Jitter, oh, you mean like power cords? Even with two filaments the fuse would be directional, just like power cords. You don’t even know what directionality means, do you? Bad, jitter, bad!
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
"There’s no connection between lettering direction and fuse direction. It’s random. One or two fuse companies control directionality during manufacturer but most don’t as it’s a lot of trouble so you have to try them both ways." I hope to soon patent a fuse with two filaments. The filaments will each be in a different direction, therefore audiophiles using the fuses will not need to spent time flipping the fuses around. They will, of course, then need to figure out what to do with the time saved. |
My amp manufacturer told me that it was safe to use an 8 amp fuse. He also did one thing better by installing a 5 amp circuit breaker in place of the fuses. Sounds about the same as my amps now. I had a tube and resistor blow about six months ago. The fuse went as well to protect the amp. So, the fuse worked. Used a SR black fuse while waiting for the blue fuse replacement. Not bad but not as colorful or open sounding as the blue. The blue is worth the few dollars more. If I only blow a fuse due to tube failure once every three years, that's fine with me. I am using six 6BG6 output tubes per amp. They tend to last about 1500 to 2000 hours, then glow red and blow. They only cost about $7 a tube so it's the fuse that costs the most. |
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I have custom amps with two huge storage caps. SR told me to use 8 amp fuses in place of the 5 amp fuse it is rated for. This is because the on turn on, those huge 7" X 3" pair of caps draw tremendous amount compared to my EAR 890 which has itty bitty storage caps (not updated yet). So, it depends on the current draw of your storage caps to determine what size fuse you require. Ask SR based on your current draw if an 8 amp fuse would be a better match. |
I think most that have used aftermarket fuses ( at least SR fuses) have found that they need to use uprated fuses for whatever reason which I do still find rather odd, after all melting point for a 5a load should be the same design whatever the actual wire is made from, or something is not right. This is one aspect of these fuses I do not like or agree with. However on the flip side just as NB_Dude stated you can hear a difference so.... I am "currently (sic)" using a SR Blue rated at 6.3a in my Ayre AX7E, stock fuse was 5a. I purchased the 6.3a after reading similar stories here but would it have blown a 5a? Who knows, I do have about 500 hours on the 6.3a fuse and in my case it is an extremely tight fit in the fuseholder in the back of the amp, much more so than the standard glass 5a I removed. As an aside before I put the SR Blue fuse in I actually spoke with Ayre customer service by telephone regarding a different matter and mentioned the fact I was thinking of going with an aftermarket fuse and what their thoughts were. The guy I was speaking with was completely for swapping out fuses as he believed they made a big SQ difference. Made me want to ask why they did not fit them from the factory but that my be a commercial sales decision not something customer service may want to deal with... lol. |
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Hello , I recently tried my first after market fuse (SR Blue fuse) in my ARC VSI 75 integrated amp and loved the improvement it made. I mean it was great. My amp is rated at for a 5A fuse and when i first tried a 5A blue, the fuse blew. So, SR sent me a 6.3 A and after about 250 hours of use, it blew as well this past weekend. I re-inserted the stock fuse and all seems to be ok with the amp. Now, has anyone experienced this ? Could it be the SR Blue fuses are just not right for my amp ? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I should note that although the fuse seemed tight enough in the insertion cap, it was not as firm as the stock fuse was when I inserted it into the cap. Also, my tubes are relatively new and were purchased directly from ARC. thank you, Paul |
A nice jump over the RED fuse. But when testing direction I realized I may have been using my old RED fuse backwards for years. When the BLUE was installed backwards it was similar in tonality to my RED (but better), but it was still better when reversed. Which means my listening test to install that RED fuse years ago was sloppy... |
I'm rather surprised that the SR Blue fuse didn't sound nearly settled in after placing it in the correct direction within an hour. About a year ago, I blew an amp resistor which took out a blue fuse. After replacing it, it sounded about the same as a broken in fuse. Between replacement, I used my older SR black fuse. The blue was immediately better. |
There’s no connection between lettering direction and fuse direction. It’s random. One or two fuse companies control directionality during manufacturer but most don’t as it’s a lot of trouble so you have to try them both ways. Audioquest and a few other companies control directionality for cables and power cords during manufacturing, thus the arrows. 🔚 |
@alexberger Thanks! I think it’s best to always try the fuse in both directions, unless what you hear with the first direction sounds absolutely correct to your ears. The opposite direction has always sounded not-quite-right and it is immediately apparent. Further, one would need to also figure out and know the direction of the flow of current through the fuse holder to be absolutely certain about any ’absolute’ directional recommendations. |
