Synergistic Red Fuse ...

To circle back with listening impressions on the Blacks in my DAC/pre: I returned to stock fuses for a few days to re-set my ears and expectations, then last night re-installed the Blacks (in this case with the R side of the fuse meeting incoming current.)

Compared to stock, bass was indeed fuller. Tone density was thicker, but ultimately I do think it came at the cost of detail resolution. With stocks my soundstage was pristine and slightly concave, as in it invited me to listen in. With the Blacks, the stage was wider, and pushed in a convex fashion toward me. But there was less depth, and indeed though I felt closer in space to the instruments in the soundstage, I perceived a little less definition and detail.

I’ll flip direction once more before making a final judgment on these guys. And I’ll repeat that this is all in good fun, and I question none of the great results that so many people are hearing. Just callin’ ’em like I hear ’em.

OP,

Also I will comment that I think I heard similar aspects to the sound that you originally identified when you started the thread in that I was trying to listen for taht and other things as well. At times I thought it might be somewhat associated uniquely with the red fuse, other times not. At the end of my session I was not sure I could identify a consistent advantage for either fuse.. So the contest was a wash for me in the end.

When done, I left my original fuse in in that it came with the unit and I could not identify a reason to change. The ARC sp16 has easy rear panel access for changing fuses, which helped greatly. I probably changed fuses up to a dozen times for comparison while listening. Other units may involve more work, removing covers, panels etc. If that were the case, and I had actually purchased the red fuse rather than using a free loaner to eval, I think I would have been more inclined to just leave the red fuse in and move on.

One thing interesting to me at this point is I can’t say conclusively that both fuses sounded the same. I definitely think I heard different things at different times, not unlike what Cymbop indicated, sometimes with the same fuse, but the differences were subtle and could easily have just been due to what I was specifically listening for at any particular time. So I definitely did not hear anything that indicated to me that the two fuses always sounded exactly the same. The differences were just very subtle and hard to attribute alone to just one fuse or the other. Just enough to cast some doubt. I started a thread recently asking people to rate the magnitude of various tweaks they’ve tried. For me the magnitude of this one was very low compared to some others I have used for similar cost where the differences were apparent immediately and consistently from there..

^^^ Very interesting mapman.

We both use ARC gear and yet we've gotten two different results. Could it be that the fuse I sent you was out of the system for weeks before I sent it ... and perhaps it needs to "settle in" further??

The difference for me was huge right from the first fuse that went into the REF-3. So much so that it prompted me to start this entire thread.

I ended up re-fusing the entire system with the SR Red fuses and the result was a very significant overall improvement in every way.  Then, as I convert each piece of equipment over to the SR Black fuses, each fuse blew away the previous Red fuse. Go figure. 

Why not leave the fuse in place for awhile. Maybe it needs to be re-broken in???

I’m thinking towards the weekend when I typically have more time to listen I will pop it back in and give it a more extended listen, probably using my much larger OHMs  where I spend most of my preferred listening time, then maybe compare again.

I guess its the mystery of a lot of high end audio that helps keep things interesting. How often does everyone ever arrive at a consensus with anything when it comes to this stuff.

joncourage ...

I'm happy that you've gotten your problem resolved. With that said, I'd like to address your last post. 

1.  " The odds that a $10,000 amp is flaky (one of your statements) are pretty low but it’s a base I covered."  

If you reread my post, I did not refer to your amp as being "flaky." I used the term "noncompliant." 

2.  I didn't "lecture" you about anything. My response wasn't directed to you at all. It was in response to another poster who accused me of being associated with SR. 

3.  Reread the post you alluded to. You will find that I never called you a troll. 

4.  Its true that I didn't think this was the proper place/thread to file a complaint about a supplier. I felt the proper action was to complain to SR directly. I did that for you via SR's Facebook page. The result was an offer from SR to make your fuse dilemma right for you. I reported that back here so that you could take the proper action. Evidently it worked out for you. Perhaps doing you a favor somehow offended you?? 

5.  Please point out where I have "condemned" and/or "undermined your integrity."  

6. I am 77 years old. I started selling when I was 8 years old. But then I don't doubt for one second that I am "no more experienced in the business world than you"  *lol*

Look, my intent in this post isn't to start a pissing contest with you. This is all about fun for me. I love the audio hobby. I love the end result, and that is to get us closer to the live event. But with that said, you have completely blown what I said way out of proportion and taken offense where none was intended. What do I do now ... just say "I'm sorry" for going to bat for you with SR? You tell me. 

In the meantime .... happy listening.