Synergistic Red Fuse ...

I ordered a BLACK from The Cable Company. Should have it in less than two weeks. This will go into a Modwright Oppo 9.0 power supply. I don't plan to replace the RED in my amp. Will post my thoughts on the BLACK whenever it gets here.

Knghifi, I’ve got some very positive feedback from my friend sksos1, Steven, on the new NCF furutech connectors, he is very impressed, Steven said that the wpo’s have not started shipping from Japan yet, when they do knghifi, I’m buying them from Steven, his company is called, sound of silence, yes, the very same maker of vibraplane air isolation platform’s for audio.

Knghifi, I don't blame you for taking the plunge.  Knowing how good the Red fuses are, why resist the very probable further improvement with the Black fuses? If my sound becomes any more realistic, the next time I play Carmen McRae I'm going to invite her to stick around for dinner when she's done singing LOL!
Charles,

Shipping pre to VAC for SE upgrade in March so will get fuses after it returns and breaks in.

Knghifi. Did you place 6.3a 250v fuses in the ref 250 as per Warren Gehl?

Yes.  According to user manual, each mono can draw up to 10 Amp so 7 Amp can draw above rating for x amount of time before blowing.   Amps is on a dedicated 20 amp line.   Not going to work if fast blo ...  I think best chance for 6.3 amp to blow if a short from output tube blowing.  No big deal ... just replace the fuse.

Hi knghifi,  as you know,  I own the furutech gtx-rhodium outlet's,  please keep me informed here of your impressions of the new furutech NCF gtx-rhodium outlet's. 

Knghifi. Did you place 6.3a 250v fuses in the ref 250 as per Warren Gehl?

 Knghifi, I don't blame you for taking the plunge.  Knowing  how good the Red fuses are,  why resist the very probable further improvement with the Black fuses?  If my sound becomes any more realistic, the next time I play Carmen McRae I'm going to invite her to stick around for dinner when she's done singing  LOL!
Charles,

Now with more hours on SR RED, it's definitely superior to Isoclean in the REF250.  It's more transparent, high resolution, smoother ... system never sounded better.

It's inexpensive so will order 5 SR BLACK next time ordering from theCableCo and might include some Furutech NCF outlets.    Early report is superior to GTX-D R ... but we all knew that, right?  LOL!!!

Too far I meant, not "to far". Site wouldn't allow me to edit mistake.
Charles, 

Hi Rob,
Thanks for such  kind comments.  I love discussing the wonderful jazz musicians nearly as much as I do listening to them. I just realized that I was  going to far off topic here. I have no doubt that Oregonpapa can offer equal  if not more insightful jazz commentary given what I've read from him on numerous threads. 
Charles, 

Charles,
it would be an honor for me, likely many others on Agon to hear your thoughts on the Jazz greats. I know I pay attention when give your thoughts on anything audio...Best, Rob

Gentlemen,
No doubt I'll be ordering some SR fuses.
I'm going to wait until some of you report back here, on this forum, based upon your experience with the SR Black. If some of you say it's the extra, I'll spring for the Black instead of the Red.
Thank you all...

Thanks for the info everyone!

The Cable Company is where I ordered the SR Blacks.

Bud Powell? Oh yes! I could discuss these guys for hours with you. Don't get me started on jazz trumpeters☺☺. Ok, enough  topic diversion, I'll shut up. 
Charles, 

Oregonpapa, 
I share your economic perspective, I'll happily spend my money on products that deliver what I seek if their value is what I would deem reasonable. The beauty of choice in a competitive and  free market. 

When I first got into jazz Oscar Peterson was my go to pianist. I still certainly respect his immense talent. Over time and with more exposure and inevitable evolution, my taste and appreciation expanded . Monk is just my guy when it comes to jazz pianists. Not only is he a tremendous musician but has composed so much beautiful music, many which became jazz standards. 

Given what you have written I'm sure you'll love the two Thelonious Monk  live jazz venue  recordings I recommended. 
Charles, 

David ...

The fact that SR continues to improve their products is a reflection of the competitive nature of a capitalistic system wherein improvement is necessary or a competitor will create that improvement and out of business you go. Who benefits?  Well, the business that provides the most benefit for the end consumer ... and the end consumer/user. That's us. After all, money is nothing more than a scoreboard reflection on one's service to others. Its the old adage: Help enough people get what THEY want, and you will get what YOU want in return.  So, let's hope that the good folks at SR makes a TON of profits off of their products and continues to lead the field with these wonderful, effective fuses. Bring on the Black ones. And then perhaps the Purple ones after that.

Charles ...

