The new Synergistic Research BLUE fuses ....


New SR BLUE fuse thread ...

I’ve replaced all 5 of the SR BLACK fuses in my system with the new SR BLUE fuses. Cold, out of the box, the BLUE fuses stomped the fully broken-in SR BLACKS in a big way. As good as the SR BLACK fuses were/are, especially in comparison with the SR RED fuses, SR has found another break-through in fuses.

1. Musicality ... The system is totally seamless at this point. Its as if there is no system in the room, only a wall to wall, front to back and floor to ceiling music presentation with true to life tonality from the various instruments.

2. Extension ... I’ve seemed to gain about an octave in low bass response. This has the effect of putting more meat on the bones of the instruments. Highs are very extended, breathing new life into my magic percussion recordings. Vibes, chimes, bells, and triangles positioned in the rear of the orchestra all have improved. I’ve experienced no roll-off of the highs what so ever with the new BLUE fuses. Just a more relaxed natural presentation.

3. Dynamics ... This is a huge improvement over the BLACK fuses. Piano and vibes fans ... this is fantastic.

I have a Japanese audiophile CD of Flamenco music ... the foot stomps on the stage, the hand clapping and the castanets are present like never before. Want to hear natural sounding castanets? Get the BLUE fuses.

4. Mid range ... Ha! Put on your favorite Ben Webster album ... and a pair of adult diapers. Play Chris Connor singing "All About Ronnie," its to die for.

Quick .... someone here HAS to buy this double album. Its a bargain at this price. Audiophile sound, excellent performance by the one and only Chris Connor. Yes, its mono ... but so what? Its so good you won’t miss the stereo effects. If you’re the lucky person who scores this album, please post your results here.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRASONIC-CLEAN-The-Finest-Of-CHRIS-CONNOR-Bethlehem-Jazz-1975-NM-UNPLAYED-...

Overall impressions:

Where the RED fuses took about 20 hours to sound their best, and the BLACK fuses took upwards of 200 hours of total break-in, the BLUE fuses sounded really good right out of the box ... and that’s without doing anything about proper directional positioning. Not that the BLUE fuses don’t need breaking in, they do. The improvement continues through week three. Its a gradual break-in thing where each listening session is better than the last.

Everything I described above continues to break new ground in my system as the fuses continue breaking in. Quite honestly, I find it difficult to tear myself away from the system in order to get things done. Its truly been transformed into a magical music machine. With the expenditure of $150.00 and a 30 day return policy there’s really nothing to lose. In my system, its like upgrading to a better pre amp, amp, CD player or phono stage. Highly recommended.

Kudos to Ted Denney and the entire staff at SR. Amazing stuff, guys. :-)

Frank

PS: If you try the SR BLUE fuses, please post your results here. Seems the naysayers, the Debbie Downers and Negative Nellie’s have hijacked the original RED fuse thread. A pox on their houses and their Pioneer receivers.

Frank



oregonpapa

Showing 50 responses by oregonpapa

Dear Moderators ...

On some days, do you feel as though you're trying to herd cats?  :-)

Frank 
^^^ uberwaltz ...

We seem to have a cadre of evil doers’ lurking about here at A’gon. A new one showed up in the TC thread. Honest to God man, I just don’t get what they get by putting others down. All I can think of is that they lead darkened, narrow little lives and get their jollies by defacing everything they come in contact with. Are these the guys who "key" brand new cars in parking lots?

I put a new SR Blue fuse in my Pioneer DVD player that Grover modified for me about two weeks ago. Oh my ... its really coming into its own now. I was listening to a CD of Bob & Ray’s "House Party." There’s one cut of Lena Horne singing a sexy ballad. Its so good, I can sense her presence in the room. Nope, I can’t smell her cologne, but almost. Maybe when I paste my electric panel the cologne will appear. :-)

Frank

geoffkait ...

I have some Perry Como albums that are killer!  While he seemed to be half asleep while singing, he wasn't asleep at all. The man could sing right along with Sinatra and the other crooners. 

uberwaltz ...

As good as the SR Blue fuses are, TC is even better ... by far. I believe it will become a staple in the industry. 

Frank
^^^ And in the meantime, there are those of us who are thoroughly enjoying our Magic Music Machines. And conversely, there are those who will never know because they believe they already do.

Frank

geoffkait
sez ...

  • "Bingo! That’s the definition of a pseudo skeptic. The next best thing to the real thing. Pseudo skeptics are always trying to prove that they’re not gullible, that they cannot be hornswoggled. They’re also called Barcalounger Skeptics. A real skeptic is actually curious and will go to great lengths to get to the bottom of things."


