2 weeks ago i listened to a local friend's system for the first time in 2-3 months. he has Evolution Acoustics MM3's like what i had. his system was sounding mighty fine, particularly the bass articulation, tunefullness and overall clarity was a few steps beyond my previous visit, and i asked what he had done. he said he had moved the speakers a bit and also he had installed some new 'super' fuses. i asked him what percentage each change contributed to the improvement and he thought more than half was due to the fuses.

he has an active bass amp in each speaker and needed 2 fuses. i have 2 active bass amps in each bass tower so i needed 4.

http://www.audio-magic.com/Prod-NanoFuse.html

$100 each. they are made to order. get the spec for your exact fuses and a few days later they get shipped.

i know you will be very suprised to hear that i proceeded to order 4 of these bad boys for my own self 10 days ago. i got them today, installed them about an hour ago.

they do not cure cancer, or attract super models either than i can tell.....although the night is young. however; when you have basically done all the other stuff you can do, and you find a bit more of the good stuff for not crazy money, then you just enjoy and don't complain.

no i'm not going to do any BS test sequence, i can hear that there is more and that is good enough for me. the bass is tighter, more precision. more dynamic snap and slam..........alot more. holy guacamole!

as i just typed that i was listening to one of my bass tests, James Taylor's 'Gaia' in streaming dsd from 'Hourglass'. around the 4 minute mark there is a run of drums from right to left far back in the soundstage. very distinct. i've used this for years. it just got 'much much' better in every way. next cut was the beginning of MJ'S 'Billie Jean' in streaming dsd from 'Thriller'......just about knocked me out of my chair. whoa. the impact is simply beyond my previous experience.

there is also more focus and sense of total coherence from top to bottom. a subtle but easy to hear step forward. i can tell the part of my friends system that came from the fuse change.

i'm still always surprised how improving deep bass improves everything. but it's always how it works even though it does not seem logical.

will they do the same for every system? i have no idea. are there better fuses? maybe.

YMMV.....

added note; my amps use a very expensive thermal coupler, so no fuses, my preamp is battery powered, so no fuses. i do have custom fuse in my Playback Designs but i cannot remember the brand. i'll likely try another one of these in the PD at some point.

mikelavigne February 14, 2013 04:44

Mike,

the Dyna XV-1s would certainly be a good choice. i owned one of those for a year. the great thing about vinyl is that every step brings you more.

the amps do not get very warm; of course in my system with a 96db, 6 ohm load along with powered subwoofers, the 458's don't have to work very hard. you are right; my room is large and has considerable air volume, and i have HVAC dedicated for the room. also; i live in the mountains and so it is relatively cool most of the time.

the small dart 108 got noticably warmer.

mikelavigne February 08, 2013 15:44

hi Jason,

yes; those woofers 'woof' pretty good. :)

you would be most welcome to come and listen to them. send me an email and we can figure out a good time.

[email protected]

best regards,

mikelavigne February 08, 2013 15:38

Yes. It is a pretty cool experience. I am pretty satisfied with my analog system right now. I really only listen once in a while when I have time but I still might try and get a "better" phono preamp and maybe a higher end cart like the
XV-1s one day. Probably the preamp first. I wonder what a better preamp does for a system. But that won't be for a while. In the mean time I will just enjoy the music I get know as I am sure you are enjoying the music you get as well. Do those amps give off a lot of heat? Your room is big enough to where it probably would not matter. I was just curious.

mikeduke February 06, 2013 13:54

Mike,

Your system is awe-inspiring. The impact of those woofers must be immense! I can just imagine the sound coming out of those speakers now......
I live up in Vancouver, B.C. and would love to hear your system in person!

Jason

bmwmcab February 06, 2013 01:36

hi Lee,

thanks for the kind words....although i am glad i live where i live. i do like the bay area as a nice place to visit, but too many people. :)

Napa or Monterey.....i would love that if i could afford it.

Seattle seems 'just right' for me.

i use to own WP6's and really enjoyed them (i assume you still have them). i had them with Mark Levinson #33 mono blocks and they rocked.

if you do ever visit the Seattle area you would be most welcome to stop by for a listen.

mikelavigne February 05, 2013 19:18

Wow, great room. I wish you lived in the Bay Area.
/Lee

graywind11 February 05, 2013 06:47

Mike,

one of the cool expereinces in our hobby are moments like you describe, when something familiar and maybe music we have an emotional connection to becomes 'more' than we recall. and yes; i have gone thru that many times. the 'surprise' of this is also many times a confirmation to us that a change we made has taken us further. our efforts have been rewarded. this music is now 'new' to our ears again. fresh.

