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Furutech NCF Clear Line Review (AC Optimizer)

Rate this product:

  • 1. Waste of money (piggy bank panther)

    Votes: 268 96.4%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 2 0.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 7 2.5%

  • Total voters
    278

TheBatsEar

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TheBatsEar

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6 people voted great. Explain yourselfs.
 

nyxnyxnyx

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I think it's a bit harsh to call people who believe in this product dumb, or unintelligent. We as humans might just be gullible to one thing or another, and audiophile mysticism is just one of the charming subjects.

But is there anybody baffled by the one thing I am? I've seen this countless times before but it's always the same, a product gets measured/tested more properly/debunked -> people who believe in it come and defense the validity of said product -> they never ever even expect a counterargument from the company of said product.
Just how and why does that happen? If this was other industries people would have FOUGHT for an explanation. If the local KFC one is eating received widespread rumors about how their chicken source is unhygienic and unsafe, or they are actually overusing MSG in their recipes, I'm 100% sure KFC as a brand will do something to control the damage and attempt to shut down the bad news in order to save their reputation, no matter if it's true or not.
This has rarely been the case for audio products.
 

DSJR

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I think it's because uber-subjectivists totally ignore and deny measured and objective reasoning "Because you can 'easily' hear stuff you can't measure!" and will blindly defend products like this to the very end.

I mentioned before that I had some doubts on level matched A-b comparisons until I tried to compare to things, got totally confused as to which was which and the slightly 'louder' one always won!!! I know it wasn't a 'controlled' test, but it convinced me of our brain's ability to be easily influenced. A fairly recent presentation by a well known UK based dac designer, also showed me how magic can be woven skilfully into a factual presentation so the lay people don't realise it and then when the sooper-dooper new digibox is demonstrated and compared in and out, a 2 or 3dB level difference is heard as a 'greater depth of image' (I definitely heard a difference but couldn't be sure if it really was a level change or not although it seemed like it - it needed a proper measurement test to confirm the level change).
 

nc535

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Let me be clear that I'm an objectivist and I'm not defending this device. When I first saw the picture, I thought low pass filter and possibly mutual coupling between the coils provides some measure of common mode rejection. It would be interesting to see if it did any of that. I imagine the low pass filter cutoff and common mode rejection effects would be well above the audio band but let's not forget what can ride in on the power line with it acting as an antenna. The should be some glimmer of true upon which a mfr could base extravagant marketing claims ....
 

Soniclife

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But is there anybody baffled by the one thing I am? I've seen this countless times before but it's always the same, a product gets measured/tested more properly/debunked -> people who believe in it come and defense the validity of said product -> they never ever even expect a counterargument from the company of said product.
Facts don't change people's minds.
 

sealman

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If you think that product is snake oil then what about this gem?

  • 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.
    :facepalm:
 

pseudoid

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But but but your measurements can't capture what I hear argument
Someone should hook-up some of these 'ears' to the AudioPrecision.
I will take bets that the S/N is in the plus (+) dBs...:eek:
Any bets about the exact #s?
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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Lupin

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Read the posts on the other forum and it's the same old story with the same old arguments. "your hearing is not good enough" "your gear is not resolving enough" "I'm above sighted bias"
What I keep find baffling though is that the subjective side claims they can hear things that can't be measured and yet it is the objective side "responsibility" to discover those measurements. To me the side that makes the claims need to supply the prove, not the other way around.

With this product it is especially easy to proof as setting up a proper blind test is much less complicated then with DACs or AMPS. Yet everyone on the subjective side refuse because of one reason or another...
 

Eggs Ackley

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I can hear choirs of angels singing on the head of a pin. Prove me wrong.
 

Toku

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A search for Furutech NCF Clear Line on Google in Japan will list a large number. But they are all articles that introduce or praise this product. No matter how much I checked, I couldn't find any articles that criticized the product. Google search seems to be in complete control. Such means are common in the sale of suspicious health foods and medicines.
As a Japanese, I find it very embarrassing that products like the Furutech NCF Clear Line are made and sold in Japan.
 

pseudoid

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As a Japanese, I find it very embarrassing that products like the Furutech NCF Clear Line are made and sold in Japan.
Come on Toku! No need to feel like that.
Do you realize how many Americans would have committed Hari-Kari if snake-oil was a patriotic offering???:D
 

Garrincha

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A search for Furutech NCF Clear Line on Google in Japan will list a large number. But they are all articles that introduce or praise this product. No matter how much I checked, I couldn't find any articles that criticized the product. Google search seems to be in complete control. Such means are common in the sale of suspicious health foods and medicines.
As a Japanese, I find it very embarrassing that products like the Furutech NCF Clear Line are made and sold in Japan.
Yeah, but you do not need to blame yourself too much, there is plenty of top-notch hifi from Japan! I am, as a german, embarrased that things like this are made here: https://steinmusic.com/category-room-acoustics/, but then there is also a lot of high quality stuff too (not so much cheap stuff unfortunately, but for example T+A produce really impeccable devices).
 

TheBatsEar

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As a Japanese, I find it very embarrassing that products like the Furutech NCF Clear Line are made and sold in Japan.
I find it very embarrassing that products like the Furutech NCF Clear Line are made.
The German word for this is Fremdschämen.
 
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