Synergistic Research
Holographic Fuses
5×20 & 6.3×32 mm

The Playing Field Just Got Bigger

The new Holographic Fuse generates the largest soundstage of any fuse Synergistic Research has ever built. Made with a UEF metamaterial that didn’t exist before. The new foundation of the SR fuse architecture – paired with the Master Fuse at the leading edge for its complete expression in one or two applications, like your DAC or power amplifier. A real breakthrough. Synergistic Research was chasing after a fuse, better capable of suppressing the negative side effects of MHz➜GHz noise – something present in virtually any digital device. At the same time, it had to work great in analog equipment too – better than the Pink Fuse it replaces. They succeeded, the Holographic Fuse was born.

To get there, SR needed a UEF metamaterial formulation more powerful than anything that was developed before. The new fuse had to maximally affect the MHz➜GHz contamination generated inside any digital device – absorbing it before it could migrate outward and degrade the environment with EMI/RFI the rest of the stages have to operate within. Working with a custom AI engineering system built on three decades of SR materials research and design principles, a four-part compounded UEF metamaterial was developed that would not have arrived through conventional material science alone. If SR had reached it without AI assistance at all, it would have taken many more years. When finally that UEF metamaterial formulation was applied to a fuse body – it resulted in the Holographic Fuse.

What does it sound like?

The Holographic Fuse throws the largest soundstage of any fuse Synergistic Research has ever made. In their reference system, the spatial envelope is roughly fifty percent larger than the Pink Fuse it replaces. That is a listening judgment made by the people who designed the product, in the room they designed it in, using ears that have been trained on this specific comparison for months. Not a subtle difference. A structural one.

SR fuses have always been known for holographic soundstage presentation. The Pink Fuse produced a genuinely three-dimensional image with depth, width, and spatial resolution that distinguished it from everything else in the category. The Holographic Fuse takes that existing three-dimensional envelope and expands it by approximately fifty percent. The images that were already floating in space migrate outward into a significantly larger room. The decay extends further before it resolves. What the Pink Fuse did well, the Holographic Fuse does on a larger scale with more air, more sense of physical space surrounding each image, more of the recording environment present in the listening room.

The resolution is high. But it never becomes etched. Never fatiguing. The detail is presented inside a large liquid space. The Pink Fuse by comparison was more pinpoint – tighter imaging, more leading edge definition, less liquid in its presentation, and in some systems capable of registering as fatiguing over extended listening. The Holographic Fuse is the opposite pole. Same resolution. Larger space. More liquid character. Zero fatigue. Musical and resolving simultaneously – the hardest combination to achieve and the one most fuses fail at.

Building Your Fuse Loom

Four starting points. One architecture. Every path below is protected by SR’s 30-day no-risk money-back guarantee. Audition it in your system. Take it as far as the system suggests.

✸ If you’re starting fresh:
Run Holographic Fuses everywhere. Every component. Every position. That is the simplest and most complete expression of what the Holographic Fuse architecture can do — the largest soundstage, the most air and decay, the most liquid presentation of resolution across the entire system simultaneously.

After listening, if you want more resolution and leading edge definition at the front of the signal chain — add one Master Fuse. In a digital system place it in your DAC. In an analog system place it in your phono stage or power amplifier. Everything else stays Holographic. The Master provides the leading edge anchor. The Holographic provides the spatial foundation the rest of the system operates within.

✸ If you have non-SR fuses in your system:
Non-SR fuses are the positions where the SR UEF Metamaterial architecture is not yet operating. Replacing them is the largest available improvement anywhere in the SR fuse lineup — larger than any upgrade between SR generations.

Start with one Holographic Fuse in your DAC, pre-amplifier or amplifier. The change will be immediate and structural. A larger soundstage. More air and decay. More liquidity. Resolution without fatigue. Add more Holographic Fuses one position at a time — your system will tell you when it’s right.

Once every non-SR fuse has been replaced with a Holographic — consider adding a Master Fuse at the front of the signal chain. In a digital system place it in your DAC. In an analog system place it in your phono stage or power amplifier. One Master at the leading edge. Holographic everywhere else. That’s the endpoint the system builds toward.