They also fall under a very specific personality type with their own specific dominate fear. While the engineer’s specific dominate fear is the fear of criticism, the personality type you described above, Geoff, fears above all else, being taken advantage of.

Makes perfect sense, no?

Frank
^^^  

And in the meantime, tens of thousands of SR fuses have been sold to satisfied customers. 

Carry on lads ...

Frank
mapman ...

  • "If you read the original post you’ll see that ’ naysayers, the Debbie Downers and Negative Nellie’s " were dissed from the start."

They deserved every bit of it ... and more. In fact, in a few instances, especially in the Total Contact thread, they deserved to have their asses handed to them in court.

By the way, mapman, this is from the original post:

  • "Seems the naysayers, the Debbie Downers and Negative Nellie’s have hijacked the original RED fuse thread. A pox on their houses and their Pioneer receivers." 

Is THAT the viciousness you alluded to? LMAO ...

Frank

^^^ mapman and others ...

This thread was started by an enthusiast (me).

The intent was NEVER to "sell fuses." The intent was only to share a positive experience with other like-minded enthusiasts. Actually, it started with the SR Red fuse thread and then advanced to this thread.

Based upon the personal attacks and the negativism’s in the original Red fuse thread, I started this thread in an attempt to get away from the BS. In the opening post of this thread, I even asked for the Nellie Downers to either refrain from their negativism or to stay away ... to no avail.

The same thing happened in the Total Contact thread. The few bad actors migrated over there and things really became heated. Why? Because the VERY FEW disgusting individuals were not only pulling things out of their misinformed and uninformed posteriors, but they were being totally destructive to the extent of promoting the failure of the product.

  • "It’s also hard for me to understand what kind of legitimate seller would even want this ugliness on display regarding their product but that is another story."

Mapman ... what makes you think any seller would want "this ugliness?" There’s nothing to wonder about ... they don’t.

  • "Anything that does not support that goal, is a threat and must be discredited. Often viciously."

Not by me, pal. I’ve always been cordial to those expressing a legitimate, opposite viewpoint. Its when THOSE FEW, most of whom, have disappeared to crap all over other threads, made a personal vendetta out of it, and/or were making an attempt to burn a small business to the ground. They are totally disgusting individuals, who most likely lead narrow, darkened little lives, and in an attempt to bolster their "manhood,," revel in bullying others .

That’s about it ...

Frank

uberwaltz & prof ...

We, as posters, have a huge disadvantage in the communication realm, in that, we cannot see facial expressions, hand gestures, voice inflections, etc.

I post to a Facebook page where a very predominate reviewer posts as well. I won't mention his name, but I can tell you with no uncertainty, he's one of the most vile individuals I've come across in my many years of posting on the Internet. I'm sure he wouldn't think of talking to me face to face the way he does on that site. Perhaps he doesn't even know how disgusting his diatribe truly is. It's a Facebook page started by an audiophile/manufacturer ... and from time to time politics is the point of conversation.  I like to discuss/debate politics in a rational, respectful manner. Not this guy. If he disagrees with your position, he just craps all over you and everyone else. Truly disgusting stuff.

I believe there are a FEW who post on A'gon with the same problem as the reviewer mentioned above. THEY were the ones I was addressing in the opening post of this thread.

Frank
  • Not "viscous," but it was you who started off in the original post "poisoning the well" by name-calling skeptics.   

^^^ Bull. Read the entire opening thread. Nothing but positivism. Yes, I did dis-invite the worst of the lot.      

shadorn ...

Its when members use terminology like "hogwash," or "scam," that's the problem. What's wrong with that? Plenty. For starters, none of them tried the product for themselves, so they were pulling their comments out of their butts. Secondly, its not up to you, or anyone else to tell strangers how, when or why to spend their money. A bit presumptuous, don't you think? Third, Tim Mrock, with his TC, had a start-up company and his initial success depended upon positive input, not attacks on his product by a bunch of misinformed people using him as a whipping boy for their infantile egos.

Frank 
prof ...

  • "Note that virtually EVERY skeptic here, no matter how careful or nuanced their position, has been castigated in the same vein as being "Negative Nellies" (and "psuedo skeptics" etc)."

Again ... Bull. My attitude has always been that one has the right to express their feelings and thoughts ... as long as it doesn’t entail personal attacks, or demeans the product to the point of failure without trying it/them for themselves.