Yes the "lettering direction" of "right direction" of the Blue fuse is opposite to the "lettering direction" I was using the Red fuse. So, it seems they have opposite "lettering directions". I have used Red fuse more than 2 years. I remember I checked it direction but I don't remember details how exactly I did it. |
@geoffkait has @alexberger confirmed, beyond a doubt, that both fuses were in fact aligned the same? (It’s an easy thing to get wrong, even when one is not trying to...I’ve resorted to taking photos prior to, to make sure) And that the Red Fuse was installed using the lettering ’rule’? Maybe the Red Fuse was in the ’wrong’ direction to begin with? @alexberger can you comment? Thanks. |
alexberger77 posts01-18-2019 9:45amI exchanged the SR BLUE fuse direction, and yes the sound was "locked in". Now it is musical enough and even mostly better than broken-in SR RED fuse. But I steel have feeling that it is not completely broken-in sound of SR BLUE fuse. >>>>>Would it be a fair statement that one cannot use the so called rule of using the lettering on SR fuses to determine their correct direction? You know, since you initially followed how your SR RED fuse was installed to obtain the SR BLUE fuse direction. |
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I replaced SR Red fuse in my SE 300B amplifier by SR Blue fuse. Before this changing my system sound was extremely well balanced. After installing SR Blue fuse, The sound from scratch was dull. After 1-2 hours, my system started sounding balanced again. But after 10 hours sound became not open, dull and bass heavy. Next 10 hours haven't changed situation dramatically. How many hours of break-in SR Blue fuse need to make my system sound balanced again? Regards, Alex. |
I have done this experiment! Furutech fuse versus the Synergistic Research Blue fuse. Both are an improvement over stock fuse. The Blue fuse will give you a sense of “more”. More complex harmonics to notes, more 3D soundstage, and more emotion to the music. The Furutech is more analytical, dry, precise. I do think in a system that already has the sonic imprint that a Furutech R outlet imparts, the SR Blue fuse would be an excellent choice. David Pritchard |
At some point this is
probably what I'll end up doing. I was hoping someone already had the change to experiment with both and could share their thoughts. Even though in my system Furutech fuses are perfect and leave nothing to be desired, all the hype surrounding SR Blue really turned on my interest. Both SR and Furutech are getting very favourable opinions from users, but I only found separate reports on each. So at this point I really don't know if I SR Blue would be an upgrade or just a side step for me. |
Please add me to the club I have two power cables supplied by Bryston came as a matched pair for the amps ( caveat, although the same, could measure different. Assume the same ? ). Both plugged into Torus TOT AVR and up to the Headamp GSX Mk2 so at the Amp end could not see the difference when I changed the power connection over. I picked the Blue fuse several times not once did I get it wrong, better sound by far more transparent, clean natural vocals etc. Worth the extra for me. Note this was with a New Fuse not burnt in More to follow as I will try 5 with my main system in a few weeks as these are burning in at the momnet |
I own a decent solid state integrated. I put in some hi fi tuning fuses that I'd bought on sale and was satisfied with the results. Not dramatically different but noticeably better, though not nearly of the magnitude of improvement resulting from the Nordost Frey 2 power cord. Recently I bought my "last amp" (don't laugh.) A new Cary sli-80 integrated, an all tube unit with all the factory upgrades. After burning it in for over a hundred hours, the first order of business was replacing the abysmal stock Electro Harmonix tubes with nos Amperex, RCA, and Psvane kt120 output tubes. These tubes completely changed the amp for the better. Somehow, the SR Blue fuse caught my eye. Even though I'd exceeded my budget and burned through all my "fun money", I decided to take a chance. Heck, I could always send it back. Shocked, stunned and amazed are adjectives a bit too strong for my reaction but it's safe to say that I'm more than pleasantly surprised. It ticks all the audiophile boxes but I'll particularly mention that activity deep in the soundstage that was previously vague is now clear and easily identified. I've been in the audio hobby for decades, including 12 years in retail (c-j, Airtight, Accuphase, Verity Audio, etc.) I've heard many tweaks. I'm pretty confident in saying that, for me, in my system, this is the most cost effective improvement I'm aware of. |
Pass Labs certainly make some wonderful products. The PassX350.5 amplifier does not use fuses but instead uses a circuit breaker. Many of the smaller Pass amps such as my Pass Labs INT-60amp, their headphone amp HP-1, and the First Watt 7 do use fuses which are easily removed (as uberwaltz3 described). I have upgraded these three amps with the Synergistic Research Blue fuses and am very happy with the sonic improvement. The sense of increased soundstage depth and a more relaxed flow to the music makes the Blue fuse worth trying. David Pritchard |
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