Furutech Accessories

Posted by: Chris Thomas at 3:03 pm, March 19th, 2010

Furutech is a company that takes audio accessories very seriously indeed. Take its PC-2, a £35 CD and DVD spray-on anti-static fluid that comes with a micro fibre cleaning cloth. The company claims its formulation of enzymes and ions allow its cleaning powers to maximise the laser reading capabilities, leading to a better sound with improved viewing clarity. PC-2 is certainly the best cleaner I have tried. It leaves no visible residue and after cleaning, the disc performance is improved. I doubt anyone will clean each and every disc before they play it but an occasional once-over certainly works.

Likewise, the £66 T 13A/25mm Rhodium plated replacement fuse does what it says on the tin. I power my whole system of CD player, preamplifier and monoblock amplifiers through one mains plug into a Quantum QX4 and then a Thor distribution box. Think about the power for all those boxes passing initially through that one fuse and it’s not hard to imagine that an improved replacement could bring benefits. In an ideal world, I would need identical ‘performance’ fuses for every mains plug and over a period of time, I might be able to convince myself that this was financially viable. But the added sharpness and clarity that the fuse brings, together with a lowered noise floor means that it is well worth considering.

Nano Liquid addresses the microscopic hills and valleys of our interfaces by offering a suspension comprising of nano-meter technology formed by pure gold and silver particles 0.000008mm across. These are incorporated within ‘Squalene Oil’ (made from shark’s liver, apparently). The liquid is applied with a small brush to audio connections and Furutech claim that the molecules ‘fill up’ the air bubble holes left during the manufacturing and plating processes. The oil also has the extra benefits of acting as a de-oxidising agent, cleaning the surface and forming a protective film. When you paint the connections it takes a long while to dry and leaves a brownish-gold residue that vanishes with use, so use extremely sparingly. Perhaps the £126 Nano fluid is better suited to reviving old connections, but was doubtful as to whether I could detect any improvements, so the jury is still out on this exotic liquid. In fairness, I’ve never had much luck with contact cleaners… and I’ve tried a few over the years.

If you remember the old Zerostat gun and its effectiveness at removing the static from vinyl, then the £395 battery-powered (4xAA) Furutech DeStat will have a ring of familiarity about it. It looks like a small hair dryer though internally there is an Ion Flow Generator and a fan. Hold the DeStat at about four-inch distance over what you want to treat and push the side button. A smooth, controlled breeze blows gently and 10 seconds later the static charges have been dissipated. It is simple and very effective. You can remove the static from CD, vinyl, DVD and equipment. Once a week or so gently move the DeStat across your entire system starting at the mains cables, the CD disc tray, turntable and then through to the speakers, including all cabling. It works and I guarantee you will hear the improvements. It also forms a system maintenance procedure that continues to be effective so leave it next to your source and individually treat every CD or record as you play it. I also found it to be excellent at removing dust from TV screens and speaker cabinets. Battery life is short at about an hour but treating a whole system takes less that a couple of minutes. I really like the DeStat although it is quite pricey but I can see a couple of friends sharing the cost and use, making it more viable.

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