On another thread I mentioned that I was going to give the Swiss Digital FUSE BOX a try. You can read about it on the website.

https://verafiaudiollc.com/

Today I'm not going to dive into the listening so much. I want to give it more time before describing how it changed things. I did order 2 more units.

Yesterday I put a 3A slow blow box in my system. I have a Plasmatron 3 in my system. https://www.vhaudio.com/plasmatron.html My DAC, Server and Preamp are plugged into this. The Plasmatron has a 3.15A slow blow fuse in it. What I did was put the FUSE BOX in front of the Plasmatron. I replaced the Following fuses with solid copper "Sluggos" 3.15A Audio Magic M-1 (Plasmatron), 3.15A SR Purple (Innuos) and 4A SR Purple (Holo Audio MAY DAC)

I powered everything back up and DANG! I really don't like the saying "blacker backgrounds" ... That's what it was. The first track started with some cymbals and they just exploded out of nothingness. Then the sustain was just down right eerie!

Mid range and bass did suffer a little bit, they came through as a bit thin—which I wasn't expecting. I let the system play for 2-3 hours when I came back the mid range and bass were filling in nicely. I got excited at this point.

I have a Torii MKV this is has two 3A fuses one for each mono channel. Will the inrush current trip the 3A fuse? I had a 95% confidence that it would not. I have two Plasmatrons and the Plasmatron fuse has never tripped when running the Torii.

The FUSE BOX comes with the option of copper or brass Sluggos I replaced the Audio Magic M-1 3.15A fuses with brass sluggos. I flicked both power switches on the Torii at the same time to stress test it. Everything fired up normally.

The brass Sluggos in the amp made a significant difference. I enjoyed listening like that for awhile. I then turned everything off and swapped back to the front end components this time putting in the brass Sluggos. The bite and leanness of the copper was gone. The brass have an easy relaxing quality to them the copper did not. Not a soft quality in the music. A soft quality as in anxiety that I didn't know was there melted away. Like an invisible irritant was taken away. This is compared to the SR and Audio Magic fuses, the copper Sluggos also had this characteristic.

I was really shocked how much more I prefer the brass over the copper.

I really haven't listened enough and experimented enough to give more of a report. Mark at Verafi Audio said give it 30 hours to settle in. I'm around 15 hours this morning.

A few things I'm going to try.

Burn in the copper Sluggos more.

Take the actual FUSE BOX in and out of the same position to see how or if the FUSE BOX changes things.

Put a much cheaper PC in front of the FUSE BOX and have my nice PC after.

I have a feeling I'll have a bunch of fuses up for sale soon.

I've ordered a 15A FUSE BOX for in front of my Torus AVR 15 and another 3A for the Torii. My phono stage does not have a fuse.

Verafi Audio also sells a Puron plug in power doohickey I have one and it's a nice improvement. I have it plugged into my Torus AVR.

Mark at Verafi Audio has been great to work with.

I'll update once I get a better feel for how this changes everything.

Right now the FUSE BOX is placed willynilly as I'm moving it around between components still.



Some of the copper Sluggos. I'm a fan of Deoxit, I applied it as I put in the Sluggos.

Thanks for the update Groovysauce. Looking forward to more impressions from the labyrinth of tests you are setting up.

It will be interesting to see just how much burnin refines things. The brass preference so far seems a little bizarre to me too, and interesting. Shows again how much sound tests matter! Thanks for digging in.

GS this is very interesting stuff! I like the comparison of sound between copper to brass slugs. It might put my idea of using magnetic fuses with a central DC relay disconnect on the front burner

John

JBzen, Steve talks about weak links, The thin piece of hair wire that's in a fuse does seem to be one on multiple levels.

John, If you want to change the trip (fuse) values you need to send it back and have it reprogramed.

The unit is designed for one component. It has an IEC in and a single outlet out. In my case the Innuos ZENith mk3 uses a 3.15A fuse and Holo Audio MAY DAC takes a 4A fuse. I have 1 FUSE BOX serving both of those. The FUSE BOX is set to 3A slow blow. As long as the start up surge doesn't trip everything is good—both units are protected as I downsized the "fuse"

Actually I have 3 units served from one FUSE BOX.

FUSE BOX -> Plasmatron 3 (3.15A) which has 4 outlets on the back. DAC and ZENith are plugged into that.

In theory you could safely power your entire system from one FUSE BOX. My entire system draws 3.2-3.3 amps. If I was running a UFO amp I could be on a FUSE BOX into a power distributor and power everything.

If a ZROCK2 with a 1.6A fuse was in the mix then a second FUSE BOX for the ZROCK2 would be needed.

I just tried swapping out a cheapie PC in front of the FUSE BOX and yes, as I suspected it's clearly an audible change.

I really like your concept of using one FUSEBOX for several components where appropriate. Thanks for keeping us up on your interesting exploration! I have always liked my Frybaby2, now3, and seems that on those big Slugs especially it might really be good to rig your FryCorder to give them a start. Any reason not to run the Boxes too for a while before the system power finishes them?

Interesting product GS. I look forward to your continued experimentation and listening observations. As you may remember, I have all my source equipment and CSP3+ preamp hooked up through a Pi Audio uberBUSS to a dedicated AC line with a Furutech GCX-R outlet.

I'd be interested in your observations about possible SQ improvements of the Swiss Digital FUSE BOX between an uberBUSS (or equivalent) with several sources and the AC outlet. Thanks for all you are doing to advance the listening experience.

HK

GS,

Thanks but don't bother. I believe I read in the PS Audio forum you had the biggest difference in use with your Torii amp. If that's the case, I'll consider using it in conjunction with my ZMA. I guess Jonny will be getting another SRA power cord order from me as well, if I decide to give it a try.

HK

5hats why I wondered if a copper bolt is as good as bypassing the unit altogether (fuse and fuse holder) with good quality copper or silver wire.

I know it is more instrusive, but this Maggie mod seems to be a step in that direction.

