T_ramey,
Congratulations, the list of happy Black fuse users continues to expand. Frank, see what you started ☺
Charles,
Congratulations, the list of happy Black fuse users continues to expand. Frank, see what you started ☺
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
Well, I've put these SR Blacks in all my home stereo setup and am fully impressed with what they have done with the sound of my system. Worth every penny for the improvement they brought. I have a little desktop system at my work with Nappa Acoustics speakers and recently picked up their matching hybrid integrated amp for $400. Of course I just had to replace the fuse after the performance I got at home. It took a little longer than the typical 70 hrs but that little black fuse really turned that Nappa Acoustic amp into a stunner! These Black fuses have increased the performance of my system more than any tube or cable could ever do. Thanks Oregonpapa for starting this thread! |
Geoffkait I actually installed the remedy a few weeks ago before I made any other changes, so I was able to see that change independently and even removed and reinstalled it and the difference was clear. Regarding everything else as I said my system has never sounded better and frankly that's all I really care about. It very non scientifically makes me happy :) |
Exhibit A - Audio Magic Premier Super Fuse and Beeswax Fuse description. Anyone not seeing the connection to the SR Black Fuse raise your hand. I won't even mention the connection to the list of assertions, theories, educated guesses, whatever why aftermarket fuses improve the sound provided by your humble scribe. "Audio Magic is known for having the quietest, best sounding fuses on the market today. When it comes to innovative fuse design we accomplish this by stopping noise in a variety of ways that no one else does. a. Stop the element from vibrating at 50/60 hz which is a huge noise component. We accomplish this by injecting the fuse with a proprietary liquid anti vibration material that stops the vibrating element in it's tracks. b. Injecting the fuse with our Black Out mixture which gobbles up internal and external EMI and RF. c. Treat the fuse with our Nano Streaming process which brings the crystalline structure of any metal in the fuse closer together thus removing static discharge in the fuse as well as making all metal parts better conductors. d. Incorporating our exclusive i Core Technology in the Premier line, this process allows for the energy going through the fuse to do so in a very uniform manner thus increasing efficiency. Nano Premium Liquid Fuse This is our entry level fuse which incorporates a mixture of our anti-vibration fluid and Black Out material blended together. Super Fuse This fuse is filled with a 1/3 anti-vibration material and 2/3 Super Black Out mixture for even better EMI and RF control. Premiere Super Fuse This fuse is just like the standard Super Fuse, only we've add our NEW i Core Technology to the fuse. Premier Bees wax Super Fuse This fuse is identical to the Premier Super Fuse only we've replaced the standard anti-vibration material with Bees Wax [ a very intense process ]. This fuse gives all the great attributes of the Standard Premier with a very organic flavor. All Audio Magic fuses have had extensive testing done to make sure the fuses blow at the ratings the manufacturer intended, and, no, they will not leak as the fluid solidifies after about an hour of being in." Back to our regular scheduled programming. Lol Geoff Kait at Machina Dynamica |
Jon wrote, " ...better than ever to me I'm sure the fuse helps along with the six Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8's I rolled into my preamp. Plus the new RCA rectifier and trio of RCA 6SN7's I just rolled into my amp. Oh and the stillpoints universal resonance dampers under the preamp and Gregitek Aries Graf footers under my amp and Sonos Connect. And can't forget the Wyred for sound Remedy reclocking device betwixt my Sonos and Dac, Needless to say its been quite a flurry of tweaks and upgrades in a very non-scientific manner in terms of assessing the efficacy of each, but the overall effect is very nice indeed. FWIW." Just curious, if as you say you installed a bunch of tweaks simultaneously how can you attribute any change in sound to the Wyred for Sound Remedy or to anything else in particular? You even commented yourself how non-scientific it is to assess the efficacy of each tweak. Hel-loo! Geoff Kait Martian Dynamica |
Mapman: I have not tried the Wyred but I have tried the Audioquest Jitterbug, USB Disruptor, and the Regen unit. The Regen ($175) was returned -the sound became "thinner". The USB Disruptor had a nice improvement in making the instruments have better focus and in soundstage placement. One Jitterbug but not two had a small positive effect. I am waiting for the latest iFi USB device to arrive as just reviewed at Audiostream. It has a 60 day trial from Music Direct. com. These USB devices do have an effect. The challenge is finding the one or ones to best suit your system. A Synergistic Black fuse had a greater positive effect than the USB Disruptor and Jitterbug unit. I am sure we will see a lot of companies developing USB improvement devices. David Pritchard |
Georgelofi wrote, "Hey whitestix. That looks very much like a voodoo doll as GK’s avatar, that could explain it all. Out of 3000 posts GK you’ve only contributed 3 discussions to this forum, and they are beauties!!! https://forum.audiogon.com/users/geoffkait/discussions Cheers George" So, what’s your point? Or are you just posting to bump up your numbers whilst advertising your tweakaphobe status? Cheerios geoff kait machina dramatica advanced audio concepts |
