Synergistic Red Fuse ...

Word of mouth from users of these fuses have resulted in universal high praise. I have the older generation SR Quantum fuses in my amplifier, Line Stage and DAC with very positive results (3 years). The Red fuse is said to be a noticeable improvement of mine.

I just ordered three and will try more if I hear improvements.
Can any users contrast whether they work better on source components, amps or equally well across the board?
Anyone compare the red with Audio Horizon or Furutech fuses?

Evidently the breakin period is a bit longer than I thought. Things just keep getting better.

The Synergistic Research fuses- the Original and the RED fuses have been a big improvement in my systems. I have heard a significant improvement with the following: amps-Jadis, Art Audio, Triode of Japan, Eddie Current ZanaDeux. CD player-Marantz SA11S2. Dac- Antelope. Self powered subs Gallo and SVS.

I have compared the SR fuses to Isoclean and Furotech. I much prefer the Synergistic Research improvements.

Finally they are one of the few companies that allow and encourage a 30 day trial.

They sound good right out of the box and reach their maximum improvement after a week of having a signal run through them

I´m tempted to try them in my Maggie 3.7´s.

It's personal preference but the AH fuses were superior to SR in every component, more texture, fuller sounding and very natural sounding.

Hi Wig, did you compare the AH to the 20 or the Red, or both? Did you use them in source components, amplifiers or both?
I have heard good things about the AH fuses but they sure are expensive.
I only justified buying/trying a couple of Reds because I took advantage of the Partsconnexion 25 percent off sale. A straight-up $117 per fuse is a lot, especially when I simply have not heard much difference between fuses in my system.
Just curious as to how you used them to achieve the best effect.
Thanks
PS: BTW, very nice system. I'll bet the VAC integrated sounds great with the AZ Crescendos.

Anyone tried the fuses filled with bees wax? $175 per fuse.

In my Maggie 3.6Rs, I have used HiFi Tuning's silver and then gold, have used Furutech's rhodium plated, have used SR 20's.  The Furutechs beat the HiFi Tuning by a lot, the SR 20's beat the Furutechs by a little.  Now, I have the SR Reds installed, and they are far and away so superior to the SR 20's, I have to compare them to a component upgrade in increased clarity and depth, but I have also exceeded the stock ratings by three times the value with the SR Reds, using 8A and 16A.  As if this weren't good enough,  I put the Reds in the main fuse banks of my ARC 210's (250) and then my Wadia 861SE, all formerly having Furutechs.  I have mentioned all of this on "Best Of" under tweaks.  The SR Reds have taken my sound to yet another plateau of definition and widened sound stage--percussion and piano parts have appeared beyond the outward-facing tweeters, and this system was no slouch before these fuses.  I am convinced there is no end to tweaking gear that is 6-12 years old, and no end to Redbook CD, even with this level of gear. 

Jafreeman ...

I have to agree with you in all areas. The improvement in the CD playback is really significant. Best sound I've gotten from digital so far ... and this is with only one fuse in the preamp. The second fuse, which will be going in the amp is on its way. 

Thanks guys,
These very positive comments on the SR red fuses has caught my attention, I'll be replacing my older SR fuses  in the near future. Have you all found them to be directional?  I plan to use them in my DAC, Line Stage and mono blocks. Given my success with the SR Quantum fuses I'm eager to heard the Red versions.

So, the SR RED fuse for the amp arrived two days ago. I installed it into the ARC REF-75 SE. So now there's a RED fuse in the amp and one in the ARC REF-3.

There was an immediate improvement in overall sound right out of the box. I let it burn in for a few hours knowing full well that there was a break-in period to expect. It was a nice improvement, but still a LOT more to come. Mr. Golden Ears, Robert The Cynic, came over later in the evening and he noticed the improvement right away. His comment was that it wasn't as much of an improvement as the one in the preamp had made. Well sure, he heard the preamp when the fuse was broken in. The new one in the amp had maybe under 10 hours on it. 

24 hours later:

I let the system warm up last night while I fixed dinner and ate. Then, I poured two fingers of a fine single barrel bourbon and settled into the listening chair for a nice relaxing listening session.

Wow! ... Wow! ... and Wow!  

I have never heard such realism from my system. The attack and speed on piano is simply amazing. Saxophone is right there in the room. Female and male voice has such presence and lack of grain. The tonality of instruments is unreal ... or should I say "real?"  Is this even possible from a home system? I didn't think so, but there it was, in spades. 

The REF-75 SE with the KT150s is, what I thought, a grainless amp. Ha ... Ha! ... There is a LOT more in that amp than meets the ear. 

My suggestion? Run, don't walk, to the Synergetic Research site  here on Audiogon and gobble up some of these fuses for your system. You can trust this old audiophile ... you'll be glad you did.  And by the way, this vendor ships via rocket ship. Super fast. 