See the second small picture in url below

https://www.11stereo.com/product-page/magnepan-instant-upgrade-fuse-replacement-...

From Johnnycopy: " Interesting how we rarely talk about having too much bass??"

Looking at bass and how powerfully it can steal the beauty of complexity from the rest if over or poorly done, I think this is really good point. I have never been able to take thick muddled bass, wanting bass that sounds like bass in a good room, and more-or-less across recordings. Once tuned overall, gain riding is a final tuning for me for leaner or over-full/dense recordings. And I have found every time that wire quality and size effects bass, bass in the balance, and all else. So I think this is a good thing to keep in mind for the copper slug pieces with the FUSEBOX. Though this is a really short application, and therefore maybe not much of a thing... it could be real too. Do more and more slugs replacing fuses make the sound deeper and denser while balancing the whole toward bass? And if so, is it natural sounding, or does it mask or off-balance something.

Also relative to the hazards of less-than-balanced and complex bass, thanks for another of GroovySauce's active threads, his extensive room treatments and results:

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1662491252/

Bass effects us all... and room effects us all, and wire size effects us all. In fact everything effects us all, this thread another indicator of how far some of us are willing to go to cultivate engulfing sound experiences. And not solving imbalances without work seems rare or impossible, in turn effecting how we hear changes that can seem subtle or nonexistent in a not-so-well tuned system/room, or... pretty profound in a more resolved and balanced system/room.

Room for most seems the biggest barrier to really magical music, but that everything effects everything, this thread points to that... one weak link can damage the whole, and many can leave us out of the deeper game altogether. I have been lucky living in natural buildings, and perhaps an interesting (though probably rare) juxtaposition to Groovysauce's sound being so good in his highly treated room and not outside it, but also really flexible sonically within the room due to such in-depth calculated treatments... And mine is comparatively minimally treated in classic absorption/diffusion ways, but has a fair bit of natural "treatment," while being pretty live, and sounding great outside it. And we both have tuned hard to get all we do have to work together with minimal impediments toward a more ultimate musical experience... enough resolved that we can hear seemingly subtle changes as notable.

My adobe house has plastered walls that are irregular in shape and surface... Typically wider at the bottom and narrowing/angling some as they rise. The plaster on adobes is irregular in micro ways, not many sq feet truly plumb except windows. Also irregular brick floors, segues to other spaces, round and square beams, different height rough wood ceilings with boards in straight and herringbone patterns and with ±.3 to .5" spaces between boards, a doubled tar paper "diaphragm" above the boards with lots of insulation and a relatively sealed air space, followed by a foamed roof above that. So a lot of un-calculated, but pretty extensive diffusion and absorption was "done" with the house construction.

With minimal but calculated absorbers added for different spectral areas, along with rugs, pads, and other tuning over year... not least of which, I use by-sound EQ on the digital files in player software before leaving the computer... This is relatively cheap "treatment," but takes practice, and probably is much more easily successful when a lot of it is solved by the system/room first. In my case, EQ on or off may not sound profound to a casual listener, but it is to me, some of the last percentages of space and balanced harmonic complexity is, as, or more important to real sound as the rest.

And tuned by-sound across recordings, I get into some tuning that I imagine measurements and algorithms can't generally do as transparently. A broad range of recording styles gives a baseline to tune to, and if successful, there is automatic balancing of the whole room regardless which individual recording is playing. These EQs do not seem to mess up phase. My room sounds good most anywhere in it. It also sounds pretty real anywhere else in the house. Once this "live" room is right, it becomes the speaker for the rest of the house, the sound more distant in other rooms, but having the same feel overall. So here, the whole house is my listening room, and "the seat," my gateway to the more fully entrancing beauty since it allows experiencing the sound stage in a more engulfing way. But the listening seat is too easy in ways, the sound so enthralling/seductive that I can miss some imbalances, even with a pretty varied test playlist.

I listen to Bach solo violin most evenings as I take a bath down the hall. It still sounds like the player in the room, just that the church room from the recording is down the hall. And hearing the reflected sound of the listening room-as-speaker, in this case the distance is a tool. Particularly when mid-bass or bass are just a little strong, or if mids or highs are a little consolidated and cold... Anything "off" shows up really well from the tub... and once tuned to be "right" there, the room gets more refined.

Anyway, bass and big metal fuse replacements may or may not be notable issues, but bass waves are a difficult part to get right, and anything that contributes to that can mess with everything else. It can hide how much the room and/or gear are smearing the rest of the sound, and this may explain part of why some of us hear things and others don't. In my rooms, bass in particular has great potential to be the grand thief of convincing "live" sound.... potentially robbing space and complexity from itself and from the rest. Even sort of reasonably resolved bass can so easily mask/smear itself and the rest, in turn making it harder to hear and repair smearing, and null, or peak imbalances across the spectrum.

Where I am trying to go though... rather than the cultured ideology of more is better, if the bass gets too strong in my system/rooms, too mushed together, it sounds like less bass. Then, reducing it in appropriate areas clears it, making what is left faster/tighter, deeper and more impactful, supporting rather than precluding a truly magical sound. This, to me, makes looking at whether a lot of copper and/or brass slugs effect this interesting.

In all the iterations of my Decware based systems: using pretty nice parts and wires, generally more gauge (or higher value caps, or heavier connectors....) can increase density, speed and clarity to a point, and then start to get heavy handed, slowing it down, and weighing the sound toward bass/darkness/smearing/masking. I say general since different designs and materials obviously effect the sound and speed along with gauge. But for really deep refinement, there have been fairly narrow windows for me. And if any aspect of the sound is off, they are all off, so worth looking at.

