Audiophile Fuses

[Nordkapp]

Just came across these fancy "audiophile" fuses. Is anyone familiar with these? Are they reliable? Do they make an audible improvement in sound? 

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/fuses/red/

I am of course a bit skeptical, especially given the prices. 

 

[Speedskater]

37 minutes ago, Nordkapp said:

I am of course a bit skeptical, especially given the prices. 

As you should be!

Do they have a 'UL' label?

[Nordkapp]

19 minutes ago, Speedskater said:

As you should be!

Do they have a 'UL' label?

Oh man...Good point.....Doubt it........

[JS21]

Tried em on my aurender server. Didn’t hear any difference. Returned em after 2 weeks. YMMV. 

No harm if there is a return policy. 

[4est]

4 hours ago, JS21 said:

Tried em on my aurender server. Didn’t hear any difference. Returned em after 2 weeks. YMMV. 

No harm if there is a return policy. 

A return policy on fuse? WTF is up with that! One shouldn't be able to reuse/resell a fuse. I haven't dared try these FWIW.

[mav52]

29 minutes ago, 4est said:

A return policy on fuse? WTF is up with that! One shouldn't be able to reuse/resell a fuse. I haven't dared try these FWIW.

Oh yes, this is the methods of those snake oil peddlers.   Its America where everyone is free to make a buck any way they can.

 

[mansr]

13 hours ago, Nordkapp said:

Just came across these fancy "audiophile" fuses. Is anyone familiar with these? Are they reliable? Do they make an audible improvement in sound? 

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/fuses/red/

I am of course a bit skeptical, especially given the prices. 

 

Never, ever use those or anything like them. Fuses are critical for safety and should have the appropriate certifications. These do not. There is nothing to improve upon over a standard $1 fuse from Walmart.

[GUTB]

Ever since I witnessed one of their scam demonstrations I automatically assume everything Synergistic Research sells is snakeoil. There are ton of rave reviews on these fuses but until I learn differently I just assume that's astroturf of Audiogon.

[ducatirider]

I have tried fuse upgrades on power conditioners which were positive and lps which was mixed.  The LH Labs LPS4 was worthwhile, the cheap chinese lps I use for things like switches and modems was not audible.

[Speedskater]

2 hours ago, GUTB said:

Ever since I witnessed one of their scam demonstrations I automatically assume everything Synergistic Research sells is snakeoil.

No it's not snake oil, it's just that Synergistic Research lives in an alternate reality universe.  Electricity works differently in that universe, so they are not aware that their products won't work in our universe.

[GUTB]

11 minutes ago, Speedskater said:

No it's not snake oil, it's just that Synergistic Research lives in an alternate reality universe.  Electricity works differently in that universe, so they are not aware that their products won't work in our universe.

 

The fact that they need to run scam demos brazenly exploiting audio memory effects and other techniques to bamboozle people at every audio show tells me they are fully aware of how electricity works in our universe.

 

Also thier plexiglass covered line conditioners with nice canisters inside priced exactly at the average show-goers maximum instant buying limit ($4k). Get behind me Satan.

[JoeWhip]

I cringe at every SR demo. I avoid their demo rooms completely now as well as their dealers and reviewers that love them.

[Ralf11]

8 hours ago, 4est said:

A return policy on fuse? WTF is up with that! One shouldn't be able to reuse/resell a fuse. I haven't dared try these FWIW.

 

 

Why not?  There is a huge (but nascent) Audiophile market for pre-owned, properly burned-in high-end fuses.  Such items are well worth the 400% price premium over green, new fuses

[mansr]

25 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

Why not?  There is a huge (but nascent) Audiophile market for pre-owned, properly burned-in high-end fuses.

I have some burned-out fuses. Will that do?

[Ralf11]

only good for MQA

[auricgoldfinger]

I put a blue quantum fuse in my Auralic Vega DAC and heard a very significant improvement.  It was $149 very well spent.

 

I later put one in my DNA Stratus amp.  I heard further improvement, but not as much as with the DAC.  I was not surprised by that result, given the law of diminishing returns.

 

I think fuse replacement is hit or miss depending on the component.  There is definitely something to these blue quantum fuses though.

 

Remember, they are directional.  Read the instructions if you try one.

 

[Nordkapp]

Argh. Likely not to happen. I just added up my total system expenditure. Now I'm sad........ Thanks @Ralf11

[jabbr]

6 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

Remember, they are directional.  Read the instructions if you try one.

 

Directional fuse? What direction?

[Blackmorec]

Years ago I had an Naim Active system. You could hear the difference when a front panel power indicator lamp burned out. I tried using those $1 Walmart fuses when one blew but made the trip to the dealer for a Naim fuse pretty soon to thereafter. Not all fuses are the same and much as I hate to say it, fuses do make a difference on highly revealing systems.  

Hi-fi are like ice-skaters.....most people couldn’t tell the difference between decent skates and cheap rentals, but at certain levels skaters couldn’t achieve what they do with anything less than perfectly prepared skates. And all they are basically is a shoe with a bit to sharpened steel attached, but its what connects the skater to the ice. In hi-if, the fuse is what connects the hi-fi to its life blood....mains electricity. 

 

[mansr]

6 hours ago, jabbr said:

Directional fuse? What direction?

The direction of the alternating current flow, of course.

[mansr]

5 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

Years ago I had an Naim Active system. You could hear the difference when a front panel power indicator lamp burned out.

If that's true, the device was faulty.

 

5 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

I tried using those $1 Walmart fuses when one blew but made the trip to the dealer for a Naim fuse pretty soon to thereafter.

There's a good chance they were actually made in the same factory from the same materials.

 

5 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

Not all fuses are the same and much as I hate to say it, fuses do make a difference on highly revealing systems.

If fuses make a difference, the system is highly faulty.

 

Regardless, using a non-certified fuse is simply asking for your house to burn down.

[jabbr]

1 hour ago, mansr said:

The direction of the alternating current flow, of course.

So is the fuse mounted on a spinning holder rotating at 60rpm?

 

Are there glitches at the zero crossings?

 

Hmmm ... maybe the SQ is an EMI effect? ?

[jabbr]

7 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

I tried using those $1 Walmart fuses when one blew but made the trip to the dealer for a Naim fuse pretty soon to thereafter. Not all fuses are the same and much as I hate to say it, fuses do make a difference on highly revealing systems.  

Perhaps you mounted the fuses backwards?

[rodrigaj]

A well respected dealer told me never to install anything but the factory specs (amp, fast or slow blow) fuse.

 

A customer of his put one of these audiophile fuses into his LFD Integrated. He had spade ends on his speaker cable and after moving the Integrated around on the shelf the spades touched and wiped out the half of the driver board.

 

It is foolish to use these audiophile fuses. Their amp ratings are not to be trusted.

[mansr]

40 minutes ago, rodrigaj said:

A well respected dealer told me never to install anything but the factory specs (amp, fast or slow blow) fuse.

That's sound advice. The specs are chosen for a reason.