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
While I have no problem with those few that don't believe SR black fuses can improve the sound in our audio systems I would like them to answer a simple question I've asked three previous times on this thread without an answer. Maybe I can prevail upon almarg to do so.

Since the fuse is the weakest link in the AC pathway, is it not possible that some improvement....whether it's better conductivity or more EMI/RFI shielding.......could improve the sound of a component? It's not just my assertion that it would but Paul McGowens' of PS Audio also. It seems to me it's at least a possibility. Please tell me why Paul McGowen and I are wrong in thinking so. Thanks.
Al wrote,

"Simply asserting that a fuse may be a weak link in some way is not an explanation that would be viewed as meaningful by the court of electrical engineering. Which is not to say that a ruling by that court is definitive. It is to say, however, that the proffered explanation is not definitive either, or even meaningful."

But this is not the court of electrical engineering. Unless we to believe that you are the self imposed Judge Judy of the court of electrical engineering. As to whether the explanations proffered are definitive or meaningful it depends on which explanation your referring to. If you are referring to my explanation, I submit it’s both definitive AND meaningful. As well as sufficient to explain the results. Could this go all the way to the Supreme Court?

moreover, anything in the audio system that can be improved is by definition a weak link. If there are five fuses in the system there are five weak links. Of course there are in fact many weak links in ANY audio system, not just fuses.

something’s going on and you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones? By the way Mr. Jones is a pinboy and he wears suspenders.


Mac48025, I have said on multiple occasions that I don’t doubt that a fuse can make a difference in many cases. With that opinion being based in large part on the many user experiences that have been reported here. Beyond that, my views were summarized in my post in this thread dated 1-20-2017, and I can’t offer anything more in answer to your question.

Best regards,
-- Al

Thanks Al, I didn't mean to imply that you didn't think it was at least possible fuses couldn't improve sound, I only called upon you because those that keep saying it isn't possible won't answer and I knew you would provide an informative and balanced answer. While I have experienced sonic benefits from the SR black fuses I can appreciate others didn't but can't understand their insistence that there's no possibility they could.

thanks again Al
When Almarg notes he's influenced by the opinions sited here, I think, hey, this isn't the "magic fuses don't do anything" crowd, it's the "I have sensitive ears and spent the money on special fuses and think they work" forum.  Biased? Who knew? I also don't think people here read his posts carefully enough as much of his valid sensibilities that inject technological expertise into the stream are glossed over since he's not a reactionary provocateur like I seem to be. I'd bet my lunch money that blind testing, the silver bullet to mythology vampires, would reveal a lot as far as the Fuser vs Magic Tweak Deniers conversations go. That said:

If a fuse is working properly it doesn’t or can’t have any effect on the sonics of the device. If it’s not working for some reason (manufactured on a Wednesday, utilizing unfortunately moldy beeswax, being disconnected early from a Tesla zillion volt treatment due to a lunch break), I imagine it’s the fuse connection that’s causing the electrons to be bruising their tiny selves by trying to squeeze through ("Imagine" is the key concept in these discussions). Fuses aren’t inherently a "weak" link as even the copper bar analogy (or apparent test) simply implies that the AC gets through to power supplies and other bits to do exactly what it would do anyway. I ain't fallin' for the "obviously better" part, but then I'm afraid to remove my fuses to try it out…don't wanna blow my "class d" rookie system up. This may not make sense to some, but remember, it comes from somebody who doesn’t know what "sweet" treble is…higher calorie? Less squeaky? Old reed on the sax? Old strings on the Telecaster? I can learn much from geoffkait…maybe I should order a bag of magic pebbles. On another note, I'm recommending a recording that sounds Real Good…Jim Campilongo's "Jim Campilongo and Honeyfingers Last Night This Morning." Got it from Jim when I worked with him recently and was blown away at the sonics (and the music) from this 180 gram vinyl version…it has sweet treble…I think...