Synergistic Research Master Fuse

Master Fuse is an entirely new kind of Fuse. In the past, we developed the highest resolution fuse given the current technology while voicing our fuses to complement a maximum number of systems. And for over a decade, as newly developed technologies came online, like new UEF Compounds and new conditioning processes, we have applied them to the next generation of cutting-edge fuses, usually every two years. Of course, we were striving for maximum resolution plus the warmth needed for most systems to sound musical. But we never could press resolution and other sonic traits as far as we could have.

Enter Master Fuse

The first Synergistic Research fuse developed expressly for full resolution, dynamics, soundstaging, speed, and impact without the need to create musicality as a system-wide fuse loom. Instead, we engineered Master Fuse to work alongside Purple and Orange fuses to create dramatic new levels of sonic realism, featuring wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling soundstaging with unparalleled resolution, dynamics, and frequency extension. Best of all, most systems will not benefit from more than one or possibly two Master Fuses in an otherwise complete loom of Purple and or Orange fuses. So you start with a single Master Fuse on your DAC or line conditioner.

How fuses alter the sound of your system.

For over one hundred years people believed electrons flowed like water through a pipe and that once ‘contaminated’ by miles of wire, there was little or nothing that could be done to ‘clean’ the electricity feeding your components. Consider this: the electricity feeding your system’s components first propagates through a single fuse. This is why significant gains in sound quality are possible when you insert an SR Black or Blue Fuses into each of your components.

Today physicists understand electrons don’t flow at all but rather propagate in a wave of energy that moves along a conductor with a multitude of factors that alters this wave at the quantum level. To understand how electricity travels without electrons ever leaving their respective atoms it is helpful to consider the spectator ‘wave’ at a football match. Even though you can clearly see a wave pattern moving from spectator to spectator as fans raise and then lower their hands (without hands jumping from one person to the next), so too does electricity ‘move’ without electrons ever leaving their atoms.

At Synergistic Research we’ve isolated key factors that affect how electricity propagates by changing the behavior of electrons through Inductive Quantum Coupling methods we collectively call UEF Tech. In fact, UEF Tech is so powerful even an electrical chain several miles long is fundamentally improved with nothing more than a single fuse engineered with our patented UEF Technology.

Of all the fuse generations and refinements SR has pioneered over the past decade, the new Purple Fuses are by far the best sounding and take the single greatest leap in performance over previous generations. All aspects of subjective sound quality get enhanced, including natural sound where instruments and vocals sound inherently right, dynamics, low-level detail, high-frequency extension, and smoothness all take a massive leap forward.

5mm x 20mm Slo-blow

100mA

160mA

200mA

250mA

315mA

500mA

630mA

800mA

1A

1.25A

1.6A

2A

2.5A

3.15A

4A

5A

6.3A

8A

10A

12.5A

16A

5mm x 20mm Fast-blow

50ma

160mA

200mA

250mA

500mA

800mA

1A

1.6A

2A

2.5A

3.15A

4 A

5A

6.3A

8A

10A

12.5A

16A

6.3mm x 32mm Slo-blow

250mA

500mA

800mA

1A

1.6A

2A

2.5A

3.15A

4A

5A

6.3A

8A

10A

12.5A

15A

16A

20

6.3mm x 32mm Fast-blow

250mA

500mA

800mA

1A

1.6A

13A UK Main

2A

2.5A

3.15A

4A

5A

6.3A

8A

10A

12.5A

15A

16A

20A

Q: Are fuses directional?

A: Yes, fuses are directional. Electricity should flow from the left to the right when you view the fuse. If you do not know the direction of flow you should listen to the fuse inserted in both directions. One direction will sound more detailed. This is the correct way.

Q: Do fuses have a burn in period?

A: Yes, most products have a settling in period. The first 200-300 hours of use are the most crucial.

Q: Where should I use my Master fuse(s)?

A: To get the most out of our Master Fuses, we suggest starting with one or two fuses in most systems, and possibly more for highly resolving systems. There is no "wrong" component to start with; however, we typically recommend starting "upstream," at the beginning of your signal source (Music Streamer, CD Player, Turntable, Reel to Reel, etc.). From there, we suggest moving on to your digital-to-analog converter or phonostage (if you use one), followed by your preamplifier and then your power amplifier. If you have multiple sources, upgrading the fuse in your preamplifier first can improve the performance of all of your sources.

“ I have had all of the SR fuses over the years with each fuse delivering incremental improvements in sound quality but the Master Fuse is on a whole new level…….For what a single Master Fuse does, it’s well worth the price and was found complimenting the existing SR fuses in my system.”

Mike Girardi | StereoTimes | Sep 2023 | Link to review

“I was quite excited to try out the Master and Purple fuses, based on the forum feedback to date and the Master Fuse certainly didn't disappoint! …..it seemed to "supercharge" the performance of all the other SR fuses in circuit and was definitely a "wow" moment when listening to music for the first time with the Master Fuse inserted.”

Steve • Hampshire