Cross point - Fuses, Breakers, Power cables and other cables

[Zeins]

Hi Everyone,

I will like to introduce this brand call Cross Point (CP) that is from Japan. https://crosspoint-design.jp/ (use google translate)

I first came to know about this brand via forum posts also head-fi community in Chinese while searching for good us receptacle brands to replace the sockets (just normal) in my house about 2 years ago. I didnt proceed back then as I was still in the progress of completing my system and the receptacle seems to be a splurge (e.g even the cheapest receptacle is quite expensive as compared to something from Furutech) and hence decided to go for another brand of US receptacle.

Fast forward 2 years later, I have finally decided on most of my components in my system and i felt that it was a good time to splurge on something which could bring my system further and CP came across my mind again. I was really curious what a US$4.7k receptacle can do for my system and hence i looked into the list of dealers on his website and i saw that actually he doesn't usually sell his products to foreigners, however 1 Chinese name peaked my interest whom is CP's dealer selling products in China via Taobao. As I am also a Chinese, I reached out to CP dealer in China via the store link and asked whether he is able to sell his products to Singapore since it would be easier for me to communicate with him as compared to the other stores on CP webpage which are stores in Japan.

The CP dealer in China is also a long time audiophile and he has tested many different brands before ending up with CP and he had shared tips to me on how to improve my system at home just via sharing of photos and discussions on wechat. It was fruitful discussion and really helped to bring my system further.

Henceforth started my journey with CP, following are some of the purchases that I had made:
a) XP-FS Fuse (10A) - Currently used in my Dan D'Agostino progression integrated. The China distributor told me to start off with the fuse first since it is his first time selling to Singapore and also for us to familiarise with each other and to build trust. I dont have much experiences with other fuses but the XP-FS Fuse is in very imaginable manner superior to the original fuse that came with the progression integrated. The most exceptional part is that it is a balanced product, there is no emphasize on any particular frequency and there is significant improvement is also on the fluidity of the music. Noise level drop, clarity and control improved as well. The original fuse sounded very rough in comparison and is not able to present the micro details in the song.

b) XP-PS HYAKUSHIKI receptacle (replaced a CM audio 9999RH receptacle) - I am currently using this as my main receptacle which is connected directly to the progression amplifier and to a gigawatt power strip (PF2 evo+) which connects to the rest of my system which includes rockna wavedream reference signature dac, lumin u2, 2 x Zayin suprareg powering silent angel z1 plus, genesis gx, bonn nx and a ediscreation fiber box 2, UST projector and apple tv xhttps://appletvx.com/. The receptacle took quite a few weeks to run in but the improvements are tremendous. For video watching, the projector colors had become quite vivid and colourful but definitely not the over saturated kind, density of the color increased substantially. Voicing of the actors become much more clear, its like adding on a centre channel, noise level definitely dropped, sound stage became wider, and positioning improved where instruments in the different rows become more obviously different. Extension of the sound improved in both high and low frequency.

I have also tried other CP products such as HLP/PSC HYAKUSHIKI (All Copper) power cable, HLP-DIC/USB HYAKUSHIKI, Insulators (XP-CIN, XP-WSB, XP-FB56 etc) but its getting quite late now. Hence i will rest and continue another day.

Anybody who is interested to know more about CP products or if you are keen to listen to how a system powered by CP products sound like and is residing in Singapore, please do reach out to me via conversations.

 

[Zeins]

Today i will like to talk about about the owner of CP, 奈良岡, Naraoka (based on google translate). I have not personally liaised with him but I got to know him better through a blog that he has been writing since Dec 2005 (close to 20 years soon), via the descriptions given to me by his China dealer and via his products that I am currently using.

For those who are keen to read his blog, you can find it here, http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/ (do use google translate to translate into your preferred language). He frequently post information on his products, notes on hifi and videos.

One of the qualities that I really admire is Naraoka's conviction that he will never short change his customers. All products that he sell must meet his level of quality within the constraints of the price of the product. Sometimes he will have discounts for products with minor cosmetic defects but does not impact performance at all. These defects might not even be obvious to end users if he dont point it out. Eg: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=1556#gsc.tab=o

CP is just a small manufacturer and shop, Naraoka does the finishing touches to the products and personally checks each product before shipping to his customers. Of course, he does use manufacturers and other parties to produce the parts that he needs for his products but everything has to pass his quality check before it will be assembled into the final product. Even after assembly, he will ensure that it meets his standard before it is shipped out.

He is known to have delay shipment of products just because it does not meet his standards and all the substandard products will not reach his customers at all. HLP-PC Hyakushiki was one product that I know of when he had delayed delivery because he wanted to improve the intial design further by trying different treatments. This was a limited time product launched in Feb 2025 and orders being taken up to early Mar 2025 and it is a external housing for the IEC head to his power cables but it can work for other power cables as well if it it is the right size. I am using it now and it is a potent product when combined with his power cables, the saturation of sound in the soundstage and the vividness of my projector images are further enhanced when the HLP-PC Hyaskushiki is used. The final product only commenced delivery in July 2025 (5 months after he announced the product on his blog).

