1. Soundrebels.com
  2. >
  3. Artykuły
  4. >
  5. Recenzje
  6. >
  7. Furutech Powerflux CI5 NCF English ver.

Furutech Powerflux CI5 NCF English ver.

Link do zapowiedzi (en): Furutech Powerflux CI5 NCF

Opinion 1

Nobody knowing anything about audio needs convincing, that proper power to Hi-Fi/High-End devices, including appropriate cables, is a key thing. You just need to take care of it, and the audio gear will surely return the favor. It is well known what kind of progress can be made with appropriately refined confection, with which I mean the plugs, which are often not regarded as significant, especially by the general public. And while most of the lucky people just plugs into the back of their components whatever they like, a part of the golden eared had to go for compromises, by not using the top of the catalog plugs (which are usually quite big) but their lesser brethren, or even “civilian” plugs. Who am I talking about? Well, people who owned Linn Klimax, first iteration of the Lumin devices (including the U1 Mini), Wadia (Intuition 01 PowerDac) and many others, where the manufacturers placed the power socket too close the edge of the back plate or used a socket with an integrated power switch, where a round plug automatically excluded the usage of it (like the Merason Pow1, Lindemann Musicbook Source II CD). But now this is history, because Furutech decided to take care of this niche and besides the quite basic 15 introduced a “thinned” variation of their top 50, the CF-C15 NCF(R), which the Katowice based RCM decided to put on the Powerflux CI5 NCF power cord.

As you can hopefully see on the pictures above, the Furutech Powerflux CI5 NCF looks absolutely great. But instead of trying to catch our eye with excessive glamor, or cheap splendor, it lures with distinguished elegance. Please look at the neutral coldness of the confection and the characteristic anti-vibration barrel, covered with silver coated carbon braid, the warm violet of the internal layer shining through the external sheath, getting darker on the part between the mentioned barrel and the new plug, or at the satin ring with the model markings. Here nothing was left to change, and even the enclosure itself (if you are interested please look at our unboxing session) does not diminish the positive impression of the whole, as this dark blue, shiny cardboard box and soft foam inlays only add to the whole.
Looking at the manufacturer’s web page, trying to find some information about our tested cable, I became a bit surprised, as instead of finding it in the elite section called “High End Performance”, the Japanese put the Powerflux CI5 NCF to the “common power cords” section, together with budget Astoria and Empire, dedicated to studio usage. Additional spiciness is added by assigning the predecessor of the CI5, the classic and cheaper, Powerflux to the higher category. Does the usage of the low-profile plug CF-C15 NCF(R) (temporarily unavailable for purchase) instead of the full-sized 50 close the doors to the upper level for this cable? Frankly, I do not believe in this conspiracy theory, so instead of wondering what kind of approach does the Furutech team use to assign their cables to certain categories, I will just concentrate on the purely technical side of it and its sonic values.

So let us move to the technicalities and focus our attention on the new plug, the CF-C15 NCF (R), which certainly belongs to the NCF Piezo Ceramic line. It’s carcass is made from non-magnetic stainless steel and silver coated carbon fiber with special acetal co-polymer used for damping and isolation. Like the name suggests, we have here also the proprietary Nano Crystal2 Formula, which consists of nanocrystals, ceramic piezoelectric particles and carbon powder. The cable itself uses α (Alpha) OCC copper conductors (each of the three wires is made from 68 individual conductors with ø0.127mm diameter), the internal coating uses carbon for damping and the isolation is made from high quality PE. The whole is covered with characteristically purple PVC and a shield made from an Alpha copper braid with ø0.12mm diameter. Also the most external layer is treated very seriously, as it consists of an internal sheath from polypropylene and external braid from audio grade nylon.

