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.
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.
As Charles stated a short while ago, if the minds are so closed and set it will make zero difference . IF we outfitted every component they own with SR Blue fuses,they simply will not hear a difference. Time to unsubscribe from this thread, my forehead hurts from repeated smacking against the wall.
Not to worry, I am sure SR will soon release a Purple or Yellow fuse then a new thread can be started and then a case of rinse and repeat.
Ok, it is imagined. Impossible to argue against that if one’s mind is set on that perspective. Rather judgmental of scores of people with different experiences than yours. Perhaps it would be reasonable to consider the best of other fellow aphiles. Rather healthy way to approach life and relationships. Perhaps just consider other aphiles as reasoned, intelligent, and capable as yourself? There must be some in the rather large group of say “thousands” of upgraded fuse owners world wide?
I’m not anti tweak…I’ve put "chicken head" knobs on a guitar amp, I like good cables and tubes…I have rubber feet under things! I’ve tweaked! To put it simply, I do think fuse "sound" is imagined, unless the fuse is maybe barely hanging on due to rust or an extreme dust condition. Then it’s simply not working. If somebody wants to loan me a Blue Fuse, I'll put it in my power amp and report back. It could be life changing.
I generally like @wolf_garcia posts. He is a funny guy to boot. However, the only people who “know about such things” are those who have tried it. If it sounds better in your system, then wonderful. You know first hand for yourself. If you tried and no difference, then they are not a good or smart purchase for your rig. Pretty simple stuff. If you have not tried in your own system, then you really have no idea.
cleeds - Perhaps. But the "assumption" is made by those who aren’t interested in listening to ascertain whether a fuse can make an audible difference or not. It seems to me that those who claim an audible difference make no such assumption - they actually listened.
Nonsense. According to synergistic, the "listening" you are speaking of comes by listening to the fuse itself, not the speakers, music, etc. Oh, and don’t forget to reverse the fuse too. Happy listening. http://www.synergisticresearch.com/fuses/blue/
Now that takes a lot of chutzpah to recommend fuses from the ’60s that were good enough for NASA. I guess we can trash all of our modern gear as well and literally live in the past, forever fearful of progress or anything that would upset our primitive ways of thinking. This is an extreme version of conservatism. And lets not have anyone conflate that comment with politics, for it’s not.
What happens when a boutique fuse sounds better than a new Littel Fuse? This has happened in my rig. Just a lowly SR Red Fuse made a new Littel Fuse sound, well broken. George have you even tried one in your system? You have a nice rig and I just wonder if you have tried first hand. Perhaps you have and I missed your comparison.
This (below) will be posted up for an alternative direction for the non technical undecided members that are wondering if they should spend $100s on a fuses that should be no more than $2, every time ridiculous sonic and directional BS claims are made about these $100 boutique fuses.
To the members who are torn one way or the other.
These are old fuses (first two links) that have seen their day, with too many switch-on surges, all you have to do is replace them with quality $2 fuses from the third/fourth links, forget spending $100’s on fuses.
These are just a couple that are used by the industry and are quality fuses. "LittleFuses" for $2 which were the chosen fuse for the NASA’s Gemini space program or you can pay a little more for the German "Schurter".
Just pick your Current Rating, Fuse Size/Group , and if it’s fast medium or slow blow. and press "apply filters"
Uh, when the Unibomber wrote his Manifesto I’m pretty sure he did not (rpt) intend it as a jumping off place for any kind of reasonable discussion. It was his personal declaration of war. When Hitler marched into Poland 🦆 🦆 🦆 🦆 he wasn’t saying, OK, dudes, let’s talk. He was just a tad beyond negotiating way before that. 🤡
... the
assumption that they can have any effect on the tone of an electrical
circuit seems silly to most people who know about such things.
Perhaps. But the "assumption" is made by those who aren't interested in listening to ascertain whether a fuse can make an audible difference or not. It seems to me that those who claim an audible difference make no such assumption - they actually listened.
But the assumption that they can have any effect on the tone of an electrical circuit seems silly to most people who know about such things.
Pot meet kettle. Your premise is faulty and you speak from a supposed higher ground. I do believe you've tried them and didn't hear enough of a difference to justify the costs but it has been pointed out, repeatedly, that one need not spend over $100 to get demonstrable improvements (more like $30) and yet you continue to put forth that silly argument as if it's the only recourse one can take with better fuses.
When I was on the lookout for a new set of speakers I read your take on the Klipsch Heresey III as they were what I was leaning towards. What got my attention was your admonition to others to not tell you to replace the brass jumpers as something so small couldn't make a difference.
Really?
If that was in jest, then it was kind of a weird thing to say. If you were serious, then your hearing acuity is not what it used to be. Not being able to tell if brass jumpers are able to mess with the sound tells me why you can't hear a significant difference with better fuses. Or, you do hear a difference but simply don't think it's worth it, and that is an entirely different matter.
Wolfie, may your Anti-audiophile and Anti-tweak Maifesto serve as a model for all blind folded EEs and pseudo skeptics to come. Come on down! Long live The Amazing Randi! 🤹♂️
There are none so blind 😎 as those who will not see. 👀
Wolf Just because Al came to your defense, maybe rightfully so, does NOT mean your opinion is the only correct one and that you are right....lol.
I still find statements along the lines of that I cannot possibly be hearing what I am hearing just as deep an insult as any you may have felt slighted with.
I could regale you with MANY electrical tales from my vast work experience that just about any EE would refute and state were impossible. Apart from the fact I have witnessed them, on paper, I might have agreed. So I keep a very open mind on a lot of matters that science says is not possible and if I feel the desire will perform my own testing. Which I did And quite satisfied with my results YMMV of course....
Thanks Al…I do sometimes wonder if I toil in a vacuum…or Georgehifi and I (and thankfully a few others) are floating around in one. Remember, nature abhors a vacuum. Regarding Tel555s comments, I have never said that fuses don't work…they do! (I have not tested the Blue Fuses as really, I don't wanna!) They melt if properly designed and rated. But the assumption that they can have any effect on the tone of an electrical circuit seems silly to most people who know about such things. I, of course, see the hyperbolic claims of sonic magic for many tweaks I find ridiculous (most if not all of the aforementioned SR products), and my point regarding the sorting of these in the marketplace over time is simply fact. If expensive (and, importantly, remaining absolutely mysterious and unexplained by anybody) "special" fuses have even 10% of the claimed sonic benefit (OK…maybe 15% would do it), every audio geek, including myself, would put them in every bit of gear they could as the benefits would be as unquestionable as many here want them to be. I also understand the compulsion of many audiophiles to try left-field tweaks just because they can, and that's where marketing comes in. The Business plan: Design something with obscure or silly details using the word "quantum" someplace, misusing terms like "transducer," make sure the appreciation of it is absolutely subjective and personal, and many people will pay through the proverbial nose and happily stand up for it as they NEED the stuff, and hey, they KNOW it works because their egos and insecurities are providing the necessary support of that opinion…others don't need 'em, and time and the marketplace will establish why that is.
I went to see my doctor yesterday and told him I was feeling kind of blue. He ran a few tests and said ... "No wonder you're feeling kind of blue, you're suffering from a serious case of Mild Davis."
Thanks, @loomisjohnson. Yes, my comment was indeed out of character for me, but I felt it was called for by the specific and unequivocally worded allegation that had been made against another member.
i don't care about fuses, and haven't waded thru this thread, but note that i've never seen seen almarg, who is the paragon of dignity, make a harsh comment before--his target must have been really, really out of line...
George I am sure there are others like myself(Geoff springs to mind) who post on a huge variety of threads of which fuses make up just a tiny percentile of my posting history. However that does not stop me from being very pro fuse simply because I have HEARD the difference in my system with my own ears. You cannot make the same claim because you REFUSE to try....... Reminds me of one of MY EE colleagues, his favourite saying is " how can this be?" And yes we all sigh heavily every time he speaks.....
+1 An analysis of the SR and TC contact threads points to half a dozen folks making 90% of the posts they ever made.
Blatent marketing. Hopefully these people are ONLY here to help their friends make money off the gullible (hardly harmless but not criminal). At worst they are well aware of the scam. At best they have been duped themselves.
