Synergistic Research Fuses installed tonight

drumminman

I am so impressed with the positive changes brought about by swapping out a standard fuse for a Synergistic Research fuse in my tube linestage, I bought 4 more to replace the ones on the board in my Stratos Stereo amp. The fuses went in tonight, but no time to listen. Review in a couple of days.

Thought I'd share some pics of the proceedings. Check out the filter caps and stacked trannys. These are the parts that Klaus' uses in his totl pieces cause he felt so bad that he couldn't resolve my issues with running this amp in Dual Mono configuration with my SDA's:

headrott

Lookin' good Fred! What is the blue cable connecting the smaller caps to the RCA outs? It looks familiar, but can't place what it is?

Looking forward to the review of the amp with Synergistic fuses added.

F1nut

I'm looking forared to your review as well.

FYI, you should keep an eye on that clear jacketed copper cable for oxidation.

treitz3

Good point, Jesse. It depends on what Klauss used though. I have an Audioquest something or other that I have had for years on end [clear, just like that one] and I have yet to see any oxidation. It's the only one I still have that didn't degrade in the box of goodies out in the garage.

Tom

VR3

That wire has been used in Odyssey amps the last 10 years, no oxidation I have ever seen and I have owned my fair share of Odyssey product!

Now fuses and Odyssey amps on the other hand, I have a bag of 50 fuses compatible with Odyssey amps! I hope the tweak works well!

drumminman

headrott wrote: »

Lookin' good Fred! What is the blue cable connecting the smaller caps to the RCA outs? It looks familiar, but can't place what it is?

I believe it's Odyssey's Groenborg cable. Not sure of the construction, but they think highly of it.

treitz3 wrote: »

Good point, Jesse. It depends on what Klauss used though. I have an Audioquest something or other that I have had for years on end [clear, just like that one] and I have yet to see any oxidation. It's the only one I still have that didn't degrade in the box of goodies out in the garage.

Funny thing, as much as I've read others talk about stranded clear jacketed cable turning green, especially Monster, I've not experienced it. I have some 20 year old Monster out in the garage for the last 10 years that still looks pristine.

Will keep an eye on the stuff in the amp though.

drumminman

SR Fuse Review

A little background: about a month and a half ago I decided to try one of their fuses in my Odyssey Candela linestage. This after reading all the reviews I could find on the various “designer” fuses such as Isoclean, Furutech, Hi Fi Tuning, etc. I kept looking for comparison/ shootout reviews by those who had tried the top fuses in each manufacturer’s line. I only came across one such review by a guy on Audio Asylum. So, based on that I purchased the appropriate value and installed it in my linestage.

The results have been so positive I decided to splurge and get 4 more to replace those in my Stratos Stereo. I was a little hesitant about this as I had read some reviews that stated the biggest improvement with these occurred after putting the SR fuse in pre’s, less so in power amps. Also . . . . . . they’re f-u-s-e-s! @ $60 each!

But life is short and I finally talked myself into it. The amp stays powered on 24/7, so the fuses had 24 hours of low current running through them before I started the music on night one.

The albums played include “Silver Lining” (Bonnie Raitt), Susan Tedeschi’s Greatest Hits, and Chicago Transit Authority (their first album).

Bonnie was up first and what I heard I wasn’t quite prepared to believe at first. We have an open floor plan with the kitchen open to the LR where the rig is. I hit play on the cdp and went to the kitchen to get a beer. As I was standing there, I noticed the overall sound was smoother, with vocals that were fuller and richer, more realistic. Not by a lot, but it was there. Individual voices in background harmonies were more distinct and the harmonies were not louder, but easier to hear and just a little sweeter. There also seemed to be a bit more overall slam to the presentation.

One of the most surprising improvements was the change in soundstage. The SDA effect in my room has usually been tilted towards the right with some instruments well outside that speaker. This side is around 4-5 feet from the side wall. The left side has a large open area beyond the speaker, which I’ve always assumed contributed to a slightly diminished SDA effect on that side. It increased by at least 3 feet on the left side, with instruments often seeming to wrap around the listening position, almost behind it. Now the SDA effect sounds equally balanced.

The soundstage is also deeper front to back. It projects forward about the same, but now has more depth.

The bass doesn’t go deeper, but has slightly better transient response. Highs, also have a little better transient response, and there’s a little more air around instruments. It’s easier to hear background effects, such as tambourines, bells, small percussion instruments. My wife even commented on this and agreed with my description of the vocals.

