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
adam8179 OP
72 posts
 
Thanks for everybody's input on this topic!  I always learn a lot from there forums (fora?).  

Another complication:  After installing the new fuse, I was hearing a very slight almost inaudible mechanical hum coming from the amp.  (not coming from the speakers).  I re-installed the fuse and it has gone away.  My auditory memory is not sufficient to say that this accounts for the degraded sound I was hearing from having the SR fuse in there.  From what I'm hearing from a lot of you guys, it seems how the fuse is sitting in the amp can have an effect and by re-installing (I also rotated it) I was getting better contacts?  I guess the only way to be sure is to buy a new SR fuse and do an A/B.  I guess I'd be willing to do a $160 experiment.  With the amount of money I've poured into this hobby already that's chump change.  Whether or not I'm a chump remains to be seen :)
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,199 posts
 
The problem is many fuseholders are not exact, but fuses themselves even less so. I've seen many where the end contacts were not concentric with the glass bit, on crooked and the like. Combine that with a holder that is not made perfectly and its really easy to see how shifting the fuse around a bit to get a better fit can affect things. How I do it is to simply measure the voltage drop across the fuseholder, then rotate the fuse until I see the lowest drop. Easy enough for someone that isn't going to zap themselves (which you can do easily enough, so don't mess with the fuse if the circuit is live).
I understand and agree with your findings. But, fuses like Padis and HiFi Tuning seem to be made to a higher standard. Padis has no info etched on the sides of the end caps to ensure uniform contact and are as even a possible, which I've confirmed by rolling them on a flat surface and they don't waver. The same goes for Hi Fi Tuning except for the markings on the end caps. 

The fact that Mundorf worked with Hi Fi Tuning on their Supreme fuses (which I haven't tried as I love what the Silver Stars do) using their formula of 99% Silver and 1% Gold in the plating and the melt wire itself tells me there's more quality control going on with their fuses aside from others that seem to burn them in like a cable cooker would do to a cable and calling it Quantum Tunneling or something equally vexing.

All the best,
Nonoise


rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
If you buy into the 'Naysayer Gospel'; you're a, "chump" (and/or damned), if you're so deceived, as to think you can trust your ears and mental capacities, to determine whether your system sounds better, with a different fuse.     Of course; a 30 Day, Money-Back, Satisfaction Guarantee, would seem to take the bite (and some excuses) out of an actual listening test's costs.                     HI-FI Tuning's fuses are my flavor.
spenav
496 posts
 
@adam8179
Synergistic offers a 100% money back warranty for 30 days. So have at it and enjoy the ride. You are doing the right thing. 
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
You really should talk to @atmasphere I know what he said
He will never tell you that these >$160 dollar fuses "sound better".  All he said there "can" be a slight voltage drop across the fuse bnecause of the fuse holder if the fuse is not seated properly. I say the mains itself fluctuates more than this voltage drop anyway.
More to discover