Dear Grasshopper ... err, I mean Mapman:
Nowhere in any of my posts will you find the statement "WILL improve your sound (or else there is probably something wrong with you)"
As I stated in several of my posts in this thread, I started out with stock fuses in all of my ARC electronics just like everyone else. I replaced the stock fuses with HiFi tuning fuses and heard a definite improvement. Not earth shattering, but an improvement none the less.
Then I replaced the HiFi tuning fuse in the REF-3 with an SR RED fuse. That was a major improvement that not only did I hear, but my unsuspecting friend Robert (Mr. Record) heard it too right off the bat without knowing what the change was. That was the fuse that started this entire thread.
Once the entire system was switched over to the SR RED fuses, they came out with the BLACK fuses. So, I started replacing all of the RED fuses with the BLACK fuses one by one. This was a real game changer. Mind boggling as a matter of fact. And at this date, I still have one more RED fuse to change out in the CD player.
The improvement is not an imaginary figment of my feeble 78 year old brain. Dude, I've had some of the best listeners and an actual reviewer hear my system and they all comment on the improved artifacts such as sound stage, depth, clarity, musicality and the overall realism being obtained. And trust me, it was no slouch in these areas before I started with the fuse program.
The system has progressed significantly over the past year with the fuses being just one change. Also included are the SR Level 3 PC's, Von Gaylord IC's, Von Gaylord speaker cables ... and SR's HFT room treatments. Combined, all of these products have created what I referred to as an amazing music producing machine in my listening room.
Again, and I mean no disrespect here, why you and a couple of others cannot hear what these products are doing is beyond me.
How about this: Order a ten-pack of SR's HFT's and place them around your room as directed, then report back with the results. The effects of the HFT placement in my room were NOT subtle. There's a 30 day return policy. Nothing to lose remember.
OP