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.
I’m not equating the two in any other way, but the sonic effect of effective room treatment on bass response has a very similar result of creating the perception of new ultra-low frequency bass response. That latter was, of course, there before, just masked by over-wrought mid-bass frequencies in the untreated room. The Blue is voiced differently than the Black in the bass and creates a similar perception.
And I completely agree with jkuc that the weakness of the SR fuses is timbre, thus the earlier suggestion to experiment with mixing and matching brands to achieve the best balance of benefits from the different voicing/sound character of each.
What does the "I've seemed" in "I've seemed to gain about an octave in low bass response" mean? Did you, or didn't you? If you did, that's quite remarkable---an octave of bass from a fuse. So, your system reproduced only down to, say, 40Hz, but now to 20Hz? Didn't previously not hearing that octave bother you?
Incremental improvement is one thing, dramatic transformation quite another. But then, my people are from Missouri ;-).
Nah! Ridiculous would be judging someone else's results without hearing the results for yourself and then posting your uninformed opinion on these pages.
After replacing the Blacks with the Blues in my preamp’s and DAC’s external power supplies two days ago, I completely agree with folkfreak’s description of the sound character differences between the two and also with Frank that the Blues require time to settle before sounding their best (mine may not be completely there yet) yet the Blues did not go through the wild ups and downs that I experienced for several days after initially installing the Blacks.
The sonic differences between the Black and the Blue remind me in many ways of the differences between the better copper cables vs the better silver cables, respectively.
I have 15 blacks in my system so the thought of changing them all out is a bit challenging. I did bite the bullet however and swap in 3, two in my VTL monoblocks and one in my pre-amp. Definitely an improvement. The Blues make the Blacks sound "blousy" (i.e. rather blown out and romanticized). At first you might think bass is diminished and there's less sparkle but what it seems to me is that there is a more even and natural presentation -- if your system tends towards the "laid back" the Blacks may be a better fit. Overall a worthwhile change and in the context of tweaks very cost effective. I'm simultaneously upgrading all the shelves in my system to Marigo composites away from acrylic and while this has a greater impact then these fuse changes the cost is many times more.
Have SR black at $120.00 now they are suddenly not the best anymore i should dump them for the blue SR sure knows how to make a big profit.Well i will think it over and maybe get 1 for my CJ ET5 i love this hobby.
Like every tweak, component and system dependent. I have some expensive amps and preamp from same company, AF fuse made nice improvement in preamp but degrade in amp.
Another example is AF fuses made no differences in, LOW end, Sonic Frontiers pre or amp.
Don't lose sleep over it but simply return for refund within 30 days if doesn't work for you.
Rauliruegas, you may wish to keep in mind that it is not simply "lesser systems" that show improvement. My buddy, the late Harry Pearson, also discovered fuses a couple of years before he died, and used them. He only got as far as the Hi Fi tuning fuses, but that’s not the point. The point is: I doubt Frank or anyone else had systems to match Harry’s, and I doubt you’d be stupid enough to call his systems "lesser." They probably surpass ALL of the systems most of us have - by far. And Harry was not sentimental about equipment. He tested the claims of the fuse makers, picked the one that he found worked best and used it. So, ixnay on the ’euphony’ stuff. Some of us can evaluate as well as Wolf or anyone else on these forums. And it is not necessary for us to offer "reasons" theories or anything else. We know because we’ve tested it extensively. And unless the idea is that the HPs of the world were "paid" to say this (he’d throttle you) because of their ’exalted status,’ perhaps the possibility exists that it works better in some equipment than others, as Harry and I both found. If the fuses cost $10, I doubt you’d object. But because a cottage industry has sprung up around fuses, some find it necessary to disparage - and worse - DEMAND proof. How would we do that short of inviting you into our homes. And Harry was pretty scornful of people demanding he do exactly that. Simply believe what you want and desist in the snob approach ("Lesser fine tunned audio system always will shows " improvements " but in these lesser systems almost any change can makes a listeable difference for " the better.") If you believe that, your credibility just vanished. Completely. I believe I have said several times that certain fuses did not improve the sonics OR musical expression of my system, the same as I have said for outlets and even in my reviews, components themselves. Some of us know what LIVE (and the usual qualification: "unamplified") music sound like. Why would we ever need to prove to someone - any more than adding a new power cord or line conditioner - that it benefitted my system? Why is a component of complicated construction more believable than one of supposedly ’simple’ construction?