when i make a change in my system; it could be major like new speakers or amps; or minor like maybe some adjustment, or maybe a tweak......if the change is positive and relatively easy to hear i typically will play 20-30 of my test cuts to really get the measure of this change. next i may just listen to a few days or weeks of more familiar music....and some of that music becomes new to me again based on how significant the change is. sometimes i'll stay up almost all night becuase i just cannot stop listening to the music i love become more alive.

so yes.....i can relate completely to your experience.

we all live for those moments when we get 'surprised' to a degree. enjoy your moments!!!

mikelavigne February 02, 2013 01:07

Mike, I do have a question for you. It deals with music. I know your system is probably revealing as hell right now. I have never heard a Reel to Reel setup so I don't know if that is "better" or equal to your digital and analog front end.

Here is my question. Have you ever played some music, doesn't matter the genre, but one that you thought you knew well only to find out you were really missing a lot and did not know it all until you played it on your newer system?

I recently had this experience in my own system. Sometimes, when I listen to records I listen to one side and that’s it. Either time dictates it or it’s just what I am in the mood for. Well, I have this SRV album. I have had it for a while. Lately I have been listening to Tin Pan Alley. This is the full version not the chopped version. Anyway , it sounds great. So does Come on Baby part III. But this is a double album so I never really even listened to much of the other record. Now I am a huge SRV fan. So I have heard his songs a number of times. Of course I have heard his version of Voodoo Child and I know it backwards and forwards. Or, at least I thought I did. A few nights ago, I played that song on my TT. Holy crap. Not to be overboard, but it was like I heard it for the first time. A lot of it had to do with his singing. What I thought was the end of his singing really was not. On the record I could hear that he was extending his voice and the lyrics lasted longer than I have heard before. It’s hard to explain but everything was more extended and lasted longer. I have read in a few TT reviews that they say that, but last night was one of the first times that I really heard it. It was really cool. His guitar did the same thing. Notes that I thought I knew just lasted longer.

Has that ever happened to you? For me it was a really big moment that I was not ready for. It was, as you say, a holy sh!t moment. I am just wondering if you have a moment like that and do you still have them now that you are probably listening to music with your new(er) setup that maybe you have not listened to for a while.

mikeduke February 01, 2013 18:31

Marc,

i'm not sure anyone wants my perspective on high priced gear. 'easy for me to say' would be the reaction.

i don't see a problem at the top end of the hifi marketplace....or supercar marketplace.....or sailboat marketplace. it's up to the person to decide whether their needs are served by the product. i'm not a 'rich guy' who can spend money without effect on my lifestyle. spending money has consequences for me that i choose to live with.

as far as expensive for expensive sake without real value; likely there are products where the price was put high to get attention and maybe don't deliver like other products with lofty prices do. but i don't worry about it too much. everyone has different viewpoints.

i am excited about how much performance you can get for little money. i think today you can spend under $20k total and have a rock'n system. really good. if you were to combine the Evolution Acoustics Micro One's with the new Playback Designs IMS (Integrated Music System) which is a SOTA dac, preamp, and 2 channel amplifer. add a music server and power and speaker cables and you have a SOTA system for far less than $20k.

i think all the fixation on higher and higher prices is miss guided. i see this pursuit of higher performance as a blessing and it will pull technology and performance to higher levels for everyone.

stop all the whining about high prices please. i'm not aiming this comment at you Marc, but just in general. it's envy pure and simple.

mikelavigne February 01, 2013 16:59

Thank you Mike. I won't hog your thread wittering on re my system anymore, ha ha. Do you have any thoughts on the exponential escalating cost of audio? For every SOTA component that can justify an exhalted price tag due to uber engineering etc like the NVS or MM7, there seems to be a burgeoning list of components, esp. spkrs that don't offer anything totally groundbreaking, but require a mortgage to buy. Is this all a case of 'me too' when it comes to pricing?
Even Jeff Fritz at Ultra Audio has lost his patience with these ever spiralling prices, that aren't reflected in commensurate engineering/performance, and is disenchanted with the high end.

spiritofmusic February 01, 2013 11:24

Marc,

assuming i had your correct email address from a few years ago, i did send you Danny's email address from his on-line website.

mikelavigne February 01, 2013 04:34

Mike,
Thanks for the kind words, next time I'm up in Seattle, I'll drop you a line. I was actually at Scott Kushino's last night listening to that fine Micro Seiki 8000....

