Evidently the breakin period is a bit longer than I thought. Things just keep getting better.
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?
Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
Showing 50 responses by oregonpapa
So, the SR RED fuse for the amp arrived two days ago. I installed it into the ARC REF-75 SE. So now there's a RED fuse in the amp and one in the ARC REF-3. There was an immediate improvement in overall sound right out of the box. I let it burn in for a few hours knowing full well that there was a break-in period to expect. It was a nice improvement, but still a LOT more to come. Mr. Golden Ears, Robert The Cynic, came over later in the evening and he noticed the improvement right away. His comment was that it wasn't as much of an improvement as the one in the preamp had made. Well sure, he heard the preamp when the fuse was broken in. The new one in the amp had maybe under 10 hours on it. 24 hours later: I let the system warm up last night while I fixed dinner and ate. Then, I poured two fingers of a fine single barrel bourbon and settled into the listening chair for a nice relaxing listening session. Wow! ... Wow! ... and Wow! I have never heard such realism from my system. The attack and speed on piano is simply amazing. Saxophone is right there in the room. Female and male voice has such presence and lack of grain. The tonality of instruments is unreal ... or should I say "real?" Is this even possible from a home system? I didn't think so, but there it was, in spades. The REF-75 SE with the KT150s is, what I thought, a grainless amp. Ha ... Ha! ... There is a LOT more in that amp than meets the ear. My suggestion? Run, don't walk, to the Synergetic Research site here on Audiogon and gobble up some of these fuses for your system. You can trust this old audiophile ... you'll be glad you did. And by the way, this vendor ships via rocket ship. Super fast. Next to come ... two fuses for the ARC CD-7se. Yikes ... and after that, one for the PH-8. Would someone please come over and drag me out of the house? I need to get things done. |
So far, with the preamp and amp using the RED fuses ... I've experienced no "thinness" or "brightness." My audiophile friends who have heard the improvements all have come to the same conclusion that II have, namely ... a big step toward realism. I'm also curious about the bees wax filled fuses. At $175 per pop, I'll wait for others to report. In the meantime, I continue to reluctantly tear myself away from my system. Hey, we have to eat sometime, right? |
I'm still gob-slapped over these SR RED fuses. I reached into the "classical closet" this morning for something to accompany my home roasted Colombian coffee and pulled out "A Liszt Recital" by Jose' Echaniz on the Musical Heritage label. I swear the piano was in the friggin' room. So dynamic and the speed on leading edges was like never before. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 got played twice. For those who aren't aware, Jose' Echaniz was a magnificent pianist of the highest order. A number of his recordings are available on Ebay right now. |
With the SR RED Fuses in the Amp (ARC REF-75se) and in the Preamp (ARC REF-3) now fully broken in, the improvement is astounding. A third SR RED Fuse will be arriving today, to be put into the phono stage (ARC PH-8). I'm doing this incrementally in order to gauge the improvement in each piece and how that improvement affects the overall sound of the system (not to mention that I love new audio "fixes.") So far, with just the two fuses, the system has evolved well beyond my expectations. I cannot believe what I'm hearing from the system. In previous posts having to do with the Newport Show ... and the best sound from that show, I referred to the Optimal Enchantment room three years ago, specifically about the three dimensionality of that soundstage and how believable it was. Well, the fuse upgrade hasn't gotten me to that point yet, but I'm getting a nice taste of it. I suspect when I install the new fuse in the phono stage today the system will be bought even closer to the edge of that great ARC/Vandersteen system in Randy Cooley's room three years ago. I continue to shake my head in amazement at how much information is hidden in those record grooves and digital bits. Stay tuned ... I'll report on the third fuse after listening today. Happy listening, guyz ... |
This was the end of the first listening session with the SR RED fuses all the way down the chain ... phono, preamp and amp. The addition of the third fuse to the phono stage today was a nice improvement in the beginning. After a few hours of burn-in, the rear of the stage opened up like never before. Wow! Everything sounds so pristine. Way more inner detail. Records that I know by heart are a new experience. The experience I'm having tells me that the fuses really come into their own after about 10 to 20 hours. So ... tomorrow should be a banner day for playing records at my house. Best bank for the buck ever. |
