Furutech NCF Booster
Connector & Cable Holde

FURUTECH NCF BOOSTER REVIEW

Furutech NCF Booster

There's no doubt. We're living in the world of accessories, gadgets and gizmos. And our (not so) niche high-end audio universe is also not prone to a wide array of high-end audio accessories.

A lot of high-end audio companies are trying to capture certain part of the high-end audio accessories market pie. While some of the brands are striving to offer something substantial (by going beyond of just making figures), creating the quality products, worthy of their given price is not always a priority.

Well, Furutech clearly belongs to first, hard effecting group of manufacturers. It's a a well known Japanese high-end audio manufacturer. Most of their products and accessories needs no introduction to the most of the audiophiles and music lovers.

In our beloved field we've come to the stage where our cabling looms represent a significant expense and cables holds a monumental importance as a part of the complete high-end audio system setup.

The first audiophile supporting product quiet revolution certainly started with the high-end audio racks. People have realised, that audio "furniture" performs beyond the duties of the beauty stands. In the similar fashion, we started to treat our cables in the same way. And as with high-end audio racks, the discovered benefits are not exactly marginal.

Now... How many times did you stumble upon the not so happy ancient, when the thick power cords wanted to literary pull out the IEC male connector by their sheer weight!? For me this unpleasant situations were not exactly occasional.

Frustration? Heck yes. Sadly, merely a few of the high-ned audio manufacturers took this issue seriously enough and have implemented proper mechanical solutions at the mounting point of the IEC connector. For the rest of the products out there, we're forced us to use some "aid". Small wood blocks, boxes, solid plastic; you name it. While these "assistants" might help to address the problem to a certain degree, they were not designed for this specific purpose. As we know it and, as you'll read on, different materials comes with different propensities...

Furutech came out with a clever idea, that address most of these agendas and extends the use of NCF Booster beyond of what it appears at first glance; a simplistic design. A lot of R & D went into the NCF Booster project and it features quite a few original takes, like the Furutech multi-material hybrid construction, modular structure, superior connector and cable damping design etc.

At its core, NCF Booster is a multifunctional performance-enhancing connector and cable holder. Furutech designed it from the ground up to minimize the cable contact with the floor, reduce RFI and to offer a firm damping support for connectors and cables at points of connection.

NCF Booster onnector and cable holder allows for the optimum alignment between the usual heavyweight high-end audio cables's IEC connectors and (almost as a rule) very softly mounted IEC sockets. Furutech team's design plan for the NCF Booster was to eliminate static electricity and to boost the performance, resulting in more pure and clear signal.

NCF stands for Nano Crystal² Formula and feature unique crystalline material with double functioning properties. Below is a full-in-depth description.

Nano Crystal² Formula (NCF).

Incorporated into selected Furutech products, NCF features a special crystalline material that has two 'active' properties. First, it generates negative ions that eliminate static. Second, it converts thermal energy into far infrared. Furutech combines this remarkable material with nano-sized ceramic particles and carbon powder for their additional 'piezoelectric effect' damping properties. The resulting Nano Crystal² Formula is the ultimate electrical and mechanical damping material. Created by Furutech, it is found exclusively in Furutech products.

No other manufacturer goes to the expense and effort that Furutech does to develop and produce high-end audio accessories and cables, and NCF is a cumulative result of 30 years of research and development of Pure Transmission high-end audio grade products. The very audible improvement to sound playback offered by this unique material is winning praise and support, not only from Furutech’s loyal following of “Pure Transmission” audio enthusiasts but also from numerous makers of audiophile products worldwide that incorporate NCF components in their products.

The word crystal, when applied to sound reproduction, is a truly desirable thing. When you describe a sound system as “crystal-clear,” for instance, you’re referring to its ability to offer an open and transparent window into the original recording event. You might also use this phrase to suggest a lower noise floor, less distortion, or anything else that gets you, the listener, closer to the music you love.

Furutech has produced decades of unrivaled innovation within the audio industry. We have enabled listeners all over the world to get closer to their favorite music by making it sound as crystal-clear as possible. We have accomplished this enviable feat through careful research based upon solid scientific principles, and exhaustive listening tests to confirm those results.

For example, we have pioneered the use of many revolutionary technologies in our legendary line of Furutech products—the Floating Field Damper, the Two-Stage Cryogenic and Demagnetization Process and many, many others. Now we’re set to transform the audio industry with crystals.

MAGIC CRYSTALS!?

These aren’t “magic” crystals, mind you, but a new crystallized material that actively generates negative ions to eliminate static and converts thermal energy into far infrared. There is nothing mysterious about the way these crystals work—quite simply, they improve audio performance in a very specific and measurable way.

The story behind these crystals is simple as well. Years ago, a research discovered that these crystals affected sound quality in a certain way—a very positive way. After learning about this research, Furutech decided to test these crystals under strict conditions. After experimenting with countless forms and composites, the Furutech team found a proprietary use for this material that would excel in audio applications.

Furutech achieved this by combining these crystals with nano-sized ceramic particles and carbon powder to create a piezoelectric effect, which results in even better damping properties. This didn’t happen overnight—this material is the culmination of 30 years of steady and consistent research at Furutech.

We dubbed this material NCF, which stands for Nano Crystal² Formula.

It works so well, in fact, that many other audio companies in Japan are now working with Furutech to implement NCF into their products. Now it is time to introduce the NCF technology to the rest of the world.