jeff1225 February 01, 2013 00:52

Can you fwd Danny's email if that's ok, I'd love to hear how he thinks the Def 4s and MM7s relate to each other on the audio spectrum. I'm so happy with them I couldn't practically wish for more, as you are with your 7s.
It's strange, I really think I'm at the apex of where I've always wanted to be when starting this journey 20 years ago. The incorporation of total neutrality and transparency with rim drive tt/linear tracking arm, fully expressive and dynamic spkrs, and elimination of vibration and mains impurities with a top class rack and balanced power has stripped back several layers of colourations and grunge to reveal music reproduction that can be totally relaxing and edge of your seat exciting within a heartbeat.
I've been lucky in the final analysis, making a couple of left field choices and taking a couple of punts in the dark. But if I hadn't I wouldn't be here.
Just need to add a couple of levels to my Symposium Acoustics Isis rack and I'll be complete. I may even post the system here in April.

spiritofmusic January 31, 2013 22:49

Marc,

Danny seemed to like the MM7's but i certainly don't want to speak for him. i'm trying to remember exactly when he visited and how many hours i had on them then. as i recall i had just recieved the new dart 458 amps and i had a few hundred hours on the MM7's. he had also visited last spring before i sold my MM3's.

go ahead and email him and ask him about what he thought about the MM7's compared to the Zu.

mikelavigne January 30, 2013 23:32

Mike, fully understand your comments about being happy with a component situation and staying there without needing to continually maximise it further.
Re power, my 4kVA balanced transformer is such an overwhelming improvement over my previous Burmester conditioner, with lowered noise floor and unrestricted dynamics 24/7, that extra dedicated earthing would really have to prove it's worth. And your balanced power is overkill compared to mine. But the UK Entreq dealer offers a no quibble trial, so I'm still going to try.
How did Danny rate your speakers in particular? I ask because he runs the Zu Audio Definitions Mk 4s which are the spkrs I've invested in as my final upgrade. Like me he's a massive fan of their full range driver/high efficiency/xoverless design. Your spkrs are true SOTA, but I'd be intrigued if he mentioned he felt the Zus got a flavour of your high high end performance.

spiritofmusic January 30, 2013 22:42

hi Jeff,

Pass-Avantgard is pretty high level stuff as far as i'm concerned.

Danny visited me a couple of months ago; he is a very fun guy. we had a great listening session....and we listened to mostly vinyl.

if you ever are in the neighborhood please stop by.

best regards,

mikelavigne January 30, 2013 19:21

Thanks Mike! I actually just purchased a Pass XA30.5, retubed the Hovland with some expensive Upscale Audio tubes and upgraded the SME arm as well. Not quite your league but I'm having a good time.

My friend Danny Kaey has the Playback designs system as well, pretty amazing stuff.

Take care and it's always great to hear from you.

jeff1225 January 30, 2013 00:02

hi Jeff,

long time no talk. nice to hear from you. your system is looking very fine; btw.

i'm loving my vinyl more than ever these days. it sounds heavenly. the NVS-Telos-Anna makes great music.

but as suprising as this might seem, i'm also enjoying my digital more than ever. in the last few weeks i've done two things that have caused me to listen to more digital. (1) i did a software upgrade to my Playback Designs MPS-5 which did elevate the performance. it was not a night and day improvement; but from it's already lofty performance it did get a nice boost in vividness, dynamics, and refinement. it's a little better. just more life like. draws me more to the music. and that is with every format from redbook to 2xdsd. (2) my son redid my server into 2 parts; the main PC with the mother board, and he combined all my hard drives into one box and reinstalled all my files. i now have almost 5 terabytes of files (redbook, PCM of all sampling rates, lots of dsd, and a good amount of 2xdsd) and the access times are quicker and my interface works better.

so the digital sounds a little better, and is easier to use. in the last 10 days i've almost been exclusively digital, and i've read 4 books while listening. it's sounds so good and is so easy. i been loving it. mostly i've been listening to dsd files, but lots of formats too.

this is not any slap at my vinyl. only that my system is serving my lifestyle as it should. i'll go thru another period where i'll be almost exclusively vinyl, or tape, for an extended time.

i think part of it was that i had a few books loaded on my Kindle that i had been meaning to read; and finally i had some down time after the holidays, the digital was all ready to go, sounding super, and i just went with the flow.

i have not had many visitors lately either. when that happens, the vinyl gets all the attention as it should. it sounds better and takes me farther into the music. but it demands more of me; more attention and involvement.

it's all good.

mikelavigne January 29, 2013 18:02

Marc,

sorry i forgot to respond to your earlier post with the same question.

as far as these 'ultra grounding' devices such as the Tripoint or the Entreq, my mind is open. my ears tell me that my noise floor is super low and logic tells me that i have grounding handleled. OTOH i would not be surprised if those type products did yield positive results in my system. there are really not many other ways i could do much more, i've covered most of the other bases i think.