So, my friend Mr. Golden Ears (Robert) came over last night for an extended listening session. The last time he was over, I had a broken in RED fuse in the preamp, and a brand new one in the amp. Last night, all three fuses were at work ... amp, preamp and phono, with all three fuses broken in at this point. We played a variety of music, all of which sounded better than ever. The most striking was a Pacific Jazz stereo recording, recorded in 1956, that I have of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (STEREO-1005). Now here we had that realism similar to the Optimal Enchantment room at the Newport show three years ago that I alluded to earlier. Fred Katz's cello was particularly good with correct tonal balance, woodiness, resin and all in three dimensional relief. Robert called me again this morning raving about Katz's cello that he heard last night. That's saying alot considering Robert's second nickname is "Mr. Cynic." This Chico Hamilton record is one of my favorites in the entire collection and I know every groove in it. With the simple exchange of three fuses ... $300 bucks total plus tax and shipping .. and walla! an entirely new record collection. No joke guys ... this was as good as going from my ARC Classic 60 to the ARC REF-75 ... and that's saying a ton. Put another way, better than going from the REF-75 to the REF-75SE ... and that's saying another ton. So now, instead of sitting just outside that wonderful soundstage reproduced in the Optimal Enchantment room of three years ago, the system now allows one to sit at least on the inside edge of that soundstage. Delightful, to say the least. |
taters ... The beeswax fuses cost $175.00. To answer your previous questions ... Yes, I have aftermarket wall sockets, custom power cords built by Dave Magnan, a power conditioner that's been upgraded with high-end sockets. There are filters in the power conditioner built by Dave Magnan. I'm using Nexus ICs between the phono and the preamp. There are Shatki Holograms (two pair) ... one pair in the front corners and one pair in the back corners of the room (huge improvement). I bi wire my speakers. The two 12 foot pairs of speaker wire was built by a company in Oregon called Music Advancement Company, or more commonly known as MAC. The stock speaker terminals have been replaced with Cardas Copper terminals. The bi wire location at the amp uses Cardas copper banana plug adapters (another nice improvement). The speakers sit on thick Mapleshade maple platforms that are spiked to the floor with those beautiful German solid brass spikes that were so popular in the hobby 20 years ago. Finally, the speakers are spiked to the platforms. I also have two heavy 12"x12" marble platforms sitting on top of each speaker. They fit the tops of the speakers perfectly. I've found that on some floorstanding speakers, adding weight to the top of the speakers is like adding mass to the speakers and removes some grain (more removal of vibrations). The platforms that sit on top of the speakers are made up from two heavy slabs of marble with that same dampening material that's used so successfully elsewhere in the system. The dampening material is cemented between the layers of marble. The Well Tempered Turntable has been modified as well. The arm has been rewired with Cardas copper wire. There's a custom TT belt that I purchased from originlive.com (highly recommended). I have heavy solid brass tweeks on the turntable that dampens the table by clamping the fluid-well and the paddle within it, the tonearm itself has a layer of shrink-wrap material for more dampening, and even a heavy brass bolt and screw that attaches the arm to the plinth. The brass items for the turntable had to be custom machined. These brass items made a significant improvement in the turntable ... especially the clamp around the fluid-well. The turntable and detached motor sit on ultra hard titanium ball bearings that sit in the middle of a hole cut out of thick dampening material. The stock feet have been removed to facilitate the ball bearings. I have a custom equipment rack that has constrained layers of dampening material between the layers of wood used to construct it. My equipment all rests on custom made, very heavy, fine grade granite platforms that have the same dampening material between their layers that the equipment rack has. I've spent an inordinate amount of time, effort and $$$ to reduce micro vibrations in the system as much as possible. As you may, or may not know, ARC has paid a lot of attention over the past number of years on dampening their boards and chassis ... and even their vacuum tubes with the black tube rings that come with their equipment. Believe it or not, the positioning of those tube rings on the tubes is critical to attain the best sound from your ARC gear. I've found that the newer ARC gear sounds best (at least in my system) sitting on their stock feet. Everytime I try aftermarket footers under the equipment, it detracts from the sound. Oh, and I run my CD player, preamp and amp in balanced mode, using ARC IC's. These are excellent IC's, but