Opinion 1

It would seem that the halfway point of the summer holidays is not a very obvious time to make any kind of retrospection. Meanwhile, while individuals untainted by “audiophilia nervosa” focus on such important activities like observing long-term weather forecasts, that allow them to optimize the destination of their next trip, or discussions about choosing their favorite finish and chips shop in one of the seaside resorts, we are still kind of stuck with one foot in Munich-related memories, while gradually unloading the queue of novelties spotted there, which we managed to obtain for testing in the meantime. And contrary to appearances, this process does not always take place at the speed of the German ICEs, because the test devices are, as their name suggests, used for testing and demonstrations and they usually return to the manufacturers’ headquarters after exhibitions, or only occasionally appear „stationary” as part of possible “fittings”, as was the case with the charmingly green YG Acoustics Hailey 3 at the RCM in Katowice. Nevertheless, although we do not complain about the lack of activities and topics for more or less elaborate descriptions and we quietly hope that there are no signs of “cucumber season” visible on our website, we are happy to finally confess about probably the last artifact „hunted down” while traversing the countless corridors of the MOC, the Project V1-S speaker cable, currently closing the top Furutech series.

When it comes to the appearance of our guest, it is safe to say that everything is in line with the company’s DNA, from the delivery of the cable in an elegant wooden box (unboxing) to the black and copper color of the cable and the top-line plugs used to terminate the cables. However, it is worth being aware that the visual similarity preserved within the product siblings does not mean they are anatomical twins, because each of the wires, although based on similar materials, has an individualized structure optimized in terms of its purpose. And so it is with the S, whose arteries have a cross-section of 6.1 mm² were made, in accordance with the native tradition, of silver-plated copper conductors α(Alpha) OCC and pure (7N) copper α(Alpha) DUCC subjected to unique cryogenic and demagnetization processes, but their braiding, cross-sections and individual damping and shielding layers were selected in terms of its location in the system and transmitted signals. Let us start with what can be seen with the naked eye, i.e. the characteristic black-copper outer jacket and massive anti-vibration joints that slightly reduce the diameter of the cables, which are further divided into „+” and „-” wires in equally elegant splitters and are terminated with the company’s banana plugs (CF-202-N1(R)) and/or forks (CF-201-N1(R)). And how does it look like inside? Looking from the very center, each of the conductors consists of an inner core with 109 clockwise wound conductors Ø0.18 made of silver-plated copper α (Alpha) OCC, around which, this time anti-clockwise wound, 38 wires Ø0.18 silver-plated copper α (Alpha) OCC were placed, then 69 clockwise and 93 anti-clockwise wound conductors made of α (Alpha) DUCC (Dia Ultra Crystallized Copper) with Ø0.18. The insulation of each conductor is made of Polyethylene for audio applications. And only such a pair goes to a common tunnel made of paper wrap filled with polyester yarn. The next two layers are the shield – the inner one made of α foil (Alpha) and the outer one made of α (Alpha) OFC copper braid. Then, the whole thing is filled with PVC enriched with nano-ceramic particles of a flexible carbon compound and equally flaccid tubes made of the same material. Slowly approaching the black polypropylene braid, visible to the naked eye, it is impossible to miss another paper wrap and the final, third screen made of α copper foil (Alpha) responsible for the above-mentioned „golden” clearances.