Next to come ... two fuses for the ARC CD-7se. Yikes ... and after that, one for the PH-8.

Would someone please come over and drag me out of the house? I need to get things done. 

I really want to know what Bo1972 says about all this. After all he is the expert.

Please, not on this thread.  One is too much.

  As soon as I find out the size of the fuse in my preamp, I'm purchasing one.  I know I just have to open it up and look, but I want to change out some noisy tubes and only want to open it once.  I emailed Modwright asking the size.  Looked online, but didn't find anything.

The Modwright LS-100 takes a 2A slow blow 5x22mm for anybody else needing this info.

I thought about changing tubes and the fuse at the same time, but want to hear the difference, so will wait on the tubes until after I change the fuse.

abucktwoeighty ...

Let the fuse break in for a couple of listening session before passing judgement. It will sound better right out of the box, but the best will "be yet to come." 

Please come back with your assessments. 

Take care ,...

  I'll be sure to do that.  I'll wait on the tubes, plus I'll wait on inserting the High Fidelity analog adapters.

I have been holding off adding to this thread. I have been using the RED Fuse by Synergistic since they first came out.

I have said then and I say it now.

I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT JUST A FUSE MADE THAT MUCH OF AN IMPROVEMENT.

I have tried most of the fuses mentioned above.  NONE came close. Not even the previous Synergistic Quantum fuse.

Yes, they do sound better right away, but give them just a short run in and they really will make you sit up and take notice.

I am not saying they are the best as I have not tried every fuse out there. But the Red are so good you will not care.

Most that I have tried were all highly recommended.
Supreme Platinum, Furutech, Qauntum, etc.
Hardly any difference, if at all. The Quantum the most and easier to hear.

But nothing like the RED.

Like others have said, they give a 30 day home trial money back.

It is a no brainier.

 

Mitch2,

I had a full loom of SR20 before upgrading to the AH fuses but I recently compared the Red when I ordered another AH fuse for my Vitus integrated. The Red/20 are much thinner sounding and bright in comparison to the AHs which are much fuller and natural sounding...

wig, I believe the sound is relative to the equipment used.  I'll be looking into the AH fuses next.  This never ends....here I go again....

Abucktwoeighty,
I agree regarding the relative preferences of fuses. I believe they are no different than any other audio component, cable or part. Certain products will inevitably mate with and sound better in some system configurations than in others. I can't think of any exceptions to this observation. The SR red does greatly intrigue me based on my experience with their Quantum fuse.

  I'm expecting a big improvement, just like when I switched to their cables.

Very tempted to buy some AH. 

Like most of you, I have been using the SR Red for a while (yes, they are directional, same as caps but that's for another thread) and am very happy with it, no downside compared to the others that I have/had. Still keeping the Furutech's Rhodium for some gear, relegating HiFi Tuning Supremes (forget the HiFi Golds) to my 2nd system. The best bang/buck, though at entry level, are the AMR golds, now relegated to ancillary  devices such as NAS, routers. 

Am also interested to hear the Audio Magic Beeswax Premiere. Have good experience with their Super Fuse in my mono blocks. The dampening method reminds me that some manufacturers like Audience use dampening material inside the conditioners (on the caps) and once even used dampening material inside the AC plugs of their first series of powerChord. Oyaide wall plates are solid built and the material used are supposed to reduce vibrations as well. I have one installed, noticed some improvement.
Anyone have good experience using dampening material on power cords / distribution boxes?

You guys are killing me.....especially you wig, when you say;

The Red/20 are much thinner sounding and bright in comparison to the AHs which are much fuller and natural sounding...

Of course, I am looking for a little more in the "fuller and natural sounding" department.  It seems like we go through this every time someone comes out with a new fuse.

I have so many fuses in so little gear.  The stupid DAC takes dual 1A fuses on the input and then has three 250mA internal fuses, one to each power supply;  My amp has four, 10A rail fuses but nothing on the line-in; the server uses dual 2A fuses; and the preamp, although two pieces, thankfully only uses one fuse.  The three reds I tried internally in the DAC were relatively easy to absorb since I still had the stock fuses installed and Partsconnexion is still having a 25 percent sale, but unfortunately they don't sell AH fuses.  If I start replacing fuses in the other gear, I will be replacing either HiFi Tuning Silver Star or Furutech fuses, so I would be replacing perfectly good after market fuses.

To the AH fuse users, is the biggest improvement in replacing amplification fuses, or fuses in source/front end components? Sheesh...four of them in my amp would cost me about $500!  I may go back to using ProGold on the ends of my fuses, wrapping them in teflon tape, and calling it good.  My other option is to drill tiny holes in standard fuses, and fill them with beeswax.  That will save me $2,100 on the 12 fuses that I need.
Are the AH fuses really that good?  

So far, with the preamp and amp using the RED fuses ... I've experienced no "thinness" or "brightness." My audiophile friends who have heard the improvements all have come to the same conclusion that II have, namely ... a big step toward realism. 