If interested in a test, comparing using a homemade power cable made with multiple strands to make the composite gauge for each of the hot, neutral, and ground, can be a nice test. From my experiments, I am pretty sure, all else the same, multi-strand cables (to a point) are usually better sounding for complexity and speed than single conductors. A potentially pretty good cable that is fairly low cost might be to use nicely made Chinese all pure copper, or gold plated copper ends, and the following gauges of NOS silver on copper/teflon wires (or whatever you like):

16 - 1
18 - 3
20 - 2

The calculator I use makes this ± a 10 gauge cable. It averages, so not totally accurate, but for listening comparisons this is good start and flexible beginning. If we reduce gauge, we can hear the relative spectral balance and speed change using fresh wire/parts without much burnin. Probably don't want to do extensive twisting/weaving or ground wrapping/weaving at this point because the idea is to change it and listen. All else the same, making the cable a little smaller gauge by pulling one wire will tell the tale. If the original is a little thick, muddled, bloated, darkish sounding, even with this silver/copper being pretty "hot" wire, the cable is likely too big and will balance more neutrally with less gauge. Removing one of the 18s from each group the cable would be around 11 gauge. Remove 2 of the 18s and it would be ±12 gauge. Once close spectrally, for a more ultimate cable, I would have to do some specific twisting or weaving or ground wire wrapping, and damping by-sound, and would prefer it be sort of burnt in for this part since these all effect the sound too. Just wanted to offer some ideas and a possible project for learning if interested in testing gauge versus sound.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, just offering some experience that this thread is bringing up to the top.

And by the way, I seem to recall that instead of using a polished copper ground wire replacement for fuses, seems some folks wrap a fuse in pure copper foil? Could be an intersting test I guess.

What a well thought out post Will!

When it comes to (at least a chunk of) my audio journey, it has been searching for greater clarity, realism, transparency and air.

The downside of attaining increased transparency is having my system sound too lean, driving me to narrow my music library to only highest quality music.

I have come to love open baffle sound over the years and more specific to this conversation, open baffle bass, but you need some inches to get it done.

Four 15 inch bass drivers open baffle on two 5 and a half foot baffles driven by 400 watts times 2 amps generates realistic bass.  These bass panels, being separated physically from my Lii Audio signatures (not open baffle but super fast and transparent), allow more flexibility in room placement to reduce bass nodes, and greater ability to adjust bass output and crossover points separately from my mono tube SET amp driven Lii’s.

This allows me to avoid having the OB bass muddy up the Lii’s while still providing the bottom end foundational balance with (what I feel is the) inherent rightness of OB bass, re-opening my music library to added genres, titles, mixes, songs.

Interesting you talk about out of room listening.  Our stereo is in a finished basement, but often we do our walking upstairs while listening to (as an example) kraftwerk drive THE MIX version of Radioactivity, or some other great dynamic walking tracks on our playlists.  

The basement room does become the speaker cabinet, exiting into the upstairs living space.  Surprisingly, sometimes I like what I hear upstairs better than downstairs.  When walking around in the basement it is shocking how different listening locations so significantly affect bass response, output, and overall tonal balance.

Regarding the thick copper sluggo, some people I respect suggest less is more and the big massive copper binding posts are actually less transparent than wire direct to the driver, and of course other metals that get in the way are even worse (cheap speaker tabs, crossover tabs, etc).  I have no proof but do look at the massive copper posts on my Lii signatures from time to time wondering!  The fuse holders when I get inside some components (spring loaded and not sure what metal) look like additional big opportunities to me even if loaded with a sluggo.

Anyways, Your post was a nice diversion, and thanks for the detour Will!

Hey GS,

Thanks for the update.

That acme fuse holder being the power gateway to your whole system is a great illustration of the concepts here!

GS: "I have become more and more convinced that power is part of the signal path. The final signal being the marriage of the sound waves and electrical power. How different materials in the signal path. Can have such a drastic change in what happens in the room is a wild phenomenon."

I agree. I have found countless times that sound-wise this is the case. Change the power and power supplies, change the sound, and in about any imaginable way.

GS: "Wills home isn’t a standard stick built home. The way Will describes the build gives me a sneaking suspicion that acoustically he is benefiting from a level diaphragmatic absorption that isn’t found in a stick built home."


Yes definitely not a stick home, and in this case seemingly easier because of how it is different.

I figured the ceiling is doing diaphragmatic stuff too, at least helping some of the range. But to be clear, I think I had some Marigo Dots on my MG944 drivers to cut resonance using an SE34, which definitely tightened and de-smeared the sound bottom to top. But when I got the Torii III, all else the same, the bass went from beautiful for the most part, more-or-less controlled except on a few recordings with some boom notes, to overly thick/dark on a lot of recordings. Not one note or similar, just overwhelming in the balance, and more boomy on recordings that went really low. I get fatigue from excess and/or undefined bass, sometimes only "off" enough to give me fatigue... I mean I can run a balance that is really beautiful, but underlying bass stuff can still hit my ears too hard or in too confusing ways. With the Torii, though pretty great sound for the most part, it was weighted too far toward bass/warmth for me, and I got cotton ear in a day or two. It was what led to trying some relatively serious narrow Q, room specific bass cuts using direct on file EQ. Since then I have approached the low bass buildup in this system/room in lots of ways. Tubes of course, EQ.... and being conservative about changing original designs gradually and lightly in each move, most mods to this end are pretty low key, but they all did something, and they add up... For my preferences I have had to tune power, tubes, speakers, amps, and room treatment...why I mentioned all of these earlier. That done, though fragile, the complex balances and pretty consuming magic are definitely there! But I did not want to move this thread to my room! So enough of that, just wanted to be clearer about my room and personal bass issues.

Energy being so much more complex than typical assumptions and measurements imply, how it effects us and our sound is pretty vast and wondrous I think. So I enjoyed those videos you linked on energy flow... they are compelling to me. I have to watch a few more times to get that unfamiliar fast talk in my head, but very interesting. Could lead into a useful labyrinth relating it and similar to our systems! Thanks.

Looking forward to more of your impressions and thoughts as you explore!

Will

GS,

I'm glad I didn't misinterpret you Ps Audio forum post. It's interesting that amplifier with it's higher amp draw appears to provide the most benefit to your musical experience.