I first got into jazz as a teenager though listening to Rhythm & Blues. This was before the guitar replaced the saxophone as the usual lead instrument as it did with the "White" music of Elvis, the Beatles, etc.  So, it was just a natural progression from the saxophones of Earl Bostic, Joe Houston and Big Jay McNeely ... right into Chu Berry, Ben Webster, Lester Young ... and then into Paul Desmond, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and more. 

When I first heard Monk, my reaction was very similar to that of Louis Armstrong when he first heard Charlie Parker and Diz playing BeBop ... "I hate it ... it sounds like Chinese music!" *lol*

 I couldn't stand Monk with his discordant poundings on the ivory. But then ... but THEN ... as I started listening more critically to his playing I began to understand what he was trying to do. As time progressed, I came to realize just how great of a genius he truly was. At this point, I have a lot of Monk's music, both solo and with groups. I don't however have those two recordings you mentioned. I'll check them out. Thanks.

Another genius of the piano ... Bud Powell. I love his music too. A true master of the bebop piano style.

Oregonpapa:

I am glad the audio grade fuses have made such a dramatic impact on your your system.
  Synergistic Research has not been "selling their souls" to develop these products .Instead they spend a great deal of time with multiple prototypes and multi person listening sessions to get the sonic signature they want. It basically is a product of advanced thinking combined with hard work .

We are the beneficiaries of this process of product development.

knghifi:

I applaud you for taking a break from system evaluation listening. 

geared 4 me:

I have ordered Synergistic Research products from the following with excellent results.
High End Electronics- Alfred and Betty Kainz, Apple Valley, Ca.
Scott Walker Audio, Anaheim, Ca.
David Weinhart Designs, Los Angeles, Ca.
The Cable Company, New Hope, Pen.

All of the above companies have given me excellent service when ordering Synergistic Research products. All have been excellent observing Synergistic Research's return policy!

I look forward to reading about the changes the "Black" fuses make. 
In the three systems I am responsible for maintaining and optimizing, two use "RED" fuses and one uses the original Synergistic Research 20 fuses.

David Pritchard

Oregonpapa ,
We seem to have very similar taste in music. 
Given the size of your music collection you may already own it but I will suggest it anyway. 
The Thelonious Monk recording I'd mentioned yesterday  is "Live At The Jazz Workshop". I think you'd really like it if you enjoy Monk. Another one from him is "Live At The It Cclub" Both are stereo recordings from the early 1960s. The energy and soul are palpable. 
Charles, 

Geared4me,
The Cable Company is taking orders now for their initial shipment of  this new product. Expected delivery is 10 to 14 days. 

Keith, 
You're correct, so far  the SR fuses at each level have lived up to the hype and continue to improve. 

Oregonpapa, 
I agree, life is good,  and I never take that for granted. 
Charles, 

p59teitel, where were you able to order the blacks from already?

OMG!
Will the flavors ever end?
I'm not doubting improvement, but I've noticed the company is constantly improving or coming up with something new for us to spend our money on...LOL!

Wow!, I'm happy I didn't get the red's yet,  mmmm, I believe I will get the black's, synergistic has been spot on with their claims of performance,  so,  I  believe that this new fuse has to be somewhat better,  glad I've kept up with this enjoyable thread.

^^^ You are in for a shock. A shock, I tells ya. :>)

Took the plunge and ordered two SR Blacks, one each for the power supply boxes for the pre and CDP, respectively.  Like Charles my components are staying put for the long haul, so what the hell, why not...     

^^^ Charles ... 

I have to agree with you on the redbook CD's. My digital sounded very good before the fuse changes, but honestly, I had no idea what these little silver discs were capable of. 

I understand from a very reliable source that the ARC CD-6 is very analog like in its presentation. Perhaps the best ARC offers in this respect in a single box CD player. Even with that input, I'm keeping my ARC CD-7se. It's just too good to get rid of. 

Here I am sitting on a multi-thousand album record collection that's taken me over 50 years to accumulate. I have no intention of getting out of analog at this point. The only place where the digital is better (in my system) at this point is the lack of surface noise. The fuse change in the CD player has pretty much eliminated the digital edge and the flat presentation that bothered me so much before in comparison with analog. So now ... its the best of both worlds, or at least  close to it.  

Digital is now very musical, natural, organic and three dimensional. It throws off a wall to wall soundstage with uncanny front to back depth; and layering. A real "you are there" presentation. And its not just with the best discs. Almost every disc I throw on is a revelation,. The best discs in my CD collection are just simply magic. 

What's really cool is that I have attended many hifi shows over the years, and I can say at this point that very few demos at those shows, in spite of much higher prices, tons higher, are better than what I have right here in my living room. Most don't even come close.

Life is good ... 