I'm also curious about the bees wax filled fuses. At $175 per pop, I'll wait for others to report. In the meantime, I continue to reluctantly tear myself away from my system. Hey, we have to eat sometime, right?

  As far as the SR Red fuses being directional, are they all sounding better placed in the same direction or does it depend on the equipment used?  

I'd recommend to those who are using the Reds, try 1 AH fuse in its place and you'll hear the analogy I mentioned about thinness. You will also hear more texture and body especially with violins, acoustic guitars and cellos and also experiment with direction.

Probably time for a group buy for AH fuses. BTW AH reseller states this "If you are a former Audio Horizons customer or order of components upgrade, there is a 15% discount off the $115 MSRP...". Where do you get a lasting audible improvement for just one Benjamin?

In my tube DAC and my NAD amp I am happy with the sound of SR Red. 

/Wig: do you have any equipment with more than one AH fuse? 
/abuck: sometimes it is visible on the fuse holder (IME on most holders it is outside to inside where the current flows), it is easier for fuses inside the unit to see where the current is going to (just remove the fuse and use a multimeter to see where the end is that is live).
/mitch2: lucky you, I got 2 systems to feed. BTW is there any downside to wrapping them in Teflon? I do that as standard procedure. Also, when the WA chip still is sticky enough, I pass it down to the successor.

Very nice discussion of fuses so far. I think along with fuses the other change that can make a significant difference in the over all character of a system's sound is the A/C wall socket. I am currently using 4 Synergistic Research and 1 Furotech GTX-Rhodium duplex on my system's circuit.
I really do like the fact that Synergistic Research gives you a 30 day trial to find out what works best for your system.

Anyone use SR Red Fuses on Primaluna amps?

jazzonthehudson,

My ModWright Sony 5400 SACD Player uses 2 800ma fuses.

Thanks wig! Many a times you have made excellent recommendations, like the CH X-20 which is indeed a keeper. I have just ordered a couple AH Platinums for the upstream devices in my main system.

I swapped SR Red fuse for HiFi Tuning Supreme in my VTL 7.5 iii pre. Red was superior sounding by about 30%, but the fuse blew, which my HiFi Tuning fuses never did. So I went back, and peace has prevailed. YMMV.

Neal

Neal, SR Red is known to blow earlier than others, buy one with a slightly higher value. Or use this opportunity to try the AH Platinum or AM Beewax.

BTW do you still regard the LessLoss DFPC Ref as your reference PC?

jazzonthehudson,

Give them about 5-6 days of constant running-in and I think you are going to like what you hear...After run-in, experiment with direction and orient the direction that sound best.

I have 3 CH X-20 and love them!

Where can I purchase AH fuses?

/pal: user vcomerch on the Gon or direct at  audiohorizons@yahoo.com (Joseph Chow), he shipped my order the same day of the order, will have them in a few and will report back after 50-100h break in.

/wig: so you also use them at power amp level? I like it best for upstream equipment: does everything right. 

Wig,
You have me curious about the AH fuses relative to the SR Red fuses. I likely can't go wrong with either. Your direct comparison in your system got my attention. By the way I'm familiar with your speakers and think highly of their sound via a Triode CORP 845 PSET amplifier(on 3 separate occasions).
Charles,

I think you're all insane, but mildly entertaining.

Using them is all of my components; 2 in Modwright Player, 1 in tube power supply and 1 in Vitus RI-100 Integrated amp.

If you are an AGon user, Joseph will send you one at no cost to evaluate and not one of them has ever blown like the SR fuses I've owned.

Wig

I'm still gob-slapped over these SR RED fuses.

I reached into the "classical closet" this morning for something to accompany my home roasted Colombian coffee and pulled out "A Liszt Recital" by Jose' Echaniz on the Musical Heritage label.

I swear the piano was in the friggin' room. So dynamic and the speed on leading edges was like never before. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 got played twice.

For those who aren't aware, Jose' Echaniz was a magnificent pianist of the  highest order. A number of his recordings are available on Ebay right now.  

Wolf, agree, especially with the mildly hedge.  

For the audiophile who is perhaps not well heeled or too cheap he can always flip around those cheap stock fuses and see if that improves things as it's a wire directionality issue as much as anything else. 

Hi,  some of the post suggest that the AH fuses sound organic,  does that this happen at the cost of losing some  clarity, speed, detail?, I'm assuming that the AH stands for audio horizons? ,what is the cost of the AH fuses? Do they work to good effect on solid state gear? 

Reading a review of a new Pass amp last night I noticed it has NO fuses…I suppose you can add one later...

No speed, clarity or detail is missing it just presents them in a more realistic way. I compared these fuses in my Vac and current Vitus integrated amp and on both occasions the SR just didn't sound coherent as the AH.                                                   
Try both in your system and choose the one that synergizes in your system.