I don't intend to be a "Debbie Downer", or the like, but I do feel the need to report what I've heard. About six months ago, I purchased an Audio Research Reference 6, and I've found it to communicate an unsurpassed level of presence and three-dimensionality while remaining tonally neutral. Class A all the way -- with only some reservations in the high frequencies: a slight lack of richness and sparkle, most easily heard with piano. I've found several tweaks, when used together, enhance the high frequencies of the Reference 6: first, a Synergistic Research Black Quantum fuse; and second, a Sain Line Systems Pure Current power cord. Those two tweaks on the power-supply side get you 80% there. As a final note, I swapped in a set of matched, cryogenically treated, low-noise 6H30 tubes from Upscale Audio and an NOS Winged "C" 6550C power tube. Now, class A ++, with no reservations. Just this past weekend I swapped in a new Synergistic Blue fuse. What I've heard is a mixed bag in my system. Yes, there seems to be a bit more body in the bass and midrange, a little more rosin on the bow, so to speak. I've also heard a lessening of high frequency energy, a softening in the highs. This action contradicts my use of the Synergistic Black fuse in the Ref 6. I will continue to play with the Blue fuse, but I think, in my system, I prefer the Black fuse. |
I did reverse the direction, tommylion. And the sound, to my ears, was nearly the same. Quite possibly slightly better focus one way vs. the other but close. The Blue fuse doesn't seem nearly as directional as the Black. |
I've found tweaks to be, well, tweaky. Inconsistent. I probably would be looking for another preamp right now had the Synergistic fuse and the Sain power cord not been so effective. But I did try aftermarket fuses in Ayre amps, when I had them, with little change in sound. I tried a Sain power cord on the D'Agostino. Nope. A little too lean. I went back to the stock cord. So, my experience with tweaks is that what might work well in one component or system might not be beneficial in another. Has anyone found a tweak that is universally beneficial, fuse or otherwise?
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About three weeks ago, I received my one and only SR Blue fuse to try in an Audio Research Reference 6 preamp. This new fuse would displace my SR Black fuse, should the system sound better with it. I swapped the Blue fuse orientation twice and settled on the position that provided the greater image focus. At that time, my first impression was that the Blue fuse tended to roll off the high frequencies. I decided to investigate more. The Blue fuse probably has about 60 hours of play time on it now.
To make a long story short, my judgement hasn't changed from my first impressions. The Blue fuse, in my system and to my ears, tends to roll off the high frequencies. With this change, the midrange tends to sound slightly richer. The bass does seem slightly more impactful and focused using the Blue vs. the Black.
To try to quantify the extent of the reduction in high frequency energy, I had some experience fine tuning the tweeter level of my Wilson Alexia's by swapping resistors. The reduction of HF seems to be on the order of 1dB using the blue fuse. If I install the resistors that give me 1dB increased tweeter output with the Blue fuse in place, the sound is almost identical to using the Black fuse with the 1dB lesser resistors.
I then compared the sound of my Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 DAC directly driving my amp, vs. the Audio Research with either the Blue or Black fuse. The sound in the high frequencies of the DAC directly driving the amp sounds much closer to the Black fuse, while the Blue sounds muted in the highs.
To put another description in play, I have a headphone rig highlighting Focal Utopia's. Sound in my main system with the Black fuse in place sounds a lot like my headphone rig running Moon Audio Silver Dragon Headphone cable. Sound with the Blue fuse in place sounds much like my headphone rig using Moon Audio Black Dragon cable.
Your mileage may vary.
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I'm very surprised at the difference in sound in my system with the SR Bkue vs.the Black. Its Not Subtle. I'm amazed the magnitude of change by just a fuse.
