taters ...
The beeswax fuses cost $175.00.
To answer your previous questions ...
Yes, I have aftermarket wall sockets, custom power cords built by Dave Magnan, a power conditioner that's been upgraded with high-end sockets. There are filters in the power conditioner built by Dave Magnan. I'm using Nexus ICs between the phono and the preamp.
There are Shatki Holograms (two pair) ... one pair in the front corners and one pair in the back corners of the room (huge improvement).
I bi wire my speakers. The two 12 foot pairs of speaker wire was built by a company in Oregon called Music Advancement Company, or more commonly known as MAC. The stock speaker terminals have been replaced with Cardas Copper terminals. The bi wire location at the amp uses Cardas copper banana plug adapters (another nice improvement). The speakers sit on thick Mapleshade maple platforms that are spiked to the floor with those beautiful German solid brass spikes that were so popular in the hobby 20 years ago. Finally, the speakers are spiked to the platforms.
I also have two heavy 12"x12" marble platforms sitting on top of each speaker. They fit the tops of the speakers perfectly. I've found that on some floorstanding speakers, adding weight to the top of the speakers is like adding mass to the speakers and removes some grain (more removal of vibrations). The platforms that sit on top of the speakers are made up from two heavy slabs of marble with that same dampening material that's used so successfully elsewhere in the system. The dampening material is cemented between the layers of marble.
The Well Tempered Turntable has been modified as well. The arm has been rewired with Cardas copper wire. There's a custom TT belt that I purchased from originlive.com (highly recommended). I have heavy solid brass tweeks on the turntable that dampens the table by clamping the fluid-well and the paddle within it, the tonearm itself has a layer of shrink-wrap material for more dampening, and even a heavy brass bolt and screw that attaches the arm to the plinth. The brass items for the turntable had to be custom machined. These brass items made a significant improvement in the turntable ... especially the clamp around the fluid-well. The turntable and detached motor sit on ultra hard titanium ball bearings that sit in the middle of a hole cut out of thick dampening material. The stock feet have been removed to facilitate the ball bearings.
I have a custom equipment rack that has constrained layers of dampening material between the layers of wood used to construct it. My equipment all rests on custom made, very heavy, fine grade granite platforms that have the same dampening material between their layers that the equipment rack has.
I've spent an inordinate amount of time, effort and $$$ to reduce micro vibrations in the system as much as possible. As you may, or may not know, ARC has paid a lot of attention over the past number of years on dampening their boards and chassis ... and even their vacuum tubes with the black tube rings that come with their equipment. Believe it or not, the positioning of those tube rings on the tubes is critical to attain the best sound from your ARC gear.
I've found that the newer ARC gear sounds best (at least in my system) sitting on their stock feet. Everytime I try aftermarket footers under the equipment, it detracts from the sound.
Oh, and I run my CD player, preamp and amp in balanced mode, using ARC IC's. These are excellent IC's, but unfortunately, ARC no longer sells them.
When you come right down to it, the only thing we want vibrating is that stylus between the grooves. All other vibrations smear the sound to some degree ... even if those vibrations are on a micro level.
With the reduction in micro vibrations, and everything else listed above, the system was already a high resolution system. With the addition of the three SR RED fuses, the system definitely has been brought to a whole different level ... far beyond where I thought it would ever be. Next purchase will be two 1.5 amp SR RED fuses to be put into the ARC CD7-se CD player, and then I'm done with the fuses.
Before I forget ... If anyone is having room problems there's a pair of Shatki Holograms for sale here on Audiogon. Check it out ... good price too.
On the solid core copper plug in place of a fuse: A good idea if you have stock in your local fire department ... and if you don't care about your equipment, your house or your family's safety. I guess it would be okay if you never leave the room while your equipment is on and keep a small fire extinguisher next to your listening chair. .
As a final thought ... If anyone is finding the SR RED fuses to be "sizzly" and "bright," I'd take a good look elsewhere in the system. Work on those micro vibrations ... then get the fuses.
Happy listening, guyz ...