unfortunately, ARC no longer sells them. When you come right down to it, the only thing we want vibrating is that stylus between the grooves. All other vibrations smear the sound to some degree ... even if those vibrations are on a micro level. With the reduction in micro vibrations, and everything else listed above, the system was already a high resolution system. With the addition of the three SR RED fuses, the system definitely has been brought to a whole different level ... far beyond where I thought it would ever be. Next purchase will be two 1.5 amp SR RED fuses to be put into the ARC CD7-se CD player, and then I'm done with the fuses. Before I forget ... If anyone is having room problems there's a pair of Shatki Holograms for sale here on Audiogon. Check it out ... good price too. On the solid core copper plug in place of a fuse: A good idea if you have stock in your local fire department ... and if you don't care about your equipment, your house or your family's safety. I guess it would be okay if you never leave the room while your equipment is on and keep a small fire extinguisher next to your listening chair. . As a final thought ... If anyone is finding the SR RED fuses to be "sizzly" and "bright," I'd take a good look elsewhere in the system. Work on those micro vibrations ... then get the fuses. Happy listening, guyz ... |
Of course, accurately reproduced music is the end we are all seeking from this hobby ... but finding those things that get us closer to the actual performance is a totally fun part of the hobby. I equate we audiophiles to car guys and hot rodding where the means to the end shaves off a fraction of a second from a quarter mile time, or perhaps a slightly faster lap time for road racers. It may consist of something simple like new carburetor jets, or tweaking the timing. Or it could be something really expensive like a new camshaft with a slightly different dwell or higher compression pistons. The newly reduced time is ultimately important of course, but the additional "push-back" in the seat is the thrill. And, in our case ... that "push-back thrill" is why we continue our pursuit of better, more revealing equipment. And tweaks that may sound crazy at the outset (like fuses), that make a significant improvement in one's sound system are an absolute necessity to the hobby. Otherwise what? Grow stale? Lose interest? What I don't understand are those who haven't experimented over the years with various tweaks, and yet, they poo-poo something really significant like the fuse upgrades WITHOUT EVER HEARING THE RESULTS FOR THEMSELVES. Go figure. One final thought on tweaks: Those of us who like to experiment with this stuff are fully aware that some tweaks, especially dampening, can be carried too far. In such cases, the sound is compromised by a "dullness" or "compression." So .. that's when the tweak is cast off as not worthwhile. I've had that experience many times, but one that really stands out was my experiments with MU-Metal placed around motors and transformers. A little goes a long way. Slightly too much and it sucks. Get it just right and the noise floor is lowered noticeably. All I can say is ... Thank you Synergetic Research for your R&D and the excellent product these fuses are. Happy listening ... |
Charles ... I'm up to three components where I've replaced the stock fuses for the SR Red fuses. Friends who have heard the system, and know it well, continue calling to tell me that they cannot believe how realistic the sound is now. Two more fuses to go ... and they both go into the CD player. By the way, they take about three listening sessions before they're broken in. The sound really opens up then. |
On the expense of the fuses ... Early on, before I bought the ARC REF-75/SE, I owned the "regular" REF-75. I changed out the KT-120's for the KT-150's and the improvement is well documented here on the forums by myself and others who did the swap. Four KT-150's = $400.00. So, for those who remember how significant that improvement was ... the SR RED fuses are even a bigger improvement. Just putting things into perspective. |
^^^ Yep, the SR fuse chips arrived in this afternoon's mail. I did an a/b comparison with one piece of gear at a time, starting with the preamp fuse. Here's the overall consensus: I used Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" CD first. I know this CD very well, so any improvement would be noticeable right away. With the fuse chips installed in the preamp and amp ... and with stock fuses still in the CD player, I noticed an additional lowering of the noise floor over just the SR RED fuses without the chips. This allowed for additional inner detail and previously unheard things to come through the soundfield. For example, on the cut "Oh Canada," an audience member coughs four times. I never, in all the times playing this CD, ever heard those coughs. In addition, the sense of movement of the musicians came through including Krall's operation of the pedals of the piano. the piano creaks, thumps and other things besides music that pianos