Comparing different brands of connectors, AC receptacles and like elements is one of the hardest things to do. It isn't as if you can just switch things in or out; in some instances, modification may even be needed such as enlarging the holes in the case to accommodate the female RCAs. But the take home message is that every little thing in the system makes a difference and don't forget the little things like connectors. It's 20-20 hindsight but RCAs are certainly not the way we would choose to hook our systems up. In fact, just how bad RCA connectors are is hardly a state secret. So we have to make the best of a bad situation.
As we all know, good designs can be compromised by the parts selection. And everytime I looked at the connectors (what was originally used by Cello) on my tape preamplifier, I repelled in horror. I just hated the the feel of the actual connection and how the IEC held the power cord in place. So given my experiences with the original Furutech GTX-D Au AC receptacles, I decided to check out the new top-of-the-line Furutech plugs. (and in part because I liked the separate connections for (+) and (-) on the RCA plugs. So got two pairs of female RCAs, one pair of male RCAs and one IEC inlet and Charlie King was nice enough to modify his unit as needed to accommodate the new connectors. Upon return, I was totally in awe of the firmness of the RCA connections and most of all, the vise-like grip of the IEC inlet on the PC.
Here's some info on the plugs used in the modifications:

CF-126 R RCA plugs
・α (Alpha) OCC rhodium-plated center conductor
・α (Alpha) Copper Alloy rhodium-plated body with Fluoropolymer insulation.
・Carbon fiber and nonmagnetic stainless steel housing
・Termination method: solder

FP-901 R RCA jacks for chassis
•Positive/Hot Center Pin: Milled from a single piece of pure copper α (Alpha) conductor with
phosphor bronze locking ring
•Negative/Cold Conductor: Milled from a single piece of pure copper α (Alpha) conductor
•Non-magnetic rhodium-plated materials
•Eutectic brass housing (painted black) and 24k gold-plated nut cap
•Mounting Materials: Nylon (red or white /outer) and PETF Fluoropolymer (white/inner) insulation
•Mounting Insulation accommodates chassis panels of any thickness
•Connection Type: Soldered

FI-09 R IEC Inlet Pure copper α (Alpha) Conductor
Materials: Nylon/fiberglass
Type: 2-pole+earth
The results were nothing short of sensational. Anyone who has replaced for example their stock deck heads with the newer Flux Magnetics has already experienced this improvement. The biggest improvement is the quietness and improved transparency. The best example of this transparency are the Opus 3 tapes (particularly Sampler V) where the system sounds like there are no limits to the stage. The system has far, far more resolution especially on the softer end of the musical spectrum. For example, instruments are more distinctly separated and occupy a real space on the Yalung recordings such as Smoke and Mirrors Vanish or Janaki String Quartet. Each instrument just has a little more spaciousness with a commensurate blurring of the image with the new King-Cello. The slight solid-state edge that I attributed to the King-Cello has dropped to almost imperceptible levels. The low end seems to extend forever. Instruments that were buried in highly texture music all of a sudden can be discerned, no matter how softly they are playing. Yes, it's a little of the chicken or egg phenomena. Would I hear the improvements if I hadn't changed the heads; would I hear the improvements if I didn't change the connectors? No matter what, they both work together to elevate the performance of the electronics and most importantly allow one to hear just how much more information tapes contain!
No matter what the connector, be it AC power, IC or speakers, they shouldn't be neglected. In my system, the next, most logical connection to address is where the phono cable plugs into the tonearm and most of all, the signal level is the lowest. In fact, the same would seem to hold true also on the other end of the connections, eg. the phono section.
As we all know, good designs can be compromised by the parts selection. And everytime I looked at the connectors (what was originally used by Cello) on my tape preamplifier, I repelled in horror. I just hated the the feel of the actual connection and how the IEC held the power cord in place. So given my experiences with the original Furutech GTX-D Au AC receptacles, I decided to check out the new top-of-the-line Furutech plugs. (and in part because I liked the separate connections for (+) and (-) on the RCA plugs. So got two pairs of female RCAs, one pair of male RCAs and one IEC inlet and Charlie King was nice enough to modify his unit as needed to accommodate the new connectors. Upon return, I was totally in awe of the firmness of the RCA connections and most of all, the vise-like grip of the IEC inlet on the PC.
Here's some info on the plugs used in the modifications:
CF-126 R RCA plugs
・α (Alpha) OCC rhodium-plated center conductor
・α (Alpha) Copper Alloy rhodium-plated body with Fluoropolymer insulation.
・Carbon fiber and nonmagnetic stainless steel housing
・Termination method: solder
FP-901 R RCA jacks for chassis
•Positive/Hot Center Pin: Milled from a single piece of pure copper α (Alpha) conductor with
phosphor bronze locking ring
•Negative/Cold Conductor: Milled from a single piece of pure copper α (Alpha) conductor
•Non-magnetic rhodium-plated materials
•Eutectic brass housing (painted black) and 24k gold-plated nut cap
•Mounting Materials: Nylon (red or white /outer) and PETF Fluoropolymer (white/inner) insulation
•Mounting Insulation accommodates chassis panels of any thickness
•Connection Type: Soldered
FI-09 R IEC Inlet Pure copper α (Alpha) Conductor
Materials: Nylon/fiberglass
Type: 2-pole+earth
The results were nothing short of sensational. Anyone who has replaced for example their stock deck heads with the newer Flux Magnetics has already experienced this improvement. The biggest improvement is the quietness and improved transparency. The best example of this transparency are the Opus 3 tapes (particularly Sampler V) where the system sounds like there are no limits to the stage. The system has far, far more resolution especially on the softer end of the musical spectrum. For example, instruments are more distinctly separated and occupy a real space on the Yalung recordings such as Smoke and Mirrors Vanish or Janaki String Quartet. Each instrument just has a little more spaciousness with a commensurate blurring of the image with the new King-Cello. The slight solid-state edge that I attributed to the King-Cello has dropped to almost imperceptible levels. The low end seems to extend forever. Instruments that were buried in highly texture music all of a sudden can be discerned, no matter how softly they are playing. Yes, it's a little of the chicken or egg phenomena. Would I hear the improvements if I hadn't changed the heads; would I hear the improvements if I didn't change the connectors? No matter what, they both work together to elevate the performance of the electronics and most importantly allow one to hear just how much more information tapes contain!
No matter what the connector, be it AC power, IC or speakers, they shouldn't be neglected. In my system, the next, most logical connection to address is where the phono cable plugs into the tonearm and most of all, the signal level is the lowest. In fact, the same would seem to hold true also on the other end of the connections, eg. the phono section.
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