Hey Lon... I believe you, but 200-300 for a fuse with my love of somewhat fragile rectifiers and their ability to kill fuses, the higher cost fuses just never got rational for me. The SDFBs appealed in part for this reason... especially if I use one box for two components, it is in that finer fuse cost range, but also in theory will last a really, really long time.... Hopefully moving in this direction, the waiting for the Purples or whatever to be half price or less will pass out of mind. And I was already using variations of "sluggos" in components I was not worried about blowing fuses... so that has been part of my "fuse sound."

I am not so much talking about cheap fuses like Acme's top fuse, a good version of many lower cost fuses many of us have tried to like. I liked it at first, but it did not take long to sound a little overstated in off-balance ways, sounding a little synthetic to me. Years ago, but how I recall it. I was able to work with that for a while, but....   I have liked the overall qualities of some similarly inexpensive Chinese fuses (with graphene and other minerals), not as powerful sounding as the better US ones, but pretty nice especially for the money.

I guess I was mostly talking about fuses you may have used a few versions ago, though I get it that the latest breakthroughs are really, really good. I have heard one the newer Audio Magics, and get your point. On the other hand, it all depends on everything else, and though I prefer better, I have even made some glass fuses sound pretty good with the right initial choice, some tuning of the fuse, and tuning the system to make them sound best.

It is cool, like the sluggos, all decent fuses sounding different, it is intersting to use them like tubes or cables, as fine tuning devices, some helping some components contribute better to the whole than others.

I hear you Lon... I truly can imagine you are in an extra good place power sound wise. And if you are not loosing your really good fuses, everything balanced so carefully to your needs, one SDFB to explore is a great idea. Even having half-good fuses here, I was in a really good place before.

Seems when we get as focussed as we have been, the parameters of "good" narrow, more and more experiments leading us to find pretty refined sound, and pretty refined preferences in the sound balances we need. Then if we can make that all more refined and better, all good, like your WE300B, but it is not necessarily easy to introduce something that might be quite good, but also has a stronger impact on preferred balances. Now, in part because I can tune with modifications and make some stuff, I am in a new labyrinth. But so far, these sonic puzzles eventually work out, the path becoming clearer and taking things to new levels from which to perceive and learn more... Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed, but usually the refinements that take more effort lead to deeper improvements, so fingers crossed.

I don't have anything with separate fuses for the rectifiers. My Decware amps are getting old! Sounds like a mixed bag, the rectifier seeming to be the most vulnerable part of the amps, so the interior fuses protecting the rest more fully, including the main fuse I imagine...but also more fuses! As I recall there are three fuses on each rectifier....imagining that as pretty well full coverage, seems that could mostly rule out blowing the main fuses with rectifier shorts, and maybe that is part of why you are not loosing good fuses??? But I bet you hear the rectifier fuses too!@#$%^&*()_and with two rectifiers with monos, or the bigger amps, that could be a lot of fuses.

One of these days after you feel like your fusebox and sluggo are all burned in, I bet it would be an interesting experiment to put your fav Regenerator fuse back in and try the SDFB in your 300B.

Making the system/room sound great across recordings is one of my most important tuning tools... definitely the final arbitrator. For me, finding the deeper beauty with really good recordings that can sound great while being off balance, can lead me astray, limiting potential. Whereas seeking the beauty while using lots of masters to master the system/room, then working to create alive feeling and seductive sound that works with thick recordings, thin ones, flat or dynamic, bright or dark.... this approach (especially with gain tuning ability) can help them all.... including giving "audiophile" recordings the most refined balances. With a nice setup and this method, I suspect many recording could sound better than they did in their mastering rooms.

The copper Sluggo arrived yesterday and has about 24 hours on it now. . . and sounds quite good. This may be the one. Thanks for the encouragement to seek one out, and thanks to Mark for generously shipping one, and right away.

Thanks HK. I'm about to change the direction soon. This is fascinating stuff.

Thanks for the post Mark. Nice to have this information straight from the company. Looking forward to (and maybe setting some pennies aside for) the Graphene feature.

I have been exploring my more open and faster "piggies" with different ends, as well as shielded and damped and not. It makes me think on the concept of a cable as a filter, but also a pretty powerful sound tuning adjuster... Years ago, I played with combining different plating metals on each end of power cables I was making. This mixing and matching led into mixing wires in speaker cables and ICs, and in modifications, also using a variety of caps and bypasses for a more complex or specific sound that couldn't be gotten from individual things, including mixing different caps together as one, and same with resistors at times for a particular sound.

