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
Dave ...

I'm relaxed ... and I don't take Wolf Man Jack seriously either. I just had a sudden  hankering to indulge myself in a little creative writing. Therefore, my previous post. :-)

highstream ...

Thank you for mentioning the music recommendations. Like I said before, in the end its all about the music. 

I wish I could recommend the recordings Robert and I used for tonight's listening session, but to find them would be almost impossible.  Robert brought over some CD's that he had burned years ago from a really good 78 setup he had at the time. I know he used a Grado 78 cartridge run through a Yamaha line stage's phono section.

  We listened to mostly classical music with the best performance and sound coming from a 78rpm record that was recorded in 1928. Very natural sounding with bass that one wouldn't imagine could come from these old recordings.

Frank  
Hello Highstream,
Although I’ve had no blown Black fuses (slo blo) in my components I believe as others have stated,  moving up 1 step for ampere rating is an acceptable practice.

Frank,
Good sound quality and bass from a 1928 recording? Now that is truly a special and rare treat. Who are the artists and what music is being performed?
Charles
I’ve transferred a number of old 78 records from those days to my music server and agree they are an "interesting" sonic treat.

The other day I was listening to a professionally remastered CD version of Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller. Audiophile sound quality for sure in terms of natural sounding if not the nth degree in all technical attributes.

I love CD remasters of classics from the oldest days of recorded music. They are true music gems and most remastered well are quite unique and hold up nicely in comparison to many modern recordings. I could listen to that music all day long.
Charles ...

I burned a copy of Robert's 78 CD recording but I didn't take note of the artists, orchestras or performances. It was a compilation of a number of recordings.  There's surface noise as one would expect from 78's, but the music is there. 

mapman ...

There's something really charming about the sound of the orchestrations on good 78's. They always remind me of the movies my mom would take me to when I was a kid. She always had music around her and she loved the old musical movies. Lots of good stuff like Betty Hutton, Dan Daily, Betty Grable, Gene Kelly, .... 

Check this Joe Houston recording out. I bought this when I was in Jr. High in 1953. Cost me a grand total of fifty cents ... brand new. This is what we listened to before the British Invasion and before Elvis hit the scene. It was rock & roll, but before the guitar replaced the saxophone. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NgTGZHjVHA

More:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NgTGZHjVHA

This was one of my favorites - Earth Angel by The Penguins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhXRDSO6wzk

Artie Shaw 1938:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2_q7YsU4ak&list=RDc2_q7YsU4ak#t=29

How about a little classic Al Jolson?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCniBUdWcmA

Yep, 78's played through a high end system can sound surprisingly good. Its like using a good audio system as time machine. 

Frank