Synergistic Red Fuse ...

I have received several SR Black fuses from Highend Electronics and Alfred has been very helpful. When I installed an SR Black into my Magnum Dynalab MD-106T Analog FM Tuner it just didn't sound right, sure enough a flip of the fuse did the trick.
I'd also like to thank all those in this thread for their thoughts and providing valuable information.

I am thinking of getting a sr red for the amp.  What is the difference between the red and the black?

As far as fuse direction, if your have the sa11 s2 the s I'd on the power cord side, the r is on the transformer side if that helps.

Tzh21y,
The Red fuse is very good in my components  however the Black fuses are an improvement across the board based in on my listening. 
They're worth the modest increased cost. 
Charles, 

tzh21y
649 posts
05-06-2016 9:12am
As far as fuse direction, if your have the sa11 s2 the s I’d on the power cord side, the r is on the transformer side if that helps.

Thanks for the info. Actually it doesn’t help me too much except it gives me the opportunity to point out a few things and try to clear the air a little bit.

1. The Synergistic Research person mentioned on another forum that his fuses should be tried both ways.

2. For some reason people have more or less assumed that the letters written on the fuse should be oriented so that when reading the letters right side up and left to right the letters should point in the direction of the signal going away from the wall toward the speakers in whatever component including the speakers themselves the fuses are located.

3. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell looking at the fuse depending on whee it’s located in the circuit of a particular component or even if the fuse is located where the power cord comes into the component which is the correct orientation for the fuse.

4. Some fuses have no writing on the on the main body of the fuse.

5. Therefore, all things considered, the owner must try the fuse both ways and determine as best he can which direction is correct. The letters on the fuse, assuming there are any, should be used only as a *guide* when switching fuse directions so as not to lose track the direction the fuse was just in. For fuses without lettering use a permanent pen of any color to mark one end of the fuse so you can keep tabs of the fuse orientation when you switch directions.

6. In the case of those aftermarket fuses that are marked with directional arrows, I.e., HiFi Tuning and Isoclean, the arrows should point in the direction toward the speakers, but in some cases as pointed out above when the direction of the signal is uncertain then you will have to try the fuse both ways.

geoff kait
machina directiona

I just listed to it both ways and settled on the current direction.

tzh21y
650 posts
05-06-2016 4:43pm
I just listed to it both ways and settled on the current direction.

That’s very good to hear. But, my good fellow, what direction is that? I thought better of making a joke about the "current direction." When you say you "listed to it both ways" is that some sort of Freudian slip related to UL listed fuses?

tzh21y:
Congratulations on getting the fuse direction optimized and in enduring the break in period. I have the Synergistic Research Black fuse orientated just the same as yours. I really like the sound from this model  Marantz SACD player with a least one Black fuse in place.

The Synergistic Research Black A/C wall outlet has arrived and I installed it today at noon. It replaces the Furutech GTX-R. I believe I am hearing the strong attributes of both a Furutech outlet and a Synergistic Research Teslaplex outlet. The enhanced signal conduction of the SR outlet combined with a deeper soundstage and mico detail of the Furutech outlet.

I certainly will know a lot more in one to two weeks. If you still have an ordinary household plug I do hope you will upgrade it to one of the several excellent audio grade plugs.

Instead of making the mistake of buying a new power tool for a Mother's Day present, I did actually buy my Mother a Synergistic Research Black A/C wall outlet. Of course it comes with free installation by me ! I know she will appreciate Chet's guitar playing streaming to her Terasonic speakers even more the more.

David Pritchard

Lol.  I never thought of that.  I actually meant the direction that it is currently in. Which I believe r on the side of the transformer and the s on the side of the power cord.

Davidpritchard wrote,

"I have the Synergistic Research Black fuse orientated just the same as yours."

