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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
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Fazee 10-04-2016
One issue to consider is that Singapore’s electricity voltage is 230V whereas the voltage for the U.S.A. is 120V, therefore I have no idea if this would affect the fuse values in the Sony in anyway?

In the case of an AC mains fuse the voltage difference will generally make a considerable difference in the current rating of the fuse that is necessary, because a given amount of power consumption by a component will correspond to almost twice as much current being drawn if it is configured for 120 volt operation than if it is configured for 230 volt operation.

However, the 3.15 amp rating of the fuses in Fazee’s 230 volt unit seems much higher than would normally be used in an AC mains application for a component such as the HAP-Z1ES, that is specified as consuming only 35 watts. That and the reference to there being two identical fuses leads me to suspect that those fuses are being used for much lower voltage DC applications in internal circuitry, such as the + and - 15 VDC voltages that are used in many designs. In which case the fuses that are required for the 120 VAC version of the HAP-Z1ES could very well be the same as for the 230 VAC version.

In any event, though, as Fazee suggested Butler should look inside his unit to be sure of what is necessary.

Regards,
-- Al


butler
78 posts
 
Thanks for the input Les & Al, guess I'll need to look before I leap just to be sure.....will need to purchase a BIG magnifying glass cause my near vision sucks but what the heck, also have an EAR preamp that I will likely re-fuse too so might as well bite the bullet. Intrigued to see if these fuses actually provide all the positives listed here.
fazee
70 posts
 
almarg, thank you for the very informative post, very helpful for someone like me who has limited knowledge of AC/DC, current, amps, ohms, voltages etc. 

I remember being sceptical when first introduced to the Black fuse at the local SR dealer; Sound Decisions, when I went down to purchase some HFTs and MiGs. Nevertheless I asked Mr Google for help and he directed me to Audiogon and oregonpapa and enjoyed reading through this thread. After the many favourable reviews I decided to take the plunge and gave Sammy a call.

The results for me were immediate and I was blown away. I have more than 100 hours on the fuses now and my system keeps sounding better. I told my buddy about it and he scoffed at the idea that a couple of fuses can make any difference in sound quality. Guess there will always be unbelievers amongst us.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Butler,
I tried the Blacks in my Sony HAPZ1 ES.  I found that replacing one of the fuses made a noticeable improvement in sound, whereas the other made no discernible difference.  I wonder if one fuse serves non audio devices ( front panel, transport etc).  I reported my observations earlier in this thread.  You might want to repeat my experiment.  Could save you $120.
butler
78 posts
 
Hey thanks Brownsfan, that is very interesting and good info to have.  Do you suggest purchasing just the 1 fuse and trying it in both locations to see which is which or would you be able to ID the location of the one I would need?  I guess with the return policy it wouldn't matter much at any rate, if one wanted to experiment.

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