Swiss Digital Fuse Box Anyone?

[highstream]

Hello all and good evening to you. Tony, as you have probably concluded already, I have plans to get some of these SDFB devices. I do currently have a QSA Red and Black fuse in my amplifier and while that was quite the upgrade, I have read from more than two or three folks so far that they took out that exact fuse and replaced it with the SDFB/graphine sluggo, and the results were apparently quite a bit better than just the QSA R&B fuse alone.

One of my personal drawbacks and reason for hesitation for the SDFB was that the piggy tails seem to not match the performance of the product. I am glad to see that Audio Sensibilities has added yet another option, but I was wanting to push the envelope even further with an even higher end option. You may know from another thread that I am a very satisfied user of the Takshaka cables offered by Jonny, with Snake River Audio.

I had reached out to him earlier today to inquire about making me a custom pig tail in the near future, specifically for the SDFB. After mulling on it for a stint and thinking about it more, I put two and two together and figured that I possibly wasn't the only one who thought that the pig tails would/might end up being the throttle neck for the SDFB.

So, we got to talking this evening and I suggested that there might be others who would be interested in a higher end offering for the pig tail as well. Jonny surprised me and while we were talking about it, I was informed that they are already available on his website! Apparently, he has made 2 options available to the public. 8 inch versions of his Signature Series and also 8 inch versions of the Takshaka Series PC's to fill the spot of the pig tails.

On a different note, @tony22, I have ran across a comment from someone who did have the AQ Dragon PC and ended up getting one of the Takshaka PC's for a head to head. The Takshaka was the preferred PC out of the two. FWIW. The point of what I am trying to relay here is that you will not be missing any of the quality of the AQ Dragon....while at the same time? You won't have to lay out the same cash for another AQ Dragon.

I'd also like to disclose that I have no affiliation with Snake River Audio whatsoever. I just thought I would introduce another option for those who may have shared the same thoughts as I did about the pig tail.....as it seems that the selection for higher end options were extremely limited to non-existent. That limit was my hesitation for getting the SDFB in the first place.

Tom

Thanks for this post. I was an SRA user several years back, but found them bettered for my purposes by some others in the same or less price range, ultimately ending up with WyWires Diamonds. Unfortunately, Alex won’t make short length cords.

Tonally, that is, on the warm to cool continuum do the Takshaka’s power cords fall?

 

[treitz3]

Hello and good evening to you @highstream. You are welcome.

I would have to say, smack dab in the middle. As "Neutral" as I have ever heard, if you will. The Takshaka's are nothing like his other lineup and IMO, they fall within another level/class of fidelity, TBT. And this is coming from someone who has every single one of his offerings currently in the rig, but the Adder Series. Steve wrote up a review of the Takshaka PC here >>> https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/a-diamond-in-the-rough-snake-river-audio.40102/post-1023415

Of course, IME, everything is system dependent and synergy is key.

I would recommend the Takshaka's to even the most demanding systems out there. I just love the tone/tonal quality and overall (fill in the audiophile jargon). This, in looking at the current offerings of pig tails, is what prompted the discussion with Jonny.

Tom

 

[highstream]

Thanks. I like a touch of warmth. It's funny, over on the Audiogon forum last Fall, one post spoke of preferring the Signature for its warmth, but the SRA website says it was designed for neutral systems. I seem to recall the latter from my SRA days, when Jonny steered me toward the Boomslang. In any case, I emailed him about the Takshaka.

 

[tony22]

This, in looking at the current offerings of pig tails, is what prompted the discussion with Jonny.

What? Is Jonny going to offer a short length Takshaka that can be used as a pigtail?

 

[treitz3]

Yes sir. They are already up on his website.

Tom

 

[highstream]

Yes sir. They are already up on his website.

Tom

While it makes sense to use the same favored cord in front of the SDFB, I’m still left with two questions from the recent posts. Is the rejection of the Extreme Piggy the result of a listening comparison or supposition, and likewise is the Furutech adapter solution an improvement or even comparable to the EP? From my own limited testing, I know that what’s in front of the SDFB does affect the sound, and that short adapters inline may or may not have beneficial sonic impact, or any at all. I’ve also found that the Extreme Piggy is no slouch, which likely derives from Mark S. having custom spec’d them sonically from a good Chinese audio cable manufacturer (I don’t have the same opinion of the cheaper Piggy).

 

[treitz3]

Honestly, I don't even have the SDFB yet, so I cannot comment on the various pig tails that are available. I can say that a well respected member of this forum reached out to me to confirm that even the Extreme is an audible bottleneck....and that was exactly where my thoughts have been at. Hence, my delay in getting the SDFB.

I mean, for a basic signal to pass through, any PC or pig tail should work. But as mentioned before by yours truly, my thought process simply thought that this would hinder things. After spending thousands of dollars on cables that have the specific sound I want/desire, why would I throw a low cost, cheap Chinese bottleneck directly in the path?

To me, that's somewhat akin to buying a Ferrari and putting a governor on the engine. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Now, since I don't even have the SDFB yet, nor have I tried any pig tails, I cannot offer you any observations based upon actual experience. This is all just conjecture on my part.

