Opinion 1
As you have most certainly noticed, the policy of introducing novelties on the audio market can hardly be considered as being coherent. While some, usually global/mass/corporate (delete as appropriate) manufacturers present new models almost wholesale, others are not so eager to completely refresh their own portfolio, so they boast about new products in smaller or larger intervals. Which of the solutions is better/more effective is not for us to judge, but from our, extremely subjective reviewing practice, we are definitely closer, „more convenient” and calmer with the second business model, because then, the dilemmas of what to review and where to focus on are eliminated. There are also no industry scrambles about who from the reviewers „deserves” the highest and who deserves the lower model, or distribution dilemmas, whether it is better to send single units / pairs or maybe complete sets of either speaker sets or cabling. To put it bluntly, the lack of choice usually turns out to be the best choice and we feel in our bones that the Furutech team made a similar assumption, gradually supplementing its offerings with new flagships. That’s why it first presented the top Project V1 power cable, which appeared in our country both during solo performances and in tandem with the refreshed Pure Power 6 NCF, then it was time for a small reshuffle on the power strip shelf with the appearance of the NCF Power Vault-E, and now, well, the debut took place in May – during the last Munich High End, there appeared a single ended interconnect and a balanced sibling of the aforementioned V1. So if you like to keep your finger on the pulse and know what’s going on, I have no choice but to invite you to continue.
As the above photos show, the V1s reach the lucky buyers in an elegant bamboo box, properly protected against the hardships of travel, lined with blue, soft fabric and additionally wrapped in an equally elegant bag with the company logo. In short – an elegant and tasteful package – without exaggerated, ostentatious glitz, while at the same time emphasizing the rightness of choosing the flagship product from this Japanese brand. For comparison just take a look at the previous top offering, now dethroned by our today’s heroes, the LineFlux NCF, which „deserved” only ordinary cardboard boxes.
No less elegant is the precious „insert”, which catch the eye with their black-and-red outer braid, the top CF-102 NCF(R)-P carbon and rhodium plated plugs, reserved only for the V series, and the no less jewel-like anti-vibration joints, that act as splitters, with four-layer (looking from the inside – NCF nylon resin, carbon fiber, hybrid forged carbon fiber composite and NCF, and a special hardened transparent coating) bodies, similar to the mentioned plugs. As you can easily guess, the cables are quite heavy, although taking into account the complexity and multi-layered nature of their design, i.e. triple shielding and double damping (which will be discussed in a moment), it must be honestly admitted, that the Furutech positively surprise with their susceptibility to proper positioning, which is their undoubted and, slightly spoilering, not the only advantage.
The guts of the tested connectors also look extremely intriguing, and what is important, instead of hiding behind patents, „factory” secrets, or even secret knowledge and the proverbial VooDoo, Furutech, plays open cards with its customers and shows even the smallest detail of their flagships with almost apothecary precision, disarming any conspiracy theories. And so, there are two coaxial wires in each of the V1 cables. In their center there are 26 clockwise wound conductors made of silver-plated α (Alpha) OCC copper, around them 23 anti-clockwise wound conductors of the α (Alpha) DUCC (Dia Ultra Crystallized Copper) and the outer layer consists of 31 clockwise wound α (Alpha) DUCC conductors. Both of the runs are insulated with polypropylene dedicated to audio applications, and the whole is wrapped in polyester yarn, which is which is then enclosed with an α (Alpha) copper foil acting as the first shield, and then with α (Alpha) copper braid forming the second shield. The next layer is a paper tape that is the support for flexible PVC enriched with nano-ceramic particles of a carbon compound intended for audio applications. The whole is placed in a special 0.02mm layer of high-quality soft damping polypropylene with 0.2 mm of hard cross-woven fiber on top of it. Another layer is made of flexible PVC tubes, designed for audio applications, enriched with nano-ceramic carbon compound particles, and only on top of that comes another shield in the form of a coating with copper foil α (Alpha), and then a braid of 0.02 mm layer of high-quality soft damping polypropylene and 0.2 mm of hard cross-weave fiber. You can catch a glance of the copper shield through that last layer. And just as a supplementary information of rather usable nature, is the fact that the V1, at least for now is only available in a length of 1.2 m, so we do not have to bother with choosing appropriate length.
