Who’s up for a $2800 fuse?

[DasguteOhr]

Really good is synergistic research purple fuse.
some friends test the fuse, so far everyone is impressed with it, some feedback on audiogon.

Synergistic Research PURPLE Quantum Fuse - FIRST REVIEW ONLINE - SHIPPING NOW | Tweaks

Synergistic Research PURPLE Quantum Fuse for sale. BRAND NEW - IN STOCK - FIRST REVIEW ONLINE! The new Purple Fuse surpasses Synergistic Research’s Orange Fuse with technology initially developed for the state-of-the-art SRX Series cables. In fact,...

www.audiogon.com

 

[Cellcbern]

Just received a QSA Yellow fuse which I am testing in my Modwright PS 9.0 power supply (which only takes one fuse) - see photo. Right off the bat with no break-in it sounds a little more neutral and resolving (but not more natural or musical) than the SR Orange and Audio Horizons Platinum Reference fuses that I've also used in this component. WIll report further after a break-in period. Plan to compare the QSA Yellow against the new SR Purple. The QSA Yellow and SR Purple are each around $200, which is about the ceiling for what I'm willing to spend on a fuse. So I won't be trying the QSA Purple and beyond, no matter how glowing the reviews.

24 hours later ( and 48 hours of playing nonstop) there's been no "mellowing" of the QSA Yellow fuse. Several things stand out:
-It is a "neutral", "highly resolving" (i.e., cool/clinical/analytical) fuse which crosses over into bright on some recordings. Every note is clearer and more distinct, and subjectively my system plays louder through this fuse without any adjustment in volume.
-Not hearing much difference in soundstage and image dimensions compared with the SR Orange and AHP fuses.
-Decay seems to be slightly truncated compared with the other two fuses.
On balance it doesn't have enough bloom or warmth for my tastes so unless its sound changes dramatically with more burn-in, which I'm not expecting, it will not work for me long term in this application. It should have 100+ hours on it by the time I receive the SR Purple fuse. I will report on it again at that time.

 

[Barry2013]

24 hours later ( and 48 hours of playing nonstop) there's been no "mellowing" of the QSA Yellow fuse. Several things stand out:
-It is a "neutral", "highly resolving" (i.e., cool/clinical/analytical) fuse which crosses over into bright on some recordings. Every note is clearer and more distinct, and subjectively my system plays louder through this fuse without any adjustment in volume.
-Not hearing much difference in soundstage and image dimensions compared with the SR Orange and AHP fuses.
-Decay seems to be slightly truncated compared with the other two fuses.
On balance it doesn't have enough bloom or warmth for my tastes so unless its sound changes dramatically with more burn-in, which I'm not expecting, it will not work for me long term in this application. It should have 100+ hours on it by the time I receive the SR Purple fuse. I will report on it again at that time.

Thanks and yes.
Your experiences confirm my assessment of the QSA yellows.
In my system I have violets on the power cable to the power block, the power cable to the Vitus 030 amp and the amp internal fuse. The yellows are on the pc to the MD 109 tuner and internally.
That combination is working very well.
After about 70 hours I noticed a further improvement. More ease and musicality so sensible to give them a bit longer.

 

[Cellcbern]

Thanks and yes.
Your experiences confirm my assessment of the QSA yellows.
In my system I have violets on the power cable to the power block, the power cable to the Vitus 030 amp and the amp internal fuse. The yellows are on the pc to the MD 109 tuner and internally.
That combination is working very well.
After about 70 hours I noticed a further improvement. More ease and musicality so sensible to give them a bit longer.

Moving on from the QSA Yellow which 100 hours in remains analytical and sometimes bright in my PS 9.0 power supply. In this application I would pick the SR Orange or Audio Horizons Platinum Reference fuses over the QSA Yellow. Now trying the SR Purple which right out of the box is more balanced than the QSA Yellow without the QSA's brightness.

 

[LL21]

Moving on from the QSA Yellow which 100 hours in remains analytical and sometimes bright in my PS 9.0 power supply. In this application I would pick the SR Orange or Audio Horizons Platinum Reference fuses over the QSA Yellow. Now trying the SR Purple which right out of the box is more balanced than the QSA Yellow without the QSA's brightness.

Very interesting...thanks for taking the time to make the comparison of this unique esoterica of high end audio for the rest of us. Since the power cable manufacturers I admire the most (Z:Axis and Sablon Audio) use SR Orange, then I am the beneficiary of whatever it is that these fuses contribute. I have never swapped out a fuse myself in any of the major components (other than one Velodyne once when the fuse blew, and just used a standard replacement)...but since both of these talented designers use them, I am most intrigued to hear what you think SR Purple does in comparison with SR Orange.

 

[TDX]

Guys, they claim fuse is directional. Can someone use a picture to tell me what’s the correct direction?

 

[Barry2013]

Guys, they claim fuse is directional. Can someone use a picture to tell me what’s the correct direction? View attachment 85302

For QSA fuses the arrow should be pointing right

 

[TDX]

For QSA fuses the arrow should be pointing right

So the arrow pointing to where the “fuse” wording is.

 

[Barry2013]

So the arrow pointing to where the “fuse” wording is.

The pointed end of the arrow should be on the right hand side when installed. So when you are at the back of the amplifier/source installing the fuse the arrow should be pointing to right hand side of it.

 

[NanoSword]

Hello,
I bought the yellow fuse and used it in the right direction advised by the company
But the sound was not very good when I reverse the fuse, I have a much better sound, so do not hesitate to try changing the direction of the fuse.

 

[TDX]

My

Hello,
I bought the yellow fuse and used it in the right direction advised by the company
But the sound was not very good when I reverse the fuse, I have a much better sound, so do not hesitate to try changing the direction of the fuse.

Thanks, my sound is good with wrong direction maybe I should just leave as is.

 

[Barry2013]

My

Thanks, my sound is good with wrong direction maybe I should just leave as is.

That is interesting.
The initial burning in phase is around 20 hours so it would be sensible to try it the other way at that stage. They don't finally settle in until after about 70 hours

 

[TDX]

That is interesting.
The initial burning in phase is around 20 hours so it would be sensible to try it the other way at that stage. They don't finally settle in until after about 70 hours

Good idea maybe I change it next month and have a listen

 

[Willgolf]

As a point of clarification on fuse direction....

Directionality​

These fuses are directional, as indicated by the arrows. If after installing the fuse the music sounds thin, harsh and brittle you may have it facing the wrong direction. Try reversing the direction of the fuse and listening.

 

[TDX]

As a point of clarification on fuse direction....

Directionality​

These fuses are directional, as indicated by the arrows. If after installing the fuse the music sounds thin, harsh and brittle you may have it facing the wrong direction. Try reversing the direction of the fuse and listening.

Thank you. Based on your pictures I installed the fuse correctly (per first direction).

 

[bonzo75]

Most audiophiles don't have a direction, but the fuses they use do

 

[spiritofmusic]

Ked, there's no doubt audiophiles need directing by their wallets.

 

[Cableman]

Trust your ears not some fluff from oft-compromised hifi churnalists/magazine editors

 

[Willgolf]

Trust your ears not some fluff from oft-compromised hifi churnalists/magazine editors

It is not as easy as you may think. You have 5 audio components. You put all of the fuses in the same way. Something is off. Which fuse do you change? Okay, you switch all of the fuses. Something is still off. Now what. You have to do it one at a time. Sorry, but I don't have the patience for that. I would rather follow the guide that QSA provided.

 

[andromedaaudio]