Clearly I’m finding that as well with Furutech products.
Having read this thread, I’m now thinking of purchasing some S55N with Rhodium ends. FI-50 level, though, is a little pricey. Are there cheaper Rhodium alternatives in the Furutech range that could work? SQ-wise, I tend to like a neutral + some warmth/timbre/weight + detailed sound.
Are these the non NCF versions? If so you might want to give the NCF versions a try, as they are voiced differently.
My views seem to be inline with @ryder, in that the DPS-4.1 when combined with 50 NCF R ends still add a bit of warm to the sound. Obviously personal taste has an impact on this but also the kit you use & probably most importantly, what the room itself is doing to the sound.
@naimophile I have heard numerous Nordost cables over the years (more often the top tiers) but I haven’t heard them in my own system, so I’m not able to give you a proper comparison. The Norse 2 range has a fairly big price range (Heimdall to Tyr), obviously DIY vs name brand you’ll typically get much better price vs performance with DIY. If you like the Nordost sound, DPS-4.1 w/FI-50 NCF R ends is what I’d look at (which would still likely have more warmth vs Nordost). I would guess this would easily better their Heimdall & Frey 2 cords & probably be around the performance level of Try 2 at approx half the cost (as to what voicing you prefer is up to the user).
@Kirk What is the rest of your kit & what are you using now? I feel the S55N/FI-50 NCF R combo offers very good price vs performance & is a cord that should work very well in many systems/an easy recommendation. As mentioned above, the ends themselves have a large impact on sound & when you get to a certain quality of wire, they probably have more impact so its often not ideal to cheap out on the ends. I don’t have experience with the S55N with their lower down ends but it is said that the lower down ends are voiced different & are brighter then the FI-50 NCF R’s (they also do other aspects different as well), so this has to be taken into consideration. I don’t have experience with the Alpha/TC series of wire but I believe @ryder does, from my readings this wire is warmer sounding vs the S series so if you went with lower end rhodium plugs, this might be a good choice in wire to get the balance you’re after. I would say, depending on what your plugging it into, the GTX-D NCF should be added to the budget as well. Not only for sound, but if you use US style plugs it also protects the finish from damage, especially if you go with the FI 50 NCF R’s, for their price you don’t want to scratch the finish first time you plug them in. If budget is a concern, I’d probably recommend just going with one of these outlets vs changing a cord.
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NCF only.
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Thanks. Planning on using it on a Zenith MK3. I’ve had some good results with cheaper power cables so I’m curious to see whether a better cable = better results. The Zenith feeds an HE (with some 1000se). I will take a look at UK outlets as well.
May I ask those who are building DPS-4.1 power cables:
Are you terminating to the FI-50 NCF IEC and Wall plugs with FP-209 Spades or just going bear wire?
I am seriously considering building a cable later in the year and am pricing the parts (Im in the US)
I found a cable for sale on one of the hobby trader sites for $1300 from a guy in the mid-west who builds said cables to order - his price seems lower than the component cost 
Also, does anybody have experience with Furutech interconnects?
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Yes, FP-209R spades here, makes for a nice connection, especially with the larger awg conductors. I believe I’ve seen the posts from the member you’re referring too. His pricing does seem inline with parts cost plus a small charge for assembly. Not sure about the US but here local vendors typically will do less then MSRP, typically close to 20% off. I haven’t tried their interconnects but have been looking at their CF-102 NCF R phono ends, to potentially swap some out that I’m currently using.
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I had them built by Gothic Audio. Yes I ordered the spades. Full spec DPS4.1 LE.
As mentioned before with that quality of cable it’s best to use the top spec plugs and finish them as recommended by Furutech.
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I asked about the spades because I was looking at the Furutech youtube channel instructional videos about building DPS-4.1 power cables. They show it with and without the spades. Thanks
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Instead of beginning a new thread I think it’s relevant to ask this question here.
Has anybody tried the Furutech Reference 3 speaker cables?
I understand standard length is 3metres but perhaps this can be increased. Also I don’t know if these will work with a Naim amp.
Thoughts
If you’re wondering about a longer length because Naim recommend at least 3.5M, this would be specific to NACA5 only & it’s due to its specific electrical properties & what’s ideal for the amps. So its not a general recommendation for all speaker cables, as different wire configurations will have different electrical properties. Sounds like that cable is of a twisted design, which may not be the best match for Naim amps but probably won’t know unless you try. Naim has come out & said with the newer amps (believe anything black box or newer) speaker cable choice isn’t a requirement like it once was with the older designed amps (was posted in the NC thread). For eg braided speaker cables still likely aren’t a good choice & will probably make the amp run hot but their not going to make a black box or newer amp explode as soon as you plug them in, like some will have you believe.
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Thank you for the information. I also need a longer length as my right speaker is sitting about 6.5 metres (cable length) away.
I didn’t know it was a litz design so that’s handy to know.
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Some of the bulk cable pages quote inductance and capacitance for the various cable but it’s not obvious which cable is used in the made up speaker cables.
Just slotted a Furutech GT2 Pro USB cable into my streaming setup. MacBook Pro > Berkeley Audio Alpha USB (DDC) > SW1X DAC III Balanced Classic
early impressions are very impressive. I’ve had so many USB cables over the past few years but I think this is the best of the bunch. Surprising as the Mono & stereo review was relatively critical of this USB cable, just goes to show different systems work differently with cables. No night and day comments here. Just a very good sounding cable.
I’ll update in a month or so as I’ve learned with Furutech, burn in takes forever.
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So true!!
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In my limited experience, USB cables bring the least difference in comparison to other types of cables although there is still a difference. 
I did consider the Furutech GT2 Pro USB as an upgrade to my Tellurium Ultra Silver USB before I finally settled with the Wireworld Platinum Starlight 8 USB. In hindsight, I should have considered the Furutech G2 Pro USB.
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Hi Ryder. Ime usb cables have always made a very noticeable difference. It almost makes or breaks a system in my opinion which I found very strange. I remember having a solid silver usb for months and I just couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t enjoying my system. When I eventually replaced it with a custom build copper cable the fun factor returned. I attribute this to my super revealing system which is sometimes frustrating. It’s as if though it’s plugged into an ICU. The smallest of changes make a difference.
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Hi khan84, yes I tend to agree. Super revealing systems/components will reveal the small changes in cabling more easily than less revealing systems. I noticed you have the 552/500DR so that might have explained about your positive experiences with small changes making a good difference.
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USB is quite a noisy connection and normally, regardless of kit level even, can be quite sensitive to the quality of interconnect used. In fact, may be in very high end kit it might make less of a difference where the USB connectors and implementation is top notch (only speculation here). When I had a Melco - DAC setup connected via USB A/B, the cable made a huge difference. In my experience the impact goes beyond only noise suppression.
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