General Asylum

Posted by Luminator (A) on November 16, 2024 at 14:43:29

My audiophile friend, Larry, is originally from Flint, MI. He says that, when he left for college in 1980, Flint's population had already begun to decline. All these years later, Flint's population supposedly is still declining.

Larry sits out, while the rest of the audiophiles burn the hobby down, and, in the process, scare potential customers away. When he interacts with individuals, Larry shares information, experiences, and products. While he will give out cautionary advice, he will not tell audiophiles what to do. He lets them do whatever they want with his experiences.

"Because we've all been in this [hobby] for so long, I've got more audio stuff than I know what to do with," states Larry. But that means he's happy with his main system, and is free to work with me on music and audio, including the Simaudio 820S outboard power supply.

Sorry, we only have recent photos. But when it comes to sharing, for me it goes back to Winter 1987, when I met up with Barbra and Theresa, at San Francisco's Mitchell's Ice Cream. On some overcast but rainless Saturday, we decided to meet there at 2:00p. I came from the Western Addition, Barbra came from Visitacion Valley, and Theresa came from somewhere off of Monterey Boulevard. I have no idea, which MUNI lines Barbra and Theresa took, but we all arrived within 10 minutes of each other.

Sorry, we don't have any old photos, but this of schoolmates' kids gives you an idea.

Barbra, Theresa, and I could not decide which flavors to get. So, we got one milkshake, one sundae, and a single scoop in a waffle cone. Without thinking, we shared the same straw, used the same spoon, and all licked the ice cream cone. And, to my recollection, that was the first time I shared food and drink with friends - a habit which, for better or for worse, continues today.

In the mid-2000s, post-partum or not, we continued sharing food. At this time, audiophile friends sent me Simaudio gear. But my friend on the right thought that the EAR Acute was "one honey of a CD player." She thought it made CDs sound "yummy," an ode to the way it handled instrumental textures.

Moreover, that EAR Acute was my very first component to use an after-market fuse (initially a Hi-Fi Tuning Gold). My friend then likened its sound to foods using fresher natural ingredients.

In 2013, I worked on the Mid-Peninsula. On Fridays, I commonly would go out for lunch with a coworker or two. Above, my coworker and I were sharing different soups and sandwiches.

At this time, Larry was checking in on me. He had sent Audio Magic Premier Beeswax fuses with the correct values for my Mark Levinson electronics. I told him that those fuses sounded like no other I had tried. But they tried to turn the Mark Levinson gear (which should sound intellectual and calculating) into an EAR Acute (organic).

While audiophiles got their panties in a bunch over after-market fuses, my coworker shrugged, and just thought of a fuse as a part. In her mind, higher-quality parts could, depending on how they were used, result in better audio.

A different audiophile sent me an Audio Magic Premier Beeswax large fuse, for use in a Simaudio 600i integrated amp. Holy cow, just as in other brands, that fuse enacted major sonic changes in the 600i. But again, it was up to you, the listener, to determine if those sonic changes were good, bad, or quid pro pro.

"Has COVID not taught our kids anything?" laughs one of my old friends.

Our Zoomer kids share food and drink.

Larry let out his hearty laugh, "Once I get my hands on barbecue ribs, I ain't sharin' with anyone!"

Larry actually had Audio Magic fuses in the right specs/values for my Simaudio 820S: small slow-blow 0.5A and 2.0A. He kindly sent some to me.

Whether it's the 820S, we can't tell. But here, those Audio Magic fuses do not appear to be directional. They sound pretty much the same in either direction.

As an aside, if you ever get to compare the Premier and SHD, the latter sounds less fat, soft, and slow. The SHD does a better job, of preserving sheen and decay.

My Simaudio 820S feeds a 750D CD player and 740P preamplifier. We have thrown myriad powercords, 4-pin XLR cables, 5-pin XLR cables, and after-market fuses at the 820S. But none coaxes the kind of sound the Audio Magic Beeswax fuses do. The sound is neither fast nor slow. Images are round, not flat. Said images have body. Textures are woody and organic. Larry does not have Simaudio gear, but he describes the Beeswax as tugging the component into a "tubelike sound but without the heat, noise, and downsides of tubes."

We've not interviewed Simaudio's personnel. We do not know what their tastes and philosophies are. But with the Evolution series models we have tried, they, on good days, are like Larry. They share, and then let everything else around them deal with the aftermath. That said, the AM Beeswax fuses ditch that, and imbue a Simaudio system with warmth and body.

My audiophile friend from Florida used to have the 610LP and 740P, replacing them with a 791. He has used an 820S on all three. He, too, agrees that the AM Beeswax fuses, more so than other brands, tips the balance into the warm and organic side. He then exclaimed, "You gotta hear what it does for the two [Metallica] ...And Justice For All records. First, there's less of that off-putting grain. Second, the images actually have size and depth. Third, the textures are warm but not dry. This is the best I've ever heard this album."

I have ...And Justice For All on SHM-CD. Wow, take my Floridian friend said, and apply it to my 820S/750D/740P. While the Hi-Fi Tuning and Synergistic Fuses make the sound faster, the AM Beeswax fuses are not slow. They just "keep up," and you actually do get caught up in the kick drums and guitar play. The basslines, while still not full-bodied, do have some presence and you can tell that they mirror the guitar tracks.

An area which the AM Beeswax fuses help is when a solid state FM and/or internet tuner is used with the 740P. Broadcasters' voices are not as gutted, irascible, and emaciated. It's easer to imagine an actual head, behind the voice. Indeed, my Floridian friend says that, when AM Beeswax fuses are in his 820S, the 791's streaming services "are much more listenable."

My Floridian friend acknowledges that, in terms of sonics, the AM fuses "defeat the purpose" of Simaudio gear, but "that doesn't make it any less enjoyable, for some" users. He goes on, "If the speakers and room are kind of lean and sucked-out, but otherwise fine, this is the direction you want to go in." He also is sure that, in other brands, the AM fuses would be a better match.

Obviously, you need to have Simaudio Evolution gear before you can consider the 820S outboard power supply. But, as Larry shares, the lessons are not unique to Simaudio. Dozens of astute readers have reached out to me, about other outboard power supplies, powercords, DC cables, footers, and now after-market fuses.

Because Larry wanted/needed his system not to reduce the chestiness of vocals, he found the AM Beeswax fuses to be appropriate. He writes, "It's not about turning my living room into a concert hall. It's about being in the studio or nightclub with your favorite artists."

"You're really onto something," Larry heartily laughs. "My wife really likes that Necessaire body wash. She ain't sharing, that's for sure!"

We've already covered Necessaire's lotion. We'll go over their body wash in a future post.

Larry says, "That stuff puts my wife in a good mood, so who am I to argue? If it's at night, she's down for listening to the stereo. S'all good!"

-Lummy The Loch Monster