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
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.
@bdp24 it’s an odd phenomenon, but many people only value something if it is expensive. They equate cost with performance. For people of this psychological make up, if something is free or inexpensive, it must be worthless. Likewise, if something is expensive or hard to get, it must be incredible.

Not only does SR sell more fuses this way (because let’s be honest, many audiophiles are in this psychological camp), they also make more money and acquire an air of exclusivity.

This has nothing to do with the performance of the fuses, simply an observation I’ve made, teaching yoga and DJing over the last 20 years. If I offer my services for free, my students aren’t as committed or the people I’m playing for aren’t as interested in what I’m playing. If I charge a bunch, my students are focused and come to class more consistently and my DJ clients promote me more and are more interested in what I’m doing.

Humans. What a weird species
" Humans. What a weird species "

Very true.   For example compared to dogs who have much bettter hearing than humans and are very easy to please.

My dog loves my system and fuses FWIW.   He sits there ears twitching enjoying every moment like his daddy.
My ARC ph8 has a 2 amp fuse.  I replaced the 5 amp Black fuse in my Ref 6 with a Blue 5 amp fuse.  Does anyone know if there is a risk with putting my Black 5 amp fuse in my ph8, replacing the stock 2 amp fuse?
dbargerDoes anyone know if there is a risk with putting my Black 5 amp fuse in my ph8, replacing the stock 2 amp fuse?
A fuse should never be replaced with one having a higher value than that recommended by the manufacturer.