I prefer to use kayak foam that is quite firm and can easily be cut to size and shape with groves to support cables. More to prevent stress on the socket really! And… it’ll absorb vibration
For anyone interested in the cable, it is made up from Furutech FP-TCS31 cable and Furutech FI-1363 Rhodium + Furutech FI-28 Rhodium plugs. This is on a non LPS tube amp.
Anyone know the current Furutech plug used by Naim? The old ones look like FI-E11 R but the all black ones could be E38 R from the looks of them, or are they still E11 R, just with a black finish for the OME market?
Yes let’s hope not. Let’s keep this as a guide. It’s been extremely helpful for me as I’m about to embark on this journey.
Again thanks to @daren_p for starting this. I’m just looking to get the best out of my Naim components and avoid pitfalls that can come up from time to time.
Chalshus, I would ask you to please keep your opinions to yourself. I have no problem if you don’t think any of these sort of things make a difference, but this thread is specifically to talk about Furutech components & not to debate if they make a difference/cables don’t make a difference, etc. It just pollutes the thread for those who want to follow it, if you want to debate these sort of things, start another thread.
In regards to things like the NCF booster braces, I first came across these at an audio show a number of years back. I chatted with the dealer about them & he mentioned how they really make a difference, I asked the cost, chuckled in my head & didn’t think anymore about them.
Now after experiencing outlets, IEC inlets & power cords ends with NCF, it has got me interested in these things as the NCF does seem to have a actual effect on lowering noise floor. I did see one review on the NCF boosters & the guy went crazy with them & got to a point where it actually deadened the sound too much & had to dial back the amount he used. This is similar to the Stillpoints ERS cloth that I used to line a portion of my powerbar internally. If you use too much of this, it can actually get to a point where it deadens the sound too much. The noise floor has dropped enough now that between songs I can hear the high gain noise of my 252 pre, something I could never hear before at listening position (in a rather quiet, acoustically treated listening room that’s been sound proofed & is located in the basement).
In regards to outlets, not to be an “audio snob” if you have more of an entry level setup, there are likely far more areas to look at improving first before looking at something like a GTX-D NCF (R). But if you have a more resolving system & have paid attention to some details to try & get the most out of it (proper rack, dedicated line, some room treatments ets), I would highly recommend at least giving them a try. As I said, while expensive for an outlet, in the grand scheme of things they are cheap compared to a number of things we spend $ on & you might just be surprised with what you hear.
As far as the Furutech Rhodium burn in, if I didn’t hear it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. It is not subtle & it is not linear. There were a couple times when running in my DPS-4.1/FI-50 NCF combo that you could actually hear the tonal shift over a few min while listening. It was the strangest thing & never heard anything like it in the past, when running in new kit.
So my first upgrade was the wall outlet, second upgrade was the outlet in the powerbar feeding the DAC & phono stage, combined with the powerbar IEC inlet (Rhodium NCF as well). As mentioned the swings for just the first outlet weren’t too bad (was pre burnt in), after 2 weeks of being powered on, didn’t notice any significant changes. With the powerbar IEC & outlet, this time the swings were a bit more noticeable, the outlet was still pre burnt in but the IEC wasn’t, so I assumed this is why. The next change was the DPS4.1/FI-50 NCF combo. Now this one had large tonal swings, when I first plugged it in (between wall & powerbar), it was basically all midrange, it was like you were listening wrapped in a warm blanket, the sound was interesting but not close to being accurate, somewhere between 2-3hours, the treble opened up & it started to become harsher. It then continued to have large tonal swings, being plugged in for ~380hrs is about where after I no longer noticed big swings, might have been some small improvements after this point but it very well could have just been getting use to the sound. Though I will say bass did fill out further after this point.
What does the DPS-4.1/FI-50 NCF (R) combo sound like? It sounds like a reference grade power cord. It is extremely revealing, fast, dynamic, throws a huge sound stage that you can easier place individual instruments (improved imaging). It removed another layer of harshness, further reduced background noise (so all those small details come through). Improved timbre, instruments/voices sound more like their in the room with you. Bass articulation & slam is outstanding. On top of all that “audiophile” junk, I think probably what is most important for many here, it does all this at the same time as being extremely musical. It’s hard to decide to close your eyes & get lost in everything that is now being revealed or sing & dance along.
Now I can’t say how this would work for others, it is very revealing, so if you have deficiencies/something it lacking, it will highlight this for you. If you have top notch kit, it will let all the magic through.
As for the Clear Line, I have no experience with it so can’t say one way or the other, but in Furutech’s defense, its not exactly a secret the coils aren’t connected. They clearly state on the site its a passive device, it doesn’t interfere with current, there is no connection between L & N, etc. They even have a video showing the internals. So I don’t think their trying to just outright scam people. This device uses NCF material, to my surprise NCF actually does seem to do something with the devices I’ve experience & none of them are in the signal path either. There claim is to help remove electrical & mechanical resonance on the powerline & vibrations. Is this an actual thing?, that I can’t say. I have no desire to read the AS review, is this what they were actually trying to measure or were they looking for something else?
They may change over time but the Furutech cables with NCF plugs I’ve had sounded good after a couple of hundred hours. Yes, there maybe tonal changes still after that but not as obvious as the first 100hrs or so.
As I mentioned above, use it to power a fridge freezer for a couple of weeks or more and it’ll rack up 350hrs of use or more where it goes from little power draw to a lot, off and on throughout the day 24/7.
I nearly gave up but since I have bought the cable, I don’t have any choice but to go through it. This experience makes me think twice before considering a 2nd Furutech mains cable. It’s quality though sound-wise.