do. All subsequent CD's revealed new information too. Very nice. Next, I replaced CD's with Vinyl and put an SR fuse chip on the phono stage fuse. First up ... Sammy Davis Jr. with Laurindo Almeda on guitar. WOW! The sense of Davis being in the room was amazing. His personality came through like never before ... the mouth sounds, chest, throat and breath being controlled by the singer was amazing. Almeda's guitar had new inner detail, so much so, that I could hear "around" the strings. Such realism in that dang guitar! Then, I switched to female vocalists. Same here as on the Sammy Davis album. The personality of the singers came through with a new realism. Sue Raney with the Bob Florence trio is one of my reference LP's. Again, the best I've ever heard it sound ... and I've heard this album at least a hundred times. There's more to the SR fuse chips that the fuses by themselves don't provide. Yes, there's a lower noise floor, but the realism of the system overall has really been enhanced by the fuse chips. For the money, it's definitely a worthwhile tweak. Next ... two SR RED fuses for the CD player along with two more fuse chips. As good as CD's are sounding in the system so far, which is far better than I ever thought digital would sound, I predict a major improvement once the CD player is "fuse upgraded." Stay tuned ... |
^^^ Yes, the WA Quantum Chips. Sorry if I wasn't clear. Between the SR RED fuses and the fuse chips, my system has been brought to a level that I wouldn't have believe attainable only a few weeks ago. This is with only three new fuses and three fuse chips. I still have stock fuses with no chips in the CD player. That will be the next upgrade. I recommend the chips for sure. They bring about a relaxation to the musical presentation that the fuse upgrade alone doesn't provide. It adds a lot to the realism of the playback. |
^^^ David ... I had to remove the three RED fuses in order to install the WA chips. After replacing, everything needed to settle in again. After the system was on for a few hours, it just came to life. You comment about a "sense of subtraction" was right on. Much more inner detail with the chips, but not in an etched sort of way at all. Just closer to the music. More organic. More emotionally impactful. Once I have the CD player operating with the RED fuses and WA chips, I'll move on and try the ECT's. From what I've read online, these make more difference than the fuses and chips. Has that been your experience as well.?? |
^^^ That's what they used to say about cables, speaker spikes and removable power cords. I assume, Charles, that you've tried all the sizes of WA chips in your own system before making your judgement though, right? Don't get me wrong here, Charles. I understand your skepticism. I bought the fuses and chips with full knowledge of the distributor's money back guarantee. I'm not sending them back. |
Charles ... Yes, I reread the guilty post and realized my mistake. So sorry. Do you think it may have had anything to do with the WA chip I pasted to my forehead? :>) The Oyaide is an excellent choice, Charles. I was using another "hospital" grade outlet before I installed the Oyaide. The improvement was not subtle at all. It provided a major reduction in grain, a more silent background and more inner detail. Does anyone have a good idea on how the WA Quantum chips work? I don't think it has anything to do with reducing the micro vibrations of the fuse itself .... or does it?? Audiolabyrinth ... Thank you for your complement. I really enjoy writing about these tweaks, especially when they are as mind blowing as these SR products. I love the fact that for the cost of a hundred dollar fuse, a stereo system can be transformed for the better. I can hardly wait to put the two required fuses and WA chips in the CD player. Should be really mind boggling. Stay tuned ... |
David ... Thanks for the info on the The Synergistic Research ECT's. After I finish with the fuses, the ECT's will be my next step. In addition to your analysis, I've read nothing but good things about them. I had two friends over for dinner tonight (my homemade chile), and they were amazed at how well the system sounded. We played nothing but CD's ... and it was so good we were listening to entire CD's all the way through. It was kind of mesmerizing actually. I know it sounds far fetched, but I believe even the WA Quantum Chips needed some burn-in time. |
