Synergistic Research Quantum Fuse

drumminman

Last night I replaced the 1A 250V fuse in my Odyssey Candela linestage with a Synergistic Research fuse of the same rating. I had read some good things about this fuse including direct comparisons with the Hi Fi tuning fuse, Furutech and Isoclean fuses. It’s a bit more expensive than the others at $59.95 a pop, but since I only needed one I decided to spring for it.

I’ve never used anything but the inexpensive fuses that manufacturers typically install, so I approached this with a bit of skepticism. However, it makes sense to me that if something as small as a fuse is made from better materials with better preconditioning it could have a positive effect on sound quality.

After the swap I powered up everything and let it warm up for an hour, no music. Then I put on Bonnie Raitt “Silver Lining”. This album is around 10-12 years old, but a good recording with layers of instruments, a great bass player and solid drummer. And of course there’s Bonnie’s vocals, which I’ve come to appreciate in the last couple of years.

While I was in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine (open space between kitchen and LR) I wasn’t quite sure if I heard any changes, positive or negative. The overall sound seemed to have more weight, but wasn’t sure if it was placebo. I sat down on the couch in the prime listening spot and began to listen intently.

As the music continued I realized that it did indeed have more slam, but also more detail, smoother, perhaps slightly better tone. Soft instruments in the background became easier to hear, not louder but more distinct. Busy passages became a little clearer in terms of being able to hear tone: of individual instruments, of individual vocals in the harmony parts, of the several guitars playing at once, and of the organ playing swells and arpegios to fill out the background.

The soundstage became more holographic, with more SDA effect. The width increased by maybe a foot, the front to back depth by 4-5 feet. Instruments could still be heard in their respective places in the soundstage, but there was more natural decay from them. They could be localized but I still heard a kind of secondary tone similar to what I hear when in a recording studio or live performance. This quality was present before, but the fuse swap enhanced it.

Something else I noticed is the volume was louder with the volume knob at the same setting as before. My guess is the fuse is passing more of the signal.

To sum up, the SR fuse in my system had the effect of a good cable upgrade, perhaps going from good IC’s to really good/great ones. This is one of the best tweaks I’ve tried and for me a no brainer if I think of the improvement it brings instead of “$60 for a fuse !#****%?" It begs the question: should I replace the four fuses in my Stratos with these. It’s a bit of coin so I’m thinking on that one, wondering if it would have a similar effect. If so, it would easily be worth it.

I bought mine from Parts Connexion. For more info here is the manufacturer's website:

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/featured/new-category-synergistic-research-quantum-fuses-furutech-hifituningsupreme-fuses/

Standard disclaimer: I'm a satisfied customer only with no financial interest in this product or company.

headrott

Thanks for the review of the quantum fuse Fred. I haven't tried the Synergistic Research fuses before. Did Ray compare these to the HiFi Tuning fuses? I think he might have, but don't remember. I'm gonna look that up in a minute. It sounds like you had very positive results with them and by the name, they have the "quantum" benefits in the fuse itself. I am using Hifi tuning fuses with the WA-Quantum "chips" installed on them. I am using mostly the "gold" fuses as I bought many of them on clearance, but also bought a couple of the "Supreme" fuses in the IEC "protection" spots (slow blow). I have a HiFi tuning fuse and one "Audio Magic Nano Liquid" fuse in my Denon DVD-5910 player. They have made a hugely positive results along with the WA-Quantum chips installed. I will qualify the fuses themselves had more positive effect on my system than the Quantum chips, but the quantum chips helped further refine my system.

I would highly recommend buying some of the clearance fuses at revolution power, music direct, or the cable company as they have them on clearance for very good prices. You just need to find one of the stores that have your amperage, size, and fast/slow blow requirenebts in stock still. They are getting kinda slim pickin's now, but some are still available. I would also recommend applying some of the WA Qantum chips on the hifi tuning fuses should you buy some clearance stock from any of the companies above. Keep us posted Fred with the further results.

drumminman

Thanks for the feedback HR. Though I'm totally impressed with the improvement the SR fuse brings, the price may keep me from buying four for my power amp. Will definitely consider the Hi Fi tuning fuses for this as they're a bit cheaper. Here are a few comparisons of high end fuses I've found on AA, which are what is seriously making me think about opening my wallet; be sure to click on the response from Kenster at the bottom of the first link:

http://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=tweaks&n=184860&highlight=sr+fuse&r=&search_url=%2Fcgi%2Fsearch.mpl%3Fsearchtext%3Dmedwin%26b%3DAND%26topic%3D%26topics_only%3DN%26author%3D%26date1%3D%26date2%3D%26slowmessage%3D%26sort%3Dscore%26sortOrder%3DDESC%26forum%3Dtubediy


http://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=tweaks&n=184387&highlight=synergistic+research+fuse&r=&search_url=%2Fcgi%2Fsearch.mpl%3Fsearchtext%3Dvolt%2Bconvert%26b%3DAND%26topic%3D%26topics_only%3DN%26author%3D%26date1%3D%26date2%3D%26slowmessage%3D%26sort%3Dscore%26sortOrder%3DDESC%26SelectForumamp%3Damp

BTW, I emailed SR about who to buy from to take advantage of their 30 day return policy if not satisfied - The Cable Co. is who they forwarded my email to. Don't know if Parts Connexion honors it, but it's not an issue for me as it's staying in my system.

headrott

What value is required for your amp Fred? I am assuming they are fast blow (since they are going inside the amp (not at the IEC))? It may be rough buying 4 of them, but I've seen some places with 10A etc. still for sale....

drumminman

My amp requires four 5 x 20 mm 6.3A. Thought about the Hi Fi Supreme, but they're the same price! Probably wait until someone has a sale.

drumminman

Sat down for my Thur night listening session last night and it was interesting. For the first few hours after I installed the fuse last week I heard improvement as described in post above. Initially when I was someplace other than the sweet spot I thought either the highs at been slightly attenuated or the mids and lows had been slightly boosted. For example standing on the other side of the room, or when I was in a different room. However, when I sat down to listen the balance of lows to mids to highs was as it should be. Couldn't tell if it was my imagination or not.

Last night I noticed that no matter where I was in the room the frequencies remained balanced. Bonnie's voice was slightly more pleasant, though I can't really find the words to describe the subtle change. Perhaps she sounded less like a recording and more like a live performer. Background instruments and vocals also seemed to be a little clearer with enhanced transients, a little more 3 dimensional. The increased slam continues to be outstanding. I probably have around 10-15 hours with the new fuse in place.

Do fuses have a burn in period? Anyone else experienced this with high end aftermarket fuses?

Don't think I'm imagining this, but would like hear others experiences.