Link for HLP-PC Hyakushiki: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=1542#gsc.tab=o
Link where he shared that the further improvements he tried to make didnt work for how he intend the product to be used but discovered that it can be used for other purposes: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=1558#gsc.tab=o
Link for the importance of how the IEC plug blades are cut: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=844#gsc.tab=o

Another quality that made me trust his products is his craftsman spirit, his dedication to always experimenting and finding new/better ways to improve his products. You can see it from the way he refreshes his product line on a periodic basis and some of the products such as circuit breakers and power receptacles, he has already been developing those since 2010. Imagine the progress he has made since then.

Some of his blog posts that really impressed me on his craftsman spirit:
Link explaining how he discourage customers to come to his shop so that he has more time to conduct experiment to determine the key components of good sound: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=1513#gsc.tab=o
Link showing his dedication to quality control and his belief: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=809#gsc.tab=o
Link where he started to reject his old products: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=315#gsc.tab=o

Following are some articles that i felt maybe worth a read for everyone just to expand your awareness:
1) What should be your priority when building a system? http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=1084#gsc.tab=o
2) 3 Fundamental rules of music reproduction. http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=855#gsc.tab=o
3) Quality is affected by upstream products, but control over the sound characteristics is determined by the speaker cables: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=631#gsc.tab=o [For this article, I am still trying to understand what he is trying to say, hence I could have explained wrongly in my title]
4) Neutral products are the best: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=605#gsc.tab=o
5) How to differentiate a good rack from a bad rack: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=352#gsc.tab=o
6) Purposes of changing hifi fuse:http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=184#gsc.tab=o
7) Using video to explain sound resolution: http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=12#gsc.tab=o

 

[Zeins]

I will be talking about the circuit breaker setup at my home and the XP-BR HYAKUSHIKI. It was installed on 28 August 2025 together with the Doepke DFS 2 Audio at the same time. I am staying in an apartment, or if you are familiar with Singapore, a 5 room HDB.

Please consult your local electricians before making any changes to the circuit breaker at your home.

As can be seen in the diagram above, the following is how it is currently wired:
a) Electricity from outside the apartment is connected to a original 40 AMP double pole circuit breaker on the top. See (1) in the picture.
b) From the top of the 40 AMP double pole, i connected 2 cables (1 live, 1 neutral) to bridge the power directly to the Doepke DFS2 audio RCCB. See (2) in the picture If u see closely, one will realise that the electricity is channeled via the bottom busbar to the original RCCB on the left which came with the house. The intention to bridge the power using the top is to circumvent even the original 40A double pole circuit breaker to avoid another round of wastage. However do note that I have a 60A breaker outside the house which connects to the live grid, hence I will off the 60A breaker outside the house if any maintenance is required to ensure all circuits in the house are not live.
c) Thereafter from the RCCB, i do another connection to the CP breaker denominated by (3). I have reverse the breaker so that current go in from the top of the breaker and out from the bottom of the breaker. There is a direction to the breaker as well.
d) Lastly electricity from the breaker goes straight to the circuit powering my hifi equipment. I didnt replace this stretch of cables and only existing circuits were used.

There were also 2 gold screws that came with the CP breaker but i couldnt use it for its intended purposes as i had to use another method to mount the breaker on the din bar and the 2 screws given were not sufficient long for this purpose. Hence I have screwed those into the place which was supposed to be hoold the cover in place (if used). I have removed the cover as it was detrimental to the sound (sounded comparative muffled and close up with the cover in place) and the distribution box is already behind a cupboard door and is not obvious until i open it to check for things.

With the 2 gold screws in place, the sound was much more fluid and less muted, musicality improved. After changing the Doepke DFS2 audio and circuit breaker, the sound also became more robust, extension improved, noise level dropped significantly, there was a time that switching on washing machine, monitors made the sound unbearable for me to listen as there is a constant irritating feeling when those equipment are being used.

In addition, following are some Blog posts on the importance of circuit breaker [XP-BR HYAKUSHIKI is the latest and best version of the breakers mentioned below]:
1) Strategic Breaker 2nd Stage XP-BR/AU Released - http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=1068 [this is the lower model of the XP-BR Hyaskushiki but recommended to be used to isolate noisy equipment on certain circuits, e.g lights, fridge, washing machine, air conditioner]
2) Introducing the strategic breaker XP-BR - http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=956
3) XP-BR Flare - If you were asked to choose just one audio accessory. - http://blog.zama-dolphin.jp/?eid=793

 

[Zeins]

Since the last post was on the circuit breaker, today i will like to touch on the flagship receptacle cover and plