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.
There will always be unenlightened people, many of whom never want to be educated.
What education is it that is being missed in the case of the blue fuse? That people who buy them like them? That can be said about most anything people buy in this hobby.
Education is acquiring knowledge. One gets ahead by applying that knowledge better than others. Opinions are useful data points but the problem is everybody has one. I tend to bank on the opinions of the demonstrated knowledgeable (and trustworthy)when making buying decisions, not on magic as indicated by "it just sounds good so who cares why".
jafreeman - Not sure either--just that, the graphene is the breakthrough in the SR Blacks and Blues and is visible in the fuse body, so just what is it doing there if not enhancing conductivity? I propose it does enhance conductivity, but if the fuse element melts, the graphene by itself is unable to conduct the over-current. Any other ideas?
Might the graphene be present for no other reason than the manufacturer wishes to distinguish themselves from "ordinary"? And, in so doing, justify (in their view) charging the consumer more?
Could be. 🤔 All powders used in fuses are there simply to inhibit arcing after the wire melts. That, and it prolongs the life of the wire considerably as/if it goes through repeated/constant current surges. The powder is usually run of the mill, as long as it won't ignite.
geoffkait: “Not sure I go along with your detective work. Graphene would not enhance conductivity unless it were somehow incorporated into the fuse wire itself. Graphene on the fuse body could not (rpt not) enhance conductivity otherwise natural failure of the thin wire would not prevent disaster." Geoffkait
Not sure either--just that, the graphene is the breakthrough in the SR Blacks and Blues and is visible in the fuse body, so just what is it doing there if not enhancing conductivity? I propose it does enhance conductivity, but if the fuse element melts, the graphene by itself is unable to conduct the over-current. Any other ideas?
>>>>>Well, I don’t want to reveal the big secret in case SR wishes to keep it that way, but obviously what you see on the outside body of the Black Fuse and the Blue Fuse cannot be Graphene. So, the Graphene must be hidden. And the graphene is almost certainly not part of the wire. So it must be under the black or blue fuse wrapper, but not all the way across the fuse body because Graphene is highly conductive. Ooops! Did I just give it away?
Geoff---so, what is the material we are warned via package insert not to remove, as seen and touched on the SR Black and Blue fuse bodies? Is it to seal in the conductive material, placed after assembly? I still say the obvious: since the fuse element itself is such a poor conductor, there must be an enhanced conduction pathway to supplement the element, which can still interrupt an overcurrent by melting. I haven’t heard any better ideas around here, and that is what is needed now for this thread to evolve.
I would think it due to it’s ability to quell vibrations. As a conductor, if bonded to metals (covetics) it would able to withstand 1500º C before melting, defeating the the fuse wire’s intended purpose.
Ceramics were a definite step up over glass and what SR uses is a step up from ceramics (if it is used over the ceramic tube). I could be wrong but I just did a quick read on covetics which eliminates the metal wire/graphene bonding question.
If it were to quell vibratons why resort to a high tech solution? Wouldn’t a glop of clay work just as well or uh....beeswax? Doesn’t a competitor have a black fluid inside the fuse? Hmmmm, I wonder...😳
I think George must have been a trap door spider in his previous life. All he does is wait, lurk, and pounce at the slightest thing. It must be frustrating as all get out to have lost the argument so long ago and instead of going on with life, just repeats his mantras, catchphrases and the like to sooth his ego.
Geoff, if it's not to help with vibrations, I can't hazard a guess.
Pretty sure that of late there had been serious attempts by some members to discuss why the fuses do what they do , like the last couple dozen posts. Then along comes a certain member and just reiterates all the same nonsense and using derogatory terms like snake oil, awesome foursome, fusers etc.
That then just starts a cascading chain reaction and yes it does drag the thread down.
I would waste my time on you personally, I'm here to let the non technical gullible who are thinking of doing their $150, know the other side to this "snake oil" and so are the others that combat it.
There is a explanation of the blue fuse on the SR web site. Well kinda black and blue together actually. Blue is version 2 mumbo jumbo whereas black was apparently version 1. No need to speculate on alternate theories.
What is says on the SR web site is that Graphene enhances the signal or words to that effect. Well, that’s true, but it doesn’t say how. Doesn’t all the world love a mystery? Mapman, you’re an engineer. What gives?
It doesn’t say. So your guess is as good as mine. Tell us ! You are the one asserting its true but not saying how or why. I can’t fight your battles for you sonny. Here is your chance to finally shine!
^^^ The effect of Graphene on connections has been covered in the TC thread. It reduces or eliminates micro arcing. Therefore, there is less smear and the noise floor is lowered.
If there were micro arcing on the end caps of mains fuses, you would see burn pits all over them, more "snake oil"
As for noise, if there were any, which I highly doubt, it couldn’t get through the transformer, rectifiers, smoothing capacitors, regulators, and more smoothing caps that come after the mains fuse, again more "snake oil"
The only reason a fuse may sound better after it’s replaced with either the same standard one or "snake oil one" is because of ageing, too may turn on cycles will age any fuse and cause it to deteriorate. All explained below.
Mapman inadvertently is agreeing with what really happens to a partially melted fuse, it’s called ageing. Good for you.
Funny this should be mentioned as it’s just like what happens to a fuse that’s seen too many turn on cycles, as there’s far more current goes through it at the moment of switch on than any other time, as it has to charge up empty power supply caps ect. that’s why fuses and light globes blow (if nothings wrong) at time of turn on, here are some pics of fuse ageing.
If there were micro arcing on the end caps of mains fuses, you would see burn pits all over them, more "snake oil"
Are you saying you can see inside a fuse's end caps? That's amazing George.
As for noise, if there were any, which I highly doubt
So you're not 100% sure? Nice to know....you're getting there.
The only reason a fuse may sound better after it’s replaced with either the same standard one or "snake oil one" is because of ageing, too may turn on cycles will age any fuse and cause it to deteriorate. All explained below.
Nope. That's been discounted already George. High rupturing fuses (the type that aftermarket fuses are modeled after) are filled with powder to keep them from arcing when specs are exceeded. A side benefit is that it greatly reduces heat and aging (the correct way to spell it) which prolongs the life of the fuse, many times that of a cheap, off the shelf fuse. Google it if you don't believe me.
Are you forgetting that "micro arcing" occurs where things are connected? Like when the fuse wire is soldered to the "inside" of the end cap? Do you think that the fuse wire just lays against the inside of the end cap? Do you see graphene on the outside of the end cap? If it was, people would have figured it out already, genius.
By the way, I'm talking about the graphene that's used on the SR fuse and not the TC product. Are you**************!!!!
"The only reason a fuse may sound better after it’s replaced with either the same standard one or "snake oil one" is because of ageing, too may turn on cycles will age any fuse and cause it to deteriorate."
George, that cannot be true. I had the whole system outfitted with the SR Red fuses. When the SR Black fuses came out, two of my Red fuses fell within the 30 day trial. The dealer (Highend Electronics) allowed me to return the two fuses and swap for the Black fuses, and I paid the difference in costs. When I installed the Black fuses the improvement in SQ was substantial and readily heard by me and my fellow audiophile friends.
Again George ... you've beat the poor horse to death. Time to throw in the towel and admit that you are wrong and that you've lost the argument. .
The only reason a fuse may sound better after it’s replaced with either the same standard one or "snake oil one" is because of ageing, too may turn on cycles will age any fuse, a $2 one or $150 one, and cause it to deteriorate. All explained below.
Buyers with little or no technical knowledge should not listen to any "snake oil" reasons here, as they are not backed personally on this thread by Synergistic Research, with the same outlandish claims that are made in this thread by the "awesome foursome" in regards to sound quality and direction-ability of these fuses.
Mapman inadvertently is agreeing with what really happens to a partially melted fuse, it’s called ageing. Good for you.
Funny this should be mentioned as it’s just like what happens to a fuse that’s seen too many turn on cycles, as there’s far more inrush current goes through it at the moment of switch on than any other time, as it has to charge up empty power supply caps ect. that’s why fuses and light globes blow (if nothings wrong) at time of turn on, here are some pics of fuse ageing.
I am not an electrical engineer (civil) but I do know the best electrical conductor is pure silver, then pure copper. What is in Graphene to make it change the effect of AC current power cable, fuses, speaker cable etc all of which have different cable and current properties?
I need to have something I can understand. TC sounds like woman's cosmetics. you can put any of the brands on and skin moisture properties change, but does not stop wrinkles. Cosmetics are the worst of the fault "science" perpetrators.
The passage of a signal, be it electrical (or traffic as in cars), will only be as good as the worst juncture, cable, component as traffic flow is as only as good as the worst intersection. I just cannot understand a change in "performance". Only a change in the travel condition, or as it HiFi, is the sound. It's only as good as the worst point.
That's what got me interested in upgraded fuses. It made sense to me that the thin wire in a fuse would be a bottleneck, or weak link. We upgrade power cords, interconnects, speaker cables, connectors, internal wiring etc. but there's still this chintzy little wire in the path, pretty much required for safety reasons. I don't know how SR does it, but they have certainly found a way to make that link less weak.
I fiddled with my speaker placements and angles following some prudent advice from the 'Gon and I am hearing new sounds from different angles and no goo or additions. So far, "a rickapoodi an' a fandoogly"; (that's great in non Oz speak).
Hint: Everyone is hyper focused on the idea that Graphene is used in some way to improve conductivity of the signal. You guys need to open your minds up to the possibility it has nothing to do with conducting the signal, even though it’s true that Graphene is a super conductor. 😃
Hint 2: Graphene conducts electricity much better than copper. Graphene's current density is 1,000,000 times greater than copper and its intrinsic mobility is 1,000 times more conductive than silicon. Graphene conducts heat better than any other know material in thermal conductivity.
The fuse is between AC plug and transformer, not thereafter. That's where the power is transformed, lost and mixed. Goo on a cable, or a fuse won't after what is after the fuse.
@geoffkait Graphene is no more a superconductor than the 2 metals I stated before. Plus it has modifying glue to form a liquid to paint, bond and dry, thus diluting the graphene mixture or whatever. Putting superconductive materials on the ends of crap wire will still expose what was there before, as is goes through crap wire (assuming this Graphene mixture is better than pure silver or pure copper, which needs to be from end of fuse to end of speaker driver, otherwise the signal is degraded. Correct me if I am wrong, but you cannot put more water through a pipe even if you increase the pressure and put silver taps on the end. The physics just doesn't add up.
@tommylion After a bit of thought (not sarcasm) the fuse wire is designed to handle the maximum amperage load of the unit (amp, server etc). Therefore it would stand to reason that there is no need to enhance it. It has a job to do, over amperage/voltage to protect everything downstream from damage, not to enhance a signal. Am I wrong? Or is my rock kicking/ building/ traffic engineering experience along the wrong stream?
My point is that people have been able to make audible improvements by re-examining, re-thinking, improving and upgrading many other aspects of the signal and power chain, often when they were told it wasn’t possible, so why not the fuse?
Unless you can get Ted Denney at Synergistic Research to reveal proprietary information to you, you may not be able find a satisfactory explanation of how the blue fuse works. Nevertheless, it does work, as testified to by myself and many others.
If you are not willing to try something without an explanation of exactly how it works, that’s fine. You won’t know for sure whether it works, or not, though. There’s an old saying; “Failure has a thousand explanations, but success doesn’t need one.”
we add a Quantum Inductive Surface that includes Graphene to stabilize the electrical wave feeding your system for a dramatic improvement in system performance over standard and audio-grade fuses. ... At Synergistic Research we’ve isolated key factors that affect how electricity propagates by changing the behavior of electrons through Inductive Quantum Coupling methods we collectively call UEF Tech. In fact, UEF Tech is so powerful even an electrical chain several miles long is fundimentally improved with nothing more than a single fuse engineered with our patented UEF Technology.
THis is the extent of the description on the SR site. Blue is version 2 of this and black is version 1 it would appear.
Speculate away. How is this magic done? Almarg, Almarg, where are you? Dude from SR? Appear to us! We command you!
Mapman TBH that SR blurb sounds more like the sort of nonsense I would expect some other members to come out with than any worthwhile technical info. They would likely be better off saying nothing than some techno babble that has very little meaning.
It almost makes me embarrassed to have to keep saying they work in my system but they do to my ears.
My new SR Blue fuse turned up yesterday which when I get home late Saturday will be going into my Goldnote PH-10 phono stage so will see what difference I can hear then on the latest purchase, which will be my first Blue fuse.
Uber, perhaps but it comes from the vendor. I’m sure their marketing department worked hard on it.
There is also this:
Frequently asked questions.
Q: Are fuses directional?
A: Yes, fuses are directional. Electricity should flow from the left to the right when you view the fuse. If you do not know
the direction of flow you should listen to the fuse inserted in both directions. One direction will sound more detailed. This
is the correct way.
Q: Do fuses have a burn in period?
A: Yes, most products have a settling in period. The first 200-300 hours of use of the most crucial.
Not to muddy the waters further but for example the "left to right when you view the fuse" answer makes no sense. What if I rotate 180 and look again? Do I have to reverse the fuse for it to sound best again?
My assessment is some marketing quack writes this stuff. Companies do that all the time. SR knows how to market. They always have a lovely lady in their room at shows. Most other rooms miss that trick.
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