So it seems that the most critical location for swapping in such a fuse is as close to the original source of electrical power for the entire system. Inputting a blue fuse into only the power conditioner should cover all the bases affecting downstream components, correct?
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
I am a happy user of SR Blue fuses and a Black UEF power cords well as a couple of other very good power cords (Cerious Tech Yellow and Archon Audio Blue). I am looking to upgrade my power cords and saw the new SR Blue power cords are available....and on an October 3 for the price of 2 special. I was also considering the Cerious Technology Matrix or the new Audioquest Thunder. I was wondering if anyone has compared the new SR Blues power cord to the SR Black or the Cerious Tech Matrix or Audioquest Thunder? |
Elizabeth A little 120v never hurt anybody. It's as good as a double espresso in the morning to get you ready for work...lol. Now one leg of 480v.... Ouch that hurts! Still have all my fingers and toes though,none been burnt off by high voltage yet. And yes I work with 480v and even 600v line's at work in my real job. |
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I hear you Slaw. Likewise on present system sounding good but every tweak I have invested in over last few months after doing a lot of research before spending money, has elevated it a little at a time. I would say one of most profound results is reduction of background hash, most,noticeable on phono input. More air around everything and just basically more depth and feel to the music. And as you rightfully state... It truly all is about the music ! |
@uberwaltz, I’m very familiar with the value of great tweaks. So much so, that I’m more than willing to wait for those tweaks to morph into a better version or the best tweak to appear from another manufacturer. My system sounded great before this tweak. So, my main focus is music. And yes, there’s a lot of great music being released now. Steve |
@ andynotadam Thanks a lot for your detailed report. I had bought top Synergistic Research Power cables 18 years ago at 1.5k$ after home audition. That made DCS Elgar Dac more transparent with improved details. Since then I had used Analysis Audio Power cables which I feel more neutral and balanced. I shall place order for 3-2 deal of Blue power cables. I also look forward to getting good results. Thomas |
Thomas A few weeks ago I installed an SR Blue duplex outlet and a UEF AC cable to the Nordost QB8 power distributor powering my main system replacing a Shunyata Viper Zitron. I also added an SR Blue fuse to my REL S/5. To summarize, bass took on more detail, weight and texture. Transients became quicker and more powerful. Voices and instruments sound more "in the room" and more clearly occupy their own spaces in the sound stage with an improved sense of "air" around them. There was also more unforced detail as the noise floor was pretty dramatically reduced. Furthermore, a bit of glare I hadn't realized was there was eliminated. Today I added three more SR Blue cables I got on the 3-for-2 deal to replace some Nordost Brahma and Vishnu cables. This required tearing the system apart and disturbing almost everything. At only three hours in, I can only say that the sound is still consistent with the characteristics described above. I'm looking forward to the next days and weeks of musical enjoyment and beyond. Hope this helps. |
slaw: A very nice description of what the Synergistic Research Blue outlet does for a system. And you are correct - this is just the beginning of the sonic improvements that will occur. It will increase that sense of delicacy and also the harmonic textures will become richer and more complex. I am glad you gave the Blue outlet a try! David Pritchard |
Just installed the blue outlet. Right before, I had just finished listening to Richard Thompson "Rumor & Sigh". I put on side two after the outlet install. On "Don't Sit on my Jimmy Hand", what were before faint instrumentations are now brought forth. They are more prevalent and relevant. There is a sense of delicacy in the lighter notes. Yes, this is just the beginning. |
I’m getting great results with an SR Blue fuse in my REL S/5. It bumped a Black fuse into my R-328 to replace a Hi Fi Tuning fuse. Good stuff! (And I am not affiliated in any way with SR or any other audio-related company. I pay cash up-front for everything.) And check out Vanaessa Fernandez’ Levee Breaks album. More good stuff!!! |
I replaced the SR Black outlet powering my main system with a Blue outlet three days ago. It sounded good right out of the box and into the wall. My first impression was that it in no way was a step back from the Black. After giving it and all the cables and gear I had to move around several hours to warm up and settle, I noted better detail and texture due to a much quieter background as well as greater air and extension. Drive and pacing seemed improved as well. At 24 hours, I thought things took a bit of a step back, the sound seeming a bit bright and threadbare. I am now over 72 hours in at this point and I am loving what I am hearing. Dynamic contrasts are much more apparent with quicker transients--especially clear on percussion instruments such as congas. Bass has better weight and definition has taken another big step forward. The sound was very relaxed with great clarity and detail. By far the biggest difference I detected between the Blue and the Black outlets was the much blacker background against which instruments and voices were placed. Imaging was improved with the sound-stage being more clearly rendered placing instruments and voices more in their own spaces. Even audience noise and applause was dramatically clearer and more distinct. I don't know how they did it, but the Blue outlet is another big step forward. Next week I will introduce three more SR Blue UEF High Current AC cables into my system as I shift more and more away from earlier generation Nordost AC cables (Brahma and Vishnu). I thought that my first Blue cable was a great addition at a quite reasonable price and with the October special of three for the price of two and a 30 day trail period I'm jumping in with both feet. Geronimo! |
inforguy5068
I have both Black and Blue fuses and prefer the blue overall. It was easy to tell which fuses were stock as the difference is so great between 2 & 3 and 1 & 4 (stock). The Black duplex outlet is also very superior to stock outlets including hospital grade Hubbells (then again so are my older Reds). I'm not anxious to install Blue duplex outlets at this time (I'm almost 63 too). The fuse change was especially easy with the Blue fuse sounding better immediately versus the 72 hour break-in period for the Black. Get the Blue fuse and enjoy better music without the wait. |
