Great news Larry!

I'm enjoying a turn to the cooler air here as well.

I must have missed something. What's the Fuse Box Max? I can't seem to find anything about it?

Graphene sluggo for the ZMA on the way. Mark offering a turkey day 25% off special. Looking forward to listening.

HK

I found that over WEEKS this particular Sluggo kept giving subtle changes in ways the others did not. And even after more than a month I would have surprising impressions of a positive nature. With each additional one the good characteristics deepened and brought more ease and at the same time exciting moments. Hang with it Kam, I think it will please you.

Graphene Sluggo is in the ZMA with its accompanied SDFB set up. I'm running the initial 50-60 hours with a seasoned quad of TungSol 7027A power tubes.  A bit edgy in the treble starting out.

After this initial settling period I'll switch back to my preferred Psvane Natural Sound 6CA7-T (EL34 variant) power tubes. These have replaced my Gold Lion KT-77's as my go to ZMA power tubes.

HK

The Graphene Sluggos caused me to roll tubes as well.

I LOVE that Psvane rectifier in my CSP3 with all the mods--I predict you will enjoy the "fit" as well.

In my system the gold immersed copper was the least favorite--bright and edgy sounding. With a lot of hours that may have gone away but I couldn't bear to put more than 100 hours on it.

The copper is very nice--big bold and deep sounding. The Graphene sounds more refined, more dynamic, more detailed, less warm. It's the most neutral and the best fit for my system. I have put mine in and forgotten about them, haven't removed them, haven't thus noticed any flaking.

Lon and Roger….thanks for your input.  The Gold Immersion was bright and edgy in my system as well.  It took a while but it did go away and sounded great with better instrument separation, detail, and blacker backgrounds.    It took close to 100 hours before it really started to open up.  

Glad to hear the flaking was isolated to the first batch run.  With the sonic differences you are both hearing, I do think the graphene will sounds great in my system. It’s just a bummer that I’m stuck having  to buy two of them for the monoblocks.

Neutral, detailed (make that crazy detail), and expansive sound stage —Yup, I agree with that.
I’m probably around the 150 hr mark at this point, and I recall noticing changes at 100+.

It definitely sounds less analytical than the first version. I have not checked for flaking yet. It does seem to be a keeper though I’ll reserve final judgement until I’ve used it for another 150 hrs, but so far so great!

Mark is offering another 25% off Christmas special at Vera-Fi Audio. Just ordered a 2nd graphene sluggo for my CSP3.

HK

Duaneh, What chinese junction box are you using?
Bob

I got one just like that. I replaced the outlets, IEC and internal wiring and have forgotten about it. At the time I would have ordered an empty box but they were strangely double the cost. The outlets and IEC supplied are likely ok, but the internal wiring is super thin, replacing it with 12awg silver plated copper wire had great results. I see now you can order empty chassis for about the same cost now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353109621269

Thanks Duaneh and Sean!  
Bob

Duaneh- thanks that verifies what I thought and makes sense.  Fyi- I use a Super Rectifier on my Torii Jr. and had an 866a rectifier fail.  It blue one of the Torrii jr rectifier fuses and my power conditioner tripped but the power cable fuses were fine.  Go figure…. After that the super Rectifier keep blowing the amp rectifier fuse.  Had to send it into Al at Space tech to repair.  In my case I am pretty sure a bad tube socket shorted and caused the failures.  It’s been fine ever since with the new tube sockets and new soft start power switch.

Hereafter—I followed your STR travails in the forum. I have a similar issue with a loose base in mine, but with no short (and no power button problem). When I remove a tube in that position I can hold the fitting on the chassis and carefully yank it. I wasn’t keen on sending it back. I wrote AL who said it’s a quick fix if I open the case, which I haven’t done yet. I don’t have any tubes to roll at the moment anyway. Sean—it’s reassuring hearing your experience with a failed rectifier. I have my STR-104 replacing the rectifier in my CSP3. I trust there wouldn’t be any problems if one of the tubes in the STR failed.

A picture of a disassembled SDFB courtesy of a PS Audio forumite:

It's important to keep the economy humming. After resting my bank account for a few months, I'm also in acquisition mode. My STR-1002 should arrive next week, then two sets of Stack Audio AUVA's (one for the STR & one for my MWI PH 9.0XT phono preamp & then a pair of Linlai 845 DG tubes.

Hopefully that will be enough for a while. Wait who am I kidding 😂🤣.

HK

I'm trying to imagine what this additional SDFB and Graphene Sluggo will bring to the system. I just swapped out another power cord in my headphone system to get another identical cord to use with the SDFB and ZROCK2 when they arrive. And I just realized. . . another "break in" period. Sigh.

But I have high hopes. The one SDFB that had the least impact was on my DAC, but even that made an improvement. I think because of the sheer simplicity of the ZROCK2's circuitry it will have a deeper impact. We'll see!!

Mark's latest email shows that the SDFB should begin shipping again this week. Hope so!

I am eager to hear what it does for the ZROCK2. I wonder if I will even have enough time to break it and the Graphene Sluggo in before the ZROCK3 that is on the bench arrives! Big changes for my system ahead. . . and it sounds so amazing right now.

Lon,

Is this sdfb #4?

Nice Lon. I hope this finishes out your power beauty!

I have been working on my power too.

