Synergistic Red Fuse ...

^^^  Allan ...

I'm using only one Herbie's dampener per tube. They are at the level recommended as the "default position" by Herbie's directions, and that would be about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the tube. 

On the Caig Gold contact enhancement: You may notice a little brightness in the system after the application of the Pro Gold. Not to worry, it settles in rather quickly and the brightness is replaced by improved clarity. 

Al ...

Thanks for the post regarding the directional properties, or lack thereof in the fuses. 

I finally replaced the last SR Red fuse for the Black fuse. I took a fully broken-in SR Black fuse from the CD Player and put it into the phono amp then put the new SR Black fuse into the CD player to break in.

The sound coming from the phono amp was diffused as though the system was out of phase. The sound stage was wider, but nothing sounded quite right. I reversed the fuse and everything just locked right into place. The sound stage narrowed somewhat, but was much more focused with the fuse direction swap. 

Don't ask me why or how, I just know that it does. Clearly audible to my ears .... and ditto for my friend Robert.  Robert hears like a bat. :-)

By the way, Al ... Robert brought over a few of his "special" records for the listening session last night. These would be considered to be equal to some of Tom Port's "Hot Stampers."  The AT ART-9 continues to amaze. What a cartridge! 

Frank

Oregonpapa 10-28-2016
The AT ART-9 continues to amaze. What a cartridge!

Yes indeed! And even more so considering that the price (ca. $1K) is a bargain compared to most competitive LOMCs.

It was gratifying to me, BTW, to see in some other threads a while back that the ART-9 has received similarly effusive praise from a member (Dodgealum) who like me uses Daedalus speakers and a Herron VTPH-2 phono stage.

Thanks for your comments, Frank & Dave. Best regards,
-- Al

Dave,
Thanks for sharing that review although I have to say that it affirms what many posters on this thread had discovered for themselves . This review will give a wider audience for music lovers seeking an effective audio product to improve their listening experiences. His finding the source components more demonstrative of the Black fuse than the power amplifier matches my outcome. No doubt that this is very likely brand and/or component dependent.

I did not use the Synergistic Research AC duplex. Mine are the Avatar Audio Afterburner 8 but they certainly were quite an upgrade over the stock unit. I agree with the reviewer in that these types of products are exceptionally high value and cost effective choices.
Charles

Hi Charles,

I posted the review with the hopes of providing information primarily to prospective buyers as you say, but also to those that already bought the Black fuses but may have some curiosity remaining.

I have used the pre-SE Teslaplex receptacles for years. One was actually zapped by Ted on SR’s Tesla coil while I watched during a visit to their factory back in 2010/2011. Very impressive to actually see this.

The Powercell 10 UEF/FEQ I recently purchased from a friend included the "SE" version of the ’red’ receptacle and I recently replaced one of the older non-SE receptacles with that "SE", mounted in an Oyaide WPC-Z billet aluminum housing with CF plate running to one of my side-by-side yet independently-wired-and-breakered 30 amp lines, leaving the well-broken in non-SE red receptacle on the sister 30 amp line for use in the interim and for later comparisons.

After 10 days of burning in the new "SE" receptacle using an extension cord to the fridge in the garage, I moved the Powercell’s power cord over to new SE receptacle. Not a night-and-day difference like many of SR’s products, but a nice improvement in refinement of the upper-mids/treble. I imagine that the Black UEF receptacle may yield the same level of improvement (or more) over the red SE receptacle but don’t know without comparison.

I have used the PorterPort (very good, a steal for the price, and still available from Albert Porter here on Audiogon), a couple of early Oyaide versions, and Hubbell non-nickel hospital-grade receptacles in addition to the SRs. The PorterPort is a fine sounding receptacle, very neutral sounding (not to imply lean or threadbare, but balanced sounding and true-to-the-music), while the SR Teslaplex receptacles are more dynamic and forward sounding with more ambience and space (the SR sound). I didn’t cotton to the early Oyaide receptacles that I tried. Can’t speak to their newer offerings.

I imagine that there are many fine-sounding receptacles out there today, including the Avatar Audio model that you use. I think that the metal type used for the prongs, the backing plate, and the ground strap (both for the sublayer and for the plating), as well as the type of material used for the housing play the major role in differences in sound between them.

There is one other thing I will share regarding my limited experience with receptacles: Different receptacles do indeed impart a different sound in my system and I feel that it is advisable to select the one you prefer early on, as it may alter later decisions on tuning choices, i.e. power cords (and the metal composition of plugs/IECs) and even ICs and speaker cables. Just my opinion as is everything in audio. YMMV.

Best to you Charles,
Dave