I wouldn't think that spades are needed but Furutech uses them in their own cables so there must be a reason. Consistency of the connection from cable to cable is the first reason I can think of. If I'm not mistaken, I've seen another manufacturer using them inside their power cables, too, although I can't recall which company it was.
Furutech DPS-4.1 limited edition power cable vs Nanoflux power NCF
- Thread starter nirodha
- Start date
...I would think you could get an excellent attachment using commercial processes for sonic welding or crimping into spade (or other) lugs vs. crushing the wire strands into place.
And from a manufacturing perspective, a less-trained person could be employed to affix spades to the plugs/sockets using the hold-down screws. I think the spade lug approach would be a positive characteristic for those products in mechanical and sonic quality.
And from a manufacturing perspective, a less-trained person could be employed to affix spades to the plugs/sockets using the hold-down screws. I think the spade lug approach would be a positive characteristic for those products in mechanical and sonic quality.
Sorry for the confusion.
There is a 3x 2.5mm cable quite popular with German high end, 220Volt and in wall use.
SOMMERCABLE NYM-ST-J OFC Copper Power Cable 3x2.5mm² Ø10.9mm Gray - Audiophonics
This NYM-ST-J power cable from Sommercable includes three OFC copper conductors with a cross-section of 2.5mm². The cable has the particularity of benefiting from a very effective EMC shielding that considerably reduces EMI interference.www.audiophonics.fr
So … what to do with it’s shielding?
You'd connect the drain wire to ground at both ends. I could see using this in some environments, but in a typical home it may not help much. Also, ime shielding can dull the sound and soften transients. For AC power I think it's best use is for low-power components and the shield should be spaced away from the wires so it doesn't effect the EMF around them.
Soldering the connectors is a nice clean application. As @MarkusBarkus indicated way better than crushing the wire strands or even if using 10awg Solid. I did it this way with Furutech spade connectors on all 6 circuits All my wire is 10awg solid. I'm not sure if soldering the stranded wire is any more or less difficult?
I would recommend the spades, top Furutech rhodium ones (not sure if there are different kinds though), I compared two different DPS 4.1 with FI-50 NCF plugs both ends with and without spades, and the spades win sound wise
The sound is more open with the spades. Some people also add a bit of Furutech Nano Liquid, but I haven't made any comparisons. Apparently Furutech uses the liquid on the terminations (?) in its NCF cables and it's supposed to make a difference. I have even heard that it's a trick of the trade with some cable manufacturers to use the liquid on terminations and improve the sound this way, but this is merely hearsay. One important thing with the spades is not to use too much force - 0.3Nm adjusted force is recommended by Furutech. Sorry if I misuse the word "termination", I'm not a native speaker of English and wasn't sure about it.Not having a lot of luck with my two new DSP 4.1 power cords.
Firstly I was sent the speaker cable by mistake.
Got that rectified and received the two power cords yesterday.
I terminated them with NCF plugs, where I could, and powered up my system today.
I got pretty loud earth loop hum on my monoblock amps driving my stereo speakers.
Only happens when the pre-amp is in av bypass mode, with straight stereo, hum free.
(The two new DSP 4.1 power cords are driving my av processor and 5 channel amp.)
Interestingly enough, if I leave the front speakers off, with the av processor running the 5 channel amp then it is hum free, which would seem to indicate the two new power cords are wired correctly?
(5 channel amp drives the center channel and 4 surround speakers)
I've stripped the system down to pre-amp, 2 monoblocks, av processor, to try to see what is causing the hum but I'm still getting the earth loop hum.
I checked the new av processor DSP 4.1 power cord plug and connector and I can see no fault with the wiring.
Can a piece of equipment not powered by the system, but having it's interconnects in the system, cause hum?
Reason for the query, my Atmos amp needs an earth wire soldered so that power cord is not in the system but the amps interconnects are connected to the processor.
I should have the plug earth wire soldered on Saturday.
Firstly I was sent the speaker cable by mistake.
Got that rectified and received the two power cords yesterday.
I terminated them with NCF plugs, where I could, and powered up my system today.
I got pretty loud earth loop hum on my monoblock amps driving my stereo speakers.
