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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
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.

oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
^^^ I have a CD player that takes two fuses.  Each one made a significant improvement.  

OP
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Butler, this is my post from 3-19-16 below.  The fuse in the "HDD live" slot is the one that made a difference.   I had 2 fuses of the right value in other equipment, so I tried one at a time and then both.  Again, adding the black fuse to the mains live slot pretty much made no difference.  So I just ordered one for that spot and put the 2 I already had back in the other equipment.  

"Knghifi, looking down on the HAPZ1 with the front closest to me, the fuses were installed with the S to the left and the R to the right.  Again, I found the directionality to be rather obvious.  The fuse in the front is labeled HDD live.  The one towards the back is labeled Mains Live.   Look off to the left and towards the back for the label.  I asked Dan Wright a number of questions, including "which fuse serves the DAC."  He didn't answer that particular question.  

It may be that the mains fuse is serving mostly uses such as the display, which would explain that fuse having little or no impact of the quality of sound. "
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