Well day whatever the day is with the new fuse day 7 maybe? Anyway the system sounds amazing, better than ever to me I'm sure the fuse helps along with the six Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8's I rolled into my preamp. Plus the new RCA rectifier and trio of RCA 6SN7's I just rolled into my amp. Oh and the stillpoints universal resonance dampers under the preamp and Gregitek Aries Graf footers under my amp and Sonos Connect. And can't forget the Wyred for sound Remedy reclocking device betwixt my Sonos and Dac, Needless to say its been quite a flurry of tweaks and upgrades in a very non-scientific manner in terms of assessing the efficacy of each, but the overall effect is very nice indeed. FWIW. |
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Ya gotta figure anyone with lofi in his moniker is probably not really into the whole HiFi experience and most likely has a great big chip on his shoulder. This is an assertion, a theory, a hypotenuse. It has been my experience over the years that a lot of people out there are not into the whole demagnetizing CDs, WA Quantum Chip, cryogenics, Morphic messages, aftermarket fuses, Schumann Frequency, Holographic Foil, Mpingo disc thing and frankly would rather fight than switch. Thus the influx of pseudo skeptics, recording engineers, electronics wizards and the like. What I’d like to know is, did someone forget to leave the roach motels out the last couple of nights? geoff kait machina dramatica |
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A tightening of the focus, a more solid image, 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. All from a fuse change, you need to do a GK and change your avatar. http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/voodoo-doll.jpg Cheers George |
Since somebody asked, my recent listening includes the Vijay Ayer Trio's "Break Stuff," Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House's "Roulette of the Cradle" (get yer modern music hat on for that one), and a new album from the Julian Lage trio I worked with last year as the live sound mixer (Scott Colley bass, Kenny Wollesen drums) called "Arclight." A reason to defy reason and read the posts on this thread is to see what Almarg has to say. Always rewarding. I don't consider the opinions about the SR fuses benefits as "evidence" of anything as they are simply subjective opinions by those clearly wanting to see if their investment paid off after 70 hours or of looking for those same benefits. Based on the opinions contained in this thread, my system should sound mediocre…but it sounds astonishingly good without Quantum Tunneled Graphene Cryoed Sand Filled Magic fuses. It just does. |
whitestix: I am glad that the main passion in your life is music. A world of limitless emotion and exchanging of ideas. And jazz - a world of exploration without the trappings of fame and money. I also listen to jazz and it's forerunner chamber music. For these types of listening, I believe the quality of the soundstage, the texture of the instrument's sound, and the decay of notes have a major impact on the satisfaction the listener experiences. My experience is that the Synergistic Research Black fuse gives a significant improvement to the audio qualities listed above. My enjoyment of jazz and chamber music has been enriched. To suddenly experience Shelley Mann's drumming, Joe Pass's guitar,of Ella's singing in a " I am in the room alone with them while they perform" is exciting. I hope you will available yourself to this experience by trialing a Black fuse. In addition to the sonic improvements, I have found the fuse evaluation to be a liberating exercise. I am no longer scared to open equipment, pull out fuses, and even reverse fuse directions. Before ordering I was assertive with the dealers to insure that the fuses could be returned and what the conditions would be. I truly hope that everyone who orders an audio product that has a return policy to do just that if the product does not meet expectations. Do not be afraid to live. David Pritchard |
At the end of the day, lads, it is a fair proposition to try out all sorts of tweaks like fuse swapping, just so long as you get a money-back return deal. My take is that the business model for a lot of after-market tweak vendors is that if even 95% of the buyers return them for refund, they are still making serious money, given their production costs. The fact of the matter is that 90% of guys that purchase ~$100 tweaks who don't find them worthy will not waste their time sending them back for a refund. Employ your BS meter and send the tweaks back that don't improve the sound of your system. I am gonna go down to the river this weekend and see if I can find some of those magic "crystals" that GK hawks to see if it is the "lack best improvement" for my audio system. Maybe my CD's need some "treatment" too. Cheers, Whitestix |
A very pithy and funny comment, Geo. If the fuses work, that is just dandy, really. What the hell, a great tweak for $100 is a no-brainer for the dough we all have wrapped up in our gear. Folks here love them and I can't dispute what their ears are hearing. But, virtually anything spouted by GK must be judged for what it is, pure foolishness, unfounded by any rational thinking or science. Remember, the dude has skin the game. "Crystals", indeed. Cheers, Mark |
Hey whitestix.