Only happens when the pre-amp is in av bypass mode, with straight stereo, hum free.
(The two new DSP 4.1 power cords are driving my av processor and 5 channel amp.)
Interestingly enough, if I leave the front speakers off, with the av processor running the 5 channel amp then it is hum free, which would seem to indicate the two new power cords are wired correctly?
(5 channel amp drives the center channel and 4 surround speakers)
I've stripped the system down to pre-amp, 2 monoblocks, av processor, to try to see what is causing the hum but I'm still getting the earth loop hum.
I checked the new av processor DSP 4.1 power cord plug and connector and I can see no fault with the wiring.
Can a piece of equipment not powered by the system, but having it's interconnects in the system, cause hum?
Reason for the query, my Atmos amp needs an earth wire soldered so that power cord is not in the system but the amps interconnects are connected to the processor.
I should have the plug earth wire soldered on Saturday.
Yes, the issue is the grounds will be at different voltage potentials and cause hum. You should plug your entire system into the same circuit, even better into the same distributor where all the grounds are tied together.
I can't quite understand the sentence under the one I bolded, but it doesn't sound good. if you use more than one circuit they must be run properly, using 2 random circuits in your home is likely to cause hum.
I've solved my ground loop hum issue.
It was as per my query in my original listing about whether a component, in this case my 4 channel Atmos power amp not plugged into my regenerator, but the interconnects from the Atmos amp were connected to my processor.
I'm upgrading my Atmos amp power cord with one previously used on my pre-amp but the Furutech NCF IEC for the Atmos amp is a thin connector which only has two proper terminals for live and neutral, the earth connection is a 'tag' that needs the earth wire soldered to it.
I've a soldering iron coming tomorrow to do this.
In the meantime I've found a bog standard power cord with a thin iec and used it to connect my atmos amp to my regenerator, hum now gone.
Just the 100 or so hours now to get the new DSP 4.1 power cords 'burned in' to get them up to optimum performance.
It was as per my query in my original listing about whether a component, in this case my 4 channel Atmos power amp not plugged into my regenerator, but the interconnects from the Atmos amp were connected to my processor.
I'm upgrading my Atmos amp power cord with one previously used on my pre-amp but the Furutech NCF IEC for the Atmos amp is a thin connector which only has two proper terminals for live and neutral, the earth connection is a 'tag' that needs the earth wire soldered to it.
I've a soldering iron coming tomorrow to do this.
In the meantime I've found a bog standard power cord with a thin iec and used it to connect my atmos amp to my regenerator, hum now gone.
Just the 100 or so hours now to get the new DSP 4.1 power cords 'burned in' to get them up to optimum performance.
Solder is coating your copper contact with tin and other metals. Im not a big fan.
A good spade with properly sized clamp can make an excellent termination. Its hard to find a high quality, proper sized spade. Most of the rub with spades is quality is low.
A good spade with properly sized clamp can make an excellent termination. Its hard to find a high quality, proper sized spade. Most of the rub with spades is quality is low.
Just received my soldering iron today.
It's only the earth contact has has to be soldered, live and neutral both have proper connections.
I presume soldering the earth shouldn't be that important as it's really there was safety issues and should never really be used when the electricity flow is correct.
I've about thirty hours now on my new DSP 4.1 power cords.
One query for the experts out there, both of the power cords are on units that are on standby so there's a red led on both units that are operational when the equipment is on standby.
Does this tiny draw of power constitute usage as obviously these led's are on 24/7 when the units are in standby mode.
It's only the earth contact has has to be soldered, live and neutral both have proper connections.
I presume soldering the earth shouldn't be that important as it's really there was safety issues and should never really be used when the electricity flow is correct.
I've about thirty hours now on my new DSP 4.1 power cords.
One query for the experts out there, both of the power cords are on units that are on standby so there's a red led on both units that are operational when the equipment is on standby.
Does this tiny draw of power constitute usage as obviously these led's are on 24/7 when the units are in standby mode.
I now have about 100 hours on my two DSP 4.1 power cords.
One for my Arcam processor and the other for my Chord 5 channel amp.
These two perform most of the home cinema duties as the amp powers the centre channel and 4 surround speakers.