I once had the best turntable on the planet (the Versa Dynamics), along with several other "bests" (Jadis preamp and amp: Goldmund turntable, Goldmund amp and Goldmund speakers); VAC integrated and VAC amps, Wilsons, Spectrals, Transparents’s HIGHEST LEVEL speaker cable and interconnect; MIT’s HIGHEST SPEAKER CABLE and interconnect. Were my pronouncements more believable then than now, now that I had "lesser" equipment? Your argument is based on economics - at least as you yourself have worded your latest thread. (The Snob Approach, and a disgusting one at that. "My system is better than your system, so my conclusion is the best." Fine. Well, then, between 1986 and 1996, my system was better than most people’s systems. So, whatever I pronounced was ’The FINAL WORD’ (aside from HP and other TAS writers)??? So, only the most expensive systems are the arbiters and not an the actual owner and his acuities in discerning his room’s acoustic properties, (and lack of), their ability to extract the maximum performance, and hear the real from the pretenders? My 20K system outperforms - in musical expression only - my local dealer’s $150K system, which I demonstrated - in HIS show room. Don’t be a wanker, mate.
^^^ Very nice Dave. I have four of the Conte Candoli albums. I’m a real fan. Most of my Candoli recordings are on the Lighthouse All Star albums. The lighthouse, in Hermosa Beach, CA., was our local jazz club when I was in high school. We were there all the time it seems.
Interesting thing about the Conte Condoli All Stars album. Tidal has two versions: one with cover art that has the "Crown Records" emblem on the lower left hand corner and another with cover art showing "Masters of Jazz" and "The Ultimate Jazz Collection" which I assume to be a remaster (released in 2011). The latter sounds cleaner with more detail and air compared to the former. Great music either way. :)
Here’s another Conte Candoli remaster that sounds really good if a wee bit too warm on the bottom, but no extreme panning of instruments to the left and right on this stereo version:
Raul Can any one of you ask your self why amps, preamps, speaker, cdp high price$$$ manufacturers just don't use the fancy fuses?.
I started a thread asking that exact question and I got bombarded with responses and then a battle took place. You make some sense to me. And maybe it is not logical because I have a high end system. I really have not heard a major impact like some people are talking. So, maybe if my system was say lower end I might hear more improvements. I tested a Padis fuse versus the SR Blue versus my $2.50 Auto Parts fuse. I did hear a slight improvement with the Padis. I did not get anymore improvement with the SR Blue. I left the Blue in for over a week playing it 6-8 hours a day. Yes, I did thoroughly enjoy my music. Today, I switched back to the Padis fuse. There is absolutely no degradation of sound and imo it might be better than the SR Blue. I am lucky because the cost of equipment is not a factor. But for the person on a budget the $30 Padis fuse is pretty damn good. I would love for the SR people to test for themselves and report back honestly if you can.
Interesting. Ray’s Time via Tidal has the bass clearly to the outside of the right speaker and the sax clearly to the outside of the left in my system/room.
On my system the bass is about 4 feet behind the right speaker and a little to the left. The sax is about the same behind and to the right of the left speaker. Good jazz. Glad you like it.
I replaced four SR black fuses with blue ones in my PS Audio DAC, BHK Preamp, and BHK Amp 250. The improvements are very obvious, similar to what you all described. These fuses are definitely directional, but different from the black fuses for my components. First I inserted the blue ones in the same direction as the black ones, heard certain differences, but couldn't say a big improvement, after a day, the same, I was wondering maybe it needs more burn-in time, but I went ahead to change the direction after talking to the PS Audio technician to verify the current flow, instantly I heard the improvement you guys were stating. I was really amazed how much improvements, not just sounds different, but definitely improvements, considering recently I put in the SR PowerCell 12 UEF SE in my system.
