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The new Synergistic Research BLUE fuses ....

New SR BLUE fuse thread ...

I’ve replaced all 5 of the SR BLACK fuses in my system with the new SR BLUE fuses. Cold, out of the box, the BLUE fuses stomped the fully broken-in SR BLACKS in a big way. As good as the SR BLACK fuses were/are, especially in comparison with the SR RED fuses, SR has found another break-through in fuses.

1. Musicality ... The system is totally seamless at this point. Its as if there is no system in the room, only a wall to wall, front to back and floor to ceiling music presentation with true to life tonality from the various instruments.

2. Extension ... I’ve seemed to gain about an octave in low bass response. This has the effect of putting more meat on the bones of the instruments. Highs are very extended, breathing new life into my magic percussion recordings. Vibes, chimes, bells, and triangles positioned in the rear of the orchestra all have improved. I’ve experienced no roll-off of the highs what so ever with the new BLUE fuses. Just a more relaxed natural presentation.

3. Dynamics ... This is a huge improvement over the BLACK fuses. Piano and vibes fans ... this is fantastic.

I have a Japanese audiophile CD of Flamenco music ... the foot stomps on the stage, the hand clapping and the castanets are present like never before. Want to hear natural sounding castanets? Get the BLUE fuses.

4. Mid range ... Ha! Put on your favorite Ben Webster album ... and a pair of adult diapers. Play Chris Connor singing "All About Ronnie," its to die for.

Quick .... someone here HAS to buy this double album. Its a bargain at this price. Audiophile sound, excellent performance by the one and only Chris Connor. Yes, its mono ... but so what? Its so good you won’t miss the stereo effects. If you’re the lucky person who scores this album, please post your results here.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRASONIC-CLEAN-The-Finest-Of-CHRIS-CONNOR-Bethlehem-Jazz-1975-NM-UNPLAYED-...

Overall impressions:

Where the RED fuses took about 20 hours to sound their best, and the BLACK fuses took upwards of 200 hours of total break-in, the BLUE fuses sounded really good right out of the box ... and that’s without doing anything about proper directional positioning. Not that the BLUE fuses don’t need breaking in, they do. The improvement continues through week three. Its a gradual break-in thing where each listening session is better than the last.

Everything I described above continues to break new ground in my system as the fuses continue breaking in. Quite honestly, I find it difficult to tear myself away from the system in order to get things done. Its truly been transformed into a magical music machine. With the expenditure of $150.00 and a 30 day return policy there’s really nothing to lose. In my system, its like upgrading to a better pre amp, amp, CD player or phono stage. Highly recommended.

Kudos to Ted Denney and the entire staff at SR. Amazing stuff, guys. :-)

Frank

PS: If you try the SR BLUE fuses, please post your results here. Seems the naysayers, the Debbie Downers and Negative Nellie’s have hijacked the original RED fuse thread. A pox on their houses and their Pioneer receivers.

Frank



128x128oregonpapa
prof
3,471 posts
 

uberwaltz,

Your question is like "how do you know magnetic bracelets don't work in healing people don't work if you haven't tried it?"

Just as a magnetic bracelet is based on medical claims that have no main-stream medical backing and the "evidence" is of the unreliable personal anecdote variety, it's the same with audiophile fuses.

As far as I know...and I'm happy to be corrected...the claim that introducing an audiophile grade fues in place of (a competently implemented) existing fuse in a component will alter the sound doesn't have backing by electrical engineers.  Certainly I've seen electrical engineers - the ones who don't have an investment in selling audiophile fuses - saying it's nonsense.

Further, my skepticism is based both on my own experience, and in understanding the reasoning for why the scientific method exists.

I am well aware how fallible human perception is - there's a ton of science showing this.  And my own blind tests have given me personal acquaintance with just how easy it is to think I perceive a sonic difference that isn't really there.

If there are measurements showing the output of a competently designed component actually changes with the introduction of an audiophile fuse...I'm not aware of it.  But I'd appreciate a link if you have one.

But the talk of "200 hour break in" of a fuse is, I'm sorry, tin-foil-hat territory.  And the method the OP used to determine the amazing sonic effects of these fuses is indistinguishable from those used to determine coloring or demagtezing CDs, or little resonating discs, "change" the sound, which electrical engineers (who aren't trying to sell these products) will explain as nonsense.




georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
When you rely on the really poor protocols that many audiophiles use to declare sonic differences, it’s not surprising that virtually anything can be claimed to have made a sonic difference.

But, go ahead and spend away on audiophile fuses if you want. It’s your dime, your game.

I’m an audiophile insofar as I love high end audio. But it’s also sometimes frustrating to be associated with a hobby that also comes in for so much well deserved ridicule.

+1 Prof

If you go back to the OP’s first post and see the differences one "black" fuse did, them maybe multiples into all the equipment, then after that the massive improvements the "blue" does over the "black" then the massive improvements multiple "blues" do.

You’ve got to think to your self, that system of his must of sounded real t**d before any of these boutique $150 fuses came along.

Cheers George
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Prof
I respect your distrust of tweaks and some of your reasoning for said attitude, some of the claims for some tweaks I have seen are borderline idiocy I agree.

However please do not tar ALL tweaks with the same brush.

Not repeating myself yet again, scroll back a few posts and you will see where I have come from as far as fuses are concerned.

And before you ask, yes I AM a working EE but do NOT believe that science has the answer for everything or can explain all.

I keep an open mind on quite a variety of things, not all in the audio world either.

Ridicule away, I am happy with having spent my money where I chose too.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I realize this remark will be met with some skepticism, but there has never been an audiophile tweak that has been proven to be a hoax or a fraud. Sorry for bursting any bubbles.
fleschler
2,007 posts
 
Geoff, maybe your statement should include that there is a tweak for every system as nearly all audio systems (equipment and room treatment) vary. What works in one of my audio systems does not necessarily work in my other audio system the same way. However, the SR fuse had such an obvious and apparent improvement over stock cheap fuses that an equipment designer thought it was easy to upgrade his equipment after hearing it without a double blind test. Frank knows that a few (6) high quality capacitors in the right place changes a now cheap DVD player into a world beater CD player.

We have done double blind tests on his IC cables from earlier to later versions which have great similarity. They require this type of test to ferret out what we like and dislike concerning the new versus older design cables. We use different types of music repeated on a CD recording with a third party organizing the CD. Then we listen, make comments and the cable designer decides what he will do next to his new design to keep it or start again and try something else (really subtle changes such as 26g. silver ribbon in place of a 28g. copper ribbon to obtain more open highs).
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