@lalitk Thanks!
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
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
2,978 responses
@almarg , yes, it was a rep from The Cable Co. who told me he researched as best he could how and where fuses are made and told me there are basically three types or grades of fuses and the applications used for each. He also went on to say that the lowest grade of fuses can vary in performance despite the specs and the next two levels adhere better to the specs. The mid level fuses, which is what the boutique audio fuses are based on, have been around a long time for use in other, more critical applications. One would think that since this has been known for awhile, the more knowledgeable folk around here who are more versed in this would have said something sooner. Something like, "all those fuses are are rebranded, higher quality fuses that have been used in ...." and the conversation wouldn't have been so heated. In my simple googling of high rupturing fuses and their uses, there are plenty of sites explaining them by highly degreed engineers so there is no mystery to these boutique fuses other than why they charge so much but that is another matter. Hearsay, yes. But I'm of a mind after researching what I could that it all makes sense without any need to strain credulity. That, and what my ears tell me. As for my last paragraph, there was a bit of snark in it. Not all the equipment should be considered faulty or poorly designed but who's to say that some of it isn't? We only have their word to go on, like mine and others who do hear a difference. The statement I made was to make people think before decrying aftermarket fuses. All the best, Nonoise |
Al, thanks again for another useful explanation for the lay person. Some of us who are enjoying these fuses are stuck within the qualitative realm of evaluation. Whether or not they protect as well as a stock fuse, they sure do something good for my sensory perception of the music. Would you ever try one? |
@jkuc - per your statements below:
Furutech fuses are NOT rebranded PADIS fuses. They are not the same thing. It is true that PADIS is the company that manufacturers the Furutech fuses. However, the generic PADIS fuses available on ebay for $25 plus shipping from Germany are NOT the same thing as Furutech fuses. Please see my testing results here: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/padis-vs-furutech-fuses It could be that one difference are that Furutech fuses are cryo treated. However, I suspect that the Furutech fuses also have a thicker rhodium plating on them. There were definitely some corners cut with the generic PADIS fuses because they do not sound the same at all. The PADIS will share a "house sound" with the Furutech, but the Furutech are significantly better. The audible difference is obvious. The extra $25 you spend on the Furutech is worth it, unless you are on a very tight budget or if you just cannot get yourself to spend that much. Please do not make statement based on your assumptions unless you have actually tested and listened to these items. As far as brightness, I have listened to Furutech, PADIS, Hi-Fi Tuning and Synergistic SR20 side by side, swithing out fuses one at a time. The Furutech fuses are definitely resolving, but I would not call them bright. The SR20 and Hi-Fi tuning are definitely bright because they push the upper mids and highs. the PADIS is warm sounding in comparison to these, but very even and natural overall. |
@auxinput - I confirmed, I hadn't tested Padis. I only heard Padis in my friend's system and it was sounding bright. That's why I didn't test it. There are may testimonials on internet saying Padis is bright. Many more than opinions Padis is not bright. From your post ".. Both the PADIS and Furutech share the same essential sonic signature..." and also "At the 180-200 hour mark, the PADIS did get very bright/hard-edged". Furutech is Cryo treated and sounding better, not to everyone though. This is system dependent. Apparently, you don't understand what it means bright sounding system. System can be very resolving, with lots of highs but still can be dark sounding. I’m not saying Padis is bad. It's a good fuse but just bright sounding (I heard it for the record) which is not to my liking. I'm sure it can find it's place in some darker sounding systems. |
My system is now all Blue. I changed Black for Blue in my CD transport early this week, and just did the same with my DAC. So far, I’m really happy with the results. For me, the priority is how well does my system extract low level musical information from the medium (CD in my case) and pass it on through to my ears. The Blue fuses are a clearly audible improvement over the Blacks in this area. |
