The New Synergistic Research Purple Fuses

I’m back with the SR Orange while the Purple sits in another piece of gear to burn in. I think way too much space is consumed on whether fuses change the sound, which they obviously do, and not enough on what kind of changes. My assumption has been that with each of these level ups the sound just gets "better" in a linear way, but with the Purple it seems also a lateral move as the tonal balance is changed so much. Right now the Purple is too mid and bottom heavy in my amp and dark on top. Somewhat like using Transparent Audio cables, but moreso. The vocals are incredible with their dynamic range, but also seem saturated with very tube-like harmonics and texture.

If you want a cheap fix to turn a thin SS amp into a tube sound, or tube amp even more gooey, this is it. As for me, I need my amp to sound nimble and open on top, so probably sticking with Orange unless a burn in miracle occurs.

I think I do need to give it a couple hundred hours before I comment again as they seem to start from a different tonal place than the Orange did.

This one is actual my second Purple fuse, but the other one was in an unfamiliar and less detailed amp that I sold, and I didn't have a matching Orange to compare it with. My sense is that it did have a slightly dark, colorful, and rounded sound compared to stock, but it wasn't dramatic like the first hours of this one.

Anybody notice the SR Purples have a "tube"-like effect in SS gear? I’m using a Ferrum Oor+Hypsos headphone rig, which is extremely clean and transparent. When I put an older orange into the Hypsos power supply I heard more clarity, depth, and air. But when I popped in a brand new purple this afternoon I am hearing rich mids, holographic sound, and "glow". It is also noticeably darker, with a bigger, and more rounded bass.

So far I’m really liking it, but missing the sparkle of the orange a little bit. It honestly sounds like I added a tube input stage with NOS tubes to my SS amp.

I'm interested as well. After a day it is opening up a little bit but compared to the Orange, a hulking wall of mid-bass that seems to dominate. Definitely a very different burn-in process as well.

At 100 hours I’d still say the Purple has significantly more weight and bass than the Orange, and perhaps less air up top. Overall audio quality is better, though.

And yeah, as with some other audio products it does give me the effect of being able to "see" the singer's face illuminated.

Mine is finally broken in. Generally sounds great, but bass and low midrange are quite tubby and exaggerated which eats up a lot the soundstage. The bass rides way up into the midrange and is quite heavy handed and very weighty. It doesn't sound muddy, but these frequencies do get in the way and with so much weight things don't breathe so much, aren't as nimble.

Otherwise,  clear improvement over the SR Orange. Your mileage  may vary vis the bass and midrange weight, but in my amp it is over the top. Orange already had plenty of bass.