Furutech Mains Power Cables Hierarchy & Differences

In summary, I’m interested in the comparison between these cables:

FP-TCS31 + FI-50 (R) NCF

DPS-4.1 + FI-50 (R) NCF

NanoFlux NCF

PowerFlux NCF

Which is the sweet spot which gives the best bang for the buck? The NanoFlux and PowerFlux NCF are significantly costlier than the other two.

Your question has two extremes in pricing, TCS31 and Nanoflux, though all wire thickness range lies between 11-12awg. My understanding for the sweet spot would be the DPS 4.1, but also that finished cables sound better. The other issue is that wire material is different, ranging from OCC, DUCC OCC and Triple C, all having different characteristics, and depending on application, you could try before buy, since plugs are the same.

Ryder...when i was constructing power conditioner cable with 28 r's i was considering pretty much the same wires.I was pleased enough with 28's having a cable with the 50 ncf i felt the 28 was enough of a slice of that tone/timber in my system to sit tight with 28...i asked douglas audio who do make there own furutech wire what wire was preferable.I had raw 2mtr alpha 3 from them and was looking at the 3ts762, 55,ect...he said in his opinion that the alpha 3 and the dps 4.1 would be his choice.Glad i listened.

I think your wire needs to sit for months not weeks to really know what you have...got a feeling you know that.I can appreciate the feeling of what am i missing.I am quite content with ts20 (source) and alpha 3 (amp/cond) tone timber in my system...keep us up to date.

Thanks. Will have a tough time picking one. The current TCS31 with FI-28 (R) is already showing great potential and it's difficult to imagine how the others will sound like. In this hobby we pay a significant amount of money to attain a small but appreciable difference. Will decide when the time comes.

"In this hobby we pay a significant amount of money to attain a small but appreciable difference"...indeed...i think the plain 50’s would be my slight upgade on source...maybe conditioner as well.But that comes at cost $ and the 28’s at a loss.No ones buying "diy" used stuff it seems.Really hard to sell...Im sittin tight for now.

Sounds right to me...time Ryder...time 😉

Yes digsmithd there’s still ups and downs. It sounded great yesterday and today it sounds slightly muffled and shut-in. Perhaps DPS4.1 and FI-50 (R) NCF will do it. I’ve already overspent on cables as they now probably cost about 50% the total cost of the system, seriously.

 I’m using cable rolled by Chris Venhaus of VHAudio S-032N with FI-11 gold plated connectors.  They were a steal for under $400 back when I bought them 5 years ago and sound excellent, neutral with just a touch of warmth.

You need to wait. What you’re describing is the exact same break in process I’ve witnessed in my system with FPS-55n (FI-50 NCF), FPS-032n (FI-28 R) and Furutech GTX-D NCF outlets. Once settled, fantastic components! 
 

I won’t offer comparisons to TCS as I never tried one but the DPS-4.1 FI-50 NCF configuration is excellent. Clarity, purity of tone, sweet and extended treble, lush mids and punchy textured bass. Probably one of the best power cords I ever tried. It beat my AQ Hurricane in clarity, extension and purity of tone. Made the Hurricane sound overly warm, bloated and slightly restrained and not as detailed.
Comparing FPS-55n to DPS, 55n is warmer but still has that Furutech tone and clear lens presentation. If you are looking for a cord for the amp and DPS is out of reach, 55n should be close to the top on the list. 

Thanks @audphile1. Your post is surely useful. I’ll surely wait for it. As the TCS31 / FI-28 (R) already showed a glimpse of brilliance on good days, I’m sure it would sound fantastic once it’s all over.

Currently I do not have any requirements for additional power cords but the DPS4.1 / FI-50 (R) NCF will surely be at the top of the list when the need for one arises. It’s a premium price to pay but good to know that the clarity, extension and purity of tone are all excellent with the cable. Also, useful to know the S55N comes close to the DPS4.1 at a fraction of the cost. I prefer the color of the S55N to DPS4.1 though.

Looking at most responses here, one thing is for sure. Although the costlier DPS4.1 / FI-50 NCF is undoubtedly better, the cheaper options (FP-S032N, FP-S55N, TCS-31 with FI-28(R) etc.) are still excellent and not severely outclassed. Will see if I can allocate a small fortune for the DPS4.1 / FI-50 (R) NCF perhaps sometime next year or when I have the itch, and then call it a day when it's all done. 😁

FWIW I also own a Wireworld Silver Elektra 7 (upgraded from Elektra 7 last year), currently used on my less important component which is a streamer. Although I didn’t make any direct comparison between the Furutech and Wireworld (no intention to do that anyway), the Furutech house sound is surely different from the Wireworld.

In general:-

Furutech - full-bodied, natural tone, clarity, nuance and detailed
Wireworld - lean and thin, fairly detailed but a bit low in nuance

Agreed on your assessment of wireworld power cables. 

Thanks for this thread, really informative 👍; I took delivery of my first Furutech cable last Friday - FP-TCS31 with FI-1363-NI Gold (UK) , and FI-31 Gold IEC, to feed my Puritan PSM156 from the wall.

My observations match @ryder 's; over the last 7 days, with around 110 hours of actual playtime, and the rest of the time with my system in stand-by, I had moments of "ok, this is really good", to the muffled presentation, and recessed delivery. Took everything out of stand-by first thing this morning (5:30am here in the UK), and it's sounding somewhere in between the 2 extremes

What is the expected, estimated burn in time for these cables? @digsmithd mention months? 

I own the fp-tcs31 + charlin, very good cable but i prefer the 3ts762, better against !

All these ups and downs in sound quality can really be attributed to one thing, the fact that the differences are due more to psychosomatics than physics.  You're feeling a little tired today, the cable sounds dull and lifeless, feeling better today, got that big task done, the cable sounds rich and dynamic, a little stuffy nose today, the cable is lacking in high frequencies.