Thanks for another fabulous recording. On Ray’s Time, I have noticed the unusual separation of bass guitar (right ch) and saxophone (left ch). Did you experience the same? I am streaming off Tidal right now but thinking of nabbing the 4 disc import off Amazon.
I do remember the Magnan IV ICs. Stereophile A rated for many years back when that actually meant something :)
I am slowly but surely moving on past my SR active Tesla ICs and speaker cables (recently replaced my 7 year old Tesla Precision Reference speaker cables with Cerious Graphene Extremes and am very pleased - thanks ozzy and wig), but have yet to hear better power cords than the SRs in my system. Even the older X2 and Tesla SE active power cords are quite good and the Element CTS Digital power cable is superb, all improved significantly by Michael Spallone’s MPC upgrades. From what I have read and heard from owner friends, the Atmosphere Level 3 cord you have is among the very best two or three out there, adding a dose of refinement and musicality never offered by SR’s previous power cords, good as they are IMO.
Hoping to get the Atmosphere Level 3 as the feeder AC cord when I upgrade my Powercell 10 UEF/FEQ to the 12 UEF...
The secret tweak is ready to go. An instructional DVD will be coming with it. The DVD is under development. Believe me, the wait will be worth it.
Dave ...
The SR level III power cords were a revelation for me. They replaced some very fine PC’ s custom built by Dave Magnan. If you’re familiar with Dave’s work, you know they were good.
On the synergy thing ... I have a combination of SR’s PC’s and Von Gaylord’s "Return of the Legend" IC’s and Speaker cables.
This combination, plus the new Blue fuses allow me to hear exactly what you’re describing on brass instruments. The brass on the big orchestral stuff sounds "burnished." And that’s what I hear while attending live concerts. But its not just the brass that sounds right. All instruments have a natural and relaxed character about them. Just as I hear live. I can crank the volume up and there’s no "cringe" factor. Low, low distortion I would guess.
Agree with you tools re: the amp being the least benefited by boutique fuses. My theory is that the current is less constrained in an amp that uses, say, an 8 amp fuse than source and preamp which typically draw 1 to 3 amps max so the latter benefits more from whatever it is that these fuses do to the AC signal. Kinda like the magnitude of sound character differences often found between top phono sections vs top preamps due to the minute signal involved in the former.Only a theory and no I don’t have a clue how to measure it.
I also find it easy to believe that some find other brands of fuses to better suit their component, system, preferences. My experience is that while the SR products in general can approach sonic magic, they share a tonal lean-ness in the mids that can exacerbate the same tendency in a system. If the system has an over-wrought midrange warmth or tubbiness in the mid-to-lower midrange, the SR stuff is helpful to balance it out. I don’t see the SR Black or Blue fuses doing a lean/bright system any favors musically compared to say HiFi Tuning, Audio Horizons, Beeswax or other proven audio-grade fuses. I truly wish that there was more discussion on the contrast of sound character between brands instead of the intentionally unwinnable and emotional mass media-style arguments regarding their efficacy.
The next big craze should be mixing and matching...
I've found tweaks to be, well, tweaky. Inconsistent. I probably would be looking for another preamp right now had the Synergistic fuse and the Sain power cord not been so effective. But I did try aftermarket fuses in Ayre amps, when I had them, with little change in sound. I tried a Sain power cord on the D'Agostino. Nope. A little too lean. I went back to the stock cord. So, my experience with tweaks is that what might work well in one component or system might not be beneficial in another. Has anyone found a tweak that is universally beneficial, fuse or otherwise?
33% off right now if you use coupon code: Indian Summer on the checkout page.
I did not intend to cast dispersions on the Black Fuse as I always found it to be excellent (and still do). The improvement in bass quality is remarkable with the Blue fuse as you say and invites such criticisms in comparison.
I, like you, have spent countless hours optimizing speaker/listener placement, room acoustics, cabling, vibration elimination, component matching, RF/EMI reduction, and started with a very good room so it is easy to hear exactly the sound characteristics of each fuse. I do believe that combining SR fuses with SR's power cords results in a synergy that may not be as pronounced with other power cords. Your thoughts?