The final two RED fuses went into the CD player today in anticipation of two fellow audiophile friends coming over for a listening session tonight (Friday). After warming up the system for an hour or two, the session began. Holy ear openings Batman! This was no minor improvement. The entire back wall came down. I couldn't have put it any better than my friend Mr. Golden Ears (Robert) put it ... "These fuses in the CD player didn't just lift a veil ... they lifted the entire roof off of the house!" Other comments were: "It sounds like you have installed far better speakers or preamp!" Quite honestly guys, this is the most exciting improvement, at a most reasonable price, in my audio system since I entered the hobby in the early 70's. Digital playback has acquired an analog presence and is completely enjoyable to listen to. Usually when beginning with CD's, it's not long before someone wants to switch to LP's. Well, not tonight. It was one CD after another in complete astonishment. In the event you may be thinking that this is the irrational blatherings of someone who is just overly enthusiastic ... it's not. These damned fuses have taken my audio system to a completely different level ... a level I thought unattainable. I can almost reach out and touch the reality. I had no idea that the ARC CD-7SE was capable of attaining this type of three dimensionality and realism. I've heard good digital at the various shows like the Newport show ... but I'm hard pressed to recall better sound than what came out of my speakers tonight. I'm stoked! |
While the fuses were most impressive in the line stage and amp, they were less impressive in the phono stage. The phono was a marked improvement mind you, but he amp & preamp was more significant. The best improvement was at the CD player. It may have been because the CD player required two fuses. Now I'm thinking about what geoffkait said and will try reversing the position of the fuse in the phono amp tonight. Stay tuned ... Charles ... When you get your outlet and cover, would you please do an A/B comparison with the cover plate off ... and then on? Reason I ask is because I never replaced the cover plate after installing the Oyaide outlet. Thanks ... |
wolf ... I enjoy your posts immensely. Your humor is such that it clearly reveals your intelligence. Last night one of the listeners during the listening session was so overwhelmed by fright due to the 3-D realism afforded by the two RED fuses in the CD player that he ripped off his clothes and ran down the street naked. He said that he hasn't been so inclined since the late 1960's. When the Sheriff's Deputy returned him intact he was fine, although he was blabbering something about Dr. Timothy Leary. Does this disprove your theory that the "black hole" isn't irreversible? After all, my friend came back. Even Alice came back ... |
With every component in the system sporting the SR RED fuses, I cannot imagine how the system can improve beyond where it is now. The sound is phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. The CD player, taking two fuses, was the biggest improvement so far. It is so good that I will NEVER, EVER get rid of this CD Player. Put it in my casket and lower it down with me boys, lower it down with me. And now we are faced with the new Black fuses from SR. What to do, what to do? Sell the RED's? Keep them for spares? Forget the Blacks and just be satisfied with the RED's? Naw, that's not happening ... the Blacks are supposed to be an improvement like the RED's were. With that in mind, who could pass them up. I think I'm having a love/hate relationship with this hobby right about now. *lol* |
Good news guys ... I just heard from Betty at high end electronics. They are going to honor the 30 return policy and give me credit for the two latest RED fuses I bought toward the new BLACK fuses. They should be getting their inventory next week sometime and we will make the swap then. Great folks to deal with at high end electronics ... highly recommended. Stay tuned ... |
^^^ Oh yes, I totally agree Charles. I'm in total amazement at how good my system sounds, credit due to the five RED fuses in the system. I was thinking last night that if I could never make another improvement, I'd be satisfied with the way it is now. It's not like listening to a stereo system anymore. It's like an Imax presentation of the music in all of it's glory. Simply gorgeous. |
I'm really enjoying this thread a lot. At this point, and I hate to say it, never thought I'd ever say it ... but the CD playback is really challenging my analog rig ... and that's saying something. When I said that the sound I'm getting from digital now is like listening to an I-Max playback of music, it was no exaggeration. King ... I remember that HP quote as well, and I totally agreed with him until these RED fuses in the CD player broke in. I'd challenge any digi-phobe to come over for a listen and tell me they still don't like digital. Triple layers of Adult Diapers are required before the listening session begin though. Charles ... Totally agree with you. These fuses are the most bang for the buck of any tweak I've ever done. A person could spend thousands on new cables, or .on an equipment upgrade and not accomplish what these fuses accomplish. Did the folks at SR sell their souls??? |
