How might your system sound when its components are “distilled and refined to their ultimate expression”? Ed Selley explores “the best ways to transform your hi-fi” with three high-performance cables from Furutech’s flagship Project series: the V1-S speaker cable, V1 RCA interconnect and V1 mains lead.
The ‘high-performance’ aspect of Furutech’s flagship Project Series is evident right from the start, as Selley receives his delivery “in packaging that would survive delivery by trebuchet without marking the rather lovely wooden presentation boxes.”
Each of the three cables inside features the company’s proprietary silver-coated, Ohno Cast Copper (OCC) conductors, combined with a Dual Ultra Crystallized Copper (DUCC) conductor: an ultra-high-quality copper from Mitsubishi Materials Industries featuring precision-aligned copper crystals that minimise any crystal grain boundary.
The whole combination then undergoes Furutech’s two-stage ‘Alpha’ cryogenic and demagnetisation process (also proprietary) to further improve conductivity, before being triple-shielded and double-insulated to maintain signal purity.
“All of the cables feature Furutech’s own terminations: the CF-102 NCF RCA and a CF-201 NCF Plus spade connection, along with equally robust IEC and UK plug arrangements on the mains cable,” notes Selley.
“Something useful, given the substantial nature of the mains cable, is that it exits the back of the plug, which simplifies connecting it to mains blocks and conditioners,” he adds.
Moreover, “the level of fit and finish, along with the general attention to detail, is extremely impressive. These are very expensive cables, but even ignoring the wooden boxes and hefty packaging, you can see where the money has gone.”
More important, can you hear it?
“Listening to the speaker cable and mains lead combined, the Furutech cables fulfil a non-negotiable requirement I have for all cabling: they do not alter the basic presentational balance of the devices to which they are connected. They are not tone controls and should not be regarded as such,” writes Selley, with approval.
“With exceptional thoroughness, they focus and emphasise the qualities of this speaker and amp pairing in a way you only really notice when you remove them from the system.”
Listening to Penguin Café’s Rain Before Seven (Erased Tapes] “the effect is utterly beguiling… Arthur Jeffes’ work across multiple instruments gains a clarity and focus that it lacked before. What was an engaging blur of pleasant instrumental sounds snaps into something more defined and altogether more dynamic.”
“The overall impression is one of order and cohesion being brought to a fundamentally enjoyable presentation. Signals by Marconi Union (Just Music] remains a potent, brooding masterclass, but the low bass in ‘Breaking Point’ gains a definition and texture that weren’t present before.”
“Even with components that are decidedly at the lower end of what these cables are likely to be used with, there is a ‘fixing’ of their abilities that is genuinely impressive.”
“There is much to appreciate about what Furutech’s ultimate cables achieve. The company has resisted the temptation to resort to shock and awe and has instead concentrated on delivering the qualities your equipment already possesses, distilled and refined to their ultimate expression… the Project series must be included on any serious shortlist.”
To read Ed Selley’s review in full, pick up a copy of the June issue of Hi-Fi Plus.
Find out more at www.furutech.com and track down your nearest dealer via UK distributor www.soundfowndations.co.uk
David Denyer PR | The hi-fi specialist 