  • "So your name-calling of skeptics didn’t offer any obvious reason to distinguish any individual vs just "those who will voice skepticism."

Refraining from calling THE FEW individuals out was done on purpose. Had I called them out, I would have just been opening the same can of worms again. And if you notice, one of the worst offenders posted again here and I said nothing. Why? Because there was no personal attack. I addressed his "concerns" and just moved on.

For you to read anything else into the final paragraph of the opening of this thread other than just asking for civility is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Again ... tens of thousands of Red, Black and Blue fuses sold to an appreciative customer base with very few returns says tons more than a few skeptics posting here. Same with Tim’s Total Contact ... an amazing product that, as good as the Blue fuses are, is even better ... by far.

Its good to remember The Golden Rule. Do not try to dissuade others from buying and enjoying products that you haven't experienced for yourself. Pretty simple, really.  

Frank

prof ...

Just so you won't feel as though you're coming under attack here, you're not. I enjoy your well thought out posts. Same with Geoffkait. Funny stuff ... and not insulting or over the top either. Well, maybe in Geoff's case sometimes ... :-)

Frank
Guys ...

Check this debate out. Can you imagine if one of them ever discovered SR Blue fuses or Tim’s "Total Contact?" And the other was a total nonbeliever?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmH7JUeVQb8

I can hear Georgehifi shouting from the audience ... "Snake oil!" ... "Snake oil ... !!!" :-)

Frank
Wolf sez:

  • My tube pre and power amps are the quietest I've owned. 

Yep, that's what I thought about my ARC Ref-75se until I changed out the existing SR Red and Black fuses for the SR  Blues. I honestly thought the ARC was a grain-less amp until I made the fuse changes. Applying Tim Mrock's "Total Contact" was like putting the fuses on steroids x twenty. 

Have an open mind, read the reviews from those who have actually tried these products .. and go from there.

Frank


jafreeman ...

Of all the tweaks in the system, TC was the biggest game changer.

My vinyl rig used to take most of my serious listening time. It was just superior to the CD playback I was getting. Not anymore. I probably listen to CD's about 90% of the time now.

Honestly, I had no idea how great Red-book CD's could sound. It keeps me interested in the hobby and wondering how much more information is to be had in those silver discs. I'm no longer buying equipment because I've reached the point where I'm very happy with the system as it now sits. I just buy more music.  :-)

Geoffkait ....

The main benefit of the TC is how dramatically it lowers the noise floor. The SR Blue fuses do a nice job here, but the TC is the game changer. Once most of the electrical connections are pasted and allowed to "cure," the noise floor drops even further. That's what the four and eight week phenomenons are all about. It really has to be experienced to be believed. 

Frank
^^^ Right you are. Today’s younger people get their musical jollies through MP3’s.

And as a further affront, they won’t stay off of my lawn!

Frank
bo ...

Very interesting post ... 

On the superior hearing that women have, I've always thought that they hear high frequencies better than men. I believe they can hear distortions in Mid-Fi systems that men cannot hear. Distorted high frequencies are painful for women. With the experience of a truly high end system,  their love of music will prevail. Music touches the souls of both men and women. :-)

Frank
uberwaltz sez:

  •  
  • If women have much better hearing why does my wife not seem to hear me when I tell her those shoes she is looking at are too expensive? 

Ha, but she hears you loud and clear when you try to sneak some more records or CD's into the house I'll bet.  :>)

Mine could hear the sound of a beer can pull tab being released from a mile away. "Wanna have sex?"... deaf. "Wanna go to the mall?" ...  hearing like a freakin' bat.  :-)
shadorne sez ...

  • "I am the non musical band member (the drummer) ..."

Have you ever picked up on a drummer named Stan Levy? He played with Charlie Parker at one time during the heyday of bebop jazz. After that, he played in Stan Kenton’s big band. From there, he went on to play for years with Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse Allstars. This is a guy who was a musical drummer. I saw him live many times, sitting only about twenty feet from his drum set. He was simply amazing in the way he could get so much sound out of his drums while appearing effortless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6LKwv3xXEw

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxCJ9apjEh2WZGUoQAlMUSA

There were others who were "musical" as well. The names Max Roach, Shelly Manne and Joe Morello come to mind.

Shelly Manne:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOokrsEAJ6Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWEdZxeR42U

Max Roach, one of the very best bebop drummers:

:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhdBW_siCFg

And then there was Joe Morello who played for years with the Dave Bruebeck Quartet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kx1GVYPOos
  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT9Eh8wNMkw


Frank


tattoedtrackman ...

