MCRU “THE FIRST” MAINS LEAD AND “ULTIMATE MKiii” LOUDSPEAKER CABLES REVIEW

Janine Elliot takes a listen to the MCRU “The First” mains lead and “Ultimate Mkiii” loudspeaker cables costing £412.50 and £600/3m respectively.

I remember as a teenager getting my first few meters of QED 79-strand cable and being fixated by how they could put 79 strands into a single cable and make it so thick. Back then we never thought anything about connecting our awful thin-wired mains leads into the backs of the HiFi (if it didn’t already have a lead coming out of it). Roll on 40+ years and MRCU has brought out two chunksome cables into the world that would have turned heads and minds back in the late 70’s. These are ginormous cables in comparison with my old QED, arriving as they did in a large box with bubble-wrap. Of course, their size is there for a reason, not just for looks.

Some people are very open about what is inside their cables, but some are not quite so forthcoming, which is a shame as I can’t tell you much about the conductors or materials for the dielectric, though it means I have to listen more accurately and not get influenced by whether it is silver or copper (or wrongly believe that silver has to necessarily sound better than copper!).

Meet David Brook, from MCRU, a company that not only sells products from major brands but also produces an amazing assortment of their own, like the speaker cable and mains lead up for review this time around. Indeed, they even offer some of their mains leads for you to terminate yourself, keeping the cost down, though all products are very competitively priced. I’m always impressed by David’s knowledge and enthusiasm, but he understandably doesn’t want others to know all about the magic inside the sheaths. His own products are very unique and many are great looking, especially the Ultimate MkIII speaker cable coming in at £600/3-metres. If size really matters then this very thick monster of a cable should get excellent marks. Similarly, “The First” Mains Power Lead mains lead is equally impressive in looks, and I was keen to connect these up at the earliest opportunity.

MCRU is based in Elland, just south of Halifax, up in West Yorkshire, and a few minutes from the M62. David has spent most of his life as an audiophile and music lover, and having an obsession with cables, setting up Mains Cables are Us, before changing its name to MCRU. As well as many cables from a number of big brands he also stocks HiFi, having two top systems on demonstration.

THE CABLES

Since little is known about these cables outside the minds of David, my life was made slightly easier as all I had to do was listen and write. “The First” Mains Power Lead is aptly named, as this cable is designed to be the very first thing your HiFi should see, ideally placed before a mains conditioner or at least the mains extension block. Luckily for me, my house is festooned in mains conditioners, having advised a number of companies on designing conditioners and mains cables, plus being the proud owner of a good Isotek. The First is made using a cryogenically treated cable with 5.5mm² conductors and an active copper earthing screen shrouded in a carbon-infused polyester sleeving as the final shield to combat RFI. This cable is certainly beefy, and not easy to sit behind the HiFi, and certainly not coiled up out of sight. This one needs (and insists) that it is seen by everyone. Be warned, if your mains socket is near floor level you will have difficulty plugging it in as the cable doesn’t bend as easily as many mains cables do, and the Furutech FI 1363 plug is very large. This excellently connected lead comes in a choice of three terminations (produced by Furutech) and different fuse choices (SR or Hifi Tuning fuse). My unit arrived in a massive box with FL-UK-NI (FI 1363) mains plug and FI-11 (CU) IEC socket (this is high-grade pure copper deep cryogenically treated) and with HiFi Tuning fuse.

“The First” mains cable from MCRU comes with options with regards to the fitted fuse.

The cost of the review sample was £412.50.

For MCRU, the main criteria for designing a good cable are the gauge and purity of the metal in the cable connectors. Indeed, the thickness is not as important as the purity but is a close second. Then MCRU look at the shielding as they don’t want it picking up all that RFI lurking around the room. Thirdly, and this is an often-overlooked aspect of the mains lead; the fuse. Simply adding a 50p fuse is a no-no at MCRU, so a choice of three top-quality models is available. As MRCU informed me “The electricity has to travel through the fuse, so cheap fuses will act as a bottleneck. MCRU have always known that fuses matter, The First is fitted with some of the best fuses currently made”

The Ultimate Mkiii loudspeaker cable is even thicker and equally hard to coil around, but that said, it is truly beautiful with its wooden barrels at each end to hide the termination to + and -. The cable being so heavy, however, did put pressure on the sockets of my speakers, but the Cryo treated Furutek banana plugs were of a good condition and the termination/build of these cables, just like “The First” was exemplary. Being Mkiii this cable is even better than the previous two versions and according to MCRU, those two were a great success. As standard, the cables are terminated with spade connectors for the loudspeaker end and zplugs for the amplifier end, so do request your desired termination when ordering. Mine came with banana plugs. Coming in at £600 for 3m, smiles per pound was excellent. The cable is Japanese made and well shielded to prevent RFI.

Well finished, the Ultimate Mkiii speaker cables contain Japanese sourced wire in them.

SOUND QUALITY AND MUSIC

Listening began in earnest after some running in of the cables. The mains cable certainly was of great quality not only in terms of build but also in its audio quality. I immediately noticed greater speed and a cleaner sound from all sources I played from it, and really importantly the removal of RFI was noticeable. The behind of HiFi racks can be a breeding ground for RFI/EMIs. This is why this cable is designed for placement at the very start of your HiFi system. With lots of audio cables and mains leads creating a spaghetti junction it is easy to end up with interference. My own turntable can produce mains hum unless cables are sensibly placed around the back of the rack. This cable worked well. Even noise from the fridge/freezer was abated. Music had great attack and decay and improved power from instruments such as kick drums (for example the Rush live album and Patricia Barber Café Blue, as mentioned later).