Maybe it is that the system is more resolving now, but different piggies in front of the SDFB and favorite cables can be pretty bigtime, not just in terms of the effects of gauge, but also the sonic characteristics of the materials and the geometry... this has gotten my wheels turning.



Along with some opening/relaxing modifications in my CSP3, and tube and cable rolling, and getting used to a little different gain tuning, I have found a good place with the SDFBs. Still testing across recordings, but I am hearing the fine detail and speed balances across the spectrum I was needing to hear, less bias toward bass/density and thickness, and in turn enjoying the solid/smooth clarity of the SDFB sluggos more. I have not retested with fuses, but like some before, feeling close enough that I don't necessarily feel a strong need, seeming to be in a pretty good place.



Helping, was using the 5 amp SDFB in front of my 5 amp Balanced Transformer, and now, my 5 amp PSAudio P5 with a silver slug, then running a cable direct from the P5 to my 5 amp amplifier, the amp also with a silver slug and protected by the SDFB in front of the P5. Both the PSAudio and BT were shipped with 6.3 fuses, but having quite a few 5 amp fuses, I have used 5s in them for a long time without issues. This was a good thing as I considered the SDFBs, planning to integrate protecting my 5 amp amplifiers with the power boxes one way or another with one SDFB.

I was less concerned about this "chain" method with the Balanced Transformer... a pretty fast and clean setup, but could not guess with the regenerator having a fair bit more electronics for a disruption in the amp to get back through for the SDFB to cut the current in time.

Talking to Mark about it, I was glad to have his assurance that indeed this will work with both the BT and the P5. Mark said the SDFB microprocessor is fast and there is no issue using it this way, a really good thing to know.


EDIT: I don't know how much this matters, but it seemed logical.

When I was using the Balanced Transformer with my amp after it, both on the same SDFB, I either left the transformer on, making the additional current rush from the amp separate from that of the transformer, or started them up in sequence.

With the P5, you can set the receptacles to delay. I set mine for 15 seconds, so when I turn on the P5, there is a 15 second pause before a relay turns on the amp and pre receptacle.



In my tests before, I found a silver slug in each of these power boxes made a pretty fast, neutral and clear sound that was big and dynamic, compared to fuses a nice shift. Testing the P5 with a copper sluggo in it, on initial impressions, with a few recordings, I verified that I preferred the bigger, more dynamic sound from the silver slug. When I changed the P5 from a silver slug to a copper sluggo, it was a pretty notable change...a little more open and delicate with a coppery shine. Both the silver and copper getting close to 5 nines purity, I am thinking that the bigger sound with similar speed and clarity from the silver is mostly gauge, good silver clearer and faster, but going from the 5mm copper to 6mm silver making it bigger and more dynamic, and the silver clarity carrying that added hit gracefully with relative neutrality. Not sure if this will hold as I test this setup with more recordings, but for now pretty nice. I would love it if Mark could come up with a silver sluggo of similar purity and 5mm though. That would be another nice tuning tool.

These 6mm slugs do stress IEC fuse holders also, so be aware... I had one break, but luckily had some spares.



Now my direct power and audio chain is all "sluggos" with two digital fuseboxes. My DAC and USB bridge are not protected by fuses, and haven't been since the fall of 2017. I am running my whole front end now through the Sorcer Apprentice, sometimes with the Shunyata Defender in the same wall receptacle, and sometimes not, as I try to more completely lose hum (the Defender at least has power transient protection for the outlet it is plugged into).  

Now I have a silver slug in the PSaudio P5, and a silver in and the 5 amp 300b/845 amp, protected by the same SDFB as the P5. Then one copper sluggo in my CSP3 which has its own 3 amp SDFB plugged into the same strip receptacle as the amp. I recently changed the DAC from a 6mm polished copper ground wire slug to a silver. The Singxer USB bridge still has a polished ground wire slug.

More experiments to come, burning in another copper, another silver, and a pair each of gold immersions and brass sluggos with my Frybaby.



So with some opening-up CSP3 modifications, a little tube, sluggo, and cable rolling, and my new "piggies," I am close. I am still playing the gains on my ZBIT and CSP3 to get warm/dense balances that are not bass weighted or dense enough to mask or consolidate too much fine detail. May still be a little too warm/full on some recordings, but I feel like I have more-or-less balanced in the extra push from the sluggos compared to fuses in this setup, having the harmonic complexity and speed balances across the spectrum I have come to need... From my tests so far, I can say this sound is getting really good... the solid/resolving potential of this sluggo combination sounding beautifully close to balanced and real to me... and perhaps the remaining added bigness and slightly euphonic warmth is changing my preferences! We'll see.