Now I just have to decide if I get one for the mystery amp or wait for my Sarah 300B amp which is on order. I'll have to check the fuse values on the Sarah, maybe I'll be lucky if they're the same.

HK

Nigel,

I was looking up the Plasmatron—didn’t realize you were a fellow VH Audio customer! Do you know why Chris discontinued it?

I also noticed Furutech’s NCF Clear Line AC nose cleaner on their website, which seemed interesting though I’m not sure whether it replaces a conditioner or is meant to be used in conjunction with one.

Lastly, Chris also carries all the SR fuses including the new master fuse.  What’s the first component to target for a fuse upgrade—the DAC or Streamer? Speaking of DAC, Tim at Kitsune wasn’t a big fan of anyone replacing the red nano fuse in the Spring 3 KTE…

Possibly the last update until I get the 2 more FUSE BOXES.

Before I even received the FUSE BOX I was curious what sort of noise or character the box and circuitry would add.

I tried removing the FUSE BOX from the system and leaving the Sluggos in.

I tried this with two different sets of PCs

Snake River Audio Cottonmouths
and
BAV (Belden Audio/Video) PC

The Snake River Audio Cables (SRA) are some of the best cables I’ve ever heard. World class!

The BAV PC is solid cable to get you into the PC upgrade space. Nothing special.

The difference between the BAV and SRA cables is substantial. Since I’m short of top tier power cables I’ve been dancing around with them. I had a BAV hooked upto my phono stage for a few days. I received 3 new records that I played on the BAV cable. Last night going back to SRA to the phono stage was one of those experiences that makes me say yes, yes spending tons of money on PCs does offer great benefits. The emotional connection is so much greater. To the point I’m thinking of giving a box of tissues permanent residence within arms reach of the listening chair.

Pi Audio UberBUSS -> PC -> FUSE BOX -> PC -> Power distributor to DAC and ZENith MK3
Pi Audio UberBUSS -> PC -> Power distributor to DAC and ZENith MK3

As I’ve been using the SRA PCs with the FUSE BOX, I did this with the SRA cables first. Removing the FUSE BOX from the chain this was a noticeable. I sent Mark an email 2 days ago describing what I was hearing, paragraph below.

“I did an isolation test. FUSE BOX and no FUSE BOX. The FUSE BOX does add a smidge a faint bit of noise to the system. Sounds better with no FUSE BOX. An odd way to explain this… There is a song that has the static of the recording process in it. With no FUSE BOX the static is more defined very much like listening to tape. FUSE BOX in the system the static is muted and not as defined. This is just one subtle aspect that really stood out to me. “

Noticing how static of the recording process changes and has more texture is an odd one… it is what really stood out to me so that’s what I’m reporting.

I sat on this for a bit because I wanted to test again. With different PCs, the BAVs.

With the BAVs the recording static isn’t picked up as recording static or hiss it’s more of a swishing noise. Actually doesn’t sounds like recording static.

Track in question is YAIMA - Gajumaru ( Acoustic ) from the album C E R E M O N I A

BAV without the FUSE BOX didn’t have nearly the audible effect that removing the FUSE BOX from the SRA chain did. This makes sense to me as the SRA offer much higher resolution over the BAV.

This was an exercise of curiosity not product worthiness or selection. The chain with the FUSE BOX is far superior to the equipment with SR Purple and AM M-1 fuses.

Maybe I will have to buy DECWARE Amp

Been working so hard on all of the new Carver products - this might be a good investment

Good stuff GS

So one unit for the ZR2. Just one unit will handle the MK5? Two units with a different setting for each. Just put two Sluggos in the MK5.

Thanks Nigel

John,

Now I'm thinking about fondue...

Missed your previous post. Yes I agree the vibrations on the small wire are of concern. Even when backed in the beeswax or other materials.

I'm surprised that there are not better standard fuse holders on the market. When I was looking to replace the fuse holder on my Torus AVR I did some searching and there isn't much out there. They all look like thin tin.

Without using the FUSE BOX it's almost worth considering replacing the IEC and soldering the fuse inline.

I've ordered some IECs with no fuse holder.

I ordered both the Oyaide and furutech FI-09 I'm also making a power distributor.

https://vhaudio.com/connectors-ac.html#IECinlets

Last year when I was looking for quality fuse holders I wasn't very successful. ACME makes silver plated and cryo'd fuse holders. Are they better than the mouser or digikey no idea.

ACME also makes IEC inlets no idea if people like them or not.

I'm late to the discussion here but I've been playing with this type of solution for quite some time.  I want to challenge people to think about this differently than what is likely intuitive.

Most people want to put things in their system that improve the sound.  That is generally impossible.  The quality of the signal is all captured on the source and we put components in our system that DEGRADE IT LESS.  That is the philosophy behind the simple designs Steve loves that touch the signal the least.  It extends into the power system, especially wrt fuses.

Fuses are horrible things.  They are filaments the size of a human hair that we use to strain the electrons before we send them to our amp.  I have a huge power cable, and expensive power regenerator that weighs close to 100 lbs, and then I used to strain my electrons through a filament in the name of protecting my investment.  

Now here is the part that most people don't get:  THE IMPROVEMENT IN SOUND COMES FROM THE SLUGS, not from "fuse box". By installing the slugs, we have gotten rid of the evil fuses and now electrons flow freely to our amp with a smile on their faces.

If you are bold enough to operate your amp without equipment protection, then you can just put slugs in and skip the fuse box.  Note that replacement output transformers are only a couple hundred dollars.

Finally, I'll point out that fuses don't guarantee equipment protection anyway so I'd much rather have better sound.  A couple of weeks ago I bought an SE84UFO to play with and decided the 2nd day I owned it to roll some tubes.  Grabbed some tubes I remembered to be EL84 equivalents but they were instead Russian 6P1T tubes out of a Baby Sophia....wired completely differently. Direct Short.  When music didn't happen, I immediately turned them off.  I put the original tubes back and and no music.  Things were lighting up but no music.  Opened it up.  This amp has 4 fuses, 3 on the rectifier and 1 on the main.  NONE of them blew.  Fortunately a resistor opened before either the power transformer or the output transformers were damaged.  I replaced the resistor and amp is good as new.  So don't think your fuses are always going to protect you.  I'd say less than a 50/50 chance based on failures I have seen.