^^^ Charles ... I have to agree with you on the redbook CD's. My digital sounded very good before the fuse changes, but honestly, I had no idea what these little silver discs were capable of. I understand from a very reliable source that the ARC CD-6 is very analog like in its presentation. Perhaps the best ARC offers in this respect in a single box CD player. Even with that input, I'm keeping my ARC CD-7se. It's just too good to get rid of. Here I am sitting on a multi-thousand album record collection that's taken me over 50 years to accumulate. I have no intention of getting out of analog at this point. The only place where the digital is better (in my system) at this point is the lack of surface noise. The fuse change in the CD player has pretty much eliminated the digital edge and the flat presentation that bothered me so much before in comparison with analog. So now ... its the best of both worlds, or at least close to it. Digital is now very musical, natural, organic and three dimensional. It throws off a wall to wall soundstage with uncanny front to back depth; and layering. A real "you are there" presentation. And its not just with the best discs. Almost every disc I throw on is a revelation,. The best discs in my CD collection are just simply magic. What's really cool is that I have attended many hifi shows over the years, and I can say at this point that very few demos at those shows, in spite of much higher prices, tons higher, are better than what I have right here in my living room. Most don't even come close. Life is good ... |
David ... The fact that SR continues to improve their products is a reflection of the competitive nature of a capitalistic system wherein improvement is necessary or a competitor will create that improvement and out of business you go. Who benefits? Well, the business that provides the most benefit for the end consumer ... and the end consumer/user. That's us. After all, money is nothing more than a scoreboard reflection on one's service to others. Its the old adage: Help enough people get what THEY want, and you will get what YOU want in return. So, let's hope that the good folks at SR makes a TON of profits off of their products and continues to lead the field with these wonderful, effective fuses. Bring on the Black ones. And then perhaps the Purple ones after that. Charles ... I first got into jazz as a teenager though listening to Rhythm & Blues. This was before the guitar replaced the saxophone as the usual lead instrument as it did with the "White" music of Elvis, the Beatles, etc. So, it was just a natural progression from the saxophones of Earl Bostic, Joe Houston and Big Jay McNeely ... right into Chu Berry, Ben Webster, Lester Young ... and then into Paul Desmond, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and more. When I first heard Monk, my reaction was very similar to that of Louis Armstrong when he first heard Charlie Parker and Diz playing BeBop ... "I hate it ... it sounds like Chinese music!" *lol* I couldn't stand Monk with his discordant poundings on the ivory. But then ... but THEN ... as I started listening more critically to his playing I began to understand what he was trying to do. As time progressed, I came to realize just how great of a genius he truly was. At this point, I have a lot of Monk's music, both solo and with groups. I don't however have those two recordings you mentioned. I'll check them out. Thanks. Another genius of the piano ... Bud Powell. I love his music too. A true master of the bebop piano style. |
King .... I'm using an older Oyaide outlet ... not sure of the model. I bought it at the CES a number of years ago. The distributor was having a two for one sale. I bought two ... one for the stereo system and one for the TV system in the other room. Charles and davidprtichard ... I have several copies of that Curtis Counts "bounce" record. It came in several covers over the years. That was on the Contemporary label. Contemporary recordings have amazing sound. They knew how to record music.The Fantasy reissues (Berkeley) are really well done ... and reasonable in price too. I also have that Bluesy Burrell record. Kenny Burrell is pretty much my favorite jazz guitarist. How about Clifford Brown? IMO Zee best trumpet player on the planet. Too bad Clifford left us as such an early age. |
charles ... Here's a vibraphonist you may like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxpD7_nZ1uI&list=RDdxpD7_nZ1uI#t=50 And a cellist you may like as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9xmciqBZKc Looking forward to the postman today. The BLACK fuses may be in today's mail. |
^^^ david ... I've read several reviews on the SR Teslapex. I'll try one after the system is sporting all BLACK fuses. I like to do one tweak at a time just to gauge the improvement for a few weeks at each stage. Weird, I know ... but that's me. Thanks for the heads up on Zuill Baily. I love the cello. Its the closest to the human voice. Charles .... It looks as though we have the same record collection. How are you set for Cal Tjader? He's my favorite vibes player. Saw him live at Zardies jazz club in Hollywood when I was in high school. Beatles who? Elvis who? *lol* |
