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What's going on with Synergistic Research fuses?

I live in California and a couple of weeks ago we had strange lightning storms that started the many fires burning in the State.  It also fried the fuse in my Pass XA30.5.  I got the amp second hand and it came with a SR Blue fuse.  I called Pass and they recommended a very cheap fuse which I ordered and installed.  Because I was curious, I took the SR sticker off the old burnt out fuse and found that it was a very cheap SIBA brand fuse underneath.  It is clear that SR is either not making the ceramic casing for this fuse or using the SIBA fuse and then doing stuff to it.  At the very worst, it's just slapping a sticker on it and charging a ton more

The thing is, I'm pretty sure I could hear a difference for the worse when I installed the cheap glass fuse post lightning storm.  Could it be that SR is modifying an existing fuse to make it sound better?  Maybe some more technically minded folks here on the forum could help me understand

thanks!
adam8179
thecarpathian
4,185 posts
 
Sounds like they're saying they zap the fuses with varying high voltages.
How this affects the tiny fuse wire I've no idea.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,632 posts
 
a completely new multi-stage high voltage treatment process for the lowest noise floor
Noise floor in a fuse? That is probably the thing that has to be explained.


We've seen some fuses that have a Teflon or similar sleeve around the fuse element, possibly meant to keep it from vibrating (if you watch a fuse as it sits in an amplifier circuit, you can see it move from the current flow through it). The problem with this is when the current of the element is exceeded, the metal is supposed to get white hot and fail- but the Teflon tube keeps it in place, allowing current to continue to flow. This can result in a plasma state, not really what you want a fuse to do at all!
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
The contacts on the end of the fuse make a difference too- which has led to the idea that fuses are directional (they aren’t). Its just that sometimes the fuse sits better in its holder if you turn it around (although by simply rotating the fuse you can get the same effect, which can be seen by a reduced voltage drop across the fuseholder).

But even this Ralph is null and void also, when the equipment has regulated supplies, as many "directional fusers" claim differences in fuse direction on their preamps and source equipment with regulated supplies.
As for them blowing for no reason, if indeed they do cryo them, this "can" make the fuse element more fragile harder/stiffer and suspect to de-rating it’s amperage and hence (blow earlier), a bit the opposite to what happens to us the older we get.
                                                 "IT"S ALL JUST SNAKE OIL"!!



Cheers George
spenav
416 posts
 
According to Atmasphere, the fuse makes a measurable difference. But Georgehifi thinks that this is not possible. I would love to see you two guys directly talk to each other. That would be interesting. Please gentlemen, you have the floor. 
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,879 posts
 
The consensus among most all “skeptics” that I recall including George has been that a better contact between fuse and holder can make a difference. I know that has ways been my view based on actual experience as I have related it replacing and resetting many fuses for customers years ago.

So if a fuse maker is asserting they are doing something special for a more robust contact more power to them but that is not the case as I recall. It’s usually other things.  Also one must ask why is it that a fuse must cost so much just to make a good connection. 
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