Now what about the fuse box?   I've been saying for a long time that someone needs to identify an appropriate circuit breaker to replace the fuse.  indeed, that is all the fuse box is, a circuit breaker.  here is a link to a good quality potter brumfield circuit breaker for $18.  

https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-1-1393249-4.html?te_bu=Cor&te_type=srch&te_cam...

I haven't tested it.  It is thermal and I think magnetic would be a better choice.  I just haven't had time to research this and find the right breaker.  But I'm pretty sure a single pole 3 amp breaker doesn't cost $400.  But I will say that the key is to make sure the breaker is a high quality component that doesn't degrade performance.

I make my own slugs for about a nickel apiece from this material:

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/rods/super-conductive-101-copper-rods-and-disc...

I certainly agree with the original post that putting slugs in place of fuses is a WOW moment.

Jerry

I see a wire strung between two points connected to a common base consisting of an assembly of a glass tube and tin cups. There are a lot of musical instruments assembled in the same manner(wire strung between two points supported by a common base)

The wire of the assembly as shown above when inserted in a circuit will start to heat up and vibrate when current is applied. As current is increased it will produce more heat and stronger vibrations until it is stressed enough to break. That is how a fuse works.

When vibrating, the stabile flow of electrons created by emf is disrupted creating a bit of chaos along the fuse wire. The disoriented electrons bumping abnormally will introduce noise.

So keep the wiring parallel and fill the fuse with some sort of deadening material will help control the wire somewhat from vibrating. The result will show as a slight increase of resolution or blackness in the music.

I don’t think it has anything to do with the size of the wire, more so the structure of the fuse. Good reason why ceramic fuses are known to improve resolution.

My take anyway. Yours?

John

Wonder if something like a high quality IEC adapter to save the cost of an additional PC would work. You would have to support the weight of the Fuzebox hanging off the back of the amp. But in the case of a Decware amp it would be sticking strait up. If room would allow of course.

https://voodoocable.net/product/in-line-iec-adapter/

Jerry,

There is no doubt that a slug will clean up some noise in our music. I've used the slugs off and on. The slugs were removed prior to upgrading my home run circuit to 9 gauge. It took a long time before the slugs were reinstalled. There was a slight improvement in clarity but not as much as the first time of slug use that can be remembered.

A 3/4" fuse adds less then 1% to the length of a 6' power cord. The potential is on both sides of the fuse for current to flow. When flowing(oxymoron) very few electrons pass thru the fuse at any given time. The bumping just gets more aggressive with increased current demand.

So it does all the things you mentioned. I would like to be able to leave my system on longer periods of time without being a watchdog. This will lead to experimenting with fuse mods. Bussmann fuses seem to be a good base to start because of silver solder use and nickel plated cups. Think sand will be tried, maybe some epoxy flowed inside, or,?

More projects!

Cheers!
John

Hey will!

Thanks for the links! No, I did not see those but very interesting indeed. Going to order some of those soon.

John

Just ordered some circuit breakers to adapt to replace fuses in IEC connectors.  I'll bring it to market for much less than $400.

Jerry

I placed an order for a fusebox. It'll be here next week.I also got an adaptor to plug it directly into the back of the amp with the intent of eliminating a second PC. I have a couple of extra PC's so I can AB with a cord or just the adaptor.

I purchased and am using 3 Swiss fuses from Mark at Verafi Audio

My system includes:
-2 coincident technology Frankenstein mk3 tube mono amps with EML XLS 300b’s driving Lii audio origin 10’s
- for a dash of extra bass augmentation, a pair of rythmik 400 watt plate amps driving four 15 inch open baffle drivers which beautifully augment the origin 10’s.
-a netgear GS108Ev3 switch (many recent positive audio reviews for this low cost switch)
- newest blusound node with a teddy pardo power supply.
- holo spring 3 kte,
- hornshoppe truth pre.  
- Note I also very recently purchased $80 Fosi x4 tube phono pre that I think punches way above its weight. It can also accept dac input so have tried it as a pre bypassing the solid state hornshoppe truth.  I love cheap toys that can flavour a system to advantage.

Spoiler alert… I recommend any of you looking for a high value to cost upgrade to contact mark at verafi audio (he was an absolute pleasure to deal with) and test this product risk free in your own systems.

I heard about the Swiss fuse from groovysauce and had a number of interactions with him before contacting mark. My call with mark came immediately after being frauded by an audiogon member who sold me a faulty, visually burnt orange SR, whose ad picture showed only the non burned side of the fuse!!

So glad now that the orange didn’t work out.  Why spend a bunch on a fuse that is destroyed if overdriven, vs one which simply needs to be reset… and sounds better?

1) The effects of the fuses being installed into my rythmiks amps (1 fuse covers both rythmik amps) was greater dynamics, bass slam and bass quality.  Bass notes just started and stopped, very very fast and it sounded like headroom has improved.  At the end of this review, I will share a review link where someone else mentions that these Swiss fuses sound like headroom has been added to your amps. I wholeheartedly agree.  I listen in our large finished basement.  My wife is often upstairs making puzzles while I am listening downstairs. I asked how she was enjoying the sound as I was moving through some of Steve’s latest recommended audio titles (including infected mushrooms).  She said it sounded great but that she had to close both the front and back door cause both screen doors were rattling. Yeah, that had never happened before.

2) My only experience with upgraded fuses prior to the Swiss was an sr red that came with my holo spring 3. I took one of the Swiss fuses and fronted 3 components - my teddy pardo, my hornshoppe pre and my holo dac with it. Loved it, better than my sr red in the holo dac relaxing the sound.

