Synergistic Research Black fuese

There is an entire RED fuse thread in the "Amps & Preamp" section that has evolved into the BLACK fuses. I think at this point its seven pages long. Its all there for you. 

Thanks

I never tried the SR Red fuses but still had their Quantum fuses in most of my equipment. I just got some of their Black fuses and will say they are exceptional and clearly better than the Quantums. They only have about thirty hours on them and SR says it may take far longer than this but they are a very nice addition to my system that already staggered my realization of what was possible.

tbg:
You are absolutely correct. The Synergistic Research Black fuses really start to sound good at the 25 hour mark. But then the sound continues to expand and relax so that at the 100 to 150 hour mark you are really enjoying a higher level of emotional envolvement  with the music.

I hope to see you at the Newport Beach show June 3-5.

David Pritchard

Who has tried the new Synergistic Research Black fuses?  How do they compare to the Reds?  If you are using the Blacks, do they live up to the hype? Thanksrnwong

I've been rolling fuses forever so replaced all 7 SR Reds with SR Blacks in one shot.  The most obvious change is a more musical and organic sound where SR Reds sounds hifi-ish in comparison. 

Everything is system dependent but SR offers a 30 days money back so no risk trying in your components.

knghifi:


Sounds like you rolled a Seven and came up a big winner !
I absolutely agree the Synergistic Research Black fuse can really improve a system. For me DACs, amps, SACD players, self powered sub woofers, and even a self powered sound bar have all had an improvement in  sound with a Black fuse installed.

David Pritchard

davidpritchard, yep lucky seven :-)    Got an 8th for a SS amp rotating in for the summer soon so hoping lucky 8.

Audiophile fuses are a no brainer if your system is worth one's salt.  But if it's a pig, applying lipstick, it's still a pig so please use common sense.  If a fuse doesn't transform your $399 amp to a Pass XS300, it's expected!

These SR Black fuses have brought my system to a place far beyond where I would ever have imagined it would be. The system was no slouch before the fuse experimentation ... but now its in a completely different sphere altogether.  Vocalists and instrumentalist are in the room ... with good recordings, of course. I have tons of mono LP's and they have really come to life. Mono on the system has friends saying ... "My God, who needs stereo?"  I wish I could  have some of you over to hear Paul Desmond's alto sax on some of my mono Bruebeck albums. Wow!

I agree with others that the SR Blacks are remarkable.  That said, has anyone had problems with the Black fuse blowing upon preamp or amplifier turn on?  This has happened to me a couple of times and I am currently working with Alfred at High End Electronics to figure out what is causing this situation. The SR Black fuse ratings are the same as the OEM fuses that I replaced.  

asalerno:

This has happened with a Synergistic Research SR-20 fuse in my headphone tube amp (Eddy Current Zana Deux amp. The amplifier manufacturer had me go to the next largest fuse and since then no problems.

The SR Black fuse really does improve the sound.

David Pritchard

David
Thank you for your quick response. I agree that the SR Black fuses do indeed make a significant improvement in overall sound quality. It is also interesting that you mentioned going to the next largest fuse... I suspect that is what I would try next. Best regards, Al

David,
I did go to the next largest fuse and that did solved the problem! So thank you for the suggestion.  Alfred at High End Electronics was great to work with and supplied replacement fuses in exchange for the blown fuses.  He did share with me that the SR Blacks tend to be on the sensitive side.  The sound quality is a big step up from top to bottom.  It is just amazing....
Thanks!
Al

asalerno:

I am glad you are enjoying the sonic improvement with the Synergistic Research Black fuse. Alfred Kainz is a real gentleman.

If you are still using an ordinary wall outlet, I hope you will consider one of the many good Audio quality outlets available. Fuses and outlets are two areas that really respond to upgrades.

David Pritchard

I'm thinking about trying these in my monos but reading there were a couple of occasions of them blowing is slightly disconcerting...the manufacturer state to use sand filled T6.3A so would it be a straight swap or a different rating considering the sensitivity of the Black...??

I moved up to the 8A and had no further problems with the fuse blowing. Highly recommended due to the improved sound quality which iis a significant step up!

I just installed 2 black fuses in a nice
Tube intergraded amp.    I had to
Move my speakers out from the wall
And closer to gather.   Still great bass
Deep sound stage.   Dog
Out side of speakers music is there.  
One of a few Tweaks you can actually
Hear.    

Assuming these fuses do make a difference, I want to understand, why? Whats the technical explanation of what is happening?

Assuming these fuses do make a difference, I want to understand, why? Whats the technical explanation of what is happening? 