Oregonpapa, 
I was an analog  dieheart for many years. When I added the Japanese Yamamoto DAC 5 years ago it was a turning point for me. It  in combination with my SET amplifier  based system demonstrated how terrific  and natural Red Book CD could be. I still certainly enjoy a good turntable set-up but I don't miss having one now at all. I learned that the limiting factor for Red Book is the hardware rather than the  medium/format. 
Charles, 

Knghifi,
I understand your point,  "massive" changes explains all. I've no plans for component  changes in the foreseeable future. So in my case  these relatively  low cost but very effective tweaks are ideal for me. I'm an admitted jazz aficionado and these fuses are surely increasing the listening joy òf my music library. 
Charles, 

I'm really enjoying this thread a lot. 

At this point, and I hate to say it, never thought I'd ever say it ... but the CD playback is really challenging my analog rig ... and that's saying something. When I said that the sound I'm getting from digital now is like listening to an I-Max playback of music, it was no exaggeration. 

King ... 

I remember that HP quote as well, and I totally agreed with him until these RED fuses in the CD player broke in. I'd challenge any digi-phobe to come over for a listen and tell me they still don't like digital. Triple layers of Adult Diapers are required before the listening session begin though. 

Charles ...

Totally agree with you. These fuses are the most bang for the buck of any tweak I've ever done. A person could spend thousands on new cables, or .on an equipment upgrade and not accomplish what these fuses accomplish. 

Did the folks at SR sell their souls??? 

I've been making massive changes to my system not just rolling fuses.  So madness is getting off the bus for a breather.   

This is anything but madness for me on the contrary.  These quality tweaks simply increase the music listening enjoyment. I was  listening to a live recording  of Thelonious Monk circa 1962. The emotion and  musical  communication  between him and drummer Ben Riley was so real and engaging. I really felt like I was there with  them. Pure realism . How does a fuse contribute to   that?  If the Black fuses further enhance this deep musical  connection,  bring them on . ☺

The CD  player, taking two fuses, was the biggest improvement so far. It is so good that I will NEVER, EVER get rid of this CD Player. Put it in my casket  and lower it down with me boys, lower it down with me.

Hey oregonpapa, do you think Harry Pearson would say in 2016 "if you really wanted to enjoy digital, stop listening to your records" after hearing your CD player with SR RED?  LOL!!!

I've decided to keep my recently purchased SR RED and just buy 5 BLACK later.    I need to enjoy my system and stop the madness for a while.

Oregonpapa, 
I hear you my friend! 
It's really quite impressive what the  Reds can do in a system. 
If the Black fuses are only a subtle improvement that's still a  feat given  the  quality yardstick standard   set by the Reds. 

Jeff the small fuse is 119 and the large fuse is 129.
Charles, 

jwm ...

The price difference is $30.00 per fuse.

Go for it. 

http://highend-electronics.com/

Good news guys ...

I just heard from Betty at high end electronics. They are going to honor the 30 return policy and give me credit for the two latest RED fuses I bought toward the new BLACK fuses. They should be getting their inventory next week sometime and we will make the swap then. 

Great folks to deal with at high end electronics ... highly recommended. 

Stay tuned ...

^^^  Oh yes, I totally agree Charles.

I'm in total amazement at how good my system sounds, credit due to the five RED fuses in the system. I was thinking last night that if I could never make another improvement, I'd be satisfied with the way it is now. It's not like listening to a stereo system anymore. It's like an Imax presentation of the music in all of it's glory. Simply gorgeous. 

What is the difference in price Charles from the red to the black?

I'm going to order the SR Black fuses for my system (4 total ).
I've  had success with their  fuses so I may as well get their best ànd see if the improvements continue. My components aren't going anywhere so I'll just continue to fine tune them  with  worthwhile  tweak products.
Charles, 

Oregonpapa, 
These new Black fuses  could be as good as advertised given the performance gap of the SR 20 to their Red fuse improvement. The Black could possibly be a fantastic value in the overall scheme of things. 
To put it in perspective, still far less expensive than changing the components
Charles, 

I just contacted high-end electronics to see if they would give me credit for the two most recently purchased RED's for the BLACKS if I pay the difference in price. They have a 30 day refund policy. We'll see what they say.  Stay tuned ...

Good point!   I purchased my fuses from theCableCo so will ask about 30 days refund ...

Highend is where I get my fuses. Alfred is great to deal with. Let us know if and when he has the black in stock.

I just contacted high-end electronics to see if they would give me credit for the two most recently purchased RED's for the BLACKS if I pay the difference in price. They have a 30 day refund policy. We'll see what they say.  Stay tuned ...

Ha! I like the description of the black fuse on the cable co. site. They actually said " once you go black..."

I'll probably try one in my dac since it only takes one fuse. 

