Furutech NCF Clear Line AC conditioner

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Sam, Sep 14, 2021.

  1. motorstereo

    motorstereo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ct.
    But the noise harvester's flashing blue lights make you think they're doing something. That is unless there's very low emi on the line and they don't operate at all.
    Today's project is to find out why my clear line has been sitting half a state away for the past week. Hopefully the ebay seller had insurance.
     
  2. motorstereo

    motorstereo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ct.
    It's still languishing in a post office terminal at the other end of the state where it's been for the past 6 days. I brought the tracking # to my local P.O. but there isn't much they can do. I'll give it a few more days and then perhaps ask for either a replacement or refund.
     
    Dan Steely likes this.
  3. Bummer. There's nothing you can do about it.

    I hope you'll get it eventually, as I am on the fence about this device and I'm curious about your experience.
     
    motorstereo likes this.
  4. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    This mirrors my impression, I've had one plugged into an Analysis Plus 4-way outlet extender that feeds my system for about 2 months now - it's no joke, everything sounds better.
     
    Audiofan1 likes this.
  5. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I sent an express mail cardboard envelope to St. Louis. It made it there in 2 days then set at the post office for 2 weeks before it was delivered. You'll probably get it, but it's hell waiting when you really want that sucker!
     
    motorstereo likes this.
  6. Sam

    Sam Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I've been living with this thing for over two months now, and let me tell you it just gets better and better. One of the key areas of major improvement is in vocals. They just seem to hang in the air with such realism. Even on older recordings. I was listening to "A Hard Day's Night" album and I have never heard Paul's voice sound so lovely on "And I love Her." Depth and definition. Had I known the improvement this little $250 device was going to give me, I would have gladly payed $1250. Serious. It's that good.
     
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  7. John Duffield

    John Duffield Well-Known Member

    Same experience here.
     
  8. dasacco

    dasacco Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachussetts
    You guys are killing me… :)

    So where’s the best place to order one of these?
     
  9. Sam

    Sam Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I got mine from hifiheaven.net
     
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  10. dasacco

    dasacco Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachussetts
    Thanks, I just ordered. It will be a Christmas present so I won't be able to post any reviews until then, but looking forward to it!
     
    Dan Steely likes this.
  11. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    Is anyone concerned about any health issues associated with these devices? On another forum, there was considerable concern about the potential for EMF radiation from the device, or some such thing. I’m not sure if this applies to this particular unit from Furutech?
     
  12. RockAddict

    RockAddict Sanity is an illusion, just like democracy

    Location:
    UK
    All I can say is this: it's being sold in the UK and the EU where consumer laws are fairly robust in terms of safety. If there is a problem with it, there are two great bonuses I can look forward to: an unexpected financial gain and, better still, an even lower chance of adding to the world population... ;)
     
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  13. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    One of the best posts I have read on this forum, lol…:targettiphat::laughup:
     
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  14. motorstereo

    motorstereo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ct.
    My package is on the move finally after sitting at the terminal for the past 8 days:goodie: I believe it must've read my mind as I was mere seconds away from contacting the seller and asking for a refund and it didn't want to make the short return trip back home:D. Strange how it worked as I've checked on it's status dozens of times and this last one was going to be last one before I gave up and asked for a refund. Hopefully it's a worthwhile wait but I'm still very skeptical.
     
  15. Rich-n-Roll

    Rich-n-Roll Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington State
    Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Line Optimizer Review A skeptic gets his comeuppance. Review By Paul Schumann

    For $250, it didn't break the bank, unlike some of the other high priced power products. I do have a dedicated 20 amp line right to my main power box and a FIN outlet. My amp is plugged directly into the wall and my equipment goes to a fairly inexpensive power strip from Furmen, a PST-8.

    This device is a passive unit that simply plugs into a spare outlet on the strip. Easy as can be and even easier to pull it out for A/B comparisons.

    Does it work? LOL. Yes it does. Not only with audio, but with my video picture as well. Go figure. Going back and forth with it in and out, one can hear the differences. With it in (after a 24 hour break in), the soundstage gets deeper. Everyone seems to move back, and the ambiance cues are fleshed out with greater detail. Musical passages or voices that were somewhat forward and hard and now just as dynamic, but opened up on larger stage. Playing the same passage with the NCF out of the system collapses the soundstage to a somewhat flatter dimension. This was evident on my UK Abbey Road, MFSL Muddy Waters, and other darn good recordings.

    And as I mentioned, something was going on with my TV as well. My TV is older, and lately I've been noticing some "pixilation" on the screen. It's hard to describe, but it was there. Now, with this device plugged into my power strip, the pixilation went away after a brief warmup of the TV set. I haven't seen the picture this nice in quite a while. Wow, some visual evidence as well.

    All I can say is that for $250, this device is staying put in my system. As I said, it's so easy to do a comparison for yourself. Maybe someone who has already invested big bucks in AC conditioning won't hear a thing. But with my basic power strip, IT DID make a difference, and I just want to share that with you.[/QUOTE]

    Nice hear that it works I bought something similar same idea a module you plug directly into your power strip or as in my case into the wall out where my power strip is plugged into...works great

    AC iPurifier by iFi audio - Mains Audio Noise Eliminator
     
  16. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    That simply begs "PICTURES!!!" While "depth" and all that are very vague, and measuring the audio output not $$$ reachable for most, something visual like that should be, well, visible. As for the audio part, the next experimental level would be to have someone poker-facedly take the Furutech in/out of your system and see if you actually notice, since non-blind tests are subject to so many psychological effects, including that we just listen more intently when we make a change so of course then we can notice things we didn't previously. Heck, getting all amped up on cocaine could probably make your system sound "better" in that way.