3) I took the other Swiss fuse and fronted both of my Frankenstein 300b amps. Good, but I preferred the sound with each amp direct to a power outlet so had to give up the teddy pardo, holo and hornshoppe pre configuration.

The changes across the frequency range were audible enough that I took the origin 10’s out of the chain, and rehooked up a pair of reference silver iris mid/tweeters that are installed midway between my 15 inch drivers on my 5 foot open baffle towers.  I had always found the reference silver iris’s less transparent than the origin 10’s, but found that I really enjoyed them with the Swiss fuses added to the system. These system configuration changes that were not initially planned (together with some needed surgery) kept me from completing this review in a timely fashion.

Bottom line, these fuses are a no brainer, whether brass or copper sluggos.  I soaked my rough sluggos in vinegar to shine them up a bit… then in water and baking soda to stop the acidic process. I am eager to try other metals if mark or other customers hear sonic differences.

Mark, as mentioned was a pleasure to deal with.

Here is the other thread I wanted to share where the person doing the review references the sense of increased headroom.

https://tinyurl.com/mvbaj9va

John

Tony wrote on 05/13/23 at 14:42:28:

Tony: try this link:

https://tinyurl.com/mvbaj9va

Thanks for sharing. I almost feel that I need to experience the impact of Synergistic fuses first before I can truly appreciate what the fuse box brings to the table.

This reminds me, haven’t seen GroovySauce active recently?

I would think it's the fuse in the IEC receptacle that would be replaced.

Check the label underneath the amp. Steve puts the fuse size there. If it's not there, you can download the owners manual from the order page.

HK

John, great write up! I'm glad you are experiencing an improvement!

JP, Lon is correct, replace the IEC fuse. The other fuses protect your amp incase of something failing like a tube.

Kamran, I would save for a FUSEBOX and skip the fuse.

I got a shipping notice that some new Sluggos are on their way to me. I'm going to be traveling so won't have an update on the different metals until June.

I received a package which contained two baggies. Sluggo A and Sluggo B. I was out of town for awhile. Upon returning I put in the Sluggo A, meaning I didn't have a good reference between the solid copper and the new Sluggo. I've been listening to the system with Sluggo A in for a week now. Today I put in the Sluggo B. I'm going to give it a week of play before I swap to Sluggo A and the solid copper Sluggo.

The only thing I know about the A and B is "One is Solid Brass with the Gold Immersion and one is Solid High Purity Copper with the same Gold Immersion".

I'll update again once I have a solid report.

Curious: considering there is a need for an extra PC, how imp. Is it for both PC’s to be audiophile grade vs. having your good one connected to the source/amp and the other end use a standard one connected to the power supply? Having both PC’s of good quality per component raises the bar a bit. Not necessarily a showstopper-just something to consider when budgeting.

Kamran,

Both sides of the FUSE BOX the PC is equally important.

Is the lesser PC better than the fuse being replaced with the Sluggo? That is the question.

In my case the PCs are significantly more money than the FUSE BOX.

HK, looking forward to your impressions.

Intriguing. . .hinting of promise.

I just installed Mark’s new copper Super sluggos with the gold immersion.

As a reminder I am running:
- newest blusound node with teddy pardo power supply
- spring 3 kte holo dac
- Fosi or hornshoppe truth pre
- 2 ultra transparent coincident technologies Set Frankenstein monoblocks with EML XLS 300b’s driving Lii Audio S-10 silver mains
- 2 rhythmic 400 watt amps driving four 15 inch hawthorne Augie bass drivers in open baffle panels

I now have 6 copper SUPER sluggo’s in the system - 2 in rythmik amps, 2 in Frankenstein amps, 1 in holo dac, 1 in teddy pardo power supply.

One song was all it took to hear a difference that I wanted to share, the song was Anette Askvik - Liberty.

Unlike what Meghan Trainor tells you, it’s not all about the bass… or the midrange, or the treble.

It’s about the overall musical experience. Space in the soundstage, a more captivating, real, and enjoyable listening experience - voice, breath, piano, cello, and a stark reminder that a saxophone is an instrument with a woody vibrating reed at its core, that can create palpable vibrations in your chest and your mind.

Imho, these new sluggos, in similar fashion to my experience with the original Swiss fuse devices, are another step up, and a no brainer as I seek out more great music to enjoy them with.

Well done Mark, and thanks Groovysauce and this forum for bringing them to my attention.

Thanks for the impressions HK. It's great that so far I've only seen positive reviews of these devices. Certainly intriguing.

My SEWE300B is in "Quality Control" now. Steve let me know that he can't incorporate a "Treble Cut Circuit" and i'm hoping for the best--that is a necessary thing with my SE84UFO3 Monoblocks in the main system. If the SEWE400B ends up being my amp of choice (don't think I can keep both of these amplification centers just to have one sit in a closet as a backup). . . then I have to think of "fuses." I'm loving the Audio Magic M-1 but I'd need 2. The Swiss Digital Fuse Box would be a bit cheaper and may be better (?) . . . . Things to ponder, a good deep first world problem.

Hi Lon,

I was trying to follow your comments, and I am unsure if I read correctly - are you suggesting that Sarah's potential "hum" might be managed using the Swiss Digital Fuse Box?

After additional listening sessions with the fuse box set up on my Modwright modified Cambridge Audio CXN V2 streaming music via Qobuz with Roon I can state that this product is a real deal game changer!

With my tube noise and Roon issues sorted, and the supplied pigtail power cord fully settled in, my system has never produced such realistic sounding playback. I thought I had a very low noise floor previously, but now it's simply non-existent. Clarity, density and detail retrieval is simply amazing. The end result is a level of realism in music reproduction that I've never heard before in any system, periiod!

Does my system have weaknesses, sure. The Lii 15 magnum open baffles aren't really full range, so I'm missing some some bottom end and I'd prefer a full loom of Snake River Audio cabling (but it's pricey). These issues however pale in comparison with the level of emotional involvement I'm now enjoying with each new song in the Room que.