This has my curiosity up. I ordered both a. HiFi Tuning Supreme and an Audio Magic Ultimate Beeswax fuse this morning... |
I'm curious, Mr. Denney, what do you mean specifically about "wild sonic fluctuations" with the Black fuse? Does that mean that its response varries drastically from one situation to another, or from one component to another? Have you experienced greater high frequency response from the Black fuse vs. the Blue fuse? |
Thank you for your response, Mr. Denney. I highly respect your product, as I am currently running both your Galileo LE speaker cables and AES/EBU digital interconnect. I also have gotten great results from your Black fuse. I have tried your Blue fuse, but as of now, prefer the Black. I hear considerably more air and sparkle around high register piano and cymbals with the Black fuse. I do hear a richer midrange body with the Blue. Is this an anomaly? |
As like you, folkfreak, I started with a mixture of grey and silver while running some Ayre electronics. The sound was too threadbare with all silver. Now that I'm running Audio Research and D'Agostino electronics, I've moved to all silver bullets. |
FWIW, my Wife, whose opinion I trust when listening to things music prefers the Blue fuse. She says the increased richness, three-dimensionality, and overall musical nature of the Blue fuse outweighs any merits of the Black fuse. This is not quite cause for divorce. Yet. LOL
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It must have been over 25 years ago, Dave. I was auditioning a used Conrad Johnson PV-5 preamp in a small, second-hand audio store in Denver. They threw together a turntable, the PV-5, a Mark Levinson ML-9 (I think), and some speakers. The system sounded a little bright and edgy. I said so. The owner of the shop changed One Thing, the interconnect between the preamp and amp. No more bright and edgy. Wow. That change changed my world. I've been trusting my ears since that day. |
wolf_garcia: Excellent question. I'd like to learn more about this myself. Let's hope we get an answer, because I can surely hear differences.
I have a challenge for you. Seek out your local Synergistic Research dealer and ask them to demonstrate fuses or tuning bullets for you. Listen for yourself.
dlcockrum: I won't be using multiple fuses. I plan to optimize one component, my Audio Research Reference 6 preamp, with the best sounding fuse I can find. I will trust my ears to make the decision. |
At least ten of us here have testified that we hear an improvement over the stock fuse with SR fuses. Most here agree the new Blue fuse is best. I'm still investigating, and am still on the fence, whether the Blue fuse is best, for me, considering All the competition.
I am an engineer by trade. The Only thing that matters is how does it sound. But if an explanation on how the technology works is available, I'm interested.
I don't want to diminish the fact that $150 is a lot of money. To some people, that's their food budget for the month. But, I'd suggest that if one is considering spending $150 on a fuse, that they are most likely into high-end audio, at least where the benefits can be heard. I spend more than $150 per month on music.
High-end audio is a niche market. There is little or no benefit of scale or volume. Think of the time and money spent on development. Then manufacture. With fuses, all the different loads and sizes. Then packaging and marketing. To my ears, a $150 component that provides what I've heard from fuses is a bargain.
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Today I received both the Audio Magic Ultimate Beeswax fuse and the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuse. Right on the Beeswax fuse is a sticker that says Recommended break-in time 125 hours. I do not plan to listen to or burn tube life on something that sounds like crap. So, in a few days I will post my initial impressions of what I hear. Only if what I hear sounds promising will I proceed with further listening. |
Frank - I'm trying the two new fuses in my Ref 6, and comparing what I hear to the SR Black and Blue. One fuse change only, in my preamp.
geoffkait - I try the orientation of the fuse immediately. Switch back and forth a few times. Whichever way it sounds better out of the box is what I stick with. Has anyone had experience to the contrary?
The system sounds absolutely fantastic with either the SR Blue or Black fuses. I'm curious what these new fuses bring to the table. But I question how much valuable listening time I use... chasing... |
I need a fuse cooker. Why don't y'all fully break in these fuses, mark proper orientation, then send them to me for analysis. ;) |
Yep. It was playing music when I got in the shower, silence when I came out. I checked the mains fuse. Ok. Checked the microprocessor fuse. Ok. Swapped cords. Nothing. Swapped tube sets. Nothing. Off to Audio Research next week, I suspect. |
Turned on the system tonight to warm it up. Got out of the shower, and... silence. My Audio Research Reference 6 was dark. My first thought was one of those darn fuses blew. But No. Fuse intact. I'll call Audio Research next week. Fuse test delayed. |
The outlet has power. Yes. I've had failures in audio before, but it's rare. Had a Dodson digital processor years ago. One static spark to the chassis and it would burn up the digital input chip. Learned to touch the rack first, every time. Lol |
I still have music. I'll switch interconnects and have the Berkeley DAC directly feed the D'Agostino amp. Actually, it sounds Fabulous this way. Insightfully detailed and realistic. And I'll use the Linear Tube Audio MZ2 headphone amp as a preamp so I can listen to football on Sunday. I'm just hoping the fix is cheap. ;) |
In a Stereophile interview, Dan D'Agostino, formerly head of Krell and now head of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, openly admits that at Krell some of his designs measured better than his current products. He says he now went for sound quality over best measurements. That sometimes the best sounding component does not measure the best. |
Audio Research received my Ref 6 on Thursday. They estimate 4-6 weeks til I get it back! 😒 I miss it. As good as the system sounds without it, it generally sounds better with the preamp in the chain. |
I am currently running Synergistic Research Galileo LE speaker cables. The MSRP on the pair when I bought them was $17,900. Expensive, Yes. But they are the best sounding cables in my system that I have heard. Makes $150 per fuse seem somewhat insignificant. Especially since I can hear the merits of the SR fuses. |
Ted Denney, Please. I am a believer in your products. I own your speaker cables. I own your digital interface. Galileo LE, all the way. Please. Explain the technology in your fuses. How do they work? You are talking to a believer. I own a Blue fuse. And a Black fuse. How do they work? We are interested. |
analogluvr - I am an engineer by trade and have worked as an engineer and manager for over 30 years. I have been called upon to testify in court cases as an expert witness on several occasions. I also have been involved with audio as a hobby for over 30 years. I am not new to this. For you to insinuate that I am not hearing what I claim to be hearing is an insult. Feel free to post your own experiences. But do not attempt to tell others what my experiences are or are not. |
Wow. I think "poorly designed" is a stretch. There's No Way my Audio Research Reference 6 has a poorly designed power supply. Not in how both transparent and Just How Good it sounds. John Atkinson's measurements of the Ref 6 in Stereophile do not show any power supply defects, either.