so i'm not dismissing the idea of 'ultra gounding'; only that i'm not in that mode of pushing anymore. i have no motivation to go out and seek one of these products to try as i'm happy. if someone wants to allow me to demo one i would be open to it. and if it does clearly move the performance up i would likely find a way to get it.

i'm just listening and enjoying and not really thinking about the system and what more it might do.

mikelavigne January 29, 2013 17:30

Mike' everyone' your new cartridge plate(gem stone) making your cartridge have a different sound or a lowering of distortion is interesting... I have been testing these crossroads myself.... including the cartridge screws materials... boy can cartridge screws make a HUGE difference...so I would say experiment with them also .... this is a cheaper road that can give you very nice/different results...

Lawrence
Fidelity Forward

thanks.

i have not played around with cartridge screws but i know Joel has and that he thinks they matter.

no surprise; as your vinyl playback reaches high levels of resolution each little link in the chain matters more.

mikelavigne January 29, 2013 17:19

Hi Mike,
I hope all is well. I'm curious with your outstanding front end, how often do you listen to digital?

So much awesome new high quality vinyl, I'm finding that I'm not listening to my digital system as much.

Thanks, Jeff

jeff1225 January 29, 2013 02:27

Mike, any thoughts on my queries re earthing/grounding? Personally I find Tripoint prohibitively expensive but the Entreq stuff is priced reasonably. From what I gather, these are not devices like the Granite Audio Ground Zero which combats hum/loops, but they're advised to enhance inherent SQ of components, possibly complementing effects of balanced power.

spiritofmusic January 29, 2013 00:44

Mike' everyone' your new cartridge plate(gem stone) making your cartridge have a different sound or a lowering of distortion is interesting... I have been testing these crossroads myself.... including the cartridge screws materials... boy can cartridge screws make a HUGE difference...so I would say experiment with them also .... this is a cheaper road that can give you very nice/different results...

Lawrence
Fidelity Forward

lharasim January 27, 2013 23:36

hi Steve,

i have not forgot about the video, i will do my best to get that done sometime soon.

i went to the website link you provided. beautiful stuff and i'll bet it sounds wonderful. then i looked at your system page and your new tt.....congrats....i'll bet it sounds great. welcome to analog!

the Durand tonearms are very special....i'm not surprised a person such as George Thomsen would appreciate what Joel Durand has done.

Do you feel your at the stage where you feel your analogue front end can go no further or are you testing different options?

that is a loaded question which can be viewed a few ways. will i go further? is it possible to go further? am i satisfied?

the short answer is 'i don't know exactly'.....although i suspect that i'm very close to my personal final spot for vinyl performance.

as far as turntables; i consider the NVS among a small handful of the best ones regardless of price that have no particular rank. and if you used any of this group with the same arm, cartridge and set-up you would be hard pressed to hear any difference. there would be differences but debatable whether one would be clearly better than another. it would be splitting hairs. i don't have any thought to wanting a better turntable....i'm fully satisfied.

as far as tonearms; i see more differences between those aspiring to be the very top level i'm familiar with, and i do consider the Durand Telos to be better than any other one's i know about. i admit i've not heard all of them myself. however; i've had the privilidge to be around Joel Durand's tonearm development process these last few years. i've heard how different materials and design approaches have sounded. i don't see anyone who is taking such as ground up approach and being so inquisitive on the possibities without limit. i see how various parts of other tonearms are built, recall the lessons learned watching Joel, and realize how far those other designs need to go.

6 weeks ago Joel brought over a prototype cartridge plate to compare to the (already unobtainuim) metal one. this new one is made of Sapphire. consider what sort of motivation a designer might need to have to even think of making a Sapphire cartridge plate. unfortunately it did sound significantly (in the context of the Telos performance) better. it cleaned up nasties in the sound and made everything more coherent. so i had to buy it (approx $5k).

am i satisfied with the Durand Telos tonearm and think i should go no further? yes....but if Joel brings me another 'bombshell' like the Sapphire cartridge plate i'll likely bite.

i am very happy with my Ortofon MC Anna cartridge. but there are likely 5 or 10 other excellent cartridges. i am satisfied and have no feelings to pursue better.

i am very happy with my darTZeel phono stage and have no urge in that either.

and overall my vinyl can look my Studer A820-King Cello in the eye on most head to head comparisons.

so i'd say i'm done for the most part....with the exception i noted. that is not to say that further advances in vinyl performance are done.....and that is good news for all of us.

mikelavigne January 27, 2013 03:11