One might imagine that I am the only audiophile who prefers the Furutech rhodium products to their gold products. In which case Furutech has obviously made a terrible mistake in their design. Of course, I doubt that this is the case. I am not alone in my preference. So, "in my system" obviously does not mean only in my system, and my system alone, whatever anyone else including Chris V. or others say. You see, the problem is that you cannot make rules about everyone's systems. Need I state the obvious that not all systems are alike -- so one size does not fit all. Hence, Furutech offers 2 choices to its customers -- rhodium and gold. And for a good reason. I believe this is obvious.
I believe I am not alone in my preference for Furutech rhodium. I also believe Furutech knows what they are doing. Those who imply that Furutech does not know what they are doing may have underestimated Furutech. I believe that Furutech's rhodium receptacle is right on the mark and that this fact is underlined by a well-researched review on enjoythemusic.com that covers outlets from various companies, including the Furutech rhodium.
Here is a 2-paragraph quote from the aforementioned review:
"GTX-D achieved the highest levels of both resolution and smoothness, something usually not seen together in one product. If one switched from the $1 house outlet to GTX-D, the staggering amount of previously-unheard resolution, clarity, and dynamics will likely be startling to the listener. All that extra information and energy is delivered in a defined, controlled way, without various sound bites getting out of control and ragged as can happen with lesser outlets. Bass is not overblown or obscuring; instead, it is tight, defined, and extended with energetic dynamic punch. Tiny sounds from various nooks of soundstage come alive with crystalline and pure delivery while instrument positioning, layering, and depth become effortlessly obvious. To make matters worse (?), GTX-D delivers a gorgeous, tasteful, 3-dimensional solidity in the all-important midrange without going overboard with overly round and thick presentation. This outlet is not held back by a overly "balanced" but boring presentation with polite, reticent midrange presence, either. The voices have superb reach into the room and soundstage, vivid and forward enough to be engaging while not overcooked, especially in the sibilance and presence region."
"What are the flaws? Well, Furutech must have a reason for making the gold plated version of GTX-D as well for a different flavor. Some of the Furutech vendors recommend the rhodium version for neutral to warm systems, probably with tubes, which may mean the gold version, may fit better in neutral to cool systems. Not having the GTX-D Gold in house to compare to Rhodium, it is difficult to say for sure, but going by prior experience with gold vs. rhodium plating, one might presume that GTX-D (g) might have a warmer tonality with possibly more bass quantity, albeit with less tightness. It may also have more forgiveness but not as much detail resolution. Would that make (r) version any less worthy and flawed? Any well-heeled audiophile would already know that systems are different and that one does not fit all. One outlet may serve a certain type of system better while the other outlet may synergize a little better with a different type of system, with final results heavily being dependent on the listener's personal tastes as well. Once again, there is no substitute for actually trying the product in one's own system, and for those audiophiles who are willing to pay the tariff and do the hard work, the Furutech should be on the rather short list."
The rhodium doesn't sound too shabby at all in this well-written review -- despite comments to the contrary on this forum and despite references to Chris V. and some of his customers. The obvious fact is that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, not in the talking. Some folks just happen to enjoy the taste of rhodium -- knowing that others prefer the flavor of gold. It may surprise some but there is room for both in the world of high end audio -- and, obviously, a need for both.
