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
A great CD with original and traditional American music is violinist Mark O’ Connor’s "Liberty!". It’s the soundtrack from the PBS miniseries of the same name about the American Revolution.

The track "Brave Wolfe", a duet for violin and trumpet with Wynton Marsalis, is particularly amazing.

Hello,  I am thinking of trying one of these black fuses.  I see some people are recommending that you go one size up on the fuse,  just wondering if this is always safe to do?  thanks
I bought two Black fuses for my Electrocompaniet amp. Selected higher than the suggested rating, two steps higher for the one inside the amp. They both blew in three weeks.

There was a difference for sure, more detail in the highs, it was showing problems in that area as well.

After they blew I removed the wrapping on the fuses, there was nothing except some glue in that "mystery dot". Maybe the glue is the thing, who knows.

I’m not getting new ones soon. Going to try some other fuses next.
Kedoades 1-14-2017
Hello, I am thinking of trying one of these black fuses. I see some people are recommending that you go one size up on the fuse, just wondering if this is always safe to do? thanks
Based on the several reports we have seen in this thread of SR Black fuses blowing when they shouldn’t, it seems clear that the unspecified "melting point" of SR Blacks is lower than that of typical stock fuses having the same current rating. ("Melting point" defines the combination of current and duration that if exceeded would cause a fuse to blow, and is expressed in units of amps-squared x seconds). Therefore it seems clear that if for example you were to substitute a "5 amp" SR Black for a 5 amp stock fuse you would in effect be substituting a fuse having a lower rating than 5 amps.

Also, from a technical standpoint it seems to me to be very unlikely that a fault in a component that should cause a fuse to blow would result in a current draw just slightly above the rating of the stock fuse. Especially in the case of a mains fuse, but most likely also in the case of DC rail fuses.

On the other hand, it might be argued that use of a higher fuse rating than stock could invalidate warranty and/or insurance coverage. But that too seems very unlikely. And in any event the same argument could be made even if the same rating as the stock fuse is used, just based on the fact that the upgraded fuse does not have approval from UL and other such agencies.

So IMO there is no problem going up one or two current rating increments. Although some others have expressed differing opinions earlier in the thread, and the post just above indicates that going up one or two increments may not always be enough anyway.

Regards,
-- Al