Knowing what I know about cables and what they can offer my system (I consider them an actual component), I won't even bother with anything other than adding the SDFB/graphine sluggo and (in my case) the Takshaka pig tail, that matches my current PC sound. In my mind, this would simply offer all of the benefits of the current sound...but with the addition of the SDFB. Then, I will try to relocate the QSA fuse elsewhere in the system or sell it altogether.

Tom

 

[highstream]

I look forward to hearing some cord comparisons. It’s also worth noting that the initial Extreme Piggy offering was 2’ only and had different connector material.

Before the graphene appeared, which I now use in almost all locations, I found early on that the sluggo used affected the sound, especially tonally. Mark even suggested as much, recommending the brass in my case. Still, I tried the copper and the super sluggo in a Lampi Golden Gate 2/3 and didn't like them. The brass is still there because I like it and because it would be a PITA to change it. With the sluggos, I find convenience tends to win out over the usual impulse to compare. I’m not sure that works to my benefit.

 

[fbhifi]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest because of the SDFB’s potential to eliminate the apparent bottleneck that conventional fuse present in high performance audio components.

I am neither an audiophile fuse believer, nor disbeliever- I have listened to a few spendy non OEM fuses over the years and have found that every fuse sounds a little different- some a little better and some a little worse than stock. Obviously, none eliminate the bottleneck.

The SDFB seems like a conventional fuse replacement device which could in fact remove the bottleneck.

Several users have placed just a Sluggo in their components and listened. Fortunately none blew up, which is good, but in each case what they heard with just the Sluggo was not much different from their OEM fuse.
Also, in each case, when they connected the SDFB box and Piggy of choice to the component with Sluggo
and used the device as directed the resulting improvement was dramatic and seemingly without any downside.

I can certainly understand how a metal slug used in place of a fuse could/should sound better because of the bottleneck elimination, but when that metal slug alone only sounds better with the SDFB box attached I’m at a loss.

What the hell is the box sonically doing within this configuration?

 

[highstream]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest because of the SDFB’s potential to eliminate the apparent bottleneck that conventional fuse present in high performance audio components.

I am neither an audiophile fuse believer, nor disbeliever- I have listened to a few spendy non OEM fuses over the years and have found that every fuse sounds a little different- some a little better and some a little worse than stock. Obviously, none eliminate the bottleneck.

The SDFB seems like a conventional fuse replacement device which could in fact remove the bottleneck.

Several users have placed just a Sluggo in their components and listened. Fortunately none blew up, which is good, but in each case what they heard with just the Sluggo was not much different from their OEM fuse.
Also, in each case, when they connected the SDFB box and Piggy of choice to the component with Sluggo
and used the device as directed the resulting improvement was dramatic and seemingly without any downside.

I can certainly understand how a metal slug used in place of a fuse could/should sound better because of the bottleneck elimination, but when that metal slug alone only sounds better with the SDFB box attached I’m at a loss.

What the hell is the box sonically doing within this configuration?

A really good question, and I've made Mark aware of it. But I'm curious, Where are the posts about putting in a sluggo alone that you refer to? I suspect part of the answer to that is to ask if those people allowed the sluggos to burn in a few hundred hours, or just went off immediate perception. I'd also ask which sluggos they tried, as different ones have different sonic effects. But I suspect there's a lot more to it and hopefully Mark will have an answer.

Btw, it's no surprise that nothing bad happened with sluggos alone because 1) unless there was a malfunction or system overload there'd be no reason for a problem, and 2) probably many of them had something fused ahead of their sluggo'd gear -- e.g., conditioner, regenerator, power strip -- which would have blown first.

 

[fbhifi]

A really good question, and I've made Mark aware of it. But I'm curious, Where are the posts about putting in a sluggo alone that you refer to? I suspect part of the answer to that is to ask if those people allowed the sluggos to burn in a few hundred hours, or just went off immediate perception. I'd also ask which sluggos they tried, as different ones have different sonic effects. But I suspect there's a lot more to it and hopefully Mark will have an answer.

Btw, it's no surprise that nothing bad happened with sluggos alone because 1) unless there was a malfunction or system overload there'd be no reason for a problem, and 2) probably many of them had something fused ahead of their sluggo'd gear -- e.g., conditioner, regenerator, power strip -- which would have blown first.

The posts that I was referring to were on the Steve Hoffman Music Forums- the thread title is- “Swiss Digital Fuse Box” page 3. Someone on that forum posted a quote he read from another ( unnamed ) forum which read-

“I have tried the graphene sluggo without the SDFB in place, and the rewards are very small in relation to the replacement of the fuse with the entire SDFB set up.”

I believe I read one or two other similar comments, but I don’t remember where. Clearly, very few people have bought the SDFB outfit and tried the Sluggo with and without the box- so not many samples available.
It would be very interesting to have some of you guys with well broken SDFBs try their Sluggos with and without the box.

 

[highstream]

Mark is tied up today with, among other things, dealing with the new China tariff rules re their production and shipments, but said he'd get to your question in a day or two. I still wonder if burnin time accounts for what you report with the sluggos alone. It certainly does in combo.