And how do the tested interconnects fare in terms of sound? Well, simplifying and shallowing the quintessence of further digressions, we can describe the advantages of Project V1 as fully consistent with their appearance. The sound is seemingly dark and dignified. However I did leave me a safety gate by telling you that those were only the appearances. And these appearances result from the main, native features of the Furutech, which seems to be in direct contradiction to the stereotypical understanding of the absolute, as understood by listeners who are just entering the high-end realm. Well, let us be honest – since we are dealing with the highest-born, and therefore strictly high-end, although surprisingly reasonably priced cable given current circumstances, we should expect … and I do really know what we should expect. That we will hear something that has so far remained hidden? Treble cutting like the Nodachi (Jap. 野太刀) – a two-handed samurai sword, or bass beats comparable to the explosion of the GBU-43/B MOAB? I mean, an evident exaggeration and overdose with literary everything? As if instead of seasoning a sophisticated dish with a pinch of an original herbal mixture, a crazy chef decided to devastate it by pouring Maggi condiment or another similar flavor intensifier in it. Nothing like that, so if someone is looking for a cheap sensation; almost pornographic exhibitionism or an attempt at rape through the ears, I’m very sorry, but they got the wrong address. You will not find it here, because the Furutech Project V1 XLR is obvious and at the same time tangible contradiction of that. All you have to do is plug the title interconnects into your system, choose your favorite and thus somewhat memorized repertoire and… understand what this so-called High-End is really about. It is all about naturalness and realism that is as close to the reality around us as possible. Without correcting, improving, or interpreting in one’s own way of this reality, in the style of forcibly pulling out murmurs in the forum of publicum that only create an atmosphere/aura, packing lasciviously writhing singers on the lap of sweaty gentlemen from the front rows, or sensations comparable to a visit to an IMAX theatre after taking an atropine eye-drop.
So let us move on to musical examples that will allow you to verify those statements personally, like the minimalist release „Nostalgia”, on which Magdalena Kožená sings only with the accompaniment of Yefim Bronfman’s piano. Light, easy and fun? Well, maybe for connoisseurs of such forms and genres, but for me this album usually worked like a muscle relaxant and paracetamol in one, allowing me to quickly and effectively take an after-dinner nap. Supposedly, the registers into which the Czech mezzo-soprano ventures can remove teeth stains, when played in an inappropriate system configuration, but this time the highest components could not be accused of withdrawal or rounding, and yet nothing hurt my ears, although absolutely everything that was supposed to be heard could be heard – as it was recorded during the session and the narration of the artist finally intrigued and attracted attention. It was similar with the piano – served with its proper size and weight, and at the same time capable of sounding light and lyrical. The relationship between the artist standing closer and the slightly retracted instrument is also well shown, which translates into their proper rescaling, subject to the laws of perspective and physics. Supposedly, Kožená is finer than the piano, but his role is to accompany her and not to attempt to seize the stage and „cover” the diva in his circle of destruction with the power of his own abilities, and you can clearly hear that. In addition, it is presented with such ease and naturalness that when we become aware of this fully natural harmony, we somehow automatically switch from the mode of analysis to a state of blissful contemplation – synthesis. We rest, our shattered nerves and the mind that can finally start to take things easy. Something like combining meditation with music therapy, when during such a therapeutic session we achieve peace of mind and there is just us and the music.
However, if someone likes slightly brisker tempos and more impressive accumulations of all kinds of sounds, I hasten to report with undisguised satisfaction, that even in the so-called „clatter” the V1 XLR find themselves without the slightest sign of stage fright and embarrassment. Without reach to far the metalcore „How The Beautiful Decay” by Lightworker from picturesque San Francisco which has the characteristic, that it informs about any bottlenecks of the system reproducing it with brutal ruthlessness. Because if only something limits the dynamics, the flow of information, or God forbid, emphasizes sibilants, then woe betide the unfortunate person who gets into such a session, because the trauma after it can be healing for many weeks, and I do not rule out the need of picking your ears with a hoof nail to eliminate the squealing that drives you crazy. Meanwhile, with the top Furutech interconnects, the brutality of both the vocals and the bestially tortured instruments not only crush you in your seat, but also drag you into the multi-layered whirlwind of events easier and more treacherously than walking in the swamps, or using a dose of fentanyl served by the local „seller of dreams”. However everything was not achieved by forceful projection and boosting, turning up the already frantic tempos, but only releasing the full energy capacity of the system and freeing the emotional charge contained on this disc. Nothing more and nothing less, because it is much easier to bend in either direction – from too much softening to overly extreme exaggeration – than hitting the sweet spot in-between. And the Furutech not only hit it often, but in fact they do it all the time, with iron consistency, so after a few days of juggling with various genres and productions, I finally gave up on further attempts to catch them deviating from the above „accuracy”, relented and instead of listening to them started listening to my favorite music without worrying about the rest.