I assume that apart from the complexities of metallurgical nature and elegance of appearance, most readers are primarily interested in how the Furutech Project V1-S sounds. I must admit that this issue may not have kept us awake at night, but simply intrigued us. As it turned out, however, the Japanese wires reached us in an almost virgin condition – smelling of the factory, and at the same time the information reaching our ears about an unexpectedly long period of their accommodation (warming up) prompted us to abandon any sudden actions in favor of, as it turned out – justified, arming ourselves with patience. Therefore, it was only after a few weeks, when the dynamics of the observed changes in mood swings dropped to zero, that we started critical listening. And these, there is no denying it, put us in a great mood, because the V1-S fully rewarded the time spent both on warming them up and waiting for the appearance itself. Not only did they correspond perfectly with the signature of their siblings, that have been appearing in our systems so far, but they somehow became item making the entire series complete. They combined the maturity of the sound known from the previous encounters with a completely obvious and at the same time unforced resolution, and unrestrained dynamics with the lack of any nervousness, or artificial pumping up of the size of the virtual sources, or, irritating in the long run, increasing of the tempo. In general, everything was accurate – as it should be, and in its place, but the longer we listened to them, the more often we caught ourselves hearing not only the reproduced music, but a kind of native signatures of elements that are in front of and behind the tested wires in our systems. Interestingly, this enrichment of the sound was not done on the basis of „contaminating” the source signal, but only on the addition of a side plot, a kind of stage directions, signaling that the full control over the bass exploring the deepest recesses of Hades on „Sprouted” by Ganja White Night is due to the appropriately efficient amplification, while the sensuality of Paloma Dinela Chesky’s vocals on „Memory” is due to the tuning of our speakers. As if that was not enough, V1 never let me know that the repertoire served to it was in any way inappropriate, or even insulting to her noble birth, so after a few timid attempts I stopped being embarrassed and whenever I felt like making noise, I reached for Japanese („Nonnegative” by Coldrain) or English („The Sky, The Earth & All Between”  by Architects) metalcore, exposing my senses to the bestial whips of guitar riffs, electronic distortions drilling into synapses and truly animal roars and screams. And please imagine, that even with such cacophonous load, the Japanese cables coped as well as with, … to not to look far, great symphonies („Stokowski: Gran Galà, vol. II”  by Leopold Stokowski / The Philadelphia Orchestra), offering full precision of imaging and resolution of the farthest planes not only in the more lyrical fragments, but also during the tutti of the entire performance apparatus pressing into the seat / squeezing the last juices out of the rock instruments. The key to this ability, however, was the fact that I never managed to catch the Furutechs trying to take shortcuts, simplify presentations, or simulate their native resolution by artificially sharpening the highest frequencies. In fact, compared to the NCF Nanoflux, the V1 could seem a bit darkened and denser, but these are only appearances resulting from better, more accurate blackening of the background and a deeper stage with a smoother gradation of the planes. We have, therefore, a more mature and sophisticated way of narration, in which the „subject” conducting it does not have to prove anything to anyone.

So is this the end of our adventures with Japanese flagships? At the moment, everything seems to indicate this, but without suggesting anything at all, and even more so without anticipating the facts, I take the liberty of drawing attention to a rather surprising gap at the top of Furutech’s portfolio, where it is difficult to find digital models that are adequate in terms of class to their analog siblings. However, returning to the merits and the tested Project V1-S loudspeaker cables, it should be clearly noted, that they are in a class of their own, and at the same time, showing surprising kindness to the wallets of potential buyers, they allow the systems wired with them to climb to the heights of their capabilities.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII + 2 x Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Blue Fuse
– Network player: Lumïn U2 Mini + Farad Super3 + Omicron Magic Dream Classic; I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Turntable: Denon DP-3000NE + Denon DL-103R
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Integrated amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII + Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Violet fuse
– Loudspeakers: AudioSolutions Figaro L2 + Solid Tech Feet of Balance + ZenSati Angel jumpers
– IC RCA: Furutech FA-13S; phono NEO d+ RCA Class B Stereo + Ground (1m)
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Furutech DAS-4.1
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Vermöuth Audio Reference USB; ZenSati Zorro
– Speaker cables: WK Audio TheRay Speakers + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Furutech Evolution II Power; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF; Esprit Audio Alpha
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Switch: Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super6 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; Audiomica Laboratory Anort Consequence, Artoc Ultra Reference, Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

Probably many of you are well aware, but if anyone overslept in following our assessments of the achievements of the tested brand, I officially declare that things are like this. If the Japanese brand Furutech, which is the subject of this dissertation, does not take up the gauntlet in the field of digital signals such as USB and LAN – you probably remember we have already described the AES/EBU digital cable, it is safe to say, that with the following test of the current flagship Project V1 line, we are reaching the proverbial finish line. This finish line, of course, is the bringing to life, and in this episode we will take a look at the last available item from the aforementioned V1 lineup, which are loudspeaker cables. Interestingly and certainly close to the truth, after the excellent reception by the market of the previous designs – I myself use XLR and power cables – the cabling is very much awaited for. Fortunately, the gentlemen from the land of the rising sun did not beat around the bush, and the cables, which is the subject of the meeting at the Munich exhibition in May, had their official premiere. And because they had, we immediately asked the Katowice RCM for a test unit, and the result of this request is our ability to take a look with great pleasure at the flagship model of Furutech Project V1-S speaker cables in this episode.

