Cables are often considered an accessory rather than a critical part of the system as a whole - and it's a short-sighted approach. That's why a cable loom like the Furutech Flux system assembled here warrants attention: it's a fundamental part of the end result. And while the prices are high, they are not as high as some and certainly not unusual in high-end cable circles. Furutech is a Japanese company that established itself in the UK with the most comprehensively engineered IEC mains plugs on the market, but it started out making AV cables with high purity OCC single-crystal oxygen-free copper, a material which it still considers to be the ultimate for audio applications. Although the Flux is Furutech's flagship range and consists of all the key signal and AC cables, the range of off-the-shelf lengths is limited to 1.2m for Lineflux interconnects and 1.8m for Powerflux mains cables, but Speakerflux can be had in 2m, 3m, 4m and 5m pairs with prices starting at £2,295 for the shortest. Other sizes can be made to order.