I replaced the Black fuse in my DAC’s external power supply with a second Blue fuse a couple of hours ago and there is further improvement in transparency, razor sharp dynamic response, and a distinct lowering of the noise floor. Brass has that illusive live energy rarely experienced with an audio system. Awesome.
I found acoustic bass to be fantastic with the Black fuses. The Blue fuses take it to an entirely different level ... super fantastic.
If you don't have it already, here's a must have CD collection. Its a four disc set. The opening bass lines on cut one of disc four is worth the price of the entire thing.
Its definitely a demo CD for demonstrating how well stand-up bass can be recreated in the home environment.
I really cranked the volume up last night and played an organ cut from a demo quality CD I have. I swear, I'm getting at least another octave of deep bass due to the Blue fuses.
Hello Rauliruegas, and Frank very good comparisons showing that as myself and others have found many factors determining the extent of improvement With the blue fuses . I have yet to see a fuse ruin equipment unless it was not The correct size . There ard all kjnd of wave generstors , tuning disks and other Platforms, and exotic items if you want to totally lighten your wallet. That is above where I am willing to venture .
I may have to try one of these BLUE fuses sometime in my source equipment. Maybe next year because I already have too much stuff on my project list for now.
That being said, there are several good points mentioned here on both sides. The fuse is NEVER going to be a magic bullet to make your system sound perfect. It is a tool/tweak to allow you to tune your system in a direction that you want to go. On the other hand, yes it is only a 1" length of wire, but that wire can have a significant effect on the sound as the unit pulls in A/C current for its power supply (which has a big effect on overall sonic signature).
In my research/testing, there are several elements that can contribute:
- resistance/slew - this affects how fast the power supply can start to pull in current from A/C when there is a drop is voltage. This can affect how fast the audio sounds and can also affect leanness in sound.
- electrical resonance - the fuse will have an electrical resonance/vibration as it charges/discharges. This can affect the harshness of the sound and can also cause sound to be weak/distorted (if there is a lot of resonance).
- metallurgy - this will have an affect the sonic signature just like anything else (such as interconnects). Silver vs gold vs copper vs rhodium vs brass. It all has an influence. For example, a gold plated copper Isoclean fuse can be fine for pulling in large amounts of current, but it may not respond as quickly for tiny/fast changes (which can affect high frequency resolution). This can translate into a warmer/richer type of sonic signature. This is probably hand-in-hand with the resistance/slew characteristic above.
I just replaced the SR Black fuse with a Blue in my Ayre preamp’s external power supply and agree with your description of the differences in sound character between the two. Another level of transparency and perhaps a bit more tonally balanced in the mids. Biggest difference to me is the bass, especially acoustic bass. Always felt the Black to be a tad loose in the bass and the Blue trues that up while adding much more air. Bass seems to have audibly better lower extension with the Blue.
Dear @audioman58 @imgoodwithtools @oregonpapa and friends: Here are two gentlemans with good audio system and heavy tweaked that do not shares the " euphoria " by orengonpapa and several other audiophiles posting here and in the other fuse thread where between others
veerapaneni who owns really good system too just does not shares that " euphoria ". Me neither and as I said in the other thread I tested almost all the SR fuses but the blues and several other from many manufacturers.
These 3 examples and other similar could means that as better and lower distortions has the room/audio systems as really lower are the differences when changing a fuse and maybe when these gentlemans are hearing " something " that something in reality is not an improvement but only a different kind of sound.
Lesser fine tunned audio system always will shows " improvements " but in these lesser systems almost any change can makes a listeable difference for " the better ".
The " collective euphoria " spreaded here and the other thread on fuses have to be analized understanding the role of a fuse that is no more that a wire soldered/attached at both ends with the fuse taps where pass trhough the electrical power line. That fuse has a " holder " that's is a pease of diferent kind of metal that sometimes comes soldered to a circuit board sometimes in other way and in this fuse holder the fuse seats and makes contact not tigth contact but a " so so " contact at both fuse sides. Obviously that the fuse holder has something to say about degradation on the electrical quality current pasing through.
wolf_garcia posted several things against the " collective euphoria " and many of you don't like him but no one of you gave a precise answer with facts on why the fuse makes that " euphorical " improvements other than your each one " euphoria ".