It is hard to be totally clear on this as I am still playing with "Piggy" iterations, and using new speakers to me, some used Omega Super Alnico High Output Monitors (what a mouthful). With the custom stands that came with them they lean back at nearly the same angle as the front drivers on the HR-1s. Also the seller sent a pair of Audiosmile super tweeters with them (really nice design using two ribbons and adjustable frequency and volumes)... a good thing for me, the speakers without them in this room a little soft and slightly veiled/smeared for me on some less fast/clear recordings. The super tweeters, when placed and tuned right, clarify the bass on up with a really fine complex detail, and the combination with stands and tweeters sounds really close in balances to how I had my HR-1s tuned, but with a nice Omega hemp flavor. I was even able to use the same EQ and sub settings with minor phase changes on the sub. The good, at ±97 dB they are efficient enough for my late night, dark room experiences without the occasional tendency for transient peak distortions I was on the edge of with the HR-1s in this pretty big room. Sounding pretty beautiful and complete, life is changing... The not so good... the drivers carry any hum that is around really well.


I am feeling quite good about my sound now, past issues with sluggos seeming to be all, or mostly resolved. I have not had enough time to listen to loads of different recordings yet so don't want to get too pushed around by the initial excitement like I often do... but it is sounding really good so far, getting glimmers of majesty that very likely indicate new levels to learn from and cultivate. I am happy to be able to use this very cool, paradigm shifting tech.

I can also report that the Sluggos are directional. I switched the direction of my Sluggos on both my DAC and amp and the change was not subtle.

In my system, the density of the soundstage increased substantially, the bass sounded like it was supercharged. The highs were sweeter and extended and the midrange rich and full. At first I was not sure whether my system now sounded too rich or whether the substantial bass was masking anything above. So far, the bass sounds balanced and rock steady. The tonality is also closer to real life than I've ever achieved before.

I am now in the "all my recordings sound new" phase. This is a wonderful time to listen to music.

Just ordered my third SDFB.  

Agreed, Mark is such a GEM to deal with!

Received five Tellurium Copper with Rhodium Plating Super Duper Sluggos today in the mail. Very quick shipping from Mark/Vera-Fi.

I've only swapped them into three of the five components for which they are intended: ZMA, ZP3 and CSP3. The other two are for the two Sorcer X4+ units and I have to move a bunch of stuff around to get to them, so I'm waiting until a couple of other things arrive to avoid having to move the whole lot several times.

Anyway, the Super Duper Sluggos are yet another step up! I'm not sure what they're "supposed" to sound like as opposed to the copper/gold Super Sluggos I had in prior, but my immediate impression is a smoothness in the midrange yet more perceived detail in the high end, without added harshness. My comparison spin was an old, second-hand, VG+ Don Gibson album. Although I had no problem with how the record sounded with the Super Sluggos, the Super Duper Sluggos give the impression of a newer pressing in better shape. Not bad!

I should also mention that the Super Duper Sluggos are milled to resemble the shape of a traditional fuse, whereas the older ones are simply polished cylinders. I don't know why, but my immediate reaction to seeing the new, milled Sluggos was essentially "how cute!" Yet another sign that I am not fully in control of my mind. Classy new packaging, too!

Holy carp! I received the HPC Sluggo’s this week to replace the Super Sluggo’s. Absolutely loving these. First day was rough. I did not feel they were better. Probably worse. Today, just unbelievable. I was listening to a What’s Playing Now recommendation from Lon and could not believe the sound. Figured it had to be the recording. Replaced that with my own favorites list and still amazed. The icing? Echoes by Rodrigo y Gabriela. One of my favorite songs and I have seen them a dozen times. The song took on a whole new dimension. Thank you Mark. Love your passion and support.

I have owned a Swiss Fuse Box for several months and have enjoyed a significant improvement in SQ.  It came with the Gold Plated Copper Super Sluggo which sounds excellent.  I additionaaly made my own solid copper and solid silver sluggs to compare.  In my system I prefer the silver, then super sluggo then the copper.  All sound great but the silver just gives a more detailed, clear and fuller sound on my system with a Torii Jr V2. Yet another variable…sorry. Sound feel the silver is too much but it works for me the best. The Rhodium slug looks great just more than I want spend.  Enjoy the journey,

I'm not sure how much one can know which Sluggos they ultimately prefer without taking into account the various potential power cable combinations as well. My cables, power conditioners, and outlets are all behind my console, so it is a real project to swap things out willy-nilly. Admittedly, it's a very, very first-world problem. I am not a wealthy man, but I acknowledge and appreciate the fact that I am blessed with a lifestyle that allows me to fret over the ways various lengths of precious metal might bring out just a hair more reverb trail on a 70-year old recording.  [smiley=beer.gif]

That would certainly simplify things!