As I did mention in the introduction the first version of the smallest transport of Lumin, which allowed to use the FI-28R plug at maximum, I decided to start the listening session from its successor, the U2 Mini. Here, the socket was turned by 180° what eliminated the issue of not being able to use larger plugs, but it would not hurt to try it out with a better power cord. I was also not shy to test the cable with more power hungry devices from my setup, but already with the source it became very clear, that the Japanese cable will take no prisoners, when talking about resolution or dynamics. While changing to it from Organic Audio Power, or the Furutech FP-3TS762 was a nice upgrade of the mentioned aspects, what made the sound automatically evolve towards a higher level of refinement and palpability, then each time the return to the previous configuration resulted in, fortunately only mental, pain similar to getting your fingers hurt by a closing door. The air, previously surrounding the musicians, suddenly disappeared from the stage, while the stage itself got smaller and shallower, to the level of a backyard theatre. Also the saturation and shine of the timbres got covered by a dark grey layer of patina. Am I overly dramatizing and exaggerating? Well, for someone, for whom music flowing from the speakers somewhere in the background, just filling the gaps of their daily routine, such nuances might not matter. But when we treat it very seriously, and it is the essence of our audiophile passion, it makes sense to treat each improvement of the sound with joy, and it’s worsening causing sadness and frustration. Looking at the CI5 NCF from a broader perspective, coming from listening to the Ayon, usually powered by the Nanoflux, as well as to the 300W Vitus integrated, usually supplied with power by the Gargantua, I came to the very subjective conclusion that the tested cable is some kind of a link between the very resolved and vivid “candy” (now available in the DPS 4.1 version) and the refined and mature Nanoflux . At that it is much more dense and differentiated compared to the mentioned Acoustic Zen, while being only a tad worse in terms of dynamics and swing, which are truly gargantuan in the American cable. This all makes it a very universal proposition, and it should fit very nicely in places, where freshness and vividness of the sound matters, but without any artificial upping of quieter passages, which do not require such treatment, or without exposing sibilants to the level of making listening unpleasant. For example, on “Into the Black” by Aesthetic Perfection, which combines radio-like pugnacity with truly schizophrenic turns of events and worrying dark electro, everything comes together completely ideal, creating a surprisingly coherent whole, where, despite the sticky darkness all around, you can see all the nuances, and you will be surprised how many of them there are. Please pay attention to the differentiation of the bass, how many different synthetic pulses, loops and rumbles there are, how the factures are spread, and what were the ideas to place them in the available space. And if for someone the mentioned beats turn out to be too round and sweet, then you can always reach for harsh electro “Goddestructor” by Suicide Commando and have your ears cleaned with sandpaper, as this disc has as much softness and gentleness as a Doberman guarding your home.
Of course, with a slightly more civilized material you will have also the ability to brilliantly reproduce the shapes and “consistence” of the natural instruments. Starting with the brilliantly minimalistic “Luxury and Waste” by Torun Eriksen and Kjetil Dalland, where the Furutech did not sweeten the material by even a grain, it did also not smoothen the natural matte vocal dominating over the very ascetic accompaniment, through the much more worked out arrangement of Hanna Banaszak greatest hits and ending with great symphonics from “Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra”, the stage, and the musicians, came scaringly close with their size, and thus also scale of sound, to a live event. It was similar with the resolution offered by the Japanese cord. Instead of showing up in the form of bragging with contours sharpened beyond belief, or blinding with the shine of brass instruments, it is just true to reality, so we can easily cut every musician out of his or her environment, while the knot of their shoelaces will remain a negligible nuance, not needing any spotlight shining on it.

Unfortunately everything good must come to an end, and so did my adventure with the Furutech Powerflux CI5 NCF. So in the conclusion I will allow myself to share the following thought: if, for any reason ever, you do not feel you are ready to move on to the flagship Nanoflux, while buying the “candy” looks like a half-measure delaying the inevitable, then please, borrow the tested cable for a few days. It probably will be able to satisfy 99.9% of your expectations and you will be able to use it with devices, that until now, were destined to endure lower quality cables, or at least plugs. In short – I do not see the CF-C15 NCFI plug as inferior to the full-size 50, and if I would be thinking about buying the Powerflux, then, due to it’s higher universality and broader application spectrum, I would choose the CI5 NCF version. The price is mostly the same, and you will avoid any issues in plugging it into any device, even one, that was not really thought through in this aspect. And this is really something useful to get for free.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature) + Finite Elemente Cerabase compact
– Network player: Lumin U2 Mini + Omicron Magic Dream Classic + I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Turntable: Kuzma Stabi S + Kuzma Stogi + Dynavector DV-10X5
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Power amplifier: Bryston 4B³ + Graphite Audio IC-35 Isolation Cones
– Integrated amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Furutech FA-13S
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Acrolink 7N-A2070 Leggenda
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Fidata HFU2; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra; Vermöuth Audio Reference Loudspeaker Cable + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Silent Angel Forester F1 + Luna Cables Gris DC
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

The title suggests that our today’s meeting will be with one of the most popular manufacturers of audio cables on the market. Of course I am talking about the Japanese company Furutech, which, besides cables and plugs, supplies their products to other manufacturers all around the globe, without any risk to its position. But what is the current product, the Japanese surprised us with today? I think it is very interesting, as first of all the Japanese decided to modify their offering in the higher echelons of their catalog, and secondly, they provided a proposition to people, who have devices with limited abilities to connect high quality power cables. What do I suggest with the second part of that sentence? Let me explain. Many smaller devices, due to their sheer size, force the usage of a standard “computer” type cord. And as you know, power is a very important element of our game. And when it would look like this aspect is closed for them, Furutech decided to ease those music lovers their pain and provided a power cable, which is terminated with a rectangular plug from the end you plug into your electronics. Yes, yes, a rectangular, or cuboid, plug, which is much smaller than the rounded ones and which immediately eliminates the issue mentioned above. But what is it? Ladies and gentlemen, let me inform all interested people, that the Katowice based RCM provided us with a bit unusual cable, equipped with the rectangular plug, the Furutech Powerflux C15 NCF. And how did it fare? Let me invite you to read on to learn exactly that.