Mitch2 writes in the Padis vs. Furutech tread ".... when I read about how the SR20 fuse "totally changed" somebody’s system but then how the SR Red further improved it with results that "are not subtle" but later that the SR Black "blows the doors off" anything that has come before...then along comes the SR Blue, etc., etc., etc. ..." When I wrote the same here, in this tread, some individuals felt offended all of sudden... One started coughing so my post has been removed. This is how people feel when reading exalted , exaggerated poems. The truth is fuses affect sound significantly but nothing close to the exalted statements. There are a number of good fuses on the market. Same of them better than the SR fuses, all depends on application and user preferences. I use two Blacks myself. |
I installed a SR Blue fuse into my Exemplar 2900 CD player (replaced an Audio Magic premium) with outstanding results. I agree with previous posters sonic assessments. I'm using AM Beeswax fuses in the preamp and amps. This combination is sublime for me. I did try the SR Blacks in the amps, and preferred the Audio Magics. I'm getting quite a collection of high end fuses. How about you guys? |
As I said previously, for me, it’s mostly about getting more low level musical information out of my system. Things like tone, PRAT, and dynamics are all dependent on this information, and are better when there’s more of it. Characteristics like brightness, darkness, hardness, sterility etc. are more dependent on the individual recordings, than the system they are played back through, IMO. My system can go from one to the other, and back, depending on which recordings I put on. Although I've tried to make my system as neutral as possible, I'm sure it does have some character. That character, though, is much less audible than the differences between various recordings. |
If I could describe the Blue fuses in a few words, I’d say they put a lot more meat on the bones. The textures are much more of what I hear in live music. Robert has been bringing over some of his collection of ten-inch classical records from the 40’s and early 50’s. Some are dead silent and spectacular. I wouldn’t call them "audiophile" recordings, but man ’O man are they ever enjoyable from a pure musical standpoint. Beautiful covers too. Robert continues to amaze with his knowledge of recorded music .... performances and all. Last night I dug into the vault and dug up a Japanese pressing of Sonny Stitt playing Bird. Charlie Parker was in the room. Its available on Ebay in both audiophile pressings, standard mono, stereo and CD’s. If you like great bebop jazz, Parker in particular, this is highly recommended. Go for the stereo version: : https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xstitt+plays+b... Frank |
Oregonpapa If I could describe the Blue fuses in a few words, I’d say they *put a lot more meat on the bones.* The *textures are much more of what I hear in live music*." Robert has been bringing over some of his collection of ten-inch classical records from the 40’s and early 50’s. Some are *dead silent* and *spectacular.* I *wouldn’t call them "audiophile" recordings*, but man ’O man are they ever *enjoyable from a pure musical standpoint.* Beautiful covers too. Robert continues to amaze with his knowledge of recorded music .... performances and all. Last night *I dug into the vault* and dug up a Japanese pressing of Sonny Stitt playing Bird. *Charlie Parker was in the room.* Its available on Ebay in both audiophile pressings, standard mono, stereo and CD’s. If you like great bebop jazz, Parker in particular, this is highly recommended. Go for the stereo version: :. I can detect no cliches. You are granted safe passage. 😀 |
Frank, Thanks for the recommendation. I'm a huge fan of both of these iconic saxophonists. Sonny Stitt BTW is as masterful with the tenor saxophone as he is with the alto. He's a marvellous musican who is historically under appreciated in my opinion. You and I both know the sheer greatness of Bird. Charles |
Hi, Charles ... nice to see you posting in this thread. Yep, I have a lot of Bird’s recordings in my collection. Did he ever play the same idea twice? We can listen to the likes of Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderley, both greatly influenced by Parker .... and as great as they are, they still ain’t Parker. :-) Here’s one of my favorites: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Charlie-Parker-Dizzy-Gill-Bird-and-Diz-CD-NEW/401403945842?epid=129911438&a... I can’t vouch for the sound of the CD as I have it on vinyl. Its one of the more well recorded Parker records. By the way Charles, do you have any of the Super Sax albums? They did a nice job of transcribing Parker’s ideas onto modern recordings. Its some fun listening ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERSAX-L-A-VOICES-SUPERSAX-L-A-VOICES-CD-NEW/232288684900?_trkparms=ao%3D... https://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERSAX-PLAYS-BIRD-LP-ORIGINAL-MASTER-RECORDING-MFSL-AUDIOPHILE/3223307294... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supersax-Chasin-the-bird-1st-W-Germany-pressing-cd/322363281174?_trkparms=a... Frank |
Today I received both the Audio Magic Ultimate Beeswax fuse and the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuse. Right on the Beeswax fuse is a sticker that says Recommended break-in time 125 hours. I do not plan to listen to or burn tube life on something that sounds like crap. So, in a few days I will post my initial impressions of what I hear. Only if what I hear sounds promising will I proceed with further listening. |