That’s the whole issue (with SR fuse directionality) in a nutshell. According to the post by the Synergistic Research guy that I quoted earlier, the letters on the SR fuse are simply to be used as a guide for remembering which direction the fuse was in just before you reverse it when auditioning the fuse for directionality. In other words, the letters on the SR fuse do NOT indicate the correct direction in and of themselves. At least that’s the way I interpret what the SR guy said. Ergo, it’s only a coincidence that your fuse is oriented just the same as his. To state this another way, SR doesn’t mark their fuses for directionality as does Isoclean and HiFi Tuning. If SR fuses were marked for directionality why would you have to try it both ways? The only reason I can think of is it's in case they marked it wrong. 

Got it

David ...

Please keep us posted on the SR Black wall outlet as it goes through the break-in process. Interesting stuff. 

Thanks ...

I also happen to suspect, speaking of fuse directionality, that in the particular case of HiFi Tuning fuses it’s quite possible that the symbol that is printed on the HiFi Tuning fuses which is technically not an arrow but a diode symbol is strictly for keeping tabs on the fuse direction so, like the SR fuses, it’s a way to make the fuse cosmetically non symmetrical. Thus, like the letters on the SR fuses, the diode symbol on HiFi Tuning fuses does not indicate the direction that the fuse should be inserted in the component. This method of easing the fuse direction audition process would have the additional advantage for the manufacturer since he would not have to worry about keeping track of the wire’s directionality, which of course is the whole issue - the wire.

gk

 oregonpapa:

The first Synergistic Research Black A/C wall outlet is now installed in the dedicated headphone system. It replaced the Furutech GTX-R outlet. At 9 am today it had a total  of 25 hours  on it. It has already started to open up and become more relaxed. It is a worthy improvement over the SR Teslaplex and the Furutech. It has the more music qualities of the SR outlet with the big soundstage and better high frequencies of the Furutech. It then has much better separation of instruments + lower floor noise than the other two outlets. There is no sense of damping as with an Oyaide R 1.

The Synergistic Research Black outlet is a premium sounding outlet. It will stay in my system.

Shortly I am going over to my Mother's house to install a Black outlet for her Mother's Day present.

A premium mom deserves a premium A/C wall outlet.

David Pritchard

David ...

Kudos to you for taking care of and respecting your mother. So many seniors are just cast to the side by their kids. I have a couple  of older friends about my age who continually tell me how disconnected they are from their children. And this is after a lot of effort to connect on their behalf. I think the younger ones get way too busy with life and lack the discipline to stay in touch. Too bad, because in the long haul, discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. 

Thanks for the update on the new SR Black outlets. As I mentioned before, I'm currently using an older Oyaide ... so in reading your assessment the SR Black has now been put on the bucket list. 

My friend Robert came over last night with an armful of vinyl records that  he recently rescued from thrift stores and garage sales. Some were really amazing, including one artist you may have heard of ... The Page Cavanaugh Trio. 

https://www.discogs.com/artist/878802-Page-Cavanaugh

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAGE-CAVANAUGH-PLAYS-FOR-THE-COCKTAIL-HOUR-LP-MONO-L1523-/361332512065?hash=...

This album puts Page's piano in the room and the brushed cymbals are uncannily accurate.  And, its a mono record that had us asking ... who needs stereo!

This brought up the subject last night about how many great recordings are out there featuring artists that most audiophiles know nothing about and have never heard. How many posters here own a record by the great accordionists Myron Floren?  Or soulful music from Mexico ... or even some of the old stereo demo records that came out in the late 50's and early 60's. There's a lot of junk to wade through, but the great ones make an audio system really come to life.

 Robert and I agreed last night that there is a huge section of the audiophile hobby missing from most audiophiles systems, and that is the "component" known as "the great records from the past that they never heard of."

Looking forward to meeting you in Newport Beach next month David. 

Take care ...

Oregonpapa:

Just returned from the A/C outlet installation. There are a total of five outlets on a common circuit. The power conditioner was plugged into a Furutech GTXD-R outlet with hundreds of hours on it (as it is on 24/7) . The new outlet is the Synergistic Research Black outlet. Since the systen already uses an Oyaide mountaing frame , changing outlets is easy.

