Rhodium...hmmm


I recently purchased pc for cd player with rhodium ends on both...I wasnt feeling the mojo from it and was not content with lowend resolution/grunt.I switched ac/male end with nice furutech copper and it has made the difference...Im surprised at the difference that it has made.Bass has more info/definition/warmth and high end still has sparkle with the neutral transparency that rhodium (iec) seems to offer.I know this has been talked about alot and probably deserves a duh!.. Rhodium indeed has its place in my system after all this time.Like it.

digsmithd

Rhodium plated Furutech plugs take a really long time to break in. It took FI-50 NCF plugs close to 400-500hrs to settle in my system. They sound fantastic just be patient. Clarity, air, texture. I don’t hear any harshness


FI-28 R took less time to break in, around 200-250hrs and are a bit warmer sounding than the 50 NCF. 
 

Furutech power cords are also great. 
 

Rhodium Is super hard and seemed to scratch up the receiving plugs. Not a fan!

Fwiw i did put the fi-15 plus/iec gold back in.The rhodium does sound nice and clean,but gold doesnt sound so bad either.

Rhodium is nothing more than a gimmick as it’s a poor conductor compared to more traditional options. If you want the same effect, save some money and connect your system using oxidized copper. 

I have assembled a lot of PC’s myself, and have used modest cables from name brands like Shunyata, Audioquest and Isotek, and I have used some boutique built silver plated PCs purchased on Audiogon.  For bulk cable I generally use Furutech and am currently quite fond of FP-TCS31, 12 guage wire, even for digital front ends, but bulk cable from Nanotec is also excellent.  
 

For connectors, I generally lean towards Rhodium.  I concur with break in time for this metal being interminable, but I prefer the balanced, clean overall sound.  I do like gold plated copper connectors for amps, and silver plated conductors can provide a unicorn brilliance in certain applications.  Furutech connectors are well made, but there are a number of Chinese branded and made knockoff connectors that work very well - some trial and error required.  Audiomeca brand PCs are a super bargain.

YMMV

kn