Perhaps the product photos do not reflect this, but during the session, after plugging into the system, you can see that the cables in question are quite thick. Fortunately, this diameter does not result from simply inserting signal wires into a garden hose to give them the dignified appearance expected by many music lovers, but from overlapping many layers of conductors separated by insulators, shields and spacers dampening harmful vibrations, which ultimately results in a large diameter, but allows you to quite easily form the cable route in the target system. What exactly makes up the mentioned diameter? Due to the large number of components used, I will only mention the most important ones, and very briefly at that. What is most interesting in my opinion? It is about the material for conductors. Well, the conglomerate carrying the signal is a combination of two types of cryogenic copper, typical in case of this manufacturer. I am talking about a multi-wire core made of silver-plated OCC Alpha copper, on which two intersecting layers of high-purity DUCC copper were applied, also composed of many thin wires. This is a very interesting topic, because usually manufacturers decide on one type of material, while at Furutech we have an obvious sandwich that is supposed to give specific sonic results. We will see what came out of it in the description of the sound. However, returning to other construction details, when it comes to protecting the signal against harmful electrical influence of the environment in which the cable works, the V1 model uses double insulation and double shielding, while the activities in terms of minimizing the impact of vibrations on the signal are carried out on the basis of longitudinally arranged rods made of nano-ceramics and filling the free zones with carbon powder in accordance with RoHS standards. Speaking of the packaging of the described cables, we are dealing with the latest, not yet available as a ready-made version of spade and banana plugs made in NCF technology. To conclude the paragraph on technicalities, I would like to remind you that in accordance with the idea of packaging the products of this series, the V1-S speaker is packed in an aesthetically padded with blue material, bamboo wooden box. As you can see, when buying a product from Furutech, we get a successful combination of advanced technology with sophisticated design of both the product itself as well as the way how the cable is displayed to the customer during unboxing.

