Stereophile: Things Come Together

Also, I made one other change when I removed the Ayre gear from my system: I switched from the Ayre–supplied and –spec'd Cardas cables to Furutech Evolutions. Incidentally, it was right around this same time that I read Jay Rein's essay on system synergy.

I had already been using a Furutech e-TP609 power distributor and Evolution power cord. These accessories have been quiet constants.

You might remember that when I reintroduced the Musical Fidelity gear to my system, I heard a dramatic change in the overall sound. It was a change that I preferred. Having just switched to the Furutech cables and, with Jay Rein's essay fresh in my mind, I immediately wondered how much this perceived improvement in overall sound had to do with synergy. It seemed to make sense that the Furutech cables would play well together.

Is this really the case? Is there some kind of new and improved synergy to my system? As I failed to make comparisons between the Ayre and Furutech cables, I can't say. I do intend, however, to compare the Furutechs with the upcoming Exposures.

What I can say is that I really like the Furutechs. Why? I'm not certain that it has anything to do with how they sound. I don't even know if they have a sound. And, while I'm willing to believe that they do, I'd be happier to think that they don't. In any case, my appreciation for them has more to do with a strange kind of comfort they provide.

I was thinking about it, and here's what I came up with: I just like the way they look, feel, lock, and drop. They're discreet. They seem strong, sturdy, well-built. Their connections are tight. They drape and fall effortlessly.

Still, I wasn't convinced. Were these reasons good enough? Then, while working on Recommended Components, I arrived at Kal Rubinson's July review of the Kubala-Sosna cables. Something he said gave me confidence:

I am no cable fancier; a poorly made cable can definitely screw things up, but the effective range of influence of a good cable on the sound is, in my humble opinion, limited.... Overall, [the K-S cables] seem to get out of the way of everything else, and let the system do its thing.

Right there. Right on. That made sense to me. It's exactly how I feel about the Furutech cables.

And now I must stop for a second and laugh at myself. Not only because I'm talking seriously about listening to cables, but because I'm kinda excited about it.

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Reader Comments

Posted Mon Jul31, 2006, 6:17 PM — By Al Marcy

Ears may be well pleased despite our silly attempts to decide which part is the most wonderful. Ears are the best part. Everything else just sucks up to our ears, or, just sucks.

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