    Once upon a time I got a Zenith rear projection TV, and let the very nice Best Buy guy sell me a Monster filter not really for filtering but because I needed something to plug stuff into and it was right there i.e. avoid another trip to kludge together multiple power strips. Plus it was returnable. I never noticed any huge difference in the audio, however yeah the picture looked a little cleaner. Even my wife noticed, and she had no clue or interest as to what I was connecting.* Unfortunately I never thought to take pictures at the time, and gee was that even in the digital camera era...maybe not.

    *My dim recollection is just the TV was plugged in, and it was a little while before I got around to plugging in the Monster filter and other equipment. Why I didn't do it right away I can't recall.
     
  17. Sam

    Sam Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Pictures? What do you want me to show you, pictures of no pixilation? I know what my TV was doing prior, and I know what it's doing now. Somehow this device "helped" my aging set with what was very annoying pixilation on the screen. Now, after a short warm up, the picture is clear. Didn't happen before I put in the NCF device.

    As far as audio, it is, without a doubt, the most profound A/B I have ever conducted. No, I did not have someone else do it for "true" blind test. Didn't need to. Yes, it is that apparent. Look at all the other comments from those who have taken a chance on this product. They practically mimic my results and comments. Here's the thing. If you buy from a dealer like hifiheaven.net, I believe you can return it for a full refund. What do you have to lose? Get one and conduct your own A/B test as you stated. Fully blind with a poker-faced friend switching it in and out. This is not just positive, wishful thinking as you allude to with your TV monster power strip not plugged in story. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when I first plugged the thing in. I said to myself, "No way I'm hearing that!" I jumped up and pulled it out and played the track again. (Non audiophile track--Hendrix's Purple Haze, of all things.) Yep, everything got closer to me, the soundstage now flatter. I put it back in and wow. I said "Am I hearing what I'm hearing??!!" That began hours of listening to VERY familiar recordings on both vinyl and CD. Each one was making me shake my head. Honestly, I don't know what Voodoo is causing this, and I would love for someone to produce some visual analyzer, if that's possible. But hear it I do, and apparently many others on this forum and internet reviewers hear it as well. I can only implore you to try it. I have no stake in the company. I only share this to pass along to my brothers on this forum that there finally is a product that doesn't have a telephone number for a price tag that actually makes a positive difference.
     
    james, Audiofan1 and motorstereo like this.
  18. motorstereo

    motorstereo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ct.
    During my wait time for my clear line I did a bit of research. One in particular just this morning was from a pair of ears that I trust and I had forgotten that I'd even commented on his evaluation of the clear line over a year ago. His comment was "dud" and my thinking was if he couldn't hear a change on the system he's running it on no way could I on my much more modest system. But I am glad to hear that you're able to hear a profound difference on your rig which is actually much closer in stature to what I'm running. So the mystery continues for me until I get it here and I'm able to hear it firsthand.
     
  19. Sam

    Sam Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I look forward to your evaluation. By the way, nice system in your profile. Wow. Just don't fire up the motorcycle when you do your serious listening. Lol.
     
    motorstereo likes this.
  20. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    Sure, pixilation without the Furutech and no pixilation with. Please don't mis-understand, having had a similar experience, I'm not denying yours. But non-blind changes are NOT scientfic evidence, and will certainly not be accepted well, so it would be nice to have some actual proof. If someone says "the soundstage expanded" etc, that is rather hard to document. Less pixilation, being visible, can have pictures taken. I don't have my old Zenith any more so I reproduce my experience any more. Hmmm, I haven't tried with my current TCL to see if the picture changes with/without the Monster...

    Puts me in mind of a website that used to take pictures with various models of digital cameras, and you could see various distortions their lenses and processing induced. That's a different story though.
     
  21. motorstereo

    motorstereo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ct.
    It's now at our local p.o. and supposed to be here tomorrow. The long wait for such a short journey is almost over.
    Thanks; that's an older pic as the bike has gone to it's winter home now. I can't figure out how update the profile so I guess it'll have to stay
     
  22. Jim0830

    Jim0830 Forum Resident

    My experience mirrors many others. You simply don't have to do a double blind test, the difference is readily apparent. It is often not at all subtle. When I did my initial review about 6 weeks ago now, I hadn't done at test where I unplugged it and plugged it in. I was away for 10 days when it arrived. I had someone who was taking in my mail plug it in. When I returned home it had been plugged in for a week and the difference was striking. Honestly I couldn't believe my own ears-the inner skeptic in me said this is all BS. Yet I had heard the difference on some YouTube videos and I figured I will hear a difference or I will return it. When @Sam read my review and asked if I had tested it in and out of the circuit, I had to admit no. To be a completist I had my brother plug it it/unplug it while I listened from my chair. No double blind testing was needed, the differences were not subtle at all. I wasn't listening more intently with it in the circuit vs. out. A downside that I have also discovered is it allows you to hear in greater (painful) detail a poorly mastered recording.

    As to TV picture improvements, I too thought I noticed a difference in my 65" 4K tv's picture. It seemed to be sharper and more clear than normal. I first noticed this a few days after the Furutech was in the mix. I hadn't really given that aspect any thought at all-this was a device I bought to improve the audio. I thought about reporting it but there are too many other variables in the path to my house that could affect this. I have a feeling it is the Furutech, and if so it is an added bonus. I will take it whatever the cause.

    For those on the fence: The differences are easy to hear, surprisingly enough and if you don't hear them it is easy to get your money back.
     
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  23. I bought one online yesterday. I just got it and plugged it in. Listening to music with a smile on my face. All the stuff @Sam said about it is true. A relativity small investment, a big return.
     
    motorstereo likes this.
  24. kundryishot

    kundryishot Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wales
    Reading various forums, some people say that power conditioners are the finest thing since sliced bread, whilst others claim that they suck the life out of the sound
     
    head_unit likes this.

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