On the Susan Tedeschi CD the improvement was similar to what I heard with Bonnie. I’ve noticed in the past that on some of the songs (which were taken from different albums) when the hi hat is being played closed, it has a bit of a soft, hissy sound. More of the metallic cymbal sounds appeared last night, which sounds more realistic.

“Chicago Transit Authority” was recorded in 1969, but it still sounds pretty good today. Peter Cetera’s bass just sounded great. It was distinct before the SRF’s, but it now has a liquid quality to the tone, yet not soft, with good attack and decay of notes. The trombones have more bite to the beginning of the note.

Overall, I'd say that instruments and vocals have a more natural tone, a little more power and more air around each. The effect is more slam to the music and yet a more relaxed feel as well. Complex passages are rendered with a little more clarity. These differences were very easy to hear.

The above is based on ~ 2 hours listening. I'll post if I hear other changes.

The verdict: I would equate the improvement in sound quality these fuses brought to replacing really good IC’s with great ones, and perhaps upgrading a power cord or two as well. I bought these from www.thecableco.com, after trading emails with Synergistic Research. They were recommended as a company who would honor SR’s 30 day return policy.

Bottom line: If you’re thinking of trying high end fuses give these a go. There’s no risk if you’re not satisfied other than the cost of shipping.

drumminman

Update: Damn these things are good! Nothing new to add, really, other than they're staying. Amp manufacturers should seriously think about cutting a deal with SR to include these when they build their product. They make a very good amp sound better - wonder what they'd do to a upper echelon one?

Somebody (Darqueknight, F1nut, Blue Fox) give it a go :cool:

tonyb

Cool man, I'll lock those in the brain.

It might have been DK, Phil, or Face that did comps on other higher end fuses that caught my attention years ago. A worth wild upgrade in my book.

BTW- You know the answer to that last question.

F1nut

Looks like I'll be trying some soon.

BlueFox

This is on my todo list. After hearing what a PC can do, I have no problem believing that replacing a cheap, run of the mill fuse with a higher quality fuse can make an improvement. Along this line, I asked the founder of Shunyata if they had done any measurements on fuses, and he said no, but I should try it and let him know the result. I just am not that enthusiastic about taking things apart, prying out the fuse to find the size, and then hope it works when I put it back together.

Also, I have been very satisfied with buying from The Cable Company.

GlennDog

fyi there’s a promotion on the new Orange fuses at thecableco.com
Their promo is ending soon ...
December 28, to be exact
Buy two get one free

https://www.thecableco.com/specials/synergistic-research-s-new-orange-fuses-buy-2-get-1-free-for-2-weeks-only.html

Improvements and the cost of these fuses have skyrocketed in the last six years. They are now $159.95 each
I have yet to dabble with the fuse upgrade. I think I’ll give it a go . . .

Highend Electronics claims their sale is til the end of Dec.

https://highend-electronics.com/products/synergistic-research-orange-quantum-fuses

tophatjohnny

I am buzzing with the ultimate 🐝 wax and Yes the improvement is very noticeable and worth every dollar .

F1nut

I didn't notice a difference at all.

treitz3

Which one did you audition in your rig, if you recall? Also, upstairs or down in the coffin area?

There are several types (colors or intervals in quality).

Tom

F1nut

Blue, downstairs. I'm not one to doubt improvements are possible when it comes feeding power to gear, but the fuse thing is BS.

BlueFox

LOL. I posted on this over six years ago, and I still agree with the post.

audioluvr

So a good friend and elecrtronics expert once told me that power supply is totally separate from the input / output signal supply chain and one and the other are not interrelated. So you all who think different had better beware! Personnally I have tested different power supplies and power source cords and have not noticed any difference. Which means nothing by the way as everyone will observe differing effects with differning equipment.

F1nut

audioluvr wrote: »

So a good friend and elecrtronics expert once told me that power supply is totally separate from the input / output signal supply chain and one and the other are not interrelated. So you all who think different had better beware! Personnally I have tested different power supplies and power source cords and have not noticed any difference. Which means nothing by the way as everyone will observe differing effects with differning equipment.

Well.......it all starts with the power supply. The better it is, the better the end result.

headrott

I have not tried the Synergistic Research fuses, but have all my equipment retrofitted with (mostly) Hi Fi Tuning Gold and Supreme fuses. I noticed a difference in clarity, detail, and seperation (soundstage) after installing. Definitely not a stark difference, but noticable.