✸ If you have a Pink Fuse loom:
The Holographic Fuse replaces the Pink Fuse as the foundation of the SR fuse architecture — larger soundstage, more liquid, more musical, zero fatigue.

Keep the Pink Fuse on your DAC. Start with one Holographic Fuse downstream — your preamplifier, your amplifier, or any component away from the leading edge of the signal chain. Any application will exhibit the defining characteristics of the Holographic Fuse — a larger soundstage, more liquidity, more musicality, resolution without fatigue. Add more Holographic Fuses downstream one position at a time. With each addition the presentation grows larger and more musical. When to stop is determined entirely through your own listening. When you’re ready to go further – replace the Pink Fuse on the DAC with a Master Fuse. The Master does what Pink does in that position, but better in every way. One Master at the front of the signal chain. Holographic everywhere else. That’s the endpoint the system builds toward.

✸ If you have a Master Fuse plus Pink and Purple Fuses:
Purple comes out first. The gap between Purple and Holographic is the largest in the lineup — the improvement will be dramatic while preserving what it is you love about the Purple fuse — namely musicality with improved sound stage scale. Replace every Purple Fuse with a Holographic before touching the Pink Fuses already in the system.

Once the Purple Fuses are out, audition Holographic Fuses in the positions currently occupied by Pink — one position at a time, using the 30-day guarantee — until you have found the balance that best expresses the Holographic Fuse’s spatial and musical character in your specific system. Your Master Fuse stays where it is. It remains the leading edge anchor. The Holographic Fuses build the spatial architecture around it.

Every path through the SR fuse lineup converges on the same architecture — one Master Fuse at the leading edge, Holographic Fuses everywhere else. That’s the SR fuse architecture in its complete form. The exact balance is something your room and your ears decide.

The Voicing Principle

Every system is different. Every room is different. Every combination of components produces a different electromagnetic field environment that the UEF metamaterial fuse architecture operates within. The 30-day no-risk money-back guarantee exists precisely because the right balance is something the system reveals through listening — not something that can be specified in advance from the outside.
The principle is consistent across every system and every upgrade path. More Master Fuses — more analytical, more leading edge, more definition and grip. More Holographic Fuses — more spatial, more liquid, more musical, more air and decay into space.

Move in either direction until the system stops sounding like gear and starts sounding like music. That’s the point at which the voicing is right.

We from Kemp Elektroniks are so sure you’ll love what the SR Holographic and Master Fuses do for your system, we sell them with a no questions asked, 30-day money back guarantee so you can audition SR Fuses in your system risk-free. Then, if you’re not 100% satisfied with your system’s performance on SR Holographic and Master Fuses, return the fuses to us or your dealer in like new condition for a full refund.

Frequently asked questions:
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 the Master Fuses, SR suggests 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, SR typically recommends starting “upstream”, at the beginning of your signal source (music streamer, CD player, turntable, reel to reel, etc.). From there, it is suggested to move 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.

 

 

Synergistic Research Pink Fuse versus Holographic Fuse: what has really changed?
From the Pink Fuse to a new generation

The Synergistic Research Pink Fuse quickly became an important option for music enthusiasts who want to optimise even the smallest details within a carefully composed system. With the arrival of the Holographic Fuse, however, Synergistic Research has changed more than the colour or name of its main general purpose fuse. The manufacturer now positions the Holographic Fuse as the spatial foundation of its current fuse architecture. The Pink Fuse previously occupied much of that role, while the new concept places Holographic Fuses throughout the system and allows a Master Fuse to be used in a device at the beginning of the signal chain and/or mains distributor, when additional resolution, speed and leading edge definition are desired. This makes the transition from Pink to Holographic a change in system philosophy as well as a new product generation.

What made the Pink Fuse different?

Understanding the Holographic Fuse becomes easier when we first look at how Pink was developed. Synergistic Research introduced a new high voltage conditioning process together with a new UEF compound. According to the company, the objective was to retain the musical warmth associated with the predecessor Purple Fuse while increasing resolution and dynamics and creating a lower perceived noise floor. The Pink Fuse therefore represented refinement rather than a complete change of direction. Its presentation became associated with strong image focus, precise positioning and clear definition, giving listeners more information while maintaining the musical character that Synergistic Research wanted to preserve from the previous generation.