As those gentlemans that do not shares the euphoria my room/audio system is heavy tweacked too before and after I tested several and different fuses including the SR that at the end shows me that the " best fuse is not fuse at all ": this is a true and real difference for the better not " euphoria ".
No, I'm not against this or the other fuse thread but at some time could be time to put our feets in the floor and maybe what we need to do is to start an overall fine tunning ( theweack. ) of our system with out those fancy fuses and after that test the system again with the SR ones. For this each one of you needs to have a proved and repeatable evaluation process where you have a self deep training. With out this whole evaluation process we can't attest with true what's really happening other than the spreaded " euphoria ".
We are not a " child " but experienced audiophiles stiked to a " new toy " but : are there true facts to justify it or is only a new toy and that's all?
Just think that if what you think is a fenomenal improvement that is made by around 2.0cm. of wire what could make better anykind of cables in your system where we are talking of meters not 2.0cms.
Anyway, this kind of threads helps all of us to THINK and understand the real audio system potential and where belongs it.
Can any one of you ask your self why amps, preamps, speaker, cdp high price$$$ manufacturers just don't use the fancy fuses?. When some one buy a 60K monobloks he does not find out the fancy fuses down there. You can be sure that if the fancy fuses makes that " euphorical " differences for the better all those $$$$ manufacturers will or were using it and they know a lot about quality listening and performance levels.
In the other thread I posted what the Music Reference designer and manufacturer D. Berning found out when using fancy fuses in his amps/preamps that in a word makes the: damage.
@ozzy My experience tells me that the source showed the biggest benefits. The amp was improved as well but if wouldn't be fair to say it came in second. 😀 Sum of all the parts, and all.
I would like to try at least one of the new Blue fuses somewhere. Is there any consensus as to where the best location to start with is? Digital or Analog?
Wow! Thanks for the detailed report/review. Excellent stuff for sure.
Just as a point of interest, I saw
the 5th Dimension years ago in Las Vegas. They were amazing. I'll never forget how great they sounded in a live performance.
@gbmcleod The trials and tribulations, the slings and arrows, the ups and downs. What you've described is textbook sleuthing in the audio maze that can be both frustrating and rewarding, with the latter the ends that justify the means. No one said it would be easy but once you've gotten there, it's worth that extra effort. 👍
As I’ve expressed on another thread, I purchased several of the Blue fuses. And, as I usually do, I place them into the modestly priced NAD C325BEE, as - for an inexpensive (dirt cheap is a better descriptor) integrated - it shows improvements easily. I placed one fuse in the "front" position. While I did not hear the improvement instantly (due to removing my CJ equipment, which meant moving around the Nordost interconnects and Shunyata speaker cable, which always means: a two hour wait for the cables to "settle" again), I DID hear the improvements rather easily after that. It was not an immediate case of "wow-it-blew-my-mind-man," but it demonstrated great promise within a few hours of steady listening. The Ring Cycle really RANG out, Motown actually sounded good (not merely "passable) and The Fifth Dimensions Greatest Hits was intelligible, lyric-wise. (Not that it’s bad, otherwise, but I usually have to listen to hear the words clearly on quite a few cuts.). I gave it two days with that one fuse, and after being duly impressed with CD after CD, I then decided to put in the other two fuses (the NAD takes 5 fuses, which, amusingly, means that the fuses cost more than the integrated did when brand new). So, technically, the NAD is now at the $900 integrated level when adding in the cost of the SR Blues. And there are two more fuses if I want a fully-loaded NAD. Do I? I don’t know. $450 is a lot for fuses, and there are miles more of fuses in my system if I want to hear if further purchases yield far greater improvements. But ’In for a penny, In for a pound’ keeps running thru my mind...