I've just completed the Stranger Things series on Netflix.
The sound on the show is one of the best Atmos experiences to be had.
(Stranger Things producers forced Netflix to increase their bandwidth to accommodate their sound quality).
The two new power cords have brought clarity and dynamics to my home cinema system.
Vocals are very natural as is the rest of the soundstage.
Bass is deep and tight and I rarely use my two subs for streaming but I've been surprized at times with the bass quantity and quality on offer.
But the dynamics are exceptional, sound effects can erupt from the surround speakers and at times the Atmos overhead speakers can go extremely loud. The initial notes are very powerful. conveying the dynamics, as opposed to just sounding loud.
I'm not sure if the new power cords are fully broken in yet but I'm very happy with their performance at this point.
You can buy better power cords but they'll usually cost you a lot more money.
I feel the power cords will allow me to extract the best performance from my equipment for a reasonable outlay of money.
I certainly don't envisage having to upgrade these in the future.
One for my Arcam processor and the other for my Chord 5 channel amp.
These two perform most of the home cinema duties as the amp powers the centre channel and 4 surround speakers.
I've just completed the Stranger Things series on Netflix.
The sound on the show is one of the best Atmos experiences to be had.
(Stranger Things producers forced Netflix to increase their bandwidth to accommodate their sound quality).
The two new power cords have brought clarity and dynamics to my home cinema system.
Vocals are very natural as is the rest of the soundstage.
Bass is deep and tight and I rarely use my two subs for streaming but I've been surprized at times with the bass quantity and quality on offer.
But the dynamics are exceptional, sound effects can erupt from the surround speakers and at times the Atmos overhead speakers can go extremely loud. The initial notes are very powerful. conveying the dynamics, as opposed to just sounding loud.
I'm not sure if the new power cords are fully broken in yet but I'm very happy with their performance at this point.
You can buy better power cords but they'll usually cost you a lot more money.
I feel the power cords will allow me to extract the best performance from my equipment for a reasonable outlay of money.
I certainly don't envisage having to upgrade these in the future.
hmmm - I just built a DPS4.1 cable with FI-50 ends, and it sounds dull, without texture, nor dynamics and very inferior to the Shunyata sigma v2 I was hoping it would replace. Maybe it's because the shielding is tied to wall plug?
Has anyone here AB'd the shielding on the DPS4.1 ?
Or, I'm being impatient, how many hours to burn in this cable?
The final sentence is probably true: most Furutech cables need a lot af playing time for about 3 to 6 months. Also the case with my V1s. Sorry, cant comment on the shielding.
I use the DPS 4.1 along with FI-50 connectors. Shielded at IEC. I use 2 with the Mephisto FI-50M connectors and 1 with the Taiko Extreme FI-46M G connectors. I like them a lot, no dullness for me. Perhaps put more ours on them? What outlets are you using? I always try to match metallurgy...
Plugged into Furutech Rhodium NCF outlets, so that's a match.
Probably / hopefully just needs more hours. Would be awesome if these beat the Shunyata Sigma 2, as I'd like to build more of these.
It's been 3 days running.
I'm thinking about connecting it to the refrigerator for a higher current burn in, and then the stereo doesn't have to continuously run.
Probably / hopefully just needs more hours. Would be awesome if these beat the Shunyata Sigma 2, as I'd like to build more of these.
It's been 3 days running.
I'm thinking about connecting it to the refrigerator for a higher current burn in, and then the stereo doesn't have to continuously run.
Using it on the fridge is a good idea. It'll take several hundred hours to burn-in. Then, when you move it to your system, try to be as gentle as possible as bending it a lot or rough handling will set it back. Often, shipping a cable will require it to need burn-in all over again. Here's an adapter that will allow you to use the cable as an extension cord for whatever you like:
There's no way the DPS is going to compete with the Shunyata Sigma, it's not even close. The newest Shunyata cables are very good. DPS is a good value at ~$500/m but it does have some upper mid/high frequency coloration, a bit of a warmer bloom and isn't the clearest cable either. The Shunyata is far more expensive though.
On shielding, you want it connected to the wall plug only, not the IEC end.
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