Right out of the box this new SR Black outlet is superior in this system. Second songwas a Bobby Hackett trumpet piece. So much more detail, flow, and space between instruments. This system is the Type 45 tube amp (Emotive Custom Limited Edition), Antellope DAC, and Terasonic speakers with dual Gallo sub woofers. These are reviewer Jack Robert's former speakers. They need maybe 1/2 watt of power. Beautiful music was playing when I left the room.

As the door closed my Mother said " Thank you. I love you".  This outlet is sure better than any bouquet of flowers.

David Pritchard

Very nice thing you did for your mother, David. I used to do that for my Dad for his stereo/TV system until he got too old to appreciate the sonic improvements. Are all five outlets in the circuit upgraded? If not, and there are still contractor-grade outlets in line, then you will hear an improvement upgrading all of them, even though some might not be used for music or video. Those not being used for audio/video you could probably get by with improvements with some less costly Hubbell HBL8300 all brass version, i.e. Porter Ports. I have some extra Hubbell HBL8300 I could sell you for $10.00/each. I bought a bunch of these from an electronics surplus store in new York. They are the same as the Porter Ports, but un-cryo'd. They are also red in color so they might not look good with the decor. I installed the red outlets that were hidden behind the couch, chairs, etc.

sherod:
You are absolutely correct that each outlet in my Mother's system effects the system's sound even though three outlets of the five total have no audio components inserted. The other outlets have previously been upgrade to three Synergistic Research Teslaplex and one Furutech GTXD-R. 

I plan to allow the new Synergistic Research Black outlet to break in for a week and then see if adding an additional Black outlet will obtain an additional improvement.

David Pritchard

What a good son! Please keep us posted on the improvements.

David,
Thanks for the update regarding the SR Black outlet.
In your system what do you have plugged into it?

lak:
System 1:
Plugged into the Black outlet is the Synergistic Research Power Conditioner 10 Mark ll. The audio system is then plugged into the conditioner.

System 2:
Plugged into the Black outlet is a Synergistic Research Power Conditioner 4. This is the headphone system. So SACD player and tube amp are plugged into this conditioner. The Black outlet is really improving the headphone experience. 75 hours on this system.

Neither my house nor my Mother's apartment is it possible to have dedicated circuits. I am looking forward to Mother's Day Dinner at the apartment tonight so I can also get listen to the break in progress her Black outlet has made -it will have 24 hours on it.

David Pritchard

David, have you tried the new Furutech NCF outlet?  It's about the same price as the new SR Black.  

limniscate:

I have not tried the new Furutech NCF outlet. I am quite sure it is in the highest level of outlets available ( going on the quality of sound their GTXD-R outlet gives. Before the Black outlet I was using three to four Synergistic Research Teslaplex outlets together with one or two Furutech GTX outlets on the same shared circuit. Each circuit has five outlets. Dedicated outlets not an option. A Furutech outlet was replaced with the SR Black outlet. This is the outlet the power conditioner is plugged into.


The SR Black has many of the qualities of these two outlets if they were combined, with the additional fabulous quality of greatly improved sense of separation of instruments and greater dynamic impact.

This is a wonderful rewarding outlet even after only 15 hours on the Terasonic speaker system.

My Mother called me at 9:00 this morning saying " I turned on my music system (with the new Black oulet) this morning at 6 am. I couldn't wait any longer to call to tell you my system has never sounded better".

I went over and listened and she was absolutely correct. The depth of emotion in Frank Sinatra's voice and Karen Carpenter voice was breathtaking. It really was a very special hour of time spent with my Mother.

David Pritchard

Wow, David! I'm impressed. I'll bet there aren't many audiophiles who can claim that their mother is also an audiophile.

sherod:

She loves to hear music on a system where she can experience the artistry and emotion of the performers. She did not become an audiophile until the age of 88.

