and voice: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DORIS-DAY-WHAT-EVERY-GIRL-SHOULD-KNOW-STEREO-LP-/250659121405?hash=item3a5c7... And for those who know how good vinyl can sound in mono, we listened this as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CL-968-six-eye-Jo-Stafford-Once-Over-Lightly-w-Art-Van-Damme-Quintet-/152049... Art Van Damme plays jazz accordion. Don't laugh, he's great. Both he and Jo Stafford are in the room. These SR Black fuses are bringing out the very best in the vinyl collection. Honestly, we just sit there in amazement. Even on vocal records, the instruments played by the backup musicians are dead nutz on tonally. Take care ... |
David, My preamp is a tweaked-up AH TP 2.0 and amps are older VAC Auricle Musicblocs with Penta KT88SC for power and Psvane 12au7 drivers. I have several speakers: AZ Adagio, Reference 3a MMC and Dulcet monitors. Cables are a mix of high end companies. This is the first SR product I've had in my system since experimenting with an early model of their speaker cables back in 2002. |
sherod: Congratulations on the sonic improvemrnts using the Synergistic Research Black fuses. What preamp and mono block amps are you using? I agree that the SR Black fuse allows for more emotional satisfaction at a lower listening volume than when using a HiFi Gold, Isoclean, or original fuse. I am enjoying a system with more sonic information being sent to the listener. Over the next one to two weeks I believe you will continue to hear improvements. David Pritchard |
I recently started following this thread and decided to try a SR Black fuse in my preamp. It previously had an older Hifi-tuning Gold fuse in it. I was initially impressed with the difference the Black made, but once it opened up after about 75 hours, I was amazed at the improvement in sound. I was so thrilled that I ordered two more for my monoblock tube amps. They have only been in the amps for about twenty hours, but I can already hear an improvement. The amps also previously had the Hifi-tuning Gold fuses in them. I am anxious to hear further improvements. Has anyone noticed that after the SR Black fuse opens up, you can listen to music at a slightly lower volume and still get great satisfaction with the sound? I am very impressed so far with this SR Black fuse. |
mapman ... Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Yes, I did receive your package ... thanks. I had to set it aside until I have the time to figure out how to use it. I was going to let you know the results at that time. So far ... its just been sitting under my computer table. When it comes to the tech stuff, I am such a dunce. Duh! *lol* When I figure it out, I'll let you know. I would only use it for my little computer system .... which sounds quite nice with the Audio Engine A2+ speakers, by the way. Did you ever get the SR Red fuse to come around?? OP |
The UEF panels may not synergize as well with the Audio Horizon Bells as the Synergistic Research Dots. I know SR suggests the Panels be used with the Dots and not the HFT's. I look forward to your listening experience. Your situation demonstrates why this forum can be so helpful. You will be trying combinations of products that no one else has tried.Interesting! I'll investigate before placing my order next week. Thanks for the heads up. I'm selling spare Maestro AC outlets and fuses. Please checkout my listings if interested. AC Outlets Assortment Of Fuses |
bondmanp: McIntosh and Synergistic Research exhibited at Rocky Mountain last October, and the sound in that room was the best of any show room I have heard in the last 5 years. Once that fuse has some time on it I believe you will be quite pleased. But if not happy with the amount or quality of system improvement, send it back! knghifi: The UEF panels may not synergize as well with the Audio Horizon Bells as the Synergistic Research Dots. I know SR suggests the Panels be used with the Dots and not the HFT's. I look forward to your listening experience. Your situation demonstrates why this forum can be so helpful. You will be trying combinations of products that no one else has tried. David Pritchard
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knghifi: Congratulations on trying the UEF acoustic panels. Did they come with the new UEF acoustic dots that go on the wall and ceiling? Synergistic Research is having a special promotion April 15-17 as these panels are being introduced at the Chicago Audio Show which starts tomorrow. I would think your dealer would match the show special. Scott Walker Audio is handling the show sales. seven-one-four-three-four-nine--seven-seven-eight-two These were designed for recording studios. Scott Walker in an E-mail says he is very impressed with them and now has them installed in one of his listening rooms. David Pritchard |
bondmanp: What Pre amp are you using? I look forward to your listening experiences after you have more time on the fuse. It will be interesting to read your report of any differences the direction makes. Note to Synergistic Research Transporter users. Upgrading the factory fuses (SR-20's) to the SR Black has made a significant improvement to my system. I very much think it is worth the upgrade to the Black fuse. The Transporter uses three fuses. Reminder - The Newport Beach Audio Show is June 3-4-5 this year at the Hotel Irvine. Synergistic Research will have a major display of their products. I think this is a great show to go to. David Pritchard |
