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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
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
Mapman…If you don't mind, when you're finished enjoying the astonishing transformation produced by the use of the half inch of directional hair thin fuse wire on your system, your wardrobe, the brightening of the sound room wallpaper, and your Mama, please send it to me as I would like to experience the same (maybe not the "your Mama" part)…plus I can assume it will be thoroughly broken in and please note which direction sounds best, as I don't want to waste 170 hours on tawdry electron confusion.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,201 posts
 
Wolf,

Once I get all that I will surely be hooked and hired ninja assassins may not be able to make me part with my new friends.

We'll see....  :^)
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Oregonpapa wrote,

"^^^ ... Hmmm ... I don’t recall anything about SR saying their fuses weren’t directional. I may have missed it though."

at this point in time I suspect SR doesn’t really care one way or the other since it’s common knowledge or at least it should be that you’re supposed to try all fuses both ways, even the ones like Isoclean and HiFi Tuning that come with directional arrows as well as stock fuses. You know, better safe than sorry.  Speaking of which, do the SR fuses come with directional arrows or directions for how to insert the fuse into the system, e.g., per direction of writing on the fuse?

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Addendum to previous post regarding directionality of SR fuses, in particular the Black fuse.

This is an excerpt from the Stereo Times review of an earlier SR fuse that addresses the subject of fuse directionality (of SR fuses) as apparently SR see it. Maybe SR has changed it's mind about directionality, who knows.  I do know that HIFi Tuning used to claim that their fuses were not directional but would burn in properly no matter which way they were inserted.  Of course, HiFi Tuning has since recanted.

"Finally, the Synergistic Research Quantum fuses are put on the Tesla coil both directions, which they claim makes them not directional. That would be convenient, but I have found that not true. I find the lettering on the fuse runs opposite of the direction of the fuse that sounds best. This is not a major factor, but with their exceptional realism, it is not one you would want to forego."
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
wolf-garcia ...

Pleeeze!!! Don't diminish the size of the fuse I sent mapman. The appendage I sent was 1.25 inches and not the paltry "half-inch" you alluded to. We Italians are sensitive to such things.  :-)

Nice to see your humor in the thread, wolf. 

geoffkait ...

Nope, no instructions, no arrows. You just put it in and let the equipment tell you what's best. 

By the way .... I'm getting sound from records now that I never thought I'd ever hear. If you have a phono stage that takes a fuse, be sure to put a SR Black fuse in there. Here's the deal ... the AT ART-9, for the price of a $120 fuse  has gained at least $1000 in sound quality. No joke. 
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