What sonic cards did our hero reveal to me? Of course, as usual, communing with the top series of the Japanese cables, I got an eruption of a volcano of energy in the entire sound spectrum. Starting from the lowest bass, through the midrange bursting with joy, to the delicately sweetened, but only taking away a kind of nervousness, yet still resonant treble, it was evident that the music gained the expected dignity. However, what is significant not only for this model, but for the entire series of cabling, the biggest beneficiary of such an action is the center of the band. Yet it is not about the typical cranking up of the mass, pushing it out of line, giving the effect of taking a step forward in relation to the line of the speakers. In this case, we get something completely different. It is so minimally invasive, but very significant that in the first moments after connecting from other wires, you may not notice it, but it perfectly comes to the fore after returning to the zero state. Namely, we are talking about the V1-S, and the rest of the family, serving an injection of vitality in the midrange. As if a charming vibration would elevate the effect of the life’s joy of the instruments shining in this range. When you unplug them and replace them with even the best designs of the competition, this joyful spark will always be missing. And it will not help to illuminate this range, which usually ends up increasing its tonality and slimming, or saturating it, and this at times gives great fun, but still constitutes a sonic heaviness. The flagship line of Furutech does something in this aspect, which makes the music not so expressive anymore after eliminating those cables from the audio path. They produce a juicy and round sound, but thanks to a kind of freshness probably introduced by the main core of the silver-plated copper conductors, gushing with roundness and excellent drive. And I am writing this without stretching the facts, because for these reasons several designs from this series remained with me after testing. And the best thing about it is, that the injection of energy described above, does not disturb the freedom of sound of a system firmly rooted in saturation even before the attempting to plug-in the Furutech into the sound path. This is a stereo I use every day, and despite the introduction of the above-mentioned aspects in the domain of turning up the emotions in the center of the band, I did not notice any bad side effects. Of course, the lower range had a slightly thickened line drawing it, and the treble became more refined, but in the first case, thanks to the full control of the system over the speakers, there was no question of losing coherence and thus averaging their projection in terms of timbre, and in the second case, due to the excellent resolution of the system, after eliminating the remaining distortions in the sound it was still characterized by an excellent palette of information, now presented with a greater effect of coherence. Summing up this state in a few words, it was generally juicier, but with the effect of greater vitality of the midrange and undisturbed speed of the musical material. And literally any material, regardless of its origin.
Let us start with the last album of the full Black Sabbath band „13” . Against the background of this type of work, it is a superbly produced album, and yet after applying the tested speaker cables to the path, it showed its side that engaged me even more. And it is not about the substantive content, because it absorbs me even when listening to this album on the proverbial kitchen radio, but for the evident improvement in the quality of presentation. As I mentioned, it was very good from the start, but after interfering with the transmission of the syndromes carried by the tested cable, enriched with smoothness and juiciness improving the reception of fuller, but still predatory vocals, resulting in strengthening the impact with the guitar and drum sections. In theory, after an additional injection of purification and increasing the mass of the sound, I should lose aggressiveness, but the result was quite different. Of course, the effects in the form of greater smoothness and weight were clearly audible, but I perceived them as strengthening the tangibility of visualizing of the music, not toning down its unpredictability.
Identical changes, of course in a positive sense – I noted while combing through the resources from another musical genre in the form of all kinds of jazz. All kinds, because, following the previous trend, there very different ways of visualizing this, not always calm, music ended with the same feedback, i.e. an increase in joy and energy in the center of the band, while maintaining a timing appropriate for a given production, sometimes fast, and sometimes slow, along with appropriate lighting, maintaining the necessary length of decay of the smallest notes of the upper range. Whether it is Ken Vandermark’s free jazz „Resonance”, where rhythm often does not exist, and when it does occasionally, it bursts with the madness of successive phrases, or slow playing with instruments in the production of our jazz team of Oleś brothers together with Christopher Dell „Komeda Ahaed”, where the appearance and indefinite duration of a single note is the main motto of this album; each time the music, in addition to showing its best qualities, gave me a sense of closer communion with it. Of course, all thanks to the skillful heating of emotions in the midrange, but without the effect of slowing down or sluggishness. It was a festival of, slightly different in mass and timbre, but with seemingly greater spark of life, completely different in the aesthetics of playing, but nicely sounding jazz. For me, it was great.

Where would I see the eponymous Furutech Project V1-S speaker cables? As you can guess, wherever you expect a slight inspiration of your sound with a pinch of vibrating energy. The system will not lose its feistiness, but thanks to the skillful revival of the midrange, it will gain in terms of increasing the palpability of music reception. More vibrant, but also more juicy, without which it is sometimes impossible to fully immerse yourself in the music material you are listening to. In this topic, our hero, colloquially speaking, will close it, in a positive way. And are there any contraindications? Not dramatically limiting the potential target group, but naturally yes. And of course, we are talking about individuals who prefer sharpness and unnatural speed of sound over lively, homogeneous musicality. The popular “Furu” simply will not go for it, because it was designed to show music with a capital „M”. As you can see, the choice for or against the discussed speaker cables is very simple and is based only on the correct definition of your point of view on music. Unfortunately, I will not do it for you. However, no matter what, I am of the opinion that every, even unsuccessful attempt with the Japanese in your system will be very valuable to you, so I encourage you to take up the challenge. And maybe something will „pop” between you and it.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– CD Player/DAC: Gryphon Ethos
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red-Silver
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Apex Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker cables: Furutech Nanoflux-NCF Speaker Cable
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Furutech DAS-4.1, Furutech Project V1
Digital IC: Furutech Project V1 D XLR
Ethernet cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
USB cable: ZenSati Silenzio
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, ZenSati Angel
– Table: BASE AUDIO 2
Accessories: Quantum Science Audio Red fuse; QSA Silver fuse; Synergistic Research Orange fuse; antivibration platform by SOLID TECH; Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END, Furutech NCF Power Vault-E
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
– Drive: Clearaudio Concept
– Cartridge: Dynavector DV20X2H
– Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II
– Eccentricity Detection Stabilizer: DS Audio ES-001
– Tape recorder: Studer A80

Polish distributor: RCM
Manufacturer: Furutech
Price: 15 000 € / 2 x 2,5m