What is technically new in the Holographic Fuse?

The Holographic Fuse has a different development story. The company says it wanted to address high frequency contamination in the MHz and GHz range inside electronics, and this led to a new four part UEF metamaterial formulation. Synergistic Research also states that a custom AI engineering system, based on decades of its previous materials research, assisted the development process. The new formulation was subsequently applied to a fuse body and became the Holographic Fuse. This represents a genuine technical distinction from the Pink Fuse within the company’s own design methodology.

The main sonic difference between Pink and Holographic

Synergistic Research describes the largest difference as one of spatial presentation. The Pink Fuse is characterised as more pinpoint and tightly focused, with stronger leading edge definition and precise image placement. The Holographic Fuse is intended to retain a high level of resolution while presenting that information in a larger and more fluid space. The company describes more air around voices and instruments together with longer decay into the surrounding acoustic environment. In its own reference system Synergistic Research estimates that the spatial envelope was approximately fifty percent larger than with the Pink Fuse. Importantly, the manufacturer specifically identifies that figure as a listening judgement made during product development, not as an objective laboratory measurement. The percentage should therefore be understood as a description of perceived scale rather than a measurable guarantee for every system.

Should existing Pink Fuses be replaced immediately?

If your system already contains several Pink Fuses, the introduction of Holographic does not mean that every fuse needs to be replaced at once. Synergistic Research actually recommends a gradual approach for owners of an existing Pink configuration. One example is to leave a Pink Fuse in the DAC initially and introduce a Holographic Fuse further downstream, perhaps in the preamplifier or power amplifier. The listener can then evaluate the change before replacing additional positions. According to the company’s current philosophy, the preference could be one strategically positioned Master Fuse with Holographic Fuses throughout the remaining suitable locations. This is a manufacturer recommendation rather than a universal technical requirement, so component combination, room acoustics and personal preference remain important when determining the best balance.

It is most important to choose the right fuse?

Regardless of the sonic goals behind an upgrade, the correct electrical specification remains essential. Both Pink and Holographic Fuses are offered by Synergistic Research in a broad selection of ratings and in formats including 5 by 20 mm and 6.3 by 32 mm, with options covering different fuse characteristics. This means the Holographic Fuse can address a similarly broad range of applications as the Pink Fuse. Choosing different electrical characteristics (slow or fast blow) in an attempt to alter sound is not appropriate. Synergistic Research advises to take a fuse rating one value higher than originally installed, because SR fuses react faster (extra safe) and might melt by the large inrush currents at switching on of your piece of equipment.

Which Synergistic Research Fuses are recommended for your system?

Choosing between the Pink Fuse and the Holographic Fuse therefore depends on more than simply selecting the newest model. The Pink Fuse remains an interesting choice for listeners who value tightly defined images, precise localisation and clear transient information. The Holographic Fuse represents a different emphasis, with Synergistic Research focusing on a larger perceived space, more air around individual performers, longer decay and a more fluid overall character. Owners of an existing Pink based system can therefore gain useful information by changing one position at a time rather than replacing everything simultaneously. That approach makes it possible to judge whether the broader spatial presentation promised by the Holographic Fuse actually provides the improvement you are looking for in your own components, room and musical repertoire.

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Review:
“A $249 Upgrade That Expands Soundstage, Dynamics, And Musical Flow” Review by Rick Becker @ enjoythemusic.com
“The Synergistic Holographic fuse offers an affordable upward pathway for sound quality from equipment you already own. A $249 fuse can turn your modest preamp into one that sounds as good (or better) than one you simply cannot afford.”

Tonality
Sub–bass (10Hz – 60Hz)
Mid–bass (80Hz – 200Hz)
Midrange (200Hz – 3,000Hz)
High Frequencies (3,000Hz On Up)
Attack
Decay
Inner Resolution
Soundscape Width Front
Soundscape Width Rear
Soundscape Depth
Soundscape Extension Into Room
Imaging
Fit And Finish
Self Noise
Emotionally Engaging
Value For The Money

 

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