The trouble with that strategy is that because breaking in a fuse can be very uh, rocky, with many ups and downs along the way and you might not know if you’re UP or DOWN. Hey that sounds like a Hendrix song! So, if you try to draw conclusions too early, you might conclude the fuse is crap prematurely. If you see what I mean. No one promised you a rose garden. (Your humble scribe had the Audio Magic Super Nano Fuse a couple years ago, trust me it’s not crap.) 😁 You were the one who signed up for this duty. It’s up to you to do a thorough job. We’re all counting on you. 👪 The philosophical question is do you try reversing the fuse early in the burn in process or after burn in is complete? And why? 😳 |
Frank - I'm trying the two new fuses in my Ref 6, and comparing what I hear to the SR Black and Blue. One fuse change only, in my preamp. geoffkait - I try the orientation of the fuse immediately. Switch back and forth a few times. Whichever way it sounds better out of the box is what I stick with. Has anyone had experience to the contrary? The system sounds absolutely fantastic with either the SR Blue or Black fuses. I'm curious what these new fuses bring to the table. But I question how much valuable listening time I use... chasing... |
@imgoodwithtools Great moniker! I just put a new fuse into the receiver of my HT rig. I’ll retrieve it in 300 hours for my main rig. After burning-in new SC’s, PC’s and IC’s over the past year, my ears can’t take it any more. I wish to enjoy what I have while the new fuse is cooking elsewhere. I also have a first generation AM Beeswax and a SR Black. Different results in different components. |
imgoodwithtools I need a fuse cooker. Why don’t y’all fully break in these fuses, mark proper orientation, then send them to me for analysis. ; >>>>>Most likely because it takes so much time and energy and tube life. 😬 Direction can be determined very easily by reversing the fuse by the customer. Even when fuses are marked the customer has to reverse them anyway. 😳 Besides some fuses are made only when ordered (e.g., Audio Magic Beeswax fuse) so the customer probably would prefer not to wait 10 extra days for his fuse. |
Again, I want to reiterate that the Blue fuse sounds excellent without being broken in, better than black fuses with 300+ hours. At 2.5 hours to date, they sounded 90% of what they can be after 25 more hours. I detect fuller tonal palette, more dynamics, more solid highs and lows-just a little better all around. There's just a little more musical involvement as they break-in. I am extremely happy with the new blue fuses, particularly because they sound great on initial insertion. I would not cook my tube equipment for 125 hours for an Audio Magic fuse even if it is better, especially if the sound is degraded as was the black fuse from 10 to 65 hours of initial use. |
For a means of constructing a DIY fuse cooker see the posts by Nonoise, me, and Dlcockrum dated 10-22-2017 in the Padis vs. Furutech fuse thread: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/padis-vs-furutech-fuses?page=2 Regards, -- Al |
“If I could describe the Blue fuses in a few words, I’d say they *put a lot more meat on the bones.* The *textures are much more of what I hear in live music*." +1 Although the break in process with the Blues is much smoother than with the Blacks, the waiting is still hard. If you persist, though, you will be rewarded. You'll know it when you hear it. |
I still have music. I'll switch interconnects and have the Berkeley DAC directly feed the D'Agostino amp. Actually, it sounds Fabulous this way. Insightfully detailed and realistic. And I'll use the Linear Tube Audio MZ2 headphone amp as a preamp so I can listen to football on Sunday. I'm just hoping the fix is cheap. ;) |
My amp designer/cable manufacturer Grover Huffman heard my amps with the three fuses and was enthused with the blue fuse by far. However, he has the room in his (and my) amps to install circuit breakers and remove the fuse entirely (he had littlefuses installed previously). On Friday, he said he had done so and listened into the night at the astonishingly more open, dynamic and tonally richer sound from his amps. I haven't heard them yet but based on this forum's anecdotes, a circuit breaker should be better sounding than any fuse. He now enjoys the benefits. Eventually, I will compare amps with and without a fuse/circuit breaker and decide which is better (a tie would be nice). |
fleschler, Have you actually seen one of these circuit breakers? The ones I have seen probably cost less than $5 and are of very cheap quality. The only advantage (IMHO) a breaker has over a fuse is it can be reset. If he is comparing the cheapo circuit breakers to fuses he would be better off just to hard wire (bypass) it all together. Albeit losing the overload protection. ozzy |
Interesting article about graphine https://www.protoolreviews.com/news/latest-lithium-ion-battery-advancements/25091/ |
