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
"Does SR junk source their production to China?"

Oh, you mean like Apple?
Cal wrote,

"geoffkait - Ha. Sorry for not being more rigorous, but I spend that currency at work. And to be fair, there’s precious little science (or even real EE knowledge, Al excepted) being communicated on these forums. Might as well be the anti-vaccine crowd with the way people regularly ---- on blind listening tests while extolling the virtues of their subjective experience."

I know there's an Appeal to Authority in there somewhere. 

geoff kait
machina dynamica
we do artificial atoms right

I've been reading this thread since it began and would like thank oregonpapa for starting a very informative and useful topic. It's wonderful that so many enthusiasts are involved and encouraging other members to be open minded concerning fuses. Who would have thought such a "none essential" component could affect sound quality. Most of us have tried different tweaks over the years with little or no changes. Some would call these tweaks "snake oil" but isn't it part our hobby to experiment and get the most out of our systems? I understand some are reluctant to spend over $100 for a fuse but would spend thousands on cables. But as oregonpapa and others have stated numerous times, SR's 30 day return policy is a no brainer!

But I'm really amazed what these black fuses have done to my system. The soundstage opened up, I could hear more detail and greater dynamics. Music can be played at a lower volume and it still sounds great. I'm actually writing this while listening to my system and pause occasionally to enjoy the music like I have a new system. 

I was wondering if anyone tweaked their speaker placement due to these fuses. I reduced the toe-in since the speakers throw a wider soundstage. I spoke to Ted Denney many years ago while considering to upgrade to his Tesla series cables. He stated the cables will allow my then Focal speakers to throw a wider soundstage thus reducing the toe-in and he was correct. I guess the fuses are doing the same.

ronragsg ...

This thread has found a life of its own at almost 70,000 views. Who knew?

Interesting idea of reducing the toe-in of the speakers. I think I may try your suggestion this weekend. Its kind of a hassle for me as I have Mapleshade platforms spiked through the carpet and then the speakers spiked to the platforms. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but the speakers weigh 145 pounds apiece. 

You didn't mention what cables you're currently using, but some members are getting really good results from SR's new Black power cords. There's a thread on the subject in the cable forum. 

Hang in there ... 

ronrags:

Thank you for the reminder to experiment with speaker toe- in after putting in better performing fuses such as the Synergistic Research Black fuses.

Also experiment with small changes in the position of the footers under the equipment.

The speaker and footer changes  can sometimes really improve the system's sound. Even after a "small" change like a fuse.

David Pritchard