The fuse box has performed flawlessly, but I haven't experienced any power surges or outages at this point. Time will tell if it trips the fuse box and protects the CXN V2 properly. I haven't read of any issues on forums regarding this potential failure.

The only potential downside I see is whether use of the fuse box may void your equipment warranty. It's an issue of particular concern with Decware given their lifetime warranty. For me trying it out on my CNX V2 seemed worth it and so far so good.

Thanks to GroovySauce for bringing this product to the attention of the Decware Forum. It's proven to be one of the most soul satisfying additions to my musical enjoyment. My toes can't stop tapping😊.

Of note, each digital fuse box requires setting the right amperage based on your equipment specifications, just as a fuse. VeraFi Audio does offer a relatively inexpensive fee to reset the fuse box to a different setting, if you want to use it on a different piece of equipment.

HK

I would like to echo Groovy Sauce and HK's positive experience with the SDFB. I installed one in my Dennis Had Inspire LP-2 preamp, and the change was truly jaw-dropping. The preamp was very quiet before, now it is absolutely silent - I can place my ear on my drivers and not hear even a whisper of noise. The music has so much more PRAT and is so much more tonally dense. Everything just sounds "right". I am ordering more for my other components.
Also, I would like to mention that Mark and Lynn are two of the nicest people I've met in 30+ years of this audio hobby.  They go out of their way to provide the most amazing customer service I have ever experienced - they truly do what they do to help people like us get those next few steps closer to the absolute truth in audio reproduction. If they sold ab broader range of things, I would go out of my way to buy everything from them. With the trial period, you really have nothing to lose other than the return shipping, if you're the first to not be amazed with the SDFB (they've not had a single unit returned to-date).
Just thought I'd share my very positive experience in the hopes it helps others on this forum.
Chris

Kamran,

I've been wondering the same thing myself. One of my audio buddies and I have been talking about getting SDFBs, and we were thinking the source or the dac would be the place to start, but maybe not. I think a call to Mark would probably yield some good advice.

Randy

Thanks Randy and HK—that is good advice.  I also recall GS mentioning the DAC/Streamer first and I’m also in a similar boat—-I don’t intend to keep the Had amp for long as I wait for Sarah.  I also don’t think we can go wrong on the sequence.  Based on what I’ve read so far—no matter where you start—improvements are going to be noticeable and will only increase as you add the fusebox to more components.

Interesting, related side note:

I recently added a Puritan Audio PSM156 to my system with good results. I was talking to one of the Puritan dealers about adding another one of the Ultimate power cables, and I said that I thought that I would put it on my dac, but he recommended putting it on my amp. Seems like I need to rethink my component priorities.

Randy

HK, thank you for the black friday sale information.  I talked to Mark and he did confirm that they are on sale.
Some questions on fuse ratings.  
1.  I know the UFO25 is 3A slow or fast blow, the CSP3 is also 3A but the manual does not specify slow or fast blow.  Is it also slow blow?
2.  GS, For the Holo May KTE, is the 4A slow or fast blow?
Thanks all!
Bob

Thanks GS!  I will have to go back and read the thread to see how you used one fuse box for multiple equipment.
Bob

Installed the new digital fuse box on my SRA power cord to my ZMA with one the 1' piggytail power cords from Veri-Fi Audio. It takes a bit of time for the silver coated copper of the piggy tails to settle in.

With that said here is my initial impressions. A previous slight, annoying buzzing from my ZMA amplifier is totaling gone. The noise floor in my system is now subterranean. That is with a dedicated AC line to my amp and separate one to my source equipment & Furutech GTX-D NCF(R) for both lines.

I am a bit gobsmacked listening to some of the Qobuz playlists via Roon on my modified CXN V2 streamer/DAC this morning. It's really a quite stunning difference.

I'll be experimenting with a pure copper and the gold anodized copper sluggo (metal rod that replaces the fuse in the IEC outlet) over the next month or so. Can't wait for my extra 1M SRA "Amp Version" hybrid power cord to put the finishing touch on my power supply to the ZMA.

A bit OCD, maybe. But my ears can't argue with the results😊.

HK

I am kicking myself for not getting a Swiss Digital Fuse Box for my Zen Mystery Amp sooner. The short piggy tail cable is still burning on but the sound quality improvement... my oh my.

Many thanks & kudos to GroovySauce for bringing this to our attention.

HK

Thanks to all and Mark!  Looking to get my fuse boxes!

GS, one will go to the HOLO May, the other will be for both the CSP-3 and UFO 25th using a modified plug strip.  Mark was great to talk to and provide great advice.
Bob

Looking forward to hearing more re Sluggos from youn guys

I really appreciated all of you here. Your recommends have really helped - especially re Black Friday Sales - only 8 units left until Japan delivers the next run of chassis  :)

WOW!

Thanks very much

Mark

Jeez HK—have some mercy on my wallet! I’m trying to figure out what priority to prioritize, lol!

Jokes aside, I’m excited about your fuse box developments—especially, interesting to note the metallurgy you prefer with the sluggos.

Hi All...

Just tried to post a Thank You to all

Special thank you to a few that have truly helped here

A Happy Thanksgiving

A picture of the new Sluggos I have been waiting for that are High Purity Tellurium Copper with Rhodium Plating

I do not have enough posts to do this - Ugh  :-[

I will ask some help

New 5 x 20mm as noted $199

New 6 x 32mm as noted $299

Best wishes to all

Lynn and Mark

Thanks HK—Great analogy. I’ve been sold on this for a long time, so it was just a matter of when. Given the BF sale and the possibility of going out of stock with the current inventory, I also decided to pull the trigger.

Unlike Dom, I communicated with Mark via email—he was very kind and quick to respond and answered all of my questions. Since I couldn’t find the BF sale on the website, Mark sent a secure payment link to execute the transaction.

Looking forward!