At age 88  she was critically ill in the hospital. I took a portable CD player with Sennheiser 650 headphones and CD of  Mozart concertos to the hospital. At night I put the CD on continuous repeat play. The music allowed her to both get some sleep and be at peace at whatever the outcome was to be. By the narrowest of margins she recovered.

Since then her music system has evolved to the satisfying system she enjoys so much

David Pritchard. 

David,

That's a beautiful thing you did. I've read where music has done wonders for those who were woefully incapacitated or in a coma. 
Happiest of Mother's Day for those who still have them.

All the best,
Nonoise

David, 
I'm sure your mother deeply appreciates your loyalty, devotion and caring. She must know how fortunate she is given the neglect some elderly parents endure from uncaring children. It's wonderful that she's able to enjoy listening to music just as much as you. 
Charles, 

Mapman:

You are absolutely correct.

David Pritchard

A few weeks ago I gave the SR Black fuses high praises in this forum. I replaced the stock fuses in my Primaluna Dialogue Premium Integrated tube amp and Hegel HD 25 Dac  and was impressed with the sonic improvement on both hi-rez files and ripped cds.

Now that both fuses are fully broke-in with at least 200 hours, I decided to compare the SR Black fuses with my previously purchased Audio Horizons Platinum Reference fuses. I first made sure each fuse was in the optimum direction before any comparisons and let all components warm up at least 1/2 hour. 

The music consisted mainly vocals which I feel is important in making comparison. The music included Anita Baker, Sade, Patricia Barber (HD), Diana Krall, Kevyn Lattau, Chris Botti, James Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Eva Cassidy, Led Zepplin and the Beach Boys (HD). I felt these selections encompassed a wide variety of music and recording qualities.   

The first comparison was with the Hegel Dac which took around 2 minutes to switch fuses and start up. I alternated which fuse went first so it wouldn't affect my judgement. What shocked me most the SR fuses sounded thinner, less bass and a bit brighter. The AH fuses were smoother and more dynamic.
 
I followed the same procedure with the Primaluna amp with the same results.  These differences weren't as great as comparing either fuse to the stock fuses but the AH fuses were better on my system. The icing on the cake came listening to James Taylor's 'How Sweet it is' ripped from his Greatest Hits cd. I clearly heard Carly Simon's backing vocals starting at around 1:30 into the song which was harder to distinguish with the SR fuses.

I'm not saying this comparison will be the same with all systems or our listening preferences. One thing I learned over the past 40+ years is synergy between components including cables, tubes and now fuses is the key.

Judge for yourself. AH also has a money back guarantee and Joseph Chow is a great guy to deal with if anyone is interested in AH fuses.

Now, that is interesting.

Hi Ron rags,
You are correct,  synergy is always a major variable and the Audio Horizon fuse has many satisfied customers. No doubt that the Beeswax fuse is an excellent choice as well. I believe that any of these top tier fuses will be an asset in most systems. I'm glad you found what works best for you. 
Charles, 

What's so great is the ability to tweak our systems that makes our hobby so interesting plus have forums like this so we can share our ideas and experiences. 

Ron

This is kind of like a group of like minded guys sitting around the pub, kicking back a few brewskies, and talkin' audio.  :-)

By the way, if you want to hear a wide, deep, lush sound stage and great music, buy this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7zMYa47ws0

Available on ebay. 

oregonpapa:
Thank you for the link. That sounds good even over my portable laptop speaker! They have her voice miked just right. It is a small world. I was listening to some Paul Weston cuts on Mother's Day. A talented studio arranger - producer. It was on the Sirius Internet "Escape" channel .

David Pritchard

David ...

I believe that so many audiophiles are taken by the 180 gram modern reissues that they miss the real classics that would make their audio systems come alive. 