So. The other two fuses. Well, this time, it took longer to enjoy the very same music, as the sound went "backwards" from how good it sounded before (the fuses in the "newer" position, lessened the transparency, musicality and the articulate diction so apparent previously, for around 48 hours), but now that No. 2 and No. 3 have passed the 50 hour mark, I’m impressed with what the NAD can sound like with the fuses, although, so far, the only songs I’ve heard are the Fifth Dimension’s "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," and "The Girls Song," and Maria Callas. I will say that the Townshend Isolation Pods underneath the NAD eliminate any vibration shimmying the amp made for a profound difference in the sonics as well, but they’ve been under the NAD for weeks, so I was somewhat used to the improvement overall. Vibration masks improvements, in my experience, which can account for differing opinions in equipment reviews, even when then reviewers have "really good" racks. The bigger the room, the less vibration seems to mask differences in the entire sonic picture, in my experience. (I heard a so-so setup system in the house of the Meow-Meow cat commercial composer back in 2003, but I’d brought along my Nordost Quattro Fils interconnects, Arcam CD player and Shunyata Python, and found myself saying, "so THIS is what the Arcam REALLY sounds like? SHIT, Man!" His room was 10 x 30 x 50. You could be forgiven for thinking he had higher priced Avalons and some exotic electronics instead of the crappy receiver he had. It was THAT good. I was floored, disgusted and thrilled that he could get better sound out of those three pieces of equipment that I had even come close to. Room is not EVERYTHING, but it sure counts, as Robert E. Greene of TAS has said many, many times.)
Although I like the 5th Dimension’s music catalog, I’m usually able to read a magazine while sitting in front of the system when I listen to their CD. This is part of my acid test when I get better cabling, footers or anything I’m thinking of buying: can the music make me sit up and listen, or do I have to strain like mad to get involved with the music (not the sound: just the music itself) because it lacks nuance? Well, judging from 10 minutes of listening just to the 5th’s CD, I couldn’t even focus on the magazine (and anything that can draw me away from The Absolute Sound, circa 1976, when the reviews were stellar, is a positive outcome). Words that start (or end) in "t," "d" and "p" - especially a word like "picked" which, on the NAD, can sound like you had a mouth full of mushy food and therefore couldn’t form the entire word without spitting it all over the table (or your friends), were extremely clear. And continuous even (McCoo takes a breath, and you hear it, which isn’t the norm on this CD). This effect makes a singer sound more "real" than "recorded." And the musicality factor was noticeably better. (By this I mean instead of pastel tones, you get primary colors, without euphony.) This is far better performance than the Furutechs (which can make the NAD sound "hard," bleached out and a bit sterile) or even the Blacks, which, despite the fact that I bought 5 or more of them, never quite won me over in the NAD. They seemed slightly dull, tonally speaking. I LIKED them, (somewhat) but in more modest equipment, they never shined. (Things shine more in my Hurricanes and in CJ - as well as the ARC - (when I had it) equipment. But not the Blacks, not in this system, at least. I don’t think one need have the higher priced spreads to get good sound: I enjoy music more now than when I had such luminaries as the Goldmund Memesis 9 and the Jadis equipment of the early 90s, along with a Versa Dynamics 2.3 turntable with all the other (equally) expensive stuff I had (several generations of WATT/Puppies, even more Goldmund equipment). I listen more to the music now and experience it more soulfully then back then. It helps not to be dazzled by gazing upon the "Luminaries" as I used to call my Versa/ Goldmund/ WATT/Jadis/VAC/ Convergent equipment. I’m sure that these days, were I to re-purchase them, I would enjoy them much more, but I’m wandering here...
I’d suggest buying the Blues and give them their 30 days trial run. You won’t be very "blue" for long, even though the price does make you pause. I was prepared to not like them (I mean, who wants to shell out $300 - $1,000 for fuses?!? I sure don’t). But, being fair, they sound good on my Arcam CD players (the FMJ 23 and DVD 27 something or other). And that’s just sitting on the rug with some Stillpoint Mini Ultras underneath them and some type of chopping board material under that. (I’m afraid to put them on the Finite rack: I might so wild and replace everything in the CJ, Hurricanes, and the Arcam and I really cannot afford that type of output just so I can cry thru Fifth Dimension songs, never mind the entire Khachaturian Ballet. I know that Imgoodwithtools and a few others have had a different experience, and I think it’s important that ALL experiences be honored. That’s what the forum is for: for all of us to express our viewpoints. Otherwise, we’d sound like a certain audio magazine, where rarely a discouraging word is uttered any more (such a contrast from its first 20 years). My experience mirrors Oregonpapa’s so I have to encourage people. And SR has had - in my experience - a couple of ’only-in-certain-positions-on-certain-pieces-of-equipment’ prior generations. The Black line, for example, was different for me than for some other posters. I had to really LISTEN -make that STRAIN - to feel good about the purchase. And they were far cheaper! I did not have to strain this time. You’ll have 30 days to love - or be indifferent to - them.