I have been using one 5 amp SDFB between the wall to the PSAudio P5. Then a nice heavy duty aluminum case power strip I made with home-run silver wired receptacles plugged into the P5. My 5 amp amplifier plugs into it, as well as a 3 amp SDFB that had a two outlet receptacle box that is direct wired with a short cable of the same silver wire and a Furutech FI-11 plug. Also several noise fixer plugs go into the distribution strip, including, since Mark's last sale, a Mainstream.

Until yesterday, the CSP3+ and ZRock2+ were plugged into the receptacle "splitter" box after the 3 amp SDFB. Perhaps pushing it for the ZRock 1.6 amp fuse rating, but I am thinking it will work with the 3 amp fuse box being reportedly very fast... (though I am not advising anyone to try that without verification from Mark.)

So I started out relying on the 1st 5 amp SDFB to protect the 5 amp P5, as well as my 5 amp amplifier via the P5 and distribution box. Then a 3 amp SDFB, plugged in the same distribution box, protected the CSP3, and in recent months, the ZR is on the same SDFB as the CSP3.

I set up the P5 with a delay to start the distribution box with the amp and all a little after the P5 startup, then with the 3 amp SDFB following the distribution box, that SDFB delays startup further for the CSP3 and ZR2, so the inrushes are a little spread out.

The other day I made a box with four outlets a lot like Sean made so he could use one SDFB for more than one piece of gear. It is a heavy aluminum box with a little light duty, but good sounding "pure" copper receptacles which I home run wired with the sliver wire above to a Furutech-like IEC with copper conductors plated with gold.

Now the CSP3 and ZR2+ are plugged into it, and the receptacle "spitter" box I originally had for them is plugged into one of my 4 mains outlets. Using one for the P5, another for the Sorcer Apprentice, and another for my front end pieces that have always sounded most awake and lively with the minimal filtering of the Audio Brickwall modified with improved outlets and cable plugged directly into the wall.

So three of four mains outlets were taken, and I wanted an extra outlet there to test the Mainsteam and Snubway, wanting to try them at the mains receptacles compared with plugging them in in other places. With my "splitter" I have enough outlets for that, but that will take some finagling with the mains receptacles since the Snubway and Mainstream won't fit in one receptacle together.

Now I have the Snubway plugged into the P5, where a strip with most all my noisier power supplies is plugged, and that seems good so far. The Mainstream I have tested some, and so far, it sounds more clarifying plugged into the distribution box past the P5 and before the amp, CSP3, and ZR2+ than when it is plugged into a Mains outlet.

The two noise filters together have cut audible noise, and are seeming less and less dulling as they burn in. They damped things down some new, but I think that is passing, thinking things are becoming clearer, faster, and more dynamic with time, and the TV looked clearer from the start. I have to do more testing once the new noise filters have a few hundred hours on them, but so far the Mainstream being more noticeably clarifying plugged into the distribution box after the P5 with Snubway is interesting. I don't know if it effects my clean front end stuff and Sorcer too much when in the same mains receptacles as them, or what, but I will look more carefully at this after full burnin.

Back to the SDFBs. The plan now for the 3 amp SDFB with the new four outlet box after, is to add the just-getting-burned-in 3 amp Musical Paradise DAC, and the 2 amp Zstage (serial number #002), the Zstage modified with nice connectors, and with careful cap work, including bypassing, making it sweetly fast, complex and musical... really good here. The DAC can run with two tube and cap outputs using RCAs, or with four, making it balanced. For me, though compelling with all four, so far it sounds a little more natural, less forceful, with just two, at least with the right tubes and caps. Also using pairs instead of quads, it makes caps and tubes easy with all the pairs of tubes I have around that it can use, as well as nice cap combinations I made up with caps I also have around. And if I go for fancier things, two rather than four of each will be a lot less costly.

But I lost the ZBIT for gain tuning with this decision, and luckily, the tuned up Zstage with a Mullard E180CC sounds better to me in its place before the ZR2+, similarly transparent, but more lively and musical to me, so all good there. It does change the character of the ZR tuning, more full, but it is working well so far in its usual ways with a clean sounding 12AU7, just taking some adjustment for me. And I hope the improvement of a slug rather than the SR Orange fuse now in the DAC will be better than the DAC as it is now plugged into the more transparent Audio Brickwall, but we will see. If so, the one 3 amp SDFB will (hopefully) be running the CSP, ZR, Zstage, and DAC.

Though I am still preferring hollow silver and rhodium plated silver slugs, and faster/clearer DIY "piggytails," with the Snubway and Mainstream also came a Graphene sluggo that I am hoping I will love like many of you do, though with all else burning in, and my needing to adjust/learn, I have not tried it yet!

So lots up for me now with a new DAC, and with a number of new Vera-fi Audio things to integrate! Its a trip.

Yes, I am using only a few fuses now, one in my new DAC and one in the Zstage. My solid state front end stuff had fuse replacement variants before the SDFBs came along, polished solid copper homemade slugs with graphene oil, and hopefully protected from surges with other boxes. The tube gear I would not have tried this on though.

Then since the SDFBs, and finding them more transparent and less colored with hollow slugs, along with faster, less warm piggies in my warm leaning system, I am pretty content with almost no fuses, and soon, none once all this new stuff settles in!

I can imagine how much the Mainstream and Snubway might improve based on what I have heard in improvements so far, and your input there is encouraging! Thank you. Even now, not many days in, I feel like the benefits probably outweigh the negatives.

Thanks too for your thoughtful email Lon, a response coming soon!