 

[fbhifi]

Mark is tied up today with, among other things, dealing with the new China tariff rules re their production and shipments, but said he'd get to your question in a day or two. I still wonder if burnin time accounts for what you report with the sluggos alone. It certainly does in combo.

Look forward to hearing from Mark. I wish the remark I quoted was more detailed.

Again, you SDFB owners can provide some first hand info. by doing the with and without comparison and reporting back.

 

[GroovySauce]

I can certainly understand how a metal slug used in place of a fuse could/should sound better because of the bottleneck elimination, but when that metal slug alone only sounds better with the SDFB box attached I’m at a loss.

I tried a lot of different setups with the SDFB and Sluggos. The only options when I bought my first one was copper or brass.

The cable before and after the SDFB do make a difference. If I had to choose where to put a "better" cable I would say between the SDFB and component. Reality is it's so close I wouldn't worry about it. I wrote about all the tests I did in great detail on a different forum.

I did run no SDFB as a test. I found the SDFB did take a smidge away. I'm not comfortable running no protection so that was just for an hour.

One thing I did is use the SDFB 3A into a distribution box with components which all were 3A or HIGHER fuse ratings. This not only saves some money it keeps the cable situation more manageable.

I have a combination of SRA Cottonmouth and Signature PCs. Jonny offering an 8 inch piggy is interesting. I've been wanting to tidy up my cables having 2x 1.5m cables when I only need 1.5m is a lot of extra cables.

 

[corepowertech]

@LuisMontreal

Many thanks for this...

I am hearing from many people that this is better than our Piggy Tail options

Grateful that you have posted about this - Thank You

Mark

 

[corepowertech]

Wouldn't risk limiting instantaneous current draw/dynamics, or having to worry about keeping the volume low just to have an SDFB. All the more so since I am completely satisfied with the sound of my modified Pathos TT with SR Purple fuses.

Import Post here

There is an option (not published - but we have coded it) to allow for a 500mS "soft start" if one might like this...

Thank You - Mark

 

[corepowertech]

Which direction is the fuse box preferred? At the amp end or at the wall?
ozzy

In No American - most place Fuse Box at the Wall...
In the EU - the opposite - we send a Piggy that allows for connection to Fuse Box OUTPUT to IEC Input

THEN - their existing cable from Wall to Fuser Box Input - good solution...

SDFB is now 50% Export and 50% No America... More and more every week to the EU...

Grateful for this

Thanks - Mark

 

[corepowertech]

I am just gonna get a pig tail that matches exactly what I have, so there should be no sonic difference...only the enhancement of the SDFB.

Tom

Please let me know if I can help, Tom

Thanks - Mark

 

[treitz3]

Hey, Mark. Good morning to you, sir. You already have! Between the Snubway and the Master Class A/C line conditioner? My listening pleasure has risen in spades. I look very forward to hearing what the SDFB has to offer. So far, the observations I have read about have been overwhelmingly positive. Many thanks to you, sir.

Also, thanks for confirming my suspicions on the pig tail. I appreciate your honesty.

Tom

 

[corepowertech]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest because of the SDFB’s potential to eliminate the apparent bottleneck that conventional fuse present in high performance audio components.

I am neither an audiophile fuse believer, nor disbeliever- I have listened to a few spendy non OEM fuses over the years and have found that every fuse sounds a little different- some a little better and some a little worse than stock. Obviously, none eliminate the bottleneck.

The SDFB seems like a conventional fuse replacement device which could in fact remove the bottleneck.

Several users have placed just a Sluggo in their components and listened. Fortunately none blew up, which is good, but in each case what they heard with just the Sluggo was not much different from their OEM fuse.
Also, in each case, when they connected the SDFB box and Piggy of choice to the component with Sluggo
and used the device as directed the resulting improvement was dramatic and seemingly without any downside.

I can certainly understand how a metal slug used in place of a fuse could/should sound better because of the bottleneck elimination, but when that metal slug alone only sounds better with the SDFB box attached I’m at a loss.

What the hell is the box sonically doing within this configuration?

Good Morning

I try hard to stay mostly in the background here and in other places because I don't want to be seen as a "salesman" of sorts. Too much respect for the ownership, Admin and Site itself to be jumping in left and right

That said - I need to be a Sabra of sorts (Prickly outside / soft and squishy inside) and say that our Graphene Sluggos are really quite good IF you can stick out the L O N G Break-in times. 400 hours gets you FULL Tilt Boogie. They "cure" with time.

Sluggos inserted in place of a FUSE yields a very good result - but SAFETY Rules in this house.

SDFB uses a Mil Grade Hall Effect Sensor (for Current) and a Mil Grade Relay as well. We've had ONE Failure in 1180+ units now and that failure did not hurt the gear... the Hall Effect Sensor does not allow Current to flow - unless everything is perfect.

The Box does its job by staying out of the way and the Piggies were developed to make it simple to connect up.

We will at some point offer OEM version(s) for Makers to buy from us to "build in"...

Thanks for allowing my "Sabra Self" to express my "position".. We sell more than 400 Graphene Sluggos per month - delivering them all over the world.

Thanks again - Mark