The blue fuse should make your REF-6 sing. Wonderful pre-amp, by the way. 

Frank
Wolf_Garcia brings a total new meaning to the old adage "beating a dead horse."

Wolfie ... I know that in order to arrive at the conclusions you have, you must have run extensive tests, no? So, answer this: Thousands of SR fuses are being used at this point in time. How many failures have occurred ... and at what rate compared with just stock fuses? Surely you have this information available to you, do you not??

Its time to change the record, Wolfie ... the flip side is ... read the reviews.

Frank

tattooedtrackman ... 

Nice report. Thanks for taking the time to write it. 

For $150 its hard to see where you could go wrong with this simple fuse change. While its good right out of the box, it will continue to improve over the next 100 hours or so. 

Frank
^^^ ... Nope. The SR Blue fuse is like the SR Black fuse on steroids. Way better.

Frank
^^^ The direction counts for sure, but the rotational position has an effect as well. In addition, that "black dot" is graphene. I think its possible for the graphene to have an effect facing down toward the circuit board. Haven't tried it myself, but I'm gonna. :-)

Frank
^^^ Geoff ...

Its not just Ralph and Al.

Warren Gehl, the chief listener at ARC, told me the very same thing. Nothing leaves the ARC factory, including repairs, until Warren signs off on it after his listening tests. 

Frank
geoff sez ...

  • "You might have misunderstood me. Ralph and Al say fuse directionality, I.e., wire directionality, is a hoax. Follow? If the ARC dude believes that, too, he’s mistaken. I don’t care if he signed his name in blood."


Yes, I did misunderstand you re: Al and Ralph. Sorry man.  But the ARC dude isn't mistaken ... he hears like a danged bat. Hell man, ask Ralph. He and the ARC dude are friends. *lol*

Frank
zipost ...

There have been a couple of posts either here or in another fuse thread with a comparison between the beeswax fuses and the SR fuses. 

Frank
Geoff sez:

  • "So, oregonpapa, here’s the 64,000 dollar question: what’s the bat eared dude from ARC have to say about directionality?"

He says that fuses are directional. Thinks it may have something to do with the way the wire is extruded.

Send the $64,000 to my home address. Thanks ...

Frank
Only in the surreal world of audiophile threads can a genius like shadorne make the assessment that a product doesn't work as advertised without trying it for himself.

Frank
Each system is different. I felt as though the SR Blue fuses was like the SR Black fuses on steroids. I arrived at this conclusion after going through a complete set of SR Red fuses, then Black fuses and then the Blue fuses. If I had to do it all over again, and had they been available at the time, I would have started with the SR Blue fuses to begin with.

Frank
If the Blue fuse isn't in the proper direction, the system will sound somewhat out of phase. In the proper direction, the sound will sound "locked in."

Frank
Similar story here. Herbie's tube dampeners work great in my system. Herbie's "black hole" CD dampener, in spite of great reviews, does nothing. It doesn't improve the sound, nor does it degrade the sound. Just does nothing at all.

Frank
edsky ...

Try reversing the direction of the fuse and see if the bass improves.  If that was the problem, the imaging will be more defined by switching the fuse direction as well. When the fuse is in the wrong direction, the system will sound a bit out of phase and just not right.

Please report back with your results. Thanks ...

Frank
parabellum

Changing out the rest of your fuses for the SR Blue fuses will take your system to a new level. 

Frank 

I don't have any of Nelson Pass's creations in my system, so I guess I'm safe and good to go.

Frank
edsky ... 

Thanks for the update ...

Okay, so now we know that the direction wasn’t the problem. These fuses need time to break in. In the SR fuse line, the Blue fuses have the shortest break-in time. Maybe 50 hours or so.

Have you taken the lid off of your combo streamer to see if the fuse is in there? I know that’s what I had to do in order to get to the fuse in my CD player.

Frank
geoffkait

I think your papa was a very wise man who really appreciated a quality product. 

Frank
To all of the SR Blue Fuse guys ...

After two years of using the SR Blue fuses, I've been trying something much better.

The prototype fuses currently under testing are now fully broken in. They are the best yet by far. So, heads up  ... this is your advance notification. They should be on the market sometime around the middle of this month. 

Price and manufacturer to be announced. 

Frank
  • "....  that certainly reassures me that my $160 would be well spent."

Actually, the 30-day return policy ensures that your $160 would be well spent.