Cables & Accessories

As the cheaper of two new power cables from this respected Japanese specialist, the Roxy is an expensive-looking product with a mains plug that is beautifully built and finished – something that won’t come as a complete surprise to fans of the brand. It hasn’t scrimped on the cable either; this has a 37-strand silver-plated OFC conductor for live, neutral and earth, and each has a five-layer dielectric. The conductors are enclosed by a polyethylene dielectric, and all three are wrapped in a cotton inner filler, with a paper barrier layer, an outer sheath in lead-free PVC and finally a tough, nylon yarn braid outer sleeve. The result is something that’s fairly pliable yet damps down vibration effectively, as well as being sturdy. Both the three-pin mains and IEC plugs feature Furutech’s own two-stage ‘Alpha’ cryogenic and demagnetisation process.  

Sound quality
Sonically, the Furutech Roxy is impressive and upgrades on the bundled mains leads you get thrown into the box with many components. Slotting it in front of a source component takes a layer of glare and ‘glint’ out of the sound; tonally it’s darkly translucent instead of shiny white gloss. This in turn means less distraction; you can hear into the music better and things seem more three dimensional. There’s a lot more detail than a cheap cable, yet it doesn’t throw it in your face either. Rhythmically, the spaces between the notes are easier to discern, and that makes for a more propulsive and engaging sound that gets the foot tapping. It’s also able to track micro dynamics better than most, giving a lithe and expressive feel to proceedings. Overall, this new Furutech is a worthwhile step into serious mains cables, and represents fine value for money. DP

DETAILS
Product: Furutech Roxy
Price: £233 for 1.5m
Type: Mains power cable
Read the full review in March issue 447