Out of 3000 posts GK you’ve only contributed 3 discussions to this forum, and they are beauties!!! https://forum.audiogon.com/users/geoffkait/discussions Cheers George |
Mmm, Based on what grannyring said, I believe my digital player having no glass fuses or fuse holder is very good, when at first I believed the scheme was some sort of cheap implementation, I have followed grannyring and talked to him on these thread's for the last few year's, I respect him, and a few other's here on this thread, I will tell you all, when it comes to diy high end electronics, the man has a lot of experience, what he does is real world tweak's that save him alot of money! , however, his explanation of these after market fuses to me is spot on, makes practical since , my opinion, like all audio, some works, some don't, depending on preference, and any given component that may, and may not be improved by these fuses, personally, I've seen certain components sound like crap on certain speaker's, when the same speaker's sound incredible on other component's, does this mean the speaker's don't work or are inferior? , my opinion, no, I've seen the same thing happen to nordost Odin cable's, does that mean they don't work, absolutely not, my opinion, they are one of the hand full of best available cable's money can buy, the same can be said about these sr-black's fuses with everything that I have specified here, it's my opinion that the sr-black's are also in the few of best available money can buy, may work, may not, some component's will improve, some component's will not improve likely because the design will not benefit from high end fuses, at the end of the day, the sr-black fuses remain some of the best available fuses money can buy. |
A shout-out to friends of the forum jafreeman, davidprithart, and mikirob who weighed in on a comment or two of mine in an affirmative way. Guys, my main passion in life is jazz music and a fine system with which to hear it, within the limitations of my living space and budget. Literature is a passion, too, which I can enjoy the with the music. I live for music. As I point a finger at myself, never should we music lovers find ourselves at unfriendly odds over silly issues like the debate over fuses and create ill-will toward one another with our strongly-held views as to what is right and what is wrong with a particular tweak, for example. I responded irresponsibly in this thread to folks who love their upgraded fuses and I find myself now realizing that there are many paths to sonic pleasures and we must all let out ears (and pocketbooks) be our guide. Still, if you have a BS Meter working in your head, be wary of anything that GK posts about tweaks or more particular, anything that the sells. That is my best advice. Peace and love, Whitestix |
"This sort of thing about how a fuse sounds needs to be put in the bin. Cheers George" 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 |
GEOFF KAIT FOR PRESIDENT. He has got the audio world's problem solved with solid logic, so maybe he can figure out our geo-political problems. Since I support the leading candidates of neither party, and I live in CA which is presumptively Democrat, I am going to write in my nomination for GK for President. Let's get behind GK and maybe we will all get some "crystals" for our audio enjoyment at the expense of the Federal government. |
This sort of thing about how a fuse sounds needs to be put in the bin. Cheers George 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.
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OK, Al, I’ll see it your way, "beyond a reasonable doubt" it is. My assertions are beyond a reasonable doubt. Not beyond a reasonable doubt for you and Moopman perhaps but for someone who will listen to reason. I notice you did not actually present a counter argument to my assertions. That must be a lawyer trick. Case closed. ;-). If people spent as much brain power trying to figure out how something works rather than trying to figure out why it can’t work they would be much better off, to paraphrase PT Barnum. geoff kait |
Jafreeman, it appears that this is the Furutech paper you were referring to. I read through it. It appears to me to be written more intelligently than a lot of the cable literature manufacturers provide. Although the quantitative significance of a lot of the things it discusses is debatable, and will certainly tend to be system-dependent. Also, keep in mind that the effects of most of the parameters it refers to, as with most cable effects, are proportional to length. That would include resistance, inductance, capacitance, skin effect, proximity effect, and several other parameters that they did and did not mention. Obviously an audio cable is typically far longer than the wire in a fuse. That said, I don’t doubt that fine results can be obtained with that wire, just as I don’t doubt that fine results can be obtained with wire from other manufacturers whose design philosophies and approaches differ. Geoff, in response to your latest post that was addressed to me I’ll say simply that various "explanations" have been offered in the thread for the benefits people have perceived to be provided by the SR fuses, and I stated my opinion concerning those explanations. I also stated a reason why in my opinion having a confidence-inspiring explanation can be