The beeswax fuses cost $175.00.
To answer your previous questions ...
Yes, I have aftermarket wall sockets, custom power cords built by Dave Magnan, a power conditioner that's been upgraded with high-end sockets. There are filters in the power conditioner built by Dave Magnan. I'm using Nexus ICs between the phono and the preamp.
There are Shatki Holograms (two pair) ... one pair in the front corners and one pair in the back corners of the room (huge improvement).
I bi wire my speakers. The two 12 foot pairs of speaker wire was built by a company in Oregon called Music Advancement Company, or more commonly known as MAC. The stock speaker terminals have been replaced with Cardas Copper terminals. The bi wire location at the amp uses Cardas copper banana plug adapters (another nice improvement). The speakers sit on thick Mapleshade maple platforms that are spiked to the floor with those beautiful German solid brass spikes that were so popular in the hobby 20 years ago. Finally, the speakers are spiked to the platforms.
I also have two heavy 12"x12" marble platforms sitting on top of each speaker. They fit the tops of the speakers perfectly. I've found that on some floorstanding speakers, adding weight to the top of the speakers is like adding mass to the speakers and removes some grain (more removal of vibrations). The platforms that sit on top of the speakers are made up from two heavy slabs of marble with that same dampening material that's used so successfully elsewhere in the system. The dampening material is cemented between the layers of marble.
The Well Tempered Turntable has been modified as well. The arm has been rewired with Cardas copper wire. There's a custom TT belt that I purchased from originlive.com (highly recommended). I have heavy solid brass tweeks on the turntable that dampens the table by clamping the fluid-well and the paddle within it, the tonearm itself has a layer of shrink-wrap material for more dampening, and even a heavy brass bolt and screw that attaches the arm to the plinth. The brass items for the turntable had to be custom machined. These brass items made a significant improvement in the turntable ... especially the clamp around the fluid-well. The turntable and detached motor sit on ultra hard titanium ball bearings that sit in the middle of a hole cut out of thick dampening material. The stock feet have been removed to facilitate the ball bearings.
I have a custom equipment rack that has constrained layers of dampening material between the layers of wood used to construct it. My equipment all rests on custom made, very heavy, fine grade granite platforms that have the same dampening material between their layers that the equipment rack has.
I've spent an inordinate amount of time, effort and $$$ to reduce micro vibrations in the system as much as possible. As you may, or may not know, ARC has paid a lot of attention over the past number of years on dampening their boards and chassis ... and even their vacuum tubes with the black tube rings that come with their equipment. Believe it or not, the positioning of those tube rings on the tubes is critical to attain the best sound from your ARC gear.
I've found that the newer ARC gear sounds best (at least in my system) sitting on their stock feet. Everytime I try aftermarket footers under the equipment, it detracts from the sound.
Oh, and I run my CD player, preamp and amp in balanced mode, using ARC IC's. These are excellent IC's, but unfortunately, ARC no longer sells them.
When you come right down to it, the only thing we want vibrating is that stylus between the grooves. All other vibrations smear the sound to some degree ... even if those vibrations are on a micro level.
With the reduction in micro vibrations, and everything else listed above, the system was already a high resolution system. With the addition of the three SR RED fuses, the system definitely has been brought to a whole different level ... far beyond where I thought it would ever be. Next purchase will be two 1.5 amp SR RED fuses to be put into the ARC CD7-se CD player, and then I'm done with the fuses.
Before I forget ... If anyone is having room problems there's a pair of Shatki Holograms for sale here on Audiogon. Check it out ... good price too.
On the solid core copper plug in place of a fuse: A good idea if you have stock in your local fire department ... and if you don't care about your equipment, your house or your family's safety. I guess it would be okay if you never leave the room while your equipment is on and keep a small fire extinguisher next to your listening chair. .
As a final thought ... If anyone is finding the SR RED fuses to be "sizzly" and "bright," I'd take a good look elsewhere in the system. Work on those micro vibrations ... then get the fuses.
Happy listening, guyz ...