I definitely haven't had time to start investigating Sluggo directionality, but it's on my list.

@bloodlemons

My new favorite line

Yet another sign that I am not fully in control of my mind.

That's it

Very happy to read and "hear" @will's observations as well as many of you. One day - I need to re-listen to several iterations I have at the house.

So happy that we are pleasing all of you...

@bloodlemons - will check in with you to update your "new" order status

Thanks again to all of you...

Best - Mark

I'm trying to be happy with just one.

Don’t you just love those discoveries! Rest assured, it will be an improvement.

I still can’t get over how the third SDFB has had such a profound impact on the rig.

I have three as well, one on each of the ZMA, CSP3 and ZP3, which are all running the Super Duper Sluggos. I also installed a Furutech wall outlet last weekend. Everything is sounding really, really nice. Very deep and "round," if that makes sense.

Not that it's particularly important, but I wanted to add that my recent endeavors in optimizing the power signal path arose from swapping a DHC1 in for the generic power cord that came with my ZSTAGE. I was impressed with the immediate improvement in performance, most notably that the gain setting I'd been using suddenly required about half as much of a turn on the knob as it had before, as well as a lower noise floor overall.

I'd been using Decware power cords on the ZMA and ZP3 from the beginning, so I'd never compared performance of different cords in that respect. Adding that cord to the ZSTAGE was the first moment I started seriously contemplating the overall power supply line as capable of significant improvement. I started researching audiophile fuses and came across the SDFB through this thread. What an enormous improvement, for quite a bit less than some of the fuses I was researching.

The Furutech outlet was somewhat outrageously expensive (I opted to go with the wall plate and carbon-fiber outlet cover as well), but I'll be damned if that didn't produce a significant improvement as well. Although I'd like to pick up a couple more DHC3 cords to match the one I now have on the ZMA, I'm feeling pretty confident in my power chain at this point.

I think the only thing I could really do now to augment the situation would be to run a dedicated line from the fuse box in my house directly to the hi-fi outlet (and maybe add another outlet), but that's outside of scope of my abilities and I'm not in a serious hurry to hire an electrician for that type of project any time soon.

It just occurred to me that I could replace the circuit breaker with something of audiophile quality. Also not sure that's something I want to mess with on my own, but that might be the next logical step.

Sorry for rambling. I have exactly one friend in real life (well, maybe two, if you count the owner of my local audiophile shop) who cares about any of this stuff. Most of my friends appreciate the resulting sound quality, but would think I was actually insane for the amount of time and money I spend on things they have never heard of and wouldn't understand. The Sorcer X4 alone sounds like absolute voodoo to anyone who's never even considered upgrading the stylus on their turntable (if they even own one, lol).

I understand the rambling and I doubt if it bothers anyone here. I too have very few persons in real life to share audio quality with, I do have one who is sort of a grasshopper to my master but lives 1500 miles away (when for decades he lived within ten miles).

I'll never stop futzing with power supply stuff . . . it's the heartbeat.

Awesome! Thanks for the update!

Hi All,

The Graphene is new (I mean really new)... 2 years involved in this Vacuum Depositing System and a very real 5 digit number invested

Sadly - NOT Low Cost

These are made with ultra high purity copper and Vacuum Deposited Graphene

Why Graphene Mark - because it's over 4 times the conductivity of HP Copper

Sonically - it's really quite good. Well described by GS - More Details for sure, while NOT edgy at all. In fact, it draws you in with new levels of "information".

My system seemed quieter as well... Better Dynamics in both areas.

Percussion was revelatory.

2 years and some big money... but here we are

More details to follow

Thanks GS and Kamran for your help

Best - Mark

Kamran wrote on 04/10/24 at 16:28:02:

Thanks Kam. No streamer here, so maybe I can keep mine down to 2. Regenerator and SEWE300B makes most sense to me in my system.

My second SDFB was delivered this morning. . . albeit not to my address. I tracked it down to a neighbor's deck in part due to the photo the driver provided, it looked like one on a house a street over I recognized.

I'm waiting to install it til the mail comes with the Sluggo. I do have a Super Sluggo I could use, but gettin to the fuse holder in the SEWE300B in the Samson Version 3 is not easy and I don't want to do that twice!