Synergistic Red Fuse ...


I installed a SR RED Quantum fuse in my ARC REF-3 preamp a few days ago, replacing an older high end fuse. Uhh ... for a hundred bucks, this little baby is well worth the cost. There was an immediate improvement upon installation, but now that its broken in (yes, no kidding), its quite remarkable. A tightening of the focus, a more solid image, and most important of all for my tastes, a deeper appreciation for the organic sound of the instruments. Damn! ... cellos sound great! Much improved attack on pianos. More humanistic on vocals. Bowed bass goes down forever. Next move? .... I'm doing the entire system with these fuses. One at a time though just to gauge the improvement in each piece of equipment. The REF-75se comes next. I'll report the results as the progression takes place. Stay tuned ...

Any comments from anyone else who has tried these fuses?
128x128oregonpapa
Great thread for identifying all the things I look for on my checklist of who to ignore:

1.  Constantly posts on forums instead of listening to their system.
2.  Uses any product by Synergistic Research (Have any of you seen what happens when you open up their products and see what's inside?  Have you never talked to an industry insider at shows?  Have you never done their A/B tests at shows and seen the chicanery?)
3.  Claims a product sounds terrible/disappointing/etc before "break in", but then marvelous after ### hours.  What exactly happens to the centimeter of cable in a fuse that causes this? Assuming some major transformation occurs, are you over 40 years old, yet can hear this drastic change on a centimeter of wire?  Plus, do you have an ability to recreate the exact position of your head and noise floor 200 hours ago while remembering exactly what you heard.  If so, you should apply for the next Xman movie...just like Synergistic Research should win a Nobel prize if their claims were legitimate.

How about you guys stop pretending to have superpowers and misleading people to buy ripoff products.

Step back and look at how ridiculous it is to spend this much time posting about a synergistic research fuse.  If you don't see how ridiculous it is, then...ok...I have a lavender fuse that sounds awesome after just .0001 seconds.  I'll be happy to sell them for the same price as SR at RMAF.  Anyone going to be there and want to blind test them against your SR?
Interesting that someone would take the time to chatter on for five paragraphs with nothing but diddle and accuse others of being ridiculous.  

1.  As for me, I listen to my system every evening and most early mornings. I post on the Audiogon site usually late at night. 

2.  Open up their products?  Oh yeah, I open up $3000 power cords all the time. And breaking $120.00 fuses is a lot of fun too.
      a.  Yes, I have talked to plenty of audio insiders. A few happen to be good friends of mine.
      b.   Yes, I've seen A/B tests at the shows. The latest one was the         Synergistic Research demo room at the recent Newport show. Chicanery?  Nope, just simply drop dead amazing.

3.   Break in?  Even my custom Originlive turntable belt had a break in period of a few hours. Quite the amazing experience. Sounded good right off the bat, but then it started opening up at about an hour in ... then, wow!

4.  Yes, I'm over 40 years old. In fact, in another hour and 45 minutes I'll be celebrating my 78th birthday. And yes, I can hear the break in process in the SR Black fuses. Quite remarkable, really. Just call me Xman. 

5.  I'll be the first one to vote in favor of the Nobel prize for Synergistic Research and Ted Denny specifically. Brilliant. 

6.  Who's misleading whom here?  How can one be misled when there is a 30 day money back guarantee on all products sold by SR? 

7.  Hopefully, you will now put me on your ignore list .... Adios Amigo. And what ever you do, do not try any of these products. Just pass Go and remain in the dark with the smugness that you know what is best even though you wont' try that which you ridicule. . 

OP


Happy Birthday, OP.  I just ordered Black fuses for mains in ARC mono blocks and also for Wadia 861SE player. When I first upgraded the main fuse in my Wadia some years ago, I found a HiFi Tuning fuse already there. This was part of the GNSC Reference or Statement level mod--I had both done over the years--it was a short drive to Steve Huntley's place.  
Helo everybody
thanks OPFor that interesting thread. I replaced my HFT Supreme in the pre. First I tried a SR Red with great success before the new Black became available. I read all the posts of this thread and finally bought Audio Magic Beeswax that the Cable Co said to be more "organic" (this word seems to be always glues with the Beseswax). 
I am very satisfied with the AM but ask still ask me how does it compares to the Black SR. 
Not much on the web about users comment on the net. Does anybody here have compared both ?
labtec 070616

" Step back and look at how ridiculous it is to spend this much time posting about a synergistic research fuse."

I see from one of your earlier posts that you are a great fan of Steve McCormack and his modifications. So am I. Steve is one of the giants of the hifi industry. This is what he had to say about fuses.
 
As a high-end audio designer, I am always on the lookout for new ways to improve the performance of my electronics. It has been clear to me for a long time that anything done to improve the quality of my power supplies has a direct beneficial effect on the sound of my equipment. What has been surprising (and not a little frustrating) is how important the “little details” have become - the AC power cords, AC inlets, internal wiring, and now the fuses themselves. Like most audiophiles, I was skeptical at first - the truth is that I didn’t "want" fuses to make any difference and become yet another detail to worry about. And yet when “audiophile grade” fuses first appeared, I knew I had to try them - the quality of the AC power path is simply too important to ignore.

So I tried the fuses from HiFi-Tuning and Isoclean, and was impressed by both. Here was a simple tweak that made a larger legitimate sonic improvement than many absurdly-high-priced cables I had tried, and cost a LOT less! Being happy with the HiFi-Tuning fuses, I did not immediately jump on the Furutech fuses when they first appeared, but I kept them in mind. Since I use a number of other Furutech products in my equipment designs and upgrades, I finally gave in and ordered some fuses.

Holy Smoke! To say I was impressed is an understatement! I was very surprised to hear that the Furutech fuses were outperforming the HiFi-Tuning fuses in every respect, and installing them throughout my system brought it up to a new level of performance. The Furutech fuses have quickly become my most highly recommended tweak, and one of my all-time favorites. I urge you to try them in your own system. Check the value and size of the main AC line fuses in your gear and order some Furutechs for at least your amp and preamp. As always, your mileage may vary, but I suspect you will be impressed and pleased with the improvement in clarity, dynamics, and engagement. Enjoy!"
Steve McCormack · Designer · SMcAudio.com · Vista, CA


I think Steve would LOVE the synergistic Research black fuses.

Another thing. I also saw one of your posts railing about power cords  that cost more than $1000. Oregonpapa who started this thread has power cords that cost $3000 each. Is this one of the reasons you choose his thread for your rants?

From reading your posts I am convinced you are a genuine audiophile and I hold no grudge against you. We all form opinions in good faith from time to time. However new technologies and new products also appear from time to time. As a genuine audiophile you must remain curious or be left behind.