Just installed the Purple Fuses on both my X26 Pro and U18.
First things I can hear after installing the the Purple Fuses on each device in order,
First I swapped the fuse on the U18,
-everything sounds just a teeny bit more focused than with stock fuse, a bit more mids focus (I think).
-maybe a teeny bit more macro detail than before? Possibly a bit less micro detail (this could be also be due to the fact that the transients are a bit faster now.
After that, I swapped the fuse on the X26 Pro,
-teeny bit more balance in staging than before but there still seems to be a bit more mids focus in the tonal balance.
-Hiss becomes more apparent in the tracks I was playing before????? I did not remember hearing hiss before. Perhaps the recordings are more revealing now?
-Dynamics boost, there is a bit more of a punch in the bass.
-even more faster transients than before? Everything sounds a bit faster. There seems to be a little less decay due to the faster speed.
-macro details seem to be slightly boosted, perhaps a teeny bit more micro detail than before.
To sum up the overall tonal change from installing purple fuses on both devices, more quicker transients (more fluid-like with less decay than before), increased dynamics, staging becomes a bit more focused.
(Keep in mind that these are the initial impressions before a burn in session, so the sound will probably change as the burn in progresses)
I must admit, as easy as it is to extract the fuse holder I still find it cumbersome to change the orientation of the fuse to see which position is correct everytime.
It is a bit difficult to hear the differences between the positions of the purple fuses, I ultimately stuck with the theory that you go according to the lettering (from left to right) on the label. I really wish Synergistic Research had included arrows from Left to Right on the label of their fuses so there is less uncertainty in direction when installing the fuses.
Here are photos of the stock fuses and then the position I thought sounded the best with the Purple Fuses on both U18 and X26 Pro,
Stock fuse on U18
Direction with Purple Fuse on U18
Stock fuse on X26 Pro
Direction with Purple Fuse on X26 Pro
If I find that the position is wrong after a few more tests, I will update this post.
Overall, the Purple Fuses DID change the sound of the chain (contrary to what some others have said), now whether I like the changes or not is hard to say for the moment. Maybe I can adjust the tonal balance by putting back the stock fuse on the U18 but I will first run both of these fuses through a burn-in session.
I will recheck the position on the X26 Pro to see if the hiss from recordings are due to installing in the wrong direction, but it is hard to say, maybe the extra mids focus could pickup up more hiss from micro detail?
