Review: Fospower stereo audio cable

Budget Esoterica Review Magazine
November 2016

Review: Fospower stereo audio cable

Fans of the well regarded Kabel Direkt stereo audio interconnect will be glad to know that they have a close cousin in the Fospower stereo interconnect. The Fospower cable uses a tin plated copper core which reduces oxidation and increases wire life. Copper braiding and aluminum foil shielding provide flexibility and reduce emi interference. The connectors are 24k gold plated, and the cable is covered in a polyethylene foam insulator. The product comes with a limited lifetime warranty. The Fospower cable is available online for around $10. Different sizes are also offered. 

The Fospower, like the Kabel Direkt, also gives you a little of that tube-like flavor. In the case of the Fospower, i noticed a little more of that flavorful tonal color that you get while listening to a tube amp. This is obviously a high-tech product designed for the audiophile on a budget. 

Reference Discs

1. Masata Honda, Illusion, JVC XRCD.
2. Hank Mobley, High Voltage.
3. Colin Hay, Next Year People.

Bass quality and quantity are usually the first compromise of an inexpensive interconnect and the Fospower adheres to that notion. I did, however, notice a very nice mid bass from my NHT super zero speakers while listening to "Stratos" from the Masata Honda cd. The bass from my Kimber PBJ was a little bigger, slightly harder hitting and a little more accurate. I also felt that the Kimbers were slightly quieter and maybe more cohesive as well. 

Hi Voltage by Hank Mobley is an excellent hard bop cd that has been getting a lot of play time on my cd player. This was recorded in 1967 and remastered in 2004 by Rudy Van Gelder. My favorite track is number 5, "Bossa De Luxe".
This is a good track for judging the quality of the upper frequencies. Here the Fospower acquitted itself quite nicely with a fairly clean presentation with good weight. The Kimbers seemed to have a slightly softer and more delicate presentation with a little more of a polished sound. I felt like the Kimbers were a little more accurate with the brass instruments, also. This is not a night and day difference, but it is enough for the discerning audiophile with a larger budget to choose the more expensive interconnect. 

Regarding mid range transparency let's study the excellent master work of Colin Hay while listening to his cd titled, "Next Year People". This is one cd that bears repeated listening. I didn't really appreciate it until i listened to it 3 or 4 times. I found the vocal transparency of the Fospower interconnect to be very very good. Take the title track for instance. I did not notice any difference in transparency or neutrality from the Fospower while switching to my reference Kimber PBJ. With repeated listening of "Mr. Grogan", i noticed that the Kimber has slightly better musicality, refinement, tightness and clarity. The differences were very small, however. The bonus track, "Are We There Yet?", is one of my favorites. On this track i noticed the same slight improvements with the Kimber, as well as a little added nuance, rhythm and tonal color. 

The Fospower is not a giant killer, but i was surprised how close it came to the Kimber  PBJ in my system. The equal in a very few respects, and inferior in several respects, including the ever important bass, for audiophiles on a strict budget, the Fospower is an excellent starter interconnect. 

Reference Equipment

Arcam Alpha 8r integrated amp with noisestopper caps and aucharm fuse
Yamaha CDC-575 cd changer
ViaBlue speaker cable
NHT super zero speakers
Energy speaker stands
Tara Labs Prism power cord