(Jolida) Black Ice Audio Foz SS-X Sound Enhancement

I picked one up a few days ago and am still trying to dial it in.  I find myself fussing with it too much, I can’t leave it alone.  It may be that my OCD psyche can’t deal with a device like this, LOL!

You’ll find yourself doing this initially. I ultimately found one setting great for live acoustic music and another setting for studio recordings. In general however, I leave the setting in the middle of these two settings and leave it until I feel the need.

Very refreshing to see this thread continue to move along. I have owned the FOZ for a couple years now and recently disconnected and listened for a few days without it and then reconnected, Glad I did because the bass that I once thought was a bonus, was now displaying itself as an over abundance. For perspective, the amp used is a BAT VK-300x (ss only version) and while running without the FOZ all the textures and detail throughout the spectrum were clearly noticeable, but it was definitely not as full and fleshed out as with the FOZ inline between dac and amp. Once FOZ was placed back in chain the bass and fullness was immediately increased to that now noticeable over abundance and smothering a lot of the detail in bass, mids, and highs.

Here is the most illuminating aspect after 2+ years of ownership.. I had assumed that leaving the bass knob in the 12 o’clock position defeated the bass eq function altogether, which it truly may, but it still had the increased weight and bloom of the tube regardless. Dialing the bass out counter clockwise however, actually brought back much of those details the BAT demonstrated on it’s own without completely removing that "flesh on the bones" sound of having the tube in the system which IMO is what the ss version of the BAT lacks. There was also a perceived increase in the high frequency detail that had been smoothed over to a large degree. The textures in the bass returned along with more natural impact and ability to follow notes. It wasn’t as full (unless music called for it), but to me seems more musically normal across most if not all genres and quality of recordings/sources. For the first time since buying a REL S3, I do not feel the need to use it.

The one thing that has remained true with the 4 sets of speakers I have used the FOZ with is the soundstage enhancement remains a constant blessing! My room has angled ceilings where it dips to about 7’ on one side and raises to about 9’ on the other. My system is set up on that wall which lends to an off balanced stage presentation by default. I have treated the room as best I can but the soundstage control was the final piece that allows the stage to be dialed in regardless of speakers utilized (Klipsch Forte, Aerial Acoustics Model 6, Ohm Walsh 1000, Monitor Audio Silver 300) and their placement, toe in, toe out, etc. and is what enticed me to purchase the FOZ to start with.

I am considering ordering a Telefunken tube to see if it will remove some of the overwhelming fullness of the initial factory Tung-Sol tone, but at this point it is not a necessity at all. The point to this post was to continue to encourage those on the fence much like everyone else has already done. Regardless of components, speakers, or reason of purchase the FOZ SS-X yields positive results on very little coin. BRAVO!!

Great comment, bowenski.  The FOZ proves to be a 
remarkable piece, for those who can overcome their "purist"
thinking and focus on great sound presentation.

I wanted to make sure that I have a spare for the (factory)
Tung-Sol tube.  After doing some reading, I ordered and installed
a Psvane 12AU7-S tube.  Especially after a relatively short 
break in, the noise floor was noticeably lowered, resulting in even
greater detail, overall.  (My bass setting typically is at 9 o'clock and
the soundstage at 3 o'clock.)

The comment about bass was right on the mark. I noticed the same thing, subtle but there, and just recently began backing off the bass to about 10:00 for some recordings (most now that I think about it).

Appreciate the tip on the tube swap. I was thinking about that too before I found the 10:00 sweet spot. I have had good success over the years finding the right tube(s) and have found they make a good bit of difference from subtle to huge in coherency.

Fortunately the Foz doesn’t suffer from that in any meaningful way at all but the point about a different tube may be just the ticket to ‘kick it up a notch’ to pilfer Emril’s line.