For many of you, who know the offering of the company well, it is no mystery, that the cable is nothing else than the well renowned Powerflux, but with different plugs. More than that, those plugs are not a novelty, but a variation of the known and widely used so called fifties – the FI-50 NCF R. The internal setup of the cable bases on OCC copper, cryogenically treated. In terms of thickness, each conductor reaches a diameter of 2.8mm. Isolation is made up from three layers. First of them employs Teflon, second is made from soft PVC with carbon. The next step is a shield made from a copper braid and then comes the third layer of isolation – heightened elasticity PVC. Finally the whole cable is placed in a nylon, opalescent sheath. The whole cable reaches a 17.5mm diameter. Such cable is the equipped with high quality plugs, the new one called CF C-15 R NCF and the known FI-E50 R NCF. Additionally in the middle of the cable run, there is a barrel, known from previous cables, as well as an aluminum ring close to the wall plug. The last part of the whole is the dark blue box, with a soft foam inlay, in which the cable is packaged.

When time came to put a few sentences about the sound of the tested cable to the paper, let me first note, that the C-15 NCF is being placed between the popular “candy”, or DPS 4.1, and the, until recently, flagship Nanoflux NCF, which now has been degraded to the second position in the pricelist, once the Project V1 was introduced. Why am I mentioning that? This is a very important information, as the existence of the C-15 NCF would only make sense, if its sonic offering would also be in between those cables. Any different outcome would work against Furutech. With that I mean the randomness of constructing such accessories, and in this case, for such a renowned player on the market, this would be a slight setback, if not a fully blown defeat. Fortunately I am using the two mentioned brethren of the 15 in my system, and I knew right away that things are good here. And they were because the sound is not as quick-witted as with the “candy”, but on the other hand a little less refined than the Nanoflux, relative to the price tag. But just to put things straight – it is not that I do not have enough resources to but a good power cord, but each one of them has its place in my system. Yes, yes, each has a different role. Two cheaper or two more expensive cables would destroy the sonic balance of my system I have built up for years, by trial and error. But well, the new Furutech did fit into the brand portfolio, but for you the most important aspect will be the comparison of its sound to the previous versions. What would any praises be without any reference to its brethren? Also here, like in the paragraph about the construction of the tested cable, for those being acquainted with Furutech offerings, it will probably not be surprising, when I tell you that the cable was influenced by the plugs. What does this mean? First of all, it got better control over the lower registers, secondly, the resolution of the midrange increased, and thirdly, the volatileness of the upper registers improved. This, of course, was a delicate thing, but you could determine it from the very first contact. Without putting the old school of sound upside down, but just inputting some aspects of better insight into the recordings. And, like I mentioned, regardless of which subrange we would look at, the effect is coherent with the overall trend of how cabling is being constructed nowadays. But it is also very important to not to cross over the thin threshold of becoming overly obtrusive, and this feat was achieved by the Japanese splendidly. How? Let me tell you. Despite being confectioned with very transparent plugs, it still had very artistic sound – compared to the cheaper “candy” cable. Those plugs just “awakened” it a little, music gained on vitality and showed clearly the passion of creation that was behind it, but with stronger genres, which are often not very well recorded, it did not allow razor blades to fly around the room. Yes, there are lovers of such kind of reproduction of music, they just like to get tired when listening, but the Japanese made sure, that that would not be the result of using their cables, but if existing, it would just show bad taste of the listener and usage of caricatural playing electronics. A Furutech product just cannot offer an uncontrolled extreme. It has to be foreseeable open and at the same time full of essence. And this is how the Powerflux C-15 NCF is. A bit livelier that its predecessor, but still colorful, and thus nicely vivid. And you should not be surprised, that I am using cables from this company in my listening system.

Well, we arrived at the final paragraph. And if so, time comes to look at the target clientele. Whom should I recommend the most recent power cable from the Japanese Furutech? Let me put it this way. The only people that could easily give it a pass are lovers of extreme transparency of the sound, without looking at its tonal balance. Unfortunately the Japanese engineers love music, and it should, besides being vivid, also have a well placed saturation level. And this kind of esthetics came through during the whole time of the test. The musicality of the stereo system was always coming first – and with that I mean a good consensus between weight, volatility and attack of the sound, what resulted in me not being able to catch the system on even a single hiccup. Writing this I mean both things – exaggerated openness, which becomes tiring in the long end, as well as any kind of unwanted slowdown, which would introduce boredom in the reproduced music. Am I surprised this did not happen? Not at all, this is just Furutech.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Apex Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker cables: Synergistic Research Galileo SX SC
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Siltech Classic Legend 880i
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Ethernet cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante, Synergistic Research Galileo SX AC
– Table: BASE AUDIO 2
– Accessories: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA SS, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI, antivibration platform by SOLID TECH, Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V, Harmonix Room Tuning Mini Disk RFA-80i
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
– Drive: Clearaudio Concept
– Cartridge: Essence MC
– Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II
– Eccentricity Detection Stabilizer: DS Audio ES-001

Distributor: RCM
Manufacturer: Furutech
Price: 14 950 PLN / 1,8m

Pobierz jako PDF