Ah very good guys. I was hoping this new thread would be more positive and more on point. And ... it is. :-)
imgoodwithtools ...
There is no way that you're a Debbie Downer. Not even close. You're one of the good guys. Your reports are always on exactly what you hear in your system. Honesty is always appreciated.
kykat ...
I've had that Chris Connor double album for many years. Its one of my favorite albums in the collection. Like I said, its mono ... but you won't mind a bit. In fact, you're gonna love it. I hope its as mint as the seller says it is.
Jay23 ..
That Willie Nelson CD was really great, however after he left there was a lingering strange aroma wafting through the room. I can't quite put my finger on it. :-)
If SR released the Purple fuse next month I'd hold off on buying them ... while shaking my head at the same time. Two years from now I'd be expecting it.
Personally I don't want SR or any other manufacturer to stand still, rest on their laurels and get stale. Even though I'd be perfectly happy with the system as it sits, I look forward to my next tweak. How about you?
I agree. I am just saying Synergistic could have easily handled this better, and I have empathy for those that recently bought Black fuses in the sale, that want to upgrade and are beyond the return period. I would be upset, and can understand how some people would be pissed.
By the way, right now I'm listening to Willie Nelson's "Phases and Stages." Willie's in the room. :=)
I did reverse the direction, tommylion. And the sound, to my ears, was nearly the same. Quite possibly slightly better focus one way vs. the other but close. The Blue fuse doesn't seem nearly as directional as the Black.
Oregonpapa, I couldn't resist jumping on your suggestion of the Chris Connor double album. I'm looking for some quality recordings of new (to me) artists on vinyl and it seemed like no risk proposition. Many thanks for the suggestion.
I want to be conservative,I have a very good quality external linear power supply To my Lumin digital player,and preamp .I installed 2 of these blue fuses .these fuses have roughly 100 hours on them and maybe a 3% improvement across the board Not draw dropping by any means . My new Top line -1-A Electrostats from Martin Logan let you hear any change good or bad . Will i try the amplifierwhich takes 5 fuses ,perhaps down the line .upgrading interconnects were a much more dramatic improvement, which I borrowed the cardas Clear Reflections.a great cable .for what the fuses would have cost me for the amp I can buy a pr of these cables. A very well balanced cable. My system is pretty well tweaked before the fuse upgrade,other systems more stock may see A bigger % improvement. Just make sure you get a 30 day trial ,and just try 2-3 Fuses at most ,before deciding on more. I tell it as I find it to be in My system.
If I order the SR Blues for my Maggie’s, it will be their sixth fuse upgrade-- all this for a fuse bank that many owners just remove and bypass. I am also defeating my fuse protection by pushing the fuse values to 3-4 times their ratings and spending a lot to do it. This would be foolish if the results weren’t so spectacular, and they are. Blues are on the way......I’m still reeling from the new Blacks in my REL Strata III’s. Floor toms now have a warm, extended resonance that wasn’t always present. Had to back down the roll-offs from 30K to 26K. Now they are more integrated with the mains for a relaxed foundation. There seem to be no limit to the improvements. Thanks for the nice, new thread, Frank---hope it lasts..........
I never made such a statement, and that’s not the case. All of the items you listed have a known product cycle, and information on the new products are released or leaked.
What would you prefer, KNOWN product cycle with or without advancements or only new release from advancements?
jay23:
These products are offered at a discount, and customers can make an INFORMED decision as to whether to save money, or wait to buy the latest and greatest.
Your clue a new release is coming when SR Blacks were selling at a discount.
I bought a Black in Aug before the discount and not bitter. Goes with the territory and bigger fish to catch. I have 3 Blues and no intention replacing remaining Blacks until they blow. Just because Blue is released, doesn't make Black broken.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