Go ahead, block my posts from now on.

I built my own power cables with Furutech components. The main cables to my power conditioner and then to my mono blocks are the DPS-4.1 + FI-50 (R) NCF and all of the other cables are FP S022N + FI-11M-N1. I used expandable covering I got off Amazon so they all look the  seam. I was able to make each the custom length I needed. They are well broken in at this time and in my estimation made a difference over the ones provided by the manufacturer. FWIW. The DPS-4.1 is a real bear to construct. It is big and stiff. 

@jhnnrrs +1 

Can’t see the block coming, nothing offensive in the statement. Hard to build a case against physics. Another observation sees smaller systems with the inability to reproduce the life like live Euphorium. So it’s the silk purse out of a sows ear situation, and one can’t forget the marketing. 
 

Cheers 

I averaged at least 6hrs a day for 5 mths +...run in on connectors and wire painter24...real world...no fairy tale experience,no marketing either fwiw...POOF.

@painter24 from my experience…

the timelines (ballpark) are when the rollercoaster stops. The cables and the outlet continue to settle but the changes aren’t as drastic…

32n with FI-28 R - 300hrs

55n with FI-50 NCF - 500hrs

GTX-D NCF outlets (I installed two, months apart, same exact break in experience) - 300hrs

Thanks @digsmithd ​​@audphile1 

I've had my system playing while working upstairs, for between 15-17 hrs a day since installing the cable, so I have a ways to go yet then 😊. All part of the journey/fun 😉

😂 Someone please explain to me the insane notion that ‘Cable Breakin’ exists!!…. 

@boostedis really? Quite a few quality cable manufacturers "season" or break in their cables in the manufacturing process, Synergistic Research, Zavfino, Nordost, and others. What is insane about the dielectric properties changing as the cable is used? 

Cables: Most all cable manufacturers agree that break-in is a result of changes in the conductor and/or dielectric. According to one manufacturer: "The insulation (or dielectric) will absorb energy from the conductor when a current is flowing (i.e. when music is playing). This energy-absorption causes the dielectric's molecules to re-arrange themselves from a random order into a uniform order. When the molecules have been rearranged, the dielectric will absorb less energy & consequently cause less distortion."

Cardas has, for years, included a Cable Break-in Guide with their cables. In it they state: "All cables need a break-in and warm-up period. Better cables require longer break-in.  With all cables, the more you play them and the less you move them, the better they will sound." The unique geometry of Cardas cables require that "...the strands be of equal tension... Current flowing through the cable during break-in, and each warm-up period, will relax the structure of the strands." 

Another prominent cable designer believes that during the break-in process electrons are establishing new micro pathways through the conductor material and these changes in the conductor is the primary reason for the improvement realized through break-in. They believe that most of the signal travels across the surface of the conductor. Viewed under a microscope the surface that appears smooth to the naked eye is really a series of peaks and valleys. The irregular surface forces electrons along a circuitous path to their destination. When a cable is bent or twisted, new tears and fissures form, disrupting existing pathways and requiring new ones to be formed. This explanation lends credence to reports that cables need to be re-conditioned and being handled. I've seen this in a very real way.

Years ago, when break-in first became realized, we decided to complete the process before shipping our cables and advertised the service as a value-added benefit. It didn't take before we started hearing back from customers who questioned whether we'd done what we promised since their cables indeed improved after a week or two of use. We believe that, at least in part, the act of coiling the cables for shipment and then uncoiling them after arrival, was the culprit.

While there is no hard data (that I am aware of) to prove to the engineers among you that break-in in exists, I'm sure 99.9% of audiophiles have heard the benefits of the process and believe strongly in its importance.

https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/break-in-real-or-imagined/

Funny how cable manufactures all agree that the product they’re selling really is phenomenal and makes that ‘big’  difference then the burn in .., we don’t know why but all believe it right ? Physics who believes that crap anyway. 

Cable burn-in indeed! Might as well claim those led lightbulbs give a "purer" light after being in use for a few hundred hours! 

I have a similar issue basically OP, I want the DSP-4.1 but it’s too expensive.

So I went for the Yarbo sp-1100pw.

It’s not as good as the DSP-4.1, but it’s close according to this guy:

Is this the best Power Cabel on the planet? (&cheap too!)

With the Yarbo the background is dead black, music detail and separation are superb. However, the body is a bit light. I have to increase the volume to get the full picture, which I don’t like.

The Yarbo is about one fifth the price of the DSP-4.1. it has 3 inner cables, the hot and neutral each has 7 inner solid wires the earth has 4 I think. I use these wires in connecting speakers and lpc supplies too.

So nobody has experience with the Furutech Nanoflux NCF. I may have the opportunity to pick up a used one although at its current price it’s still significantly costlier than my new TCS31 / FI-28 (R), close to a brand new DPS4.1 / FI-50 (R) NCF. Decisions decisions. Do I continue to indulge in this cable madness.. will see how it goes.

And so how does it go?...yo.

It didn't happen as the sale looks fishy. 

The current FI-28 (R) and TCS31 surely require extensive break in. From poor to a glimpse of brilliance, the sound went back to warm and shut-in, and now it's improving throughout the weeks as the warmth and muddiness in the midrange and treble slowly changed to a clearer and more defined presentation with improved clarity, separation and detail. The clarity is close to optimal at this point but the notes still sound slightly restrained. I am looking forward to experiencing the optimal sound in its full glory when it's all over.

Optimal to my ears sounds like music... "more defined presentation with improved clarity, separation and detail".A more matured version of this is realized after hours put in.Youll be listening and tell yourself..." that does sound pretty f'ing good'