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
Ptss....I appreciate the effort but none of that answers my question. I'm not asking about directionality, old fuses or other wiring

Since the fuse is the weakest link in the pathway, why wouldn't improving that weak link improve sound quality? It's commonly believed that improving the weak link in a system provides the biggest improvement, why couldnt improving the weak link in the AC pathway bring about improvement? I'm merely asking isn't plausibly possible instead of stating its definitely not possible ( I'm not saying you made that statement but others have)? Isn't it possible?
Mac48025 3-14-2017
Are the SR fuses blowing for no reason? I have 6 SR black fuses with the same values as the stock fuses they replaced without incident. Might the issue be one that only applied to the early fuses?
Mac48025, after briefly making use of the "Find" function that is provided in the Firefox browser I use, using the terms "blew" and "fail," I believe that the most recent reports of SR fuse failures were in posts by members "whitestix" on 1-22-2017, "fynnegan" on 1-14-2017, "fleschler" on 12-21-2016, "sns" on 12-10-2016, "mtseymour" on 11-10-2016, and "dlcockrum" on 11-5-2016." Some of these reports involved SR Reds, and some involved SR Blacks. Some of the reported failures occurred instantly, and some after a period of time. Also, Wolfie had reported that a couple of the SR fuses he tried in various components in his system had blown, as did at least several members who posted earlier in the thread.

FWIW, my guess as to why some have experienced these failures and others have not relates to differences in turn-on surge currents (referred to by EEs as "inrush currents") among different component designs, and perhaps also to differences in susceptibility to failure among SR fuses having different current ratings and/or different fast blow/slow blow ratings.

Also, regarding the correction that you subsequently made to your post that I quoted from, FYI you can edit a post during the first 30 minutes after it is submitted. Click on the gear shaped icon at the upper right corner of the post, and click "edit."

Best regards,
-- Al

Hmm, if a fuse is made to be a sacrificial component, as proffered by georgehifi, then wouldn't it make sense to make one of higher quality?
It wouldn't degrade as quickly, if ever.

As for the ones that blew instantly, aren't those rather rare compared to the vast majority of fuses sold? And didn't someone, earlier on in this thread, say that not all amps turn on the same and the inrush of current is not the same from different makes? I seem to remember someone talking of a brand with different models that behaved differently. Fuses blew and fuses didn't simply dealing with different models of the same component. And didn't someone offer that going up just a bit in value seems to do the trick for the ones that easily blow without detriment?

Some tubes fail soon after insertion for no apparent reason. Some other components do as well. Crappy fuses have been made for a long time so it's rather easy to assure the most basic performance needed during manufacture due to the lower standards involved. Pound them out. Almost uniform performance after purchase is a given and nothing to really brag about.


Some failures are to be expected. So what? People have gotten their money back or the fuse replaced and viola! It works.

All the best,
Nonoise
mac48025                     03-14-2017

Reading your post is like a breath of fresh air. Thank you.