But, wait a minute. After all, at the beginning I mentioned some seeming blackening. Well it was just seeming. The point is that the V1 does not so much darken, but they do not introduce any parasitic noise and other artifacts into the reproduced material, so the black remains absolutely black and not a more or less successful variation on 256 shades of gray. The contours are drawn with a clear, but not contrasting line, and the virtual sources are free of even the slightest vibration. The reason for this? For all those who carefully read the technicalities it should be obvious. The cables care about the well-being of the delicate signals they carry. Well-being is ensured by carefully wrapping them not only with polyester yarn, but also with flexible PVC tubes that provide an external buffer. The point is that few things are able to spoil the sound as dramatically as vibrations do, so the Japanese decided to eliminate the threat of vibrations with maniacal stubbornness, and after what I had the opportunity to hear with the V1, they more than fulfilled their ambitious assumptions.
As I quietly hope from the above text, it is clear that the Furutech Project V1 XLR is not a cable capable of colloquially speaking „pulling the panties over the head” or making its buyer euphoric comparable to the state after consuming the author’s cocktail consisting of more or less approved psychoactive substances, because this is not its purpose and lovers looking for cheap stimuli will unfortunately be forced to leave empty-handed. However, if you feel that you are mature enough to commune with your favorite music at the level of intensity and realism known from participating in their live performance, the only thing I can suggest is to arrange to rent the tested interconnects for listening in your own system, and if my intuition does not fail me, then finally, at least at the beginning, you will switch to remote work or take at least a day of leave on demand.
Marcin Olszewski
System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII
– 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: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– 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: Signal Projects Hydra + 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; 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)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super3 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; 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
Everyone can see Furutech as it is. In addition to having its own range of cables and many audio accessories, it is also a supplier of semi-finished products for the global audio industry. And not for the small manufactures, but for top brands, compared to which their own designs appear to be excellent in the price/quality correlation. Without a forcible search for intransigence, just a well-priced quality. Fortunately, until a certain level. Which level? What do you mean? After all, it is clearly marked on our website – the creation of a product line proudly named Project V1 , which was inaugurated with the creation of the top Furutech Project V1 Power cable. What has seen the light of day this time? Well, due to the inability to test the signal wiring for a tonearm, the V1 T-DIN/RCA from the mentioned series, this time we could not forgo the opportunity to give our opinion on the cables terminated with XLR connectors. Yes, yes, finally Furutech took care of this segment of cabling and thanks to the efforts of the Katowice-based distributor RCM, we had the pleasure to take a look at the Furutech Project V1 XLR interconnect.
In the case of the Furutech, unlike the vast majority of manufacturers, there are no cosmic secrets, only properly applied technology, available to every Joe Average, the application of which can be thoroughly analyzed on the images available on the company’s website. Not only that, but everything what was used is described in detail, where it was applied and in what specification. I do not know about you, but for me such an action proves one thing – the reliability of the brand and the honesty of offering their proprietary products in the top lines, and not ideas of giants producing cables in kilometer-long spools hidden under colorful sheaths. What does the cross-section of the tested XLR look like in a nutshell? The transmission of information and shielding tasks is handled by Alpha copper. Naturally depending on the task in different specifications and designs. The signal flows with silver-plated OCC copper wrapped in two layers of copper, this time DUCC. A polyester filter was applied on top of it, then two layers of a screen based on copper foil and mesh, on the way to the outer diameter we will also find a paper spacer, on it a PVC material enriched with NCF nano-particles, then the first, twin to the outer iridescent braid, surrounding the aforementioned conglomerate, a set of soft PVC tubes surrounding everything as a vibration damper, and in the next step a shield in the form of copper foil. And finally the whole thing is placed inside the aforementioned iridescent black braid. You must admit, it is a real production obstacle course, which shows that if something happens to the sound during the test, it will not be a matter of coincidence, but a fully planned implementation of the work of the designers. When it comes to the termination of our hero, as befits a top-of-the-line cable, the flagship CF-601M R NCF and CF-602M R NCF plugs were used. On the way to the customer, according to the tradition of the descendants of the Land of the Rising Sun, the cables presented in this way are first packed in a blue bag and finally lined with blue material, an elegant box made of bamboo. Of course, in the starter pack you will also find an elegantly printed appeal to the customer with many photos of the design. In short, from the beginning to the end, it is clear that for the Japanese it is something important. How did this hard work translate into sound? I will tell you about it in the next paragraph.
