2. amps-preamps
  3. 1448317474

Synergistic Red Fuse ...

I installed a SR RED Quantum fuse in my ARC REF-3 preamp a few days ago, replacing an older high end fuse. Uhh ... for a hundred bucks, this little baby is well worth the cost. There was an immediate improvement upon installation, but now that its broken in (yes, no kidding), its quite remarkable. A tightening of the focus, a more solid image, and most important of all for my tastes, a deeper appreciation for the organic sound of the instruments. Damn! ... cellos sound great! Much improved attack on pianos. More humanistic on vocals. Bowed bass goes down forever. Next move? .... I'm doing the entire system with these fuses. One at a time though just to gauge the improvement in each piece of equipment. The REF-75se comes next. I'll report the results as the progression takes place. Stay tuned ...

Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
128x128oregonpapa
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
"Hate going through the break in process."

Amen to that.

Merry Christmas to all,
Dave  
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 

"Hate going through the break in process."

What’s the difference? Something should always be breaking in, shouldn’t it?

😀

a25105
133 posts
 
What I really meant was I would pay the seller to break in for me if there is such a service.  I would like to know how the device sounds immediately after I inserted it to my system and be able to enjoy it right away if it is good.  
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
I texted David early this morning to wish him a Merry Christmas. He responded, so he's still around.  I think he's been swamped at work. 

Frank
fleschler
2,007 posts
 
Well I’m up to 230 hours on my black duplexes. Sounds about the same as yesterday. The is blacker backrounds lowering the noise floor for LPs & 78s in particular. There is better transient response superior highs and tighter bass. The mid-range while cleaner is not tonally different.

The black fuses should increase the positive changes but I remember they brought the mid-range sweetness that I thought was magical like a Mac 30 amp. I should be getting them by Thursday.

a25105. Try reinserting the fuses the other direction. I found that after only 2.5 hours a huge difference. By any chance did your system sound more forward brighter and tonally thinner? That’s what the black duplex also sounded like at the beginning. Try the other direction. I heard a darker fuller more distant sound with great slam detail and warmth. It got slightly better after 12 hours til they blew. It’s possible that it just won’t sound good until they break in. It seems these tweaks are idiosyncratic unlike Hallographs which sound great when placed wherever they should be in the room.

I dont understand why most audiophiles don’t address their listening room adequately or overdampen them while the Hallographs take so much of the work out of creating a closer to optimal listening environment. They are not cheap but less costly than one high end cable. Frank, Robert, Tom Port all rely on them too.
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