Here's some more beautiful music with a deep, wide, floor to ceiling sound stage. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S1GuZLsqMo&list=PLORhWcDj8iRNCFoueY0stkZrMgvIukS47

This is their best ... amaze your friends and bask in the musical beauty of this album:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-NORMAN-LUBOFF-CHOIR-BUT-BEAUTIFUL-CS-8114-COLUMBIA-VINYL-LP-RECORD-12-/1...

No better interpretations of Liszt's piano compositions than those done by Peter Katin. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5VMhVaE-vg

This is the album to get. Don't bother looking for the original, its super rare. The Stereo Treasury is a great reissue.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Peter-Katin-Piano-Music-Of-Liszt-LP-London-FFRR-STS-15133-Vinyl-/28103216507...

Its time for another "fix" so I ordered an SR Black fuse today to replace the SR Red fuse in the amp. Should be a nice upgrade. I'll report the results here. 

Here's a nice treat for you guys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeytzmSWee0

DavidPritchard
On 2/1916 you wrote to Oregonpapa: "Add a synergistic research grounding block to your system." I did purchase a gounding block with one HD cable to my SACD player, one basic cable to my preamp. The remaining cables, including the cable to the wall came as part of the basic grounding block package. I installed everything immediately, allowed it to settle for 24 hours, turned on my SACD player and hit the jack pot. I am on a roll. My last three purchases Red fuses, Wywires Platinum intrerconnect cable and now the grounding block have all exceeded my expectations.  I am now walking with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. Life is good.

nyame ...

Nice post.

Yep, this hobby is pretty amazing. It can be frustrating at times, but when you hit upon a major improvement can be thrilling.

Hope all have a great weekend of listening. 

nyame:
Congratulations on your system's improvement. I do think the Synergistic Research Grounding Block is a major advance. I also believe you auditioned the Grounding Block to maximum positive effect by installing the Grounding Block and letting  it settle in for 24 hours before listening.

This is a much more effective than the Acoustic Revive RG-24 Grounding device. 

The Grounding Block is  no where near the cost of the Entreq or Tripoint grounding systems.

It is easy to install and comes with a 30 day trial so it is nearly free to evaluate in a system.

I am now a firm believer in audio grade fuses, audio grade A/C wall outlets, and the SR Grounding Block.

David Pritchard

Guys ...

Robert brought this over last night ... another great thrift store find:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BONGOS-BONGOS-BONGOS-VINYL-RECORD-LP-COMMAND-RECORDS-1959-STEREO-/2720368222...

This record is demo quality ... amaze your audiophile friends. 

These gems, unfortunately, don't end up in the majority of "audiophile's" record collections. Well ... at least  not the ones who have nothing but 180 gram reissues in their collections.  Time to expand into the unknown realm of early stereo masterpieces like this one. In the room ... in the room.

Happy listening ...  

David, Would it be best to replace the black outlet 1st over a black fuse in your opinion? Which do you feel gave a bigger difference.

It will replace a Red fuse and a Teslaplex SE.... Was going to get the new Furutech NCF outlet.

justtubes2:
I would replace the fuse to the SR Black first. I replaced fuses first and then outlet. I think the combination of the "big sound" of the Teslaplex combined with the Black fuse in the source and amp is a big step forward. Not every room will need what the Black outlet brings to a system.

David Pritchard

Thanks for the recco.

Did you replace the Tedlaplex se with the black? 

Just very curious what the sonic differences were in your case to steer.me in deciding whether I need the change.

I find the original Teslaplex actually the most dynamic but with some hardness and brightness.

The SE fixes that issues and is more musical, but at the same time not as dynamic and forward sounding.

The Gtx R is supremely detailed yet natural, but not as big sounding or dynamic, I still find a touch of the Rhodium presentation and forwardness.

I use a mixture of 2 Teslaplex, 2 SE and 1 Gtx which I found the best mix similarily.

So am looking forward to an upgrade of either the 2 and need yuur further insight.

Thank you 

^^^  Me too. Thanks in advance, David. :-)