But I think there is some merit in your thought process, shadorne. A year or so ago, I tried SR Black fuses in my amps at the time, a pair of Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenties. I heard No significant change in sound from the stock "two dollar" fuse when compared to the SR Blacks.
Is that because they were installed in a differently designed component? Or because a preamp has influence over smaller signals than an amplifier? I don't know.
When I tried a Black fuse in my Ref 6, the sound was transformed from marginally great to awesome. Also, a Sain Power Systems cord also gave a appreciable improvement in sound. So, in a way, I agree with you. I think the auditory improvements of fuses, in general, depend on the design of the equipment they are installed in.
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Got word from Audio Research today. My 6550 tube in my Reference 6 arced. It took out some resistors, a couple capacitors, the volume board and the display board. Ouch! Should have it back in a week or so. Then I can put in some time with those fuses I want to compare.
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No. It was a Winged "C" SED 6550C. It only had maybe 200 hours on it. The preamp sounds better with it, a little richer in sound. I have three more. Think I should roll the dice? Lol. And I recently ordered a couple Tung-Sol 6550s to try. |
FWIW, the change in fuse from stock to SR fuses was more substantial than the change in 6550 tubes. |
@dbarger
I bought my Ref 6 used, so no warranty no matter what tubes. As far as tweaks to the Ref 6, I agree with you. The Sain power cord was the most significant improvement. Followed by a set of cryogenically treated 6H30s from Upscale audio. The fuse is audible, as is the change in 6550 tube. The stock Sovtek is both known for its reliability, and its mediocre sound. I'm hoping the Tung-Sol is a great compromise.
@shadorne
I suspect you are wrong. But I will report what I hear either way. |
@jpspock
I purchased two of the current production Tung Sol 6550s, cryogenically treated, from Upscale Audio. I have not sought out any NOS options, as of yet.
@lak
If you desire a significant improvement over your PS Audio Perfectwave transport, you Must check out the new Directstream memory player. The improvement is striking. And last I checked, PS Audio both offers a 30 day in home trial, and a $2K credit towards purchase with trade in of a Perfectwave. |
A word of gratitude to a great company, Audio Research. And an expression that there are still outstanding companies and individuals in this world.
As documented here, I burned up my Audio Research Reference 6 preamp. I chose to substitute an SED 6550 tube, the tube arced and took out a couple circuit boards and some other components. I had also purchased the unit used, so I fully expected to pay for the repair. I learned today that my preamp has been repaired by Audio Research ** Free of Charge** Thank you. Thank you so much, Audio Research. You have earned a loyal customer. And I will spread the word. |
@oregonpapa
Hey Frank,
Which tweak seemed to be more significant? The SR Blue fuse over stock? Or the Herbie's tube dampers over the stock AR rings?
John
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It appears there is a new AC purification product on the market. Its from iFi Audio. I know nothing personally about it, but I read the press release at The Absolute Sound website this morning. If the component does what it claims to do, for $99 each, this could be a system changer. |
Yes. Merry Christmas to all. And here's to even better listening in the New Year. |
I don't blow fuses. I blow up preamplifiers. Lol
I should have known better, but I was pondering what some of the best solid state amplifiers from 20 years ago sound like compared to some of today's best. I started a new thread. Immediately half of the responses are If they measure competently, the amps should sound the same. Ugh. Can't these people hear? Do they listen?? |
