2. amps-preamps
  3. 159722-115562

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
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 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.
Yes as Ralph also explained, this is correct and gullible buyers of $$$ fuses think it's the change over from this from the standard cheap fuse that's given them the difference.

Also the standard fuse could have had many turn on cycles, and become crusty, hardened and carbonized.
Left to right aging same fuse https://ibb.co/SQ9WJLn
Right to left aging same fuse https://ibb.co/S6YXQGT

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Synergistic Orange fuse was nothing short of unbelievable.

According to Atmasphere, the fuse makes a measurable difference. But Georgehifi thinks that this is not possible.

Don’t twist what he said into something that you want to believe, bad fuse holder contacts (not the fuse) "could" cause a "very slight voltage drop".
Which will be much smaller than the "voltage drop" your fluctuating mains is doing every second anyway, and extremely doubtful you’d hear it, certainly not "was nothing short of unbelievable"

And in the case of any equipment with regulated power supplies it doesn’t even see it, that’s why it’s called "REGULATED"!!
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,194 posts
 
So, bad contact with a standard fuse can account for a difference in the sound of the amp where a different fuse can't account for a difference in sound because it's just a fuse and it's not in a place where it can affect the sound.

Yeah. Right. Makes total sense.

All the best,
Nonoise
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
So, bad contact with a standard fuse can account for a difference in the sound of the amp where a different fuse can't account for a difference in sound because it's just a fuse and it's not in a place where it can affect the sound.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When you put it that way, yea.. Something to do with the magic stuff on the outside, don't wipe that stuff off.. SUPER conductive, I guess.
I did hear a difference with the blue, in my Cary from my ACME with a paste I whipped up. Not the Orange though. My Acme with my goo was as good, maybe better (In my minds ear). New fuse, fresh goo.. 9.00 usd
I'm frugal...

Regards
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Yeah. Right. Makes total sense.
so glad you finally see the forest for the trees.

bad contact with a standard fuse can account for a difference in the sound
You "fusers" did I say anything about the sound??, I think NOT!!
Like Ralph said it can be measured in an amp as a "very small" voltage drop across the fuse if it has a misaligned/dirty fuse holder, but your mains will be varying much worse than that.
And in the case of line level equipment, it’s just a non event even as it’s REGULATED!
More to discover