NCF BOOSTER

With the introduction of the NCF Booster, Furutech has made it easy for anyone to hear the differences that this technology can bring to any audio system. These differences include noticeable improvements in imaging and clarity, a reduction in distortion in higher frequencies and more dramatic tonal definition.

The Furutech NCF Booster is a simple device that can be added to any cable or connection in your system. With every NCF Booster you install, you will experience a greater overall sonic improvement. This allows every listener to set the pace when it comes to evaluating the impact of each of these amazing devices. Or as one enthusiastic user noted, “It doesn’t matter how many you use, a saturation point is never reached!”

The NCF Booster is a simple cable elevator that can be placed along runs of cable, or even at the connection point. The height of the Booster is adjustable, so you can dress your cabling more efficiently. You can install NCF Boosters throughout your system in a matter of minutes, and immediately notice the results.

In other words, it’s incredibly easy to hear the differences that Furutech NCF Boosters will bring to your audio system. Once you hear them, the choice will be crystal-clear.

CONCLUSION

Before even getting to the aural impact, the simple practical utilization of the NCF booster is worthy alone all of the high praise. It extends beyond of just a basic implementation of a clever theory. NCF Booster is one of the most useful high-end audio accessories I've had the luxury to deal with over the years. Cable cluttering falls into the mandatory reviewer's everyday tasks. For us, a product like NCF Booster comes with the accepted value. The readers and owners of the high-end audio systems NCF Booster will certainly intrigue them enough by being much more than a just typical high-end audio accessory.

As proven over the months of daily usage, the Furutech NCF Booster's main qualities can divide into two parts. One is its mechanical assisting propensity, functioning either as speakers cable holder/elevator or taking care of the power and signal cabling loom. As you've could notice in the images from the previous review section, there are numerous ways of integrating the Furutech NCF Booster into any high-end audio system. And not just as part of the visual luxury, but the substantial high-end audio apparatus.

There are alternative products on the market, that provides some NCF Booster features, but none of them appears to come even close to the wide array of functions and the interchangeable nature of Furutech high-end audio gizmo. There is no other device I know of that provides so much resilience and effective implementations. Period!

NCF Booster eschews the common accessories paradigms with its additional sonic standout. Well, they've called them boosters for a reason, right :)? My listening notes have formed a dense list of attributes that have disclosed more than just marginal sonic improvements. The most glaring distinctions were instantly apparent upon separating them from the system.

The changes could be ranked from faint to the more pronounced depending on the specific insertion. A giant - one-piece acoustic textile carpet completely covers my listening room's floor and by putting the speaker’s cables on to it, this certainly generates a static charge. Perhaps this is why I've spotted the performance variation with cables running from my Lamm M1.2 Reference hybrid power amplifiers to the speakers.

I wouldn't claim the power cable performance boost as subtle, but somehow the signal and speaker cables have benefit somewhat more performance wise.

We cannot underestimate the fact, that cables change their structure if they're constantly moved, thus twisted. How can they maintain their original crystal structure intact with any of the bending? And, I don't even wish to enter into the monocrystal structure discussion... Here rests one of the many highlights of the Furutech NCF Boosters implementations; keeping the wire structure intact and firm in place. Yes, reviewing demands a perpetual changing, but it’s the end user we’re trying to provide with the proper data.

On a few occasions, I've already cited interesting/intriguing findings and facts from other industries. They’re constantly delving into the new probabilities of minimizing micro vibrations and resonances, reaching even to such extends as freezing the cables down to minus 250 Celsius to enhance the signal transmission. And this is just one of the drastic circumstances outside of our field of operation.

For some of the audiophiles and general audio enthusiasts, such a topic is still a sensitive matter. I'm not considering myself bold or sticking my head out the crowd for detecting and telling about the constructive attributes, but then again it’s required to tell about these things. If there is a path of progression I’m always happy to jump onboard. Interestingly enough and over the years even few of the hardcore “non-supporters” have changed their minds as the result of proper demonstrations.

Side note, but a significant one. If one is too unsettled, tense or simply too tired its extremely hard to appreciate the music, what to talk about spotting subtle developments in the high-end audio music reproduction. With a negative mind in motion, we can too easily block any of the relevant examinations. On top of it, our receptors are affixed to the more sensible deciphering over the time and if it works with the tasting and smelling, why would it be any different with the listening?

Anyhow, to the final sum up. Better focus, clarity, objective hints of positive excitement and less hazy audio presentation! All up to the particular degrees and depending on the "insertion" point and all above the expectations and with more than a noticeable positive bump in the presentation.

The only "issue", that I have with the Furutech NCF Booster is the addiction! Once you implement them into the system it’s hard to stop with just one set. NCF Boosters make sense on both mechanical and sonic plane and its impossible to overlook their impacts. Soon, one wishes to adjust all the electrical and signal contacts to the optimum degree and avoid all the breaking points. Yes, it’s the pattern recognition discovery!

I've been requested again and again about high-end audio product recommendations, that makes sense and are of the real world - functional value. Here you have a stand out the high-end audio device, that goes above the simple accessory labeling. Furutech NCF Booster's capability of multiway implementation, the real world applications and sound improvement, puts them most highly on the personal throne of the favorite high-end audio accessories.

I'm sure you've already grasped all the right reason, why I'm wholeheartedly giving out the Mono and Stereo 2018 Highly Recommended Award to the Furutech NCF Booster and why it deserves this particular accolade. Highly recommended!