Insults are a sign of respect for older members. They should not be taken lightly. When I insult someone think of it as a show of respect. The greater the insult the greater the respect. I would complain too much if you thanked me for insulting you. I further submit we divide inmates into two groups, Chronics and Acutes, you know, like in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
definitions
The Chronics are made up of patients who are considered incurable and will probably be in the ward for the rest of their lives. Chief is included in this category. The Chronics are further subdivided into the Walking Chronics, the Wheelers (those in wheelchairs), and the Vegetables (those who are essentially brain dead).
The Acutes are made up of patients who are seen to be "curable." These men include McMurphy, Harding, Cheswick, Billy, and others. ... It is this group, led by McMurphy, that challenges Nurse Ratched’s authority.
I consider it to be the height of arrogance for a member who has been here for only three months, and has a very minimal posting history, to provide such an insulting comment about a long-time member whose lengthy history of posts about non-fuse subjects has been widely respected and appreciated.
Regards, -- Al
+1 Al And there are a few of them like this, if you look.
When the law is on your side, you argue the law. When the facts are on your side, you argue the facts. When neither are on your side, you pound the table.
I have chosen not to participate in this thread until now, aside from a single post some time ago in which I responded to a factual question, because I have not felt that I have had anything of a constructive nature to contribute. However I now feel compelled to respond to the following comment:
tel555 4-2-2018 To wolf_garcia though, two things. I call BS on your claims of extensive testing. You know it’s not true, we all do. By all means have your retort and claim this that or whatever, but YOU have not done extensive testing with SR Blue fuses, I don’t care what you say.
First, to set the record straight, Wolf has never claimed to have done any testing with Blue fuses. The lengthy report he provided about his testing some time ago, in another thread, involved SR Black fuses.
More significantly, having read and participated in countless discussions over the years in which Wolf has provided inputs that have been informative, useful, and uniquely and enjoyably humorous, I for one have no doubt whatsoever as to the sincerity or honesty of his posts regarding fuses. Or regarding anything else for that matter. And, frankly, regardless of one’s beliefs about the efficacy of fuse upgrades, I consider it to be the height of arrogance for a member who has been here for only three months, and has a very minimal posting history, to provide such an insulting comment about a long-time member whose lengthy history of posts about non-fuse subjects has been widely respected and appreciated.
Hey, whaddya know? He’s your opposite. You’re the maximum poster with lightweight opinions and nearly every post having to do with these ”snake oil” fuses. See, it all evens out! 😳
So, people are finally realising what a waste of time and space George is, as I've previously said. Uneducated does as uneducated is. Trust me, George is just the latest vindication of a well-trodden path of no-marks trying to be relevant. He won't be the last.
To wolf_garcia though, two things. I call BS on your claims of extensive testing. You know it's not true, we all do. By all means have your retort and claim this that or whatever, but YOU have not done extensive testing with SR Blue fuses, I don't care what you say. Just humour me if you need to respond on this particular point, but please don't try and vindicate the claims. Insult me if you have to, I really couldn't care less, but you are talking BS, plain and simple. Or to use posh language, projection.
On the point you *keep* making about a fuse's function though, can we just get one thing straight. Nobody here, as far as I know, is disputing a fuse's function. Nobody. Got that? Nobody. We all know it's supposed to - to use one of your favourite words - melt, to protect the circuit. We get that. Each time you say it again, myself and many others will be saying "we get that".
It's not a fuse's *function* we're analysing here. If you dogmatically keep saying that a fuse is a fuse is a fuse, then essentially you're saying that all metals are the same. A gold wired fuse is, to use your logic, the same as a zinc fuse. It's just protecting the circuit, right? Think about what you're saying. Really stop and think. A fuse has to be made from an electrical conductor. A paper fuse doesn't work. So to say that a fuse CANNOT make a difference is saying that gold is the same as silver is the same as graphene is the same as nickel is the same as zinc is the same as aluminium etc etc. And guess what, wolf, all metals ain't the same. I just don't get how this really basic, elementary fact seems to escape you. I just don't get it. Have you latched onto this "melting" thing to such an extent that you can't see the wider implication of the statement?