What can Furutech’s flagship signal cables do? I will say this. Compared to the power cable from this series that I own, they work in a slightly different frequency range. I left the power cord for myself, because with an excellent improvement in the descent of the system into the depths of the lowest bass, they showed its multiple colors, so far veiled under the guise of a strong pacing. It began to sparkle with an unprecedented feast of impulses characterized by different energies. It was so phenomenal that after the test I was not able to return it to the distributor. How does the signal cable relate to this? Well, it works similarly, only in the center of the band. After plugging it in, the midrange gets an injection of vitality. It becomes much more lively, but not in the sense of slimming down or brightening, but providing sonority full of energy. However, it is significant in all this, that this range does not become the apple of the eye of the entire presentation – that is, it does not go out of line, but by its action improves the motorics, sonority and length of suspension in the ether of the smallest sound of each instrument. It’s just as if someone first cleaned this range of distortion, and then breathed an additional dose of flashiness into the recording. We get a much different, more accurate insight into the recording, but without a hint of nervousness. And it’s not even about the insight itself, but about a kind of vividness of this range, which perfectly complements, but also strongly aerates both the lower part of the high and the upper parts of the low registers. This was perfectly audible while listening to the piano. A piano that actually told me the whole truth about the capabilities of the said interconnect. Don’t worry, not solo, but in a live edition of Keith Jarrett with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette of the compilation „Inside Out”. It is not only a well-played, but also a well-produced material, because in addition to atmospheric ballads, each of the artists has their own five spectacular minutes. For me, in the context of verifying what the Japanese can do in conveying the truth about the projection of individual instruments, very important minutes. Where I saw the biggest advantages of plugging in the V1. Naturally in the middle range of its sound spectrum. The lower range, as always, was dignified, full of vibration, emanated excellent energy during strong chords, while the rest of the frequencies exploded with an inexhaustible amount of, as it turned out, so far covered with the „tarnished” background of the virtual stage of overtones. At first I had the impression that it sounded louder, but after understanding what had happened, presenting an additional dose of virtuosity, it was simply more vibrant. Each vibrating chord floated between the speakers as if it had been played at my place and not played from a record. Just magic. Until now, I thought I had already achieved it, but this test showed that it is always possible to do better. It was so convincing that in later test sessions several Leszek Możdżer discs landed in the drive, with the production of „Kaczmarek” at the forefront. What about other instruments? The drums are not some virtuoso medium, but without unnecessary diluting of the kick drum stroke, they flashed nicely with more pearly cymbals. On the other hand, during the switching of the cabling in the test, the double bass gained as much as the piano. With a larger package of information about the string and the body, it seemed to show more freedom in filling my room. Sometimes fast during solo performances, other times essentially, but always with full control serving the rhythm to the entire jazz ensemble. Similarly to the piano, the double bass sounded more tight, more vibrating and more vibrant. Relax, the repetitions in the previous sentence are intentional to highlight what happened during this test. And I assure you, it happened. So convincing that, unfortunately, the same thing will probably happen to me as with the power cable. Time will tell. For now, Furutech has proven that a lot can be done in terms of midrange resolution while maintaining the best features of the rest of the frequency ranges. I expected a nice sound, but the Furutech V1 XLR escaped any attempt to predict the sound. And the best thing about it is that with its sonic proposal it goes against the current trends of chasing performance at the expense of musicality. Fortunately, the Japanese know that music is supposed to charm us with intimacy, not to whip us with painful phrases with undefined cuts in space, and they do it with phenomenal success. Respect.
Well, once again I got only praises. Fortunately, the regulars of our portal know that this level of emotions is evoked in me by constructions that really show something that I have been looking for years in vain. Something that makes me have a great struggle after the test session with returning the product to the distributor. Will the said cabling be able to put each of you in such a state? I think, no, I am sure for the vast majority it will. Where does this thesis come from? As a confirmation of my certainty, I will cite the authentic result of a meeting with friends in a club of people crazy about audio. Most of the individuals are self-sufficient in constructing toys according to their own designs, and therefore rebellious souls, which makes it clear that they will not be bought with cheap tricks. Do you know what the feedback was from Furutech’s visit to the club? What was extremely rare – the gentlemen have not complained about the price as it is always unacceptable to them. At the same time, they admitted that this cable, despite a large sum, is worth every penny spent. Naturally, the diagnosis referred to the general offering on the market, not in the sense of their possible interest, but if such an opinion comes from their mouths, it means something. Whether it will be in line with your feelings and expectations, unfortunately, you have to check for yourself. For my part, I can only say one thing, as you can see from the above verbiage, this cable cooked me, colloquially speaking.
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: Furutech Nanoflux-NCF Speaker Cable
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Furutech DAS-4.1
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: Quantum Science Audio Red fuse; Synergistic Research Orange fuse; Harmonix TU 505EX MK II; Stillpoints ULTRA MINI; 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: 29 900 PLN / 2 x 1,2m