Furutech hardware on The First are of very good quality.

Next, it was time to add the loudspeaker cable to the set-up. What was immediately noticeable was the excellent mid-range detail. The detail in The Enid ‘In the Region of the Summer Stars’ was highly engrossing. This ethereal and very Rachmaninov-like album had excellent lower bass detail, with only the very extreme top lacking in the bite that I would like. For £600 I shouldn’t worry too much, as this cable looks three times this price.

A variety of terminations os avaialble on the Ultimate mkiii speaker cables.

That bass end was only slightly lacking in Widor’s Toccata (Chasing the Dragon), as I felt the very lowest octave could have more bite. Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ album has lots of bass and, similarly, it wasn’t quite as controlled as cables north of £1000, so this isn’t really a criticism, rather just an observation. I did find these cables worked especially well for pop/heavy rock. “I Can’t Give Everything Away” is my favourite track on this album, the singing hinting as to his end of life. The cable gave a lot away; detailing the heavy compression, particularly of the kick drum and bass. The vocals were very enticing.

Turning to classical music and Benjamin Britten’s 4 Sea Interludes (Vernon Handly/Ulster Orchestra) the music was fast-paced, clear and tight, showing this cable could be very sensitive to classical music. Similarly with jazz and Patricia Barber ‘Café Blue’ there was clear definition between the instrumentalists and space for their solo melodies. Again, that mid-range was excellently portrayed.

Listening to Dave Brubeck’s‘ A Cut Above’ again gave excellent mid-frequencies and the top was clearer from this great LP. Time for Rush’s live concert at Kiel Auditorium at St. Louis, Missouri, recorded on the 14^th February 1980. This was a band I liked; heavy rock with electronica, plus explosions and audience cheers, was a good test for this speaker cable. Everything was there; the top was very clear as was mid, but the lower bass very slightly lacked the depth I needed. Time to turn to an old favourite to double-check on that lower bass. David Gilmour’s ‘On an Island’ has exceptional bass bursts in the musique concrete first track. This was much better. Detail across the soundstage was excellent, making excellent sound per pound, and if I had to criticise anything it was that the sound was a little laid back, though that gave me the opportunity to really get inside the music. It’s not slow, just not spirited. There was still detail, but the music was smooth; think solid-state versus tube, this was definitely of the latter.

Finally, to an LP I expected problems with; Mozart’s Violin Concerto (Riccardo Muti/Anne Sophie Mutter). This album has much mid-frequency string playing and the violin solo can sound entangled within, making it hard to separate it from the orchestra. If only Mike Valentine had recorded it! I wanted to hear how the mid frequencies I have spoken about would make sense of this album. I actually found midrange quite acceptable from the MCRU cable. It had a very musical performance making this album enjoyable to listen to, and thus I was growing to highly respect this cable.

CONCLUSION

This review shows that you don’t need to buy big-name products to get excellent results, and perhaps “MCRU” should be a name to get to know for the quality of build and audio performance.

The mains cable was really excellent with great attack and decay and excellent RFI qualities, and the Ultimate Mkiii should be remembered for more than the diameter of the cable. That thickness was part of the makeup that made this cable so good for the price.

This cable worked well with all types of music with particularly excellent performance in the all-important mid frequencies.

If you have a limited budget but top-rated HiFi set up this is an excellent cable to try out.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:

Absolutely unquestionably good build quality for the price

Sound Quality:

An Excellent midrange, though worked well at all frequencies. Excellent attacks and decays from notes

Value For Money:

These cables are exceptionally good value

The quality and construction is excellent

We Loved:

Dynamics from The First mains cable

Mid range detail from the Ultimate Mkiii loudspeaker cable

Transparency

Build quality

We Didn’t Love So much:

Be aware, the mains cable isn’t as flexible as thinner cables

Prices:

“The First” £412.50

“Ultimate Mkiii” £600 (3 metre)

The First mains lead purchase options:

Option 1 – Furutech FI-1363 NCF mains plug – SR Purple Fuse – Furutech FI-50/52 NCF IEC connector

Option 2 – Furutech FI-1363 Gold plated mains plug – SR Orange Fuse – Furutech FI-28 G IEC connector

Option 3* – Furutech FI-1363 copper mains plug – Hi-Fi Tuning Fuse – Furutech FI-11 copper IEC connector

*as reviewed here.

Elevator Pitch Review: Whilst some manufacturers are producing the thinnest of cables others are making really thick cables to get the best out of your hi-fi. The Ultimate Mkiii and The First are the latter and these are priced far lower than their looks would suggest. The mains cable is one of the best I have used coming in at £412.50, and the loudspeaker cable was particularly good with all music coming in at a miserly £600 for 3 metres. If you are in the market for a new speaker cable you won’t be disappointed with this one.

Janine Elliot

REVIEW EQUIPMENT: Pre-Audio GL-1102N/AT33sa (turntable); Manley Steelhead (phono stage); Krell KPS20i (CD); Ferrograph Logic7 (reel to reel); Astell and Kern SE180/iFi xDSD (DAP/streamer) Synthesis Roma 98DC/MFA Baby Reference Pre (amplification); Graham Audio LS5/9 plus Townshend Supertweeter (speakers); IsoTek mains conditioner, Townshend rack; Other cables used; Tellurium Q, Ecosse.

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