Okay ... I installed the two new BLACK fuses into the CD player yesterday afternoon. New, right out of the box: My first impressions were not good. While I heard a bit more transparency over the fully broken in RED fuses they replaced, I was faced with ultra highs that had a hard edge and an overall presentation that was less musically involving, and a flattened sound-stage to boot. Wider maybe, but not as three dimensional. Overall sound was boring. Two hours in: Things began to smooth out and become more three dimensional. Still not as musically involving as with the RED's though. I put the CD player on "repeat" and fixed dinner, ate and watched the evening news. Five hours in: Ah, now we start to boogie. The realism is back in spades. The BLACK fuses allow more information to be unleashed from the recordings over the RED's. Tonally, the piano is quite remarkable ... especially the growl of the lower registers. Things are starting to come together, but still, even though more transparent, still not quite as musically involving. I hear the promise of something great around the corner however. This morning: Okay, I'll say it right off ... WOW! I have this private recording on two CD's of a Rachmaninoff piano competition at the L.A. Phil that is amazing. It was burned from the master tape. On the first disc, it starts out with the orchestra tuning up and warming up. The inner detail of the rustling pages, chair creaks, audience coughs and sneezes and musicians whispering to each other were insightful as never before. I could hear the sound of the auditorium as if I had been transported into the venue. Then the music started. The massed strings were gorgeous and very present. Not strident at all. The topping on the ice cream sundae was the sound of the piano. Extremely fast stops and starts, excellent dynamics and tonality. Like the RED's, I could hear the sounds that the piano itself makes ... the wood, the hammers, the petals. Nice. At this point, are the BLACK's as good or better than the RED's? In most ways, a resounding yes. BUT ... there are still some very important things missing. The most important being a lack of musical involvement. Its getting better ... but no Kewpie Doll yet. We've all heard those systems that have transparency in spades ... a sound stage to die for ... dynamics galore ... and yet you're still left wanting, right? That's where the system is at at this point. Great in most ways ... but ... but ... a bit boring. Fast forward ... The CD player has been on repeat all day now. Mr. Golden Ears (Robert) is coming over tonight for a listen. He was completely blown away with the improvements the RED fuses made. Robert is a good sounding board. He hears like a bat and is a tough critic and cynical as hell. We'll see. Stay tuned for an update either late tonight or early tomorrow. In the meantime ... Happy listening ... |
Well, my audiophile guest kind of hit the nail on the head. He said that he heard the hardness in the highs and also described the sound in comparison with the RED fuses as "pinched." Also commented that the system had lost its effortless musical flow ... and that the system sounded as though it "was working." With that said, I'm still hearing a lot of promise in these BLACK fuses. The're not even close to breaking in, so time will tell. The RED fuses continued improving for a couple of weeks before they really were at their best. Stay tuned ... tomorrow is another day. |
justubes2 ... Yes, you've nailed it. The presentation is more forward with added detail. Audiophile effects as you described. The CD player is on "repeat" from this morning until tonight's listening session. Stay tuned. david ... I've yet to hear an improvement or tweak that involves wire that doesn't need a break in period. My audiophile buddy Robert, who came over last night, made an interesting observation about the fuse change. He said that it reminded him of his first listen to the AT ART-9 when it was new ... "Forward, bright and not relaxed." That ART-9 today, with around 200 hours on it, is an amazing cartridge. A giant killer. In spite of the initial shortcomings I hear with the BLACK fuses, I'm not worried in the least. The RED fuses were very similar when they were new also, then from one listening session to the next one ... they just opened up in a magnificent way. I'm expecting these BLACK fuses to to the same ... but eventually surpassing the RED fuses in musicality and involvement. I hear their promise already ... as I described in a previous post regarding the Rachmaninoff piano competition at the L.A. Phil. The attacks on the piano are already better as is the transparency. Now all we need is a more relaxed and a more flowing presentation. Even if the BLACK's are any improvement over the RED's, the difference in price would be worth it for sure. Amazing products. |
Charles ... Once the RED's were broken in, I didn't want to leave the house. Every CD in the collection became a revelation. I'm going to include a Curtis Counce's "Carl's Blues" CD in the listening session tonight in your honor. :-) wolf-garcia ... Be assured ... as it usually does during listening sessions at my place, it became quite "mystical" last night. Maybe it was the single malt Scotch and the blue bulb in the floor lamp. |