Think it's a faith based approach . That's all that matters . 

 +1 maplegrove

there is no good technical explanation. If it works for you and you hear a difference after 150 hours then go for it and enjoy.

Maplegrovemusic wrote,

"Think it’s a faith based approach . That’s all that matters.

If saying three Hail Marys will improve the sound I’m in. I'll even put up with a placebo or two as long as they improve the sound. 

@asalerno
what is your original value? I need T4A and T6.3A for my amp but can only find the next step up values are 5 and 8 instead of 4.5 and  7. Is it safe?

Thanks

Thanks for your question. I cannot recall the individual ratings at the moment but I had no problem going 1 or 2 steps higher where needed. I would only buy from Highend Electronics as Alfred was kind enough to replace a blown fuse if it failed upon turn on. I have found that the most sensitive fuse is the one usually near the power cord. I have Odyssey mono amps and each amp contains 5 fuses. The only fuse that had to be increased on the Kismets was the fuse in the back of the amp. I also had to increase the fuse rating on an old Audio Research 6Bpreamp for the same reason. In all cases the results have been remarkable. I also installed SR Blacks in an AR Ref 2 and a Manley phono preamp. Best tweaks ever. Good luck!

As a rule I always go one step higher now when installing SR Blacks

Thanks for the reply, I'm oversea and wont have the luxury to exchange like you.

My power amp has 4A for main supply and 2x 6.3A for the rail. Do you recommend to go one step for all or the main supply only?

Shouldn't one consult the manufacturer to make sure going "one step up" in the fuse is in fact safe?  Means with a surge more current will go into the component before it is cut off by the fuse blowing.  Isn't that a safety issue for both the component and whomever is near it??

Excellent point. I agree that if in doubt speak to the manufacture first.  It's the safe way to go.

I can logically explain  the reason why better fuses sound better .
With yhd Blacks they use the nano Graphite coating which I have followed for 
Over 2 years now Nasal Developed and used in the best 3d printers, super conductor capacitOrson, Nasa Wiring . Synergistic uses it a as a coating .
It is many 1,000s denser molecular  wise.
Let me back up a moment , if you go online and look up metals resistance
Index ,Silver ,vs the cheap buss fuse is 7x less resistance Copper very similar to Silver in this respect. The steel fuse is loads of low level nois and a Huge bottleneck ,like a 1/8 the inch pipe  vs a 7/8th inch pipe Carrying  water.
Electrically resistance wise a similar effect friction resistance= noise
In simplistic terms. These new Black fuses x100 .diminishing returns 
But no matter what fuse.myself had Hifi tuning Black supreme fuses no contest 
The best fuse I have ever used in my Schiit Multibit Gungnir dac ,Aurender player 
Like a upgrade more detail more realistic analog if you will .
In my Pass 1st watt same thing,even my 300b preamp like a upgrade .
Well worth the $$ .parts connecxion will give you $$ off thd more uou buy 
I bought 6 and saved $100 during Xmas sale even at 150 hours still better better.
The nano coating takes 200 hours to fully settle in.

Regarding bigger fuses please remember a steel standard Buzz fuse can vary over 15%.this is why the Very accurate Black fuse or boutique fuse may have popped they are within 1% typically.  With these fuses Allways go one size up. 
From a 2smp slow yo a 2.5 amp is fine  the majority of electronics are built with at least A 20% on average over head  for voltages in towns  can vary .

I'm in the UK, and I'm going to order some of the new SR Blue Fuses, I need 315mA for my Nagra CDP, PSU - ACPS-II 230V, but some say use a slightly larger fuse like your previous posts.

The next fuse up is the 500mA, would it be okay to use the 500mA instead of the 315mA on my Nagra CDP, my CDP is plugged iny my Isotek Nova that as the RCD trip switch protection.

I got 6 blue ones they are even better keeping the blacks as a spare and they do live up to the hype.But what about bees wax??

I am currently using the SR Blue,  They are an improvement over the blacks.  The best fuse  I have tried are the Audio Magic Bees wax fuses.  I have had such a high failure rate with them  that I stopped using them and  am hesitant to buy any more.  Now Audio Magic has a "Super  Fuse"  costing $250,00 apiece.  Too rich for my blood..  Anyone out there has tried these $250.00 fuses?  

In thinking about my question above, I'm safer sticking with the original 315mA, as here in the UK the voltage is around anywhere from 230V to up to around 250V, so the 500mA is 59% higher rating than the 315mA, i.e too high for our voltage, so the 20% to around the 25% margin really only applies to 115V. So here in the UK we are probably better sticking to the original fuse rating.