FUSE BOX delivers perfect protection and superior sound
Encouraged by the improvement offered by the PURON plug-in filters, I spent some additional time reading
I wondered if a second product, unrelated to PURON, can also raise the bar for recorded music? FUSE BOX is a system that replaces a fuse in a piece of electronics. A metal SLUGGO (insert either the brass or copper option) goes in the fuse holder. The power cord you have been using goes into one end of the slim, lightweight BOX. From the other end of the BOX, another power cord (quality counts!) leads to your power conditioner or to the wall. Simply plug and play.
Each FUSE BOX is calibrated according to the traditional fuse it will be replacing. By providing the amp value, fuse size, and slow/fast blow, a unit can be tailored to your specs.
I took the plunge by requesting a FUSE BOX to fit into two different systems. I use a Black Ice FOZ SS-X Sound Expander in both a headphone (Synergistic blue) and main system (Synergistic orange). This wonderful piece is in the middle of both systems, between the cd player and the amplifier.
Starting first in the smaller system, there was a break-in period of about 30 hours before the sound really took off. A huge positive step (for me) was then replacing the copper sluggo with the brass version. Now I heard the depth and warmth, in addition to the detail of the copper version. The traditional Grado sound through the over the ear headphones (Prestige 125 model) was rich, detailed, and balanced.
I spend much more time listening through full range Martin Logan Expression ESL 13a speakers. I recently added two PURONS to this system, plugged into a Synergistic Research Powercell 12 conditioner. Even when (intellectually) I believed this combination had already taken me to the "top of the mountain," I was happy to be proven wrong. With the brass sluggo in the SS-X, the "you are at the recording event" is very powerful, and in a way I had never heard before. It's like I have the best seat in the house, for every recording.
For me, FUSE BOX offers the protection of traditional fuses, without fearing they may need to be replaced (since FUSE BOX can be easily reset). With the two sluggos provided, the sound can be adjusted to one's preference. And I still have the flexibility to change this arrangement in the future, as the sluggo is never permanently fixed to the fuse holder.
A big thanks to Mark Schifter at Vera-Fi Audio, for patiently helping me. With a 30 day return policy, my guess is that many music lovers will be asking Mark to program a unit, so they can evaluate it in their systems.
My answer, to "how can the sound possibly get any better?" is FUSE BOX. Highly recommended.
Thanks to the earlier adopters of this product for posting. If anyone has a link to comprehensive product information, I’d love to have it.
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Sorry for not posting for a while, I have had many personal items of late that took me away from listening to music. I have had the fuse box(s) connected to my amps for about a week, probably have played music with them in the system for a total of 10 hours. What I can offer is that there is no downside, I am hearing a calmness that is pleasant, perhaps my amps are finally playing as to the way they were designed. I have only tried the copper slug thus far, but I will try the brass. BTW, I did make a short 12" jumper power cord to use with my units. I think Mark will soon be offering a similar power cord to be used instead of connecting another long power cord to the Fuse Box. ozzy
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Mark was kind enough to send me 2 of the fuse boxes to try on my preamp and power amp. I'll do my best to give my impressions, though I feel like the sound is still changing and improving. Out of the box (copper sluggo): Bass. More in both quantity and definition. I considered dialing my subwoofers back a few times in the first hours, but eventually decided it sounded 'right' with my original setting. I'm noticeably lower on my line stage's volume control. Maybe 5 steps lower (out of 103 total). I usually listen around 30 and am now listening in the mid 20s. Instrument separation is better and the leading edges of notes are more clearly defined. Soundstage depth is reduced slightly. Soundstage width is unchanged but the outer edges of the stage are more illuminated. Complicated passages are congested. Vocals and high frequencies sound a little etched and somewhat artificial like I'm trading some naturalness for additional detail. After a week (approx 25 hours): Soundstage depth is back to where it was. Improvements in width and illumination remain. Congestion on complicated passages is no longer an issue. The etched quality I noticed initially has settled down nicely and things are sounding natural again. I like what I'm hearing. Today: I have lent the fuse boxes to a friend of mine for a couple of days to try on some other equipment. Before I removed them from my system, I briefly tried the brass sluggo. I think it is the better sounding choice for my system. Tonality and texture on stringed instruments seems appreciably better. High frequencies seem more natural and appropriately scaled. I'm less confident in these observations because they were made in about a half hour but will follow up when I have had more time to compare. Last night, I listened without the fuse boxes in my system. It was a short session, not as engaging. I'm looking forward to continued experimentation with the brass sluggos. I'd also like to try polishing the sluggos and treating them with progold or bullfrog contact enhancer. |
skucie, Nice review. Interesting that you like the brass slug better. I still haven’t tried it yet, but I will. I have also treated the copper fuse with Rick Shultz new "Pro" enhancer product that he kindly provided. His previous products were the NPS 1260, NPS Q45T. First, I will try the brass au naturel. ozzy |
It’s very interesting that thus far that most of you prefer the brass over the copper slug. So, I’m getting ready to try the brass one. But I wonder if it matters as to what piece of equipment it is used in. My Mono block amps have 2 fuses in each. One that powers the main power supply (6A) and the other the input section (1.5A). I have the "Fuse Box (6A)" powering the main power supply and I am still using a SR fuse in the other fuse input section on my amps. ozzy |
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@steakster I've worked this comparison
Thanks - Mark
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Appreciate all the feedback here and in other places |
Good Morning and Happy Holiday |
I spent a few minutes polishing the copper sluggos with a connoisseur’s polishing cloth (gold) until they were visibly shinier and installed them earlier this afternoon. My system is sounding better than ever with the polished copper, making the brass sound lifeless by comparison. I’ve had a list of errands to do today and it’s now 7:50 PM and I’m listening through my 4th album. My Vandersteen speakers are producing bass I didn’t know they were capable of in my large listening room. Deep, tuneful bass I can feel in my chest. The impact is much more noticeable than it was before. The soundstage is clearly defined from front to back and left to right, better than I’ve ever heard it. I feel like I’m hearing the rear corners of the stage with less distortion than ever. related thoughts: -The power cables feeding my best equipment (and plugged into the fuse box) are quite a bit better and more costly than the ones I’m running into the fuse boxes. I expect there is more to be gained there, albeit at a much higher cost than the fuse box itself. It’s worth doing though, the price/performance ratio on the fuse box is better than every other aftermarket product I have in my system. -As someone mentioned above, I feel that the fuse holder in the equipment is, itself, a big part of the problem. A high quality jumper wire bypassing the fuse holder would almost certainly lead to a substantial improvement. I’m not comfortable doing that to my favorite gear (yet, anyway). -My next step is to apply some contact enhancer and see what that does. I’m planning to use this, unless anyone has an argument for something else performing better. Bullfrog: |
@skucie |
I posted a review under the Member Review topic: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/swiss-digital-fuse-box-what-headroom-sounds-like |
Good Morning
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1677858218/54#54
PS - thanks as well to @gladmo for his post here and in the Members Review Section |