I do look forward to having my post dissected and humoured. But in amongst it, maybe try and see this from the converteds' point of view. The price of a fuse to me is inconsequential. If it didn't make any difference, I'd use the 30 day money back guarantee without a second thought, trust me. I've sent products back before and I'd do it again, in a heartbeat. An awful lot of us must be deluding ourselves according to you and a few others. Maybe they work better in some set-ups than others, who knows. But wolf, trust me, really trust me, they can and DO make the sound different in the right application. Cheers.
After trying and keeping the SR Black Duplex and Blue Fuse, I gave a try to their HFT system. Since that worked based on a mix of 32 of them (and not on the speaker face), I tried their Blackbox and Atmosphere XL4. The Blackbox placed unlike where the instructions indicate "at least 3" from a wall) turned out to be great placed 6’ from the front wall in front of the plane of the speakers. The Atmosphere is the most expensive tweak of the above mentioned and does not add as much value as that as the other tweaks; however, it does add to all of them and I can afford it.
I recommend the duplex and fuse tweaks first unless you have an unruly acoustic room problem. Then the HFT system is very, very important. For me, it eliminated many acoustic panels and other room acoustic controls.
Uberwaltz, Your attitude is actually a reflection of the scientific method in that there is a search for explanation and realizing that there is much we do not understand. I've noticed on audio forums that those who maintain a rigid objectionist position (I'm only about measurements/specifications) based on science. They ironically miss the essence and spirit of scientific curiosity and it's inevitable humbling effect. These particular types of objectivist like to portray themselves as the "smart" one's on the forum with their dogma. In reality it's often the opposite, rigidity is restrictive in my observation. Charles
Geoff I was referring to "my" industry( meaning my workplace) being a black art, not fuses, tweaks et al, although it does seem rather fitting...lol Or maybe now it should be referred to as a "blue art"?
150.00 is a lot of money "if" a 50 cent part provided the same level of performance. 150.00 is money very well spent if it provided a noticeable sonic improvement in one’s audio system. So for Wolf it’s the former and for me, uberwaltz, Frank, grannyring et al, its the latter.
Both outcomes are legitimate. The person who hears no difference is no more or less credible than those who can hear an improvement. I don’t understand why this is hard for some to accept. People of equal credibility can and will have different results with the same audio product.
I’m afraid these things never seem to work for the obstreperous “skeptics,”you know, like Wolfman, Moops and gdhal. My guess is they psyched themselves out, but I’m not a psychiatrist so who the heck knows.
Charles. Some salient points there my friend. I actually think it is because of my knowledge and training that I can and do keep an open mind regardless of what pure science tells me.
We often describe my area of industry as still being a "black art" as even to this day things occur that none of us(myself and my fellow engineers) can explain or at times truly understand.
37 years in the same trade and still learning every day.
Uberwaltz, Remember from George’s point of view he’s on a noble mission to protect the gullible and ignorant from the money grubbing snake oil shysterswho have the temerity to advocate upgrade fuses. So I can see from his point of reference he is in fact doing the good deed.
Regarding EE background I know there are those such as you who despite formal EE education can however appreciate that there’re things heard that can’t always be fully explained. A recognition that science/engineering is ever evolving but can’t account for "every" human observation(At least not yet).
Others with your same degree/training seem to take the stance that if you can’t measure it, then it’s nonsense or nonexistent. Charles
Wolf At least you tried them and I respect that and the fact that to your ears there was no sonic change. As I have previously stated in our little hobby $150 is not even chump change and with a 30 day return policy there really is zero monetary expectation bias. Of course we expect to hear something based on it being considered an upgrade and the reports of others here AND elsewhere. My last SR black fuse I was given by a fellow member after he upgraded to a SR Blue so even less monetary expectation bias there. And all I will say is that I know what I hear and trust me my hearing is still very good!
Now if we were talking about $5k upgrades your argument would likely carry more weight but $150 with a 30 day return policy? Lets get real here....
Even if my mind was being deceived by the horror of "wasting" $150, compared to some of the money I have really wasted in this hobby I would still be a very happy camper.
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