QSA : My take on their expensive products

auricgoldfinger

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Dec 8, 2019
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I ended up going back to the Orange, though I'm missing the midrange richness of the Purple. The Purple bass and midrange weight was just so much that it congested the whole thing and interfered with musical delivery. The Orange has more speed, punch, dynamics, and space on account of not being so tubby and exaggerated.

That said, Purple has a better sound quality overall, smoother highs, and more rich midrange. The midrange difference is such that going back to Orange was like applying a big midrange scoop with an EQ, but it's the Purple that adds something, and not Orange taking anything away. The Purple added so much weight that the music couldn't breathe and the midrange and bass ate up a lot of the soundstage, though it doesn't sound muddy or unclear.

I'm hoping to try a QSA fuse for improvement in sound quality without the big tonal change.

What component are you using when doing the comparisons?
 

Ian B

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Oct 19, 2020
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What component are you using when doing the comparisons?
A relevant question. The Purple vs Orange comparison is in a Ferrum Hypsos power supply, powering an Oor headphone amp.

I also tried an SR Purple in an Enleum AMP-23r, which didn't have as much over-the-top weight, but I ended up conceding that I liked the stock fuse (some kind of white tuning fuse) a bit better because the Purple was unbalanced in the midrange, dark, and a little less punchy than expected. It did sound pretty good there, if a little unbalanced.

Fortunately, my EMM stuff doesn't use fuses at all. These might go well in DCS products which IMO are very sensitive to getting bright/harsh with aftermarket fuses.
 
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Willgolf

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QSA Purple fuse review here

thank you. great read.
I have been debating all month to buy the SR purple fuses because they have the deal of buy 2 get one free through the end of April. I currently have all QSA yellow which is better than SR Orange. I think I will bypass buying the SR Purple. I think I will wait to get my Lampi Horizon, and at that point order a QSa red. I only hope that I do not need to order the QSA red for my mono amps. I hope that by placing the QSA red in the Lampi that the outcome will be all I need to do given having the yellow in the amps. It is my opinion, right or wrong, that you should start with your source.
 

highstream

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Nov 16, 2013
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I’m facing the same dilemma as April winds down. My pair of Reds, new as it turns out, will be arriving by the middle of next week, and they will be going into ATC 40A actives for starters. In the meantime, I promised another Supratek owner that I’d split an SR Purple order, so have to figure out which component values to cover. I’m planning to ask that shipment be held for a few days to delay the decision and to allow time to decide what more or next to do with QSA fuses.
 

CKKeung

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Jun 17, 2011
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FWIW, several people I know and trust think the preamp is the best place to start with a QSA fuse. Still, possibly system dependent and YMMV.
i concur!
 
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highstream

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Along similar lines, I was rethinking in the context of dealing with SR’s sale to start the Reds in dac and preamp. The alternative for SR placement is subs.
 

Rejean

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FWIW, several people I know and trust think the preamp is the best place to start with a QSA fuse. Still, possibly system dependent and YMMV.
I was wondering. What effect can SR or QSA fuses have on subwoofers?
 

highstream

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I was wondering. What effect can SR or QSA fuses have on subwoofers?

The same as they would have elsewhere, with a focus on the low end of course. Currently, I have SR Oranges in a pair of JL Audio e-110 subs. They provide a clearer and faster bass than the OEM fuses. My sense from the use of an SR Purple in a regenerator feeding everything, is that the design of that fuse paid attention to the low end. A Stereo Times reviewer of the QSA fuses commented in the context of his system, who needs a subwoofer with them.
 
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Willgolf

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I run my Lampi Pacific direct to my mono amps so I do not have a Preamp anymore and don't need one. My decision is easy --- Red in Lampi Horizon when it arrives.
 
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highstream

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I run my Lampi Pacific direct to my mono amps so I do not have a Preamp anymore and don't need one. My decision is easy --- Red in Lampi Horizon when it arrives.

As I read it, the Horizon, like the Pacific, has a high voltage switch, which makes that work well. At the So Cal private Horizon unveiling some preferred its sound with a preamp.
 
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auricgoldfinger

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Dec 8, 2019
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I was wondering. What effect can SR or QSA fuses have on subwoofers?

I went from stock fuse to QSA yellow in the Rel HT 1205 subwoofer in my home theater, and the result was a more robust, better defined sound. When I reverted to stock after a few months (in order to upgrade the yellow to red), the sound seemed lean in comparison. The red offered some further improvement, but not as big a delta as I experienced going from stock to yellow.
 

Sablon Audio

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May 22, 2015
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I just replaced the NCF wall socket feeding my entire system with a silver model from QSA. It sounds very good and natural straight from the box, with a large soundstage and decent projection. I have been told to expect some seesawing in sonics over the next fortnight but also to anticipate further improvements. So far, so good and seemingly a happy match with my platinum Bocchino wall plug.
 

highstream

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I just replaced the NCF wall socket feeding my entire system with a silver model from QSA. It sounds very good and natural straight from the box, with a large soundstage and decent projection. I have been told to expect some seesawing in sonics over the next fortnight but also to anticipate further improvements. So far, so good and seemingly a happy match with my platinum Bocchino wall plug.

How do you fit the Bocchino into the QSA? And where do you find the Bocchino plugs? I find photos of the plugs on a WBF thread and ads selling used ones, but no Bocchino website showing either plugs or receptacles.
 

Barry2013

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Oct 12, 2013
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I just replaced the NCF wall socket feeding my entire system with a silver model from QSA. It sounds very good and natural straight from the box, with a large soundstage and decent projection. I have been told to expect some seesawing in sonics over the next fortnight but also to anticipate further improvements. So far, so good and seemingly a happy match with my platinum Bocchino wall plug.
Thanks for that.
Sounds a good buy.
Which particular wall socket did you buy?
The QSA website doesn't seem to feature "a silver model" - red etc but I couldn't see a designated silver version.
 

Sablon Audio

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Barry, it’s the silver model usa duplex which I bought. Second from top in their product hierarchy listed on their website, albeit not prominently - https://quantum-science-audio.com . It is more sonically influential than I expected.
 
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Willgolf

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Did I read that right....a silver receptacle for $5k USA?
 

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