As stated, I have not heard the Synergistic Research fuses, however. I do believe fuses can make a difference, but a power cable will certainly make a bigger difference, in my opinion.

tophatjohnny

Might not make a difference in certain applications so while I don't argue that it makes a difference or not for any one individual as that is their opinion (nothing more nothing less) I just speak for the very noticeable improvement it made in my situation. It isn't open for debate as back n forth I had to change out to make sure I wasn't dreaming and no dreaming here . Just heard such a more refined sound with crisp detail and such a kick in the but change it was hard to keep the smile off my face. Keep in mind I am not doing this on an entry level network player but one of the best stand alone players on the market. It was amazing with the supplied fuse.. It just rose to a new level with the top of the line fuse I changed in the unit. And yes having a dedicated 20 amp line with all great cables and conditioners in the mix would be wise before messing with high end fuses.

Happy Listening as it really is All About The Music!

Jazzhead

A few years back, I changed out the fuses in a big Kenwood Integrated I had with some Acme Audio Labs silver cryoed fuses. They were very reasonably priced, but they definitely made an improvement. That said, the original fuses were nothing to write home about and had years of use on them.

gmcman

I tried the blue fuse in my McCormack DNA-1. Started with the mains fuse and once swapped, I listened to "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. Kate's vocals were immediately cleaner and I figured it was placebo.

I changed back to the stock fuse and the upper registry of her vocals weren't as clean. I re-installed the blue fuse again and the vocals were noticeably cleaner. I did this about 3 times and each time was the same result.

I can't say I heard anything different with the preamp but made a difference in the amp.

Jazzhead

I just bought some Synergistic Research Orange fuses from VH Audio during a "buy two get one free" offer. They are expensive and I was a bit skeptical until I installed two in my source (Cambridge 840C). These replaced two HiFi Tuning fuses that came with the player when I bought it (I'm the second owner). The improvement is not subtle. Greater detail, clarity, dynamics/jump factor, more holographic imaging, bass digs deeper, and best of all more accurate timbre of instruments and voice. They also impart a relaxed quality so no glare is introduced (I can't stand that). Like F1Nut expressed above the only thing I can figure is that fuses are a choke point for clean power and these fuses let the good stuff roll. These improvements (in my gear, my situation) are easily the equivalent of a component upgrade. After I listen for a while and perhaps experiment with switching direction with these I am going to install one in my preamp. I will report back on that. I'm not doing my monos yet because they are under warranty, but they will certainly get these fuses when the time comes.

mhardy6647

The power supply is absolutely of prime importance. It needs to be able to instantaneously (to a good approximation!) deliver exactly the voltage required of it with the amount of current required by the signal, in real real time. Any sag may well have audible consequences. Not necessarily unpleasant audio consequences, but anti "hi-fi", just the same.

No comments on fuses.

Clipdat

Thanks @Jazzhead for your review. I've been thinking about trying these.

Jazzhead

I'll post again when I get one in the preamp and can carefully listen for several days. I also forgot to mention that some folks have had correct value SR fuses blow during the inrush current (when component is powered up). There are several threads on Audiogon regarding this. Some folks recommend buying the next size up - which is what I did. So far no problems for me. Chris at VH Audio wrote that he will replace correct value fuses that inexplicably blow. I have a feeling that some components will respond to fuse upgrades more than others - sort of like upgrading power cables. The whole fuse thing generates controversy - it's definitely a YMMV situation.

mhardy6647

ne'ermind

[Deleted User]

I've tried removing the fuses in my amps and backgrounds are definitely quieter.

mhardy6647

KennethSwauger wrote: »

I've tried removing the fuses in my amps and backgrounds are definitely quieter.

still waters run deep

Jazzhead

Jazzhead wrote: »

I'll post again when I get one in the preamp and can carefully listen for several days. I also forgot to mention that some folks have had correct value SR fuses blow during the inrush current (when component is powered up). There are several threads on Audiogon regarding this. Some folks recommend buying the next size up - which is what I did. So far no problems for me. Chris at VH Audio wrote that he will replace correct value fuses that inexplicably blow. I have a feeling that some components will respond to fuse upgrades more than others - sort of like upgrading power cables. The whole fuse thing generates controversy - it's definitely a YMMV situation.

Following up on my previous post. The Orange fuse in the Ayre preamp - very subtle to no improvement. I'm planning to try the new Purple fuses in my monos when SR offers another "buy two get one free". So far no problems with blown fuses.