valuable. Generalized discussions about the need or lack thereof for proof of assertions that are made in forums are irrelevant. Also, regarding your (Geoff’s) comment that: Skeptics in the real sense - not the sense you see here often - requires rational debate and inquiry and investigation, not some knee jerk response like, But you can’t prove it! That type of thing is straight out of 12 Angry Men. Even in a murder trial proof is not a requirement for conviction, only the preponderance of the evidence. And the evidence in this case is piling up.The evidence that is piling up is that in most reported cases the fuses provide considerable benefit, not that the explanations of those benefits that have been cited are the reason(s). Also, for the record, the "preponderance of the evidence" standard applies to civil actions, not murder or other criminal trials (in the USA, at least). In those cases the standard is "beyond a reasonable doubt." (I have a law degree in addition to my two EE degrees). Regards, -- Al |
Almarg wrote, " almarg 6,255 posts 03-28-2016 2:01pm "Geoff, note that Wolfie referred to a **reasonable** explanation. As I indicated in my post dated 3-25-2016 the explanations that have been cited are hypotheses at best. Unless the specific adverse effects of stock fuses that are claimed to be minimized or eliminated by the SR and other audiophile-oriented fuses are somehow shown to have a reasonable possibility of being great enough in degree to be audibly harmful (and across a broad range of components and systems), it is not unreasonable to consider those hypotheses to be unproven and/or unreasonable." I actually happen to think there’s anything wrong with hypotheses or educated guesses. But there are also certain things that are not really in dispute, except perhaps only by someone who isn’t really prepare to argue seriously these issues. Some things we are more sure about. For example, we know that it can’t be used as the wire inside the fuse since it’s only one atom thick. Therefore we can safely assume Graphene is used in the Black fuse to combat RFI. We also know that all wire is directional including the wire in fuses. This is not really in doubt. We also know that end caps that are gold plated, silver plated or pure silver are better conductors than say nickel plate or whatever. We also know cryogenics improves the performance of many things, including metals, like the metals used in fuses. We also know that vibration is not good for the sound so any method of reducing vibration in the fuse is welcome, such as liquid filling in the Audio Magic fuse. Of course one can dispute these assertions, whatever, but it would be more rational to simply accept them and keep the ball moving down the court. You don’t really think audio forums require proof of assertions, do you, Al? Are you suggesting this is some sort of peer review we have here? Break me a give. Some people as we have actually seen here on this thread cannot be convinced of anything. That’s why there is such a term as pseudo skeptic. Skeptics in the real sense - not the sense you see here often - requires rational debate and inquiry and investigation, not some knee jerk response like, But you can’t prove it! That type of thing is straight out of 12 Angry Men. Even in a murder trial proof is not a requirement for conviction, only the preponderance of the evidence. And the evidence in this case is piling up. Besides, getting back to your point nobody has shown ANY PROOF OR EVIDENCE that any aftermarket fuse causes widespread harm to the sound in anything. Maybe widespread panic among certain uber skeptics. They don’t cause cancer either. There is no joy in Mudville today. geoff kait machina dynamica |
Moopman wrote, ""fear for the gullible" If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t waste my time challenging anything one can read in these parts. Does anyone doubt there are some who obviously and shamelessly prey on the gullible? That’s a sin. No technology or science or 30 day guarantees will change that one." Your uh Amish upbringing is showing. You probably just need to get out a little more. You'll be OK. "Keep an open mind. Just not so open all your brains fall out." - Old Skeptics' expression "Folks would probably be much better off generally speaking if they believed in too much rather than too little." - PT Barnum cheerios, geoff kait |
We non voodooists, all know this fuse stuff is at best, bunch of psychological BS, ... Let say it is a placebo effect. Who cares how it works as long as it works. Thank GOD I'm not as sophisticates as you. georgelofi. Handcuffed the need for technical explanations. Like I said, it pays to be stupid! |
BTW, I’m sure OP’s statement that you quoted was said with tongue firmly planted in cheek. :-) I don’t know Al, he’s applauded things that left me shaking my head in wonder and fear for the gullible. PS: maybe I should try sitting on your fence, this s**t is starting give me an ulcer. Cheers George |
Al, what you need is a tweak intervention, whereby the principals of this thread would descend on your house with a bag full of cords, cables and fuses and transform your system. For his sins, GK would be made to dance, chant and shake rattles. When you are well entranced, everyone will sit down and Oregon will press "play". Did you search that Furutech OCC page? |