Happy Thanskgiving all

Have a great day

Best wishes

Lynn and Mark

Good Morning

Walter is an authorized Dealer

There is no STOCK per say as each unit is programmed individually

We are at zero stock right now - chassis to arrive from Japan in 2 weeks

Happy Holidays

Mark

So my sixth sense was screaming at me that I was missing out on opportunity on executing the transaction without speaking to Mark.

So we spoke earlier today, and boy—Mark had to finally excuse himself to ship some boxes (sorry for the delay guys!).  It was fascinating to learn about Mark’s history in the industry and the audio celebrities he’s worked with, how he came up with the idea for the SFDB, and the various testimonials from his current customers.  And he got the pronunciation of my name just right, which amazed me—but I shouldn’t have been surprised—Mark is well travelled based on our convo.

Anyways, I suddenly had an idea during the tail end of our convo and pitched Mark to be a panelist at next years Decfest! He sounded warm to the idea and the opportunity to meet with some his current customers in one setting was very appealing to him.  I’ve sent him the Decfest 2023 thread to wet his appetite.  Trust me, if he agrees to come, it is going to be epic!

Now, this damn weekend has to pass so I can get my SFDB. But honestly, even if it didn’t do anything, the experience in speaking with him at length was worth the cost of admission.

Had a 2nd great conversation with Mark today as I finalized my payment.  As per his recommendation… one will be utilized for my CSP3 and the second on my main amp.  I just need to decide which amp..the Torii or my Zen amp.  I am actually leaning towards the Torii for the time being until I get my 2nd Zen amp upgraded so I can run them as monos.  I will purchase a third one sometime the beginning of next year.  

I am not going to spoil the surprise, but another piece of gear is currently in the works that I will be able to utilize in conjunction with the digital fuse box.  Unfortunately I am not going to elaborate further until Mark makes it available on his website and/or posts it here on the forum.  

My order will probably ship out Tuesday… So by the end of next week I will be up and running.  Needless to say I am stoked!!

Dom

Mark,
That is one nice looking sluggo!  Someone purchase it let us know how it sounds!
Bob

Mark, I could kiss you right now.  Jeez.

4 hrs and change in to using the SFDB and High Purity Copper with Gold Immersion Sluggos, and it feels that my previous listening was done under a huge veil, which if you read my Sarah Reflections thread, speaks volumes (no pun intended) on how ridiculously game-changing this is.

I am not going to write an extensive review (at least not for now).  What this guy said on Audiogon is 120% true, so why reinvent the wheel?

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/swiss-digital-fuse-box-what-headroom-soun...
ds-like

For the members who are sitting on the sidelines:

DROP EVERYTHING!

Good Morning

Wow - many sincere thanks for your message Kamran

Kisses welcome

Blessed to receive the notes here and the phone calls from many here and others that don't post.

Super Happy

On my way to Maui soon to see Walter - great news flowing

Best wishes

Lynn and Mark

I just got to experience the SDFB again. My brother left his UFO25TH at my house.

As I was listening I was thinking it’s not quite the same as I remember. It was more holographic, The sense that music is floating in the room especially the space behind the listening position was not as strong as I recalled before.

I turned off the amp and sure enough there was an SR purple fuse in. I swapped it with a solid copper Sluggo and fired it back up 30 minutes later. An invisible net holding the music and sound around the speakers was cut loose and the music was fully invited to play in the room…. Really past the room too, the sound environment expanded.

The traditional glass fuse with a small piece of tin does seem to be one of the major weak links. SDFB solves this issue wonderfully.

Adding a SDFB also really puts the PCs to the test, If the PC isn’t great you will get a benefit and you hear the PC holding things back. If the PC is good it’s REALLY good.

I played around with the SDFBs in a lot of different configurations with a bunch of different PCs. The SDFB in the system is 100% better across the board than the standard, SR or Audio Magic fuses. So even if you’re using a cheapie PC the benefits come across with the SDFB.

I’ve been using the solid copper Sluggos. I’m looking forward to giving the new ones a try.

There are some audio components or tweeks that I'm hesitant to suggest as they might not be your desired flavor. The SDFB is truely more better across the board.

Dom,

The high purity copper sluggo that I received seemed already polished enough that I didn’t feel the need to polish it further.  That said, I am open to feedback from other members if it is worth it and if so, what is the best solution to use and how much time needs to be spent doing it.  Here is a pic for reference.



I can tell you that even without polishing this particular sluggo, the impact has been incredible.  

Mark—it was great chatting with you again today.  Have fun in Maui!

Have a great holiday!

All this positive talk of a sudden, when elsewhere so many were cautious and disparaging. Here forum members are a bit more open-minded and adventurous--good things.

I came close to ordering one of SWDFBs before when waiting for my SEWE300B. I may eventually. Have to figure whether to target the regenerator or the amp. Either is probably a win.

Quickie reply as I'm overwhelmed with requests etc.

These are High Polished as they arrive -

Gladmo on the Audiogon thread is the Polish Master - he knows the best information

Many thanks

Mark

Good Morning Dom et all,

So pleased to just now read your comments. Thank You very much.

With SDFB and Piggy we always recommend a good 40 hours to get you 90% of the hoped for improvement. By 150 hours - you are THERE.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays

Many thanks

Lynn and Mark

Dom,

Glad to hear you SDFB delivered the goods with your amp and preamp. I'm still thoroughly enjoying the addition to my Zen Mystery Amp, especially since I just received a new 1m Snake River Audio Signature "Amp' PC to complete my loom yesterday.

Everything is still burning in properly but my experience mirrors yours and Kamrans. Such a great product to help equipment achieve it's full potential sound quality wise.

I'll likely be adding one more on the CSP3+ preamp in the new year, after digesting some of the Christmas gift spending bills😁.

HK

I'm considering one when I can afford one. . .early next year probably. Should I get one for my PS Audio P15 regenerator. . . or my SEWE300B . . . or maybe my ZROCK2. . . I'm unsure where to place just one.