Today I finally got around to swapping the Blue outlet for the Black one currently powering my main system. At 63, this amounted to aerobic exercise with much grunting and sweating, given all the gear and furniture I had to move--not to mention some scary dust bunnies and startled spiders. It has been a while since I was last back there! Despite the new outlet and all the cables I disturbed today, I'm looking forward to tonight's listening session and those throughout the coming week. Since much of my gear is powered 24/7, hopefully I'll quickly get through the initial burn-in. I have to say my system has been sounding so good lately I'm a bit anxious about the change. Also, I have three more SR Blue HC power cords I bought on the three-for-two special waiting for me at the post office so this week will test my self control. I fully intend to try to draw a bead on the differences between the Blue and Black outlets over time and report back before further throwing my system back into temporary chaos. |
So a video of the Blue vs Black fuse along with stock & a 4th unnamed fuse was made... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1aAnGEQtFY Can anyone tell the differences? |
So a video of the Blue vs Black fuse along with stock & a 4th unnamed fuse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1aAnGEQtFY Can anyone tell the differences? |
So there is now a video comparing the Black & Blue fuses, along with stock & a 4th unnamed fuse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1aAnGEQtFY Can anyone hear any differences between the 4? The 1st one is the worst sounding, but the other 3 are kinda hard to tell apart. |
Thank you sir. I can tell a slight improvement since my previous post. I’m listening to J.J. Cale/Eric Clapton "The Road to Escondido" now, the last time I put it on, I couldn’t get through side 1 before taking it off. It really sounds very good now. Instead of listening to a good recording, as before, now I'm listening to them perform in a small club venue. Steve |
Here is my initial impression on the Blue fuse in my phono-preamplifier. I let it burn in for 19 hours before listening. After two familiar lps, I hear greater clarity and transparency with no brightness or forwardness. I believe I have it installed in the correct direction. I’m gonna wait until 200 hours are over before making my final impressions and before I install the Blue outlet that feeds my Hydra that drives my front-end electronics so as to get a better understanding of what that outlet can do. |
At the last minute I got in on the September special of a Blue outlet with a free Blue Fuse. The Blue outlet will free up one of my Black outlets for re-deployment. The Blue fuse will bump the Black in my REL S/5 to replace in turn, a Hi-Fi Tuning fuse in my REL R-328. Swapping the outlet will be a major PITA involving moving equipment and some furniture. The things we do for a more involving musical experience in our homes.... |
Hard to tell what is having the biggest effect as I have so many new tweaks in place right now but all I can say is everything is adding up to lower noise floor considerably. With my ear up against tweeter on my analog phono stage I can barely hear a faint hiss. Before tweaks it was not terrible but definitely a lot more audible than it is now. And it should only get better. |
With the September, but 2 get 1 free promotion I have 6 on the way! I have not ever been one to hear a difference with cables. I have not ever upgraded power cables and have modest speaker cables and interconnects. I have Audioquest diamondback interconnects with some older Audioquest speaker wire that was bulk for around $7/foot. The sales guy at Cable Company was sooo passionate about these Blue fuses and assured me this will not be one of those A-B comparisons where you have to really struggle to convince yourself you hear a difference. He said it WILL BE jaw-dropping. I'm upgrading my phono preamp, main preamp and the two monoblock amps. They recommended a staged implementation and were out of stock on one for my main amps anyhow. I will start upstream with the phono preamp and see how it goes. He recommended I not try to constantly go back and forth with the fuses as you may with a speaker or amp. I think all comments I have read for SR fuses speak to a break-in period. He said to leave them in for a couple weeks and then go back to my stock fuses and thats when I will be amazed. Years ago when I was getting started in high-end gear, we still had a few brick & mortar shops in town. The guy I visited most would let me take used gear home on a Saturday and trial over the weekend to bring back Monday. One time I tried a pair of $1500 interconnects to connect my CD player. I have a friend that is a car audio audiophile and we never could appreciate a change in the sound. When I returned them Monday, Ken asked if I really wanted to understand.....that he would teach me. It would take a couple hours in his sound room with different cables and gear, but then I would understand. BUT!!! Once I knew, I would be hooked and could never turn back. I chose to stay ignorant at that time LOL. I'm very excited about this upgrade and also feel much comfort that they offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee! |
Received my Blue Duplex along with free Blue fuse today. Not had time to install duplex yet, plan for tomorrow but did slip the fuse into the Ayre ax7e. I played exact same album as I had on last night, a piano driven piece. A lot of difference imho, notes seemed to hang in the air filling out the music more. Deeper it appears to delve into the actual recording. Hard to really put into words, just seems more fleshed out overall. Lets see what the duplex brings tomorrow. |
Yes we will see The duplex is the main feed into my music room that feeds the cpt1800. The blue fuse will be going in the ayre ax7e amp. I already have a blue fuse in my Goldnote ph10 phono stage. Never investigated my old Pioneer sacd player for an internal line fuse to change, sure there is, but as it is used so infrequent decided not even worth looking. Mind here is an example of crazy ( in some eyes). My old Pioneer sacd value maybe $120. Hooked up with Nordost Heimdall ic value $600 ..... Lol. |
Each system is different. I felt as though the SR Blue fuses was like the SR Black fuses on steroids. I arrived at this conclusion after going through a complete set of SR Red fuses, then Black fuses and then the Blue fuses. If I had to do it all over again, and had they been available at the time, I would have started with the SR Blue fuses to begin with. Frank |
Who has heard this to answer it? How different is the Blue duplex versus the Black duplex? Is it as much as between the two colored fuses or something less? The difference between the Black and Blue fuses was good but not tremendous, unlike the difference between the Black and the standard fuse, or the Red or Black duplex and a standard Hubbell hospital grade duplex. |