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
geoffkait ...

  "Well, for one thing that’s not really skepticism ..."

I was referring to those who "know" the fuses don't work without even trying them. 

   "Just curious, which tweaks did you try that didn’t work for you, that you felt burned by?"  

1.  Green paint for CD's.  Black paint for CD's.
2.  Tice Clock.
3.  Don't recall the name, but a black box with a power cord attached that when plugged into any outlet was supposed to lower the noise floor. It did absolutely nothing. 
4.  After market turntable mat that did  nothing except slow the speed of the turntable motor. 
5.  CD mat ... no change.
6. After market jumper cables for the speakers that actually degraded the sound. 
7. ... more and more ... :-)

    " I can certainly understand the melodrama ..."

Melodrama? What melodrama? I'm just chronicling my experiences with the SR fuses. Geeze, Louise ... if you want to see melodrama, read the posts from some of the naysayers who haven't tried the fuses. *lol* 

    " It happens with cables, it happens with power cords, it happens with Mpingo discs, it happens with CD treatments, with demagnetizers, with contact enhancers and it happens with it happens with fuses."
    
With the exception of Mpingo discs, I have tried everything else above. Some were busts and some were major improvements. Some that worked were the result of trial and error. An example ... I've tried a number of contact enhancers and CD treatments. One contact enhancer gave an improvement initially but then eventually dulled the sound. It was a real bear to get it off of the RCA plugs and tube pins. Now, I just use Caig Red and Gold. Works great. After much trial and error, I've settled on a CD treatment formulated by a friend, the contents of which, he keeps close to the vest. For a solution to clean records on my VPI 16.5, I make my own. Its better than anything I've tried in the commercial products and it costs only pennies to make up a gallon of solution.  Oh, years ago, I bought a VCR tape demagnetizer from Radio Shack. I treat every CD with it after cleaning with my friend's CD cleaning solution. It really takes the digital edge off of the CD's that need it. They sound much more analog like after the treatment. 

And yes ... the direction of the fuse makes all the difference. Like going from a system that's out of phase, to one that brings you to a new level of resolution and musical enjoyment.  With all of that said, the SR fuses are such a revelation in my system, that I find it really hard to imagine that they don't work in every application. I suspect that the user isn't letting the fuse break in ... or that the system has some other problem attached to it.

On the other hand, there are those who find a really great single malt Scotch to be unpalatable, or are completely oblivious to a glorious rainbow or a beautiful sunset. To each his own ...

Take care ...






Years ago, I had an audio salesman try to talk me into a solid state amp and trading in the tube amp I was using at the time. He made the claim that what I was listening to in the tube amp was "distortion." My reply to him was ... "well, if that's distortion, give me more distortion." 

If the SR fuses and power cords are "Voodoo," then PLEASE, give me more Voodoo.  :-)
Hi Frank,
I'm awaiting shipment of the O'Dette Lute CD.

Hi Whitestix,
I done quite a bit of tube rolling of various components over the years. As you note some changes are immediately obvious and some were subtle at best.   I have no way to explain your results with the SR Red fuses so I just simply accept your individual outcome.  

The effect of the Black fuses in my system were more noticeable and dramatic than a number of the tube comparisons.  Those were simply my results based on listening.  Although we had very different outcomes with the fuses I won't cast negative assertions and judgement towards you. You make many broad based assumptions about the many posters here whose results differed from yours.  All manner of audio products will inevitably yield a range of results from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Why the need to denigrate listeners whose impressions are contrary to yours?  The fuses were unimpressive for  you,I understand that.  For the vast majority on this thread the fuses have been a smashing sucessful tweak.
Charles, 
Note that 42% of the posts on this thread have come from 4 individuals, with oregonpapa currently ahead of charles1dad 190 to 173. Come on charles, you're SO close!
Consider the number of individual listeners of these fuses who have successful results compared to the number who have not, pretty high ratio. I would not expect 100% consensus of opinion with these fuses(or any product for that matter). 
Regards,
Charles,