With every component in the system sporting the SR RED fuses, I cannot imagine how the system can improve beyond where it is now. The sound is phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal.  

The CD  player, taking two fuses, was the biggest improvement so far. It is so good that I will NEVER, EVER get rid of this CD Player. Put it in my casket  and lower it down with me boys, lower it down with me. 

And now we are faced with the new Black fuses from SR. What to do, what to do?  Sell the RED's? Keep them for spares? Forget the Blacks and just be satisfied with the RED's?  Naw, that's not happening ... the Blacks are supposed to be an improvement like the RED's were. With that in mind, who could pass them up. 

I think I'm having a love/hate relationship with this hobby right about now. *lol*

NO! .... NO! ... NO!  Tell me this isn't true!!!

Unfortunately it's life in the big city for companies to generate income.   I only need 5 so will get some later.

NO! .... NO! ... NO!  Tell me this isn't true!!!

Manufacturer's Description:

The Synergistic Research BLACK is the most advanced fuse to date. With Synergistic Research's cutting edge UEF Coating and Graphine first developed for Synergistic Research's new Atmosphere Series AC power cords, Synergistic Research Black Fuses deliver performance far beyond their world class RED Fuses. Improvements over RED include a lower noise floor, improved dynamics and clarity, and soundstaging that must be heard to be believed. In fact the performance gain over RED is far greater than the difference between SR's RED fuses and their original Synergistic Research 20 Quantum fuses. Sold with a 30-day no-risk money back guarantee, you won’t believe how good your system can sound until you try BLACK but don't say we didn't warn you because once you go BLACK you’ll never go back to your old fuse!

Any volunteers to compare BLACK vs RED?   LOL!!!

I’ve had two Reds in a VAC Avatar integrated for three days. The effect is trans-formative, and seems to cry out for measurement and explanation from EE-types. This is not to say that I’m fully sold on the Red’s. I’ve always been a skeptic of tweaks backed by mumbo-jumbo claims, and always felt it was far easier for the tweak vendors to introduce distortion than to clarify the sound, and then claim “better.” That said, the Red’s effect on voices and midrange-up is stunning. Blended voices are suddenly separate individuals harmonizing. On a Magnet Fields cut, the male singer is kind of talking to himself in alternative verses, but with the Red’s, it’s obvious he recorded the alternating verses as separate tracks. The female singer changes from an interesting voice to a knowable person. On “Cry You a Song” (Jethro Tull, Benefit), Ian’s voice has reverb, but with Red’s, the reverb is an endless echo, like a mirror image inside a mirror image, inside a mirror image….The reverb has reverb, clearly heard.

I’ve done a series of tweaks – cleaned all connections, Furutech outlet, Audio Arts Power Cord, silver IC’s—and each has delivered improvements in percussive attach and clarity of voice. I wondered if this was a placebo effect from touching/caring/new, but how do you explain newly heard lyrics as placebo? The same was true with the Red’s—things never heard are now heard.

But. I put the Red’s in, dialed in Radio Paradise for some burn, and left the room for an hour. On return, Solsbury Hill was playing, and my initial reaction was, “Where’s the bass.” This was similar to my initial impression of the Stager Silver IC’s (which I now love.) But other CD’s, like Punch Brothers, seemed to have complete bass. Hmm. I was still being amazed at the dramatic increase in clarity and separation of sounds, but on Abbey Road I again had the sense that the low, foundational bass was gone, and that I had started increasing the volume, looking for it. Perhaps the Red’s are just cleaning up the bass? But emotionally, not as satisfying. I wasn’t “Coming Together.”

Finally, I tried good ol’ Enya. A carefully crafted soundscape of powerful but unobtrusive percussion over a fog-like blend and dreamy vocals. The Red’s dissects and reassemble these layered sounds so that the percussion is much more real and pronounced, and all those layered sounds are suddenly separated and in your face as a cacophony of competing sounds. Enya sounds trapped behind a band gone mad.

So that’s where I am. Both amazed and puzzled. We’ll see what time reveals.

fluffers:
Which manufacturer and piece of equipment does not allow the customer to change fuses?

To all readers of this thread. There is a wonderful review of several A/C duplex outlets by Jonathan Lo. Enjoy the Music.com.  January 2014.

Reviewed- Oyaide
                   Synergistic Research
                    Acme
                   Hubbell
                   Maestro
                   Furutech
I have the Synergistic Research, Furutech, and Oyaide outlets.
Each has different properties that it brings to a system. If buying a first audio grade outlet buy one with a money back return policy. Of course there is an initial change when installed ,but these outlets need 10 to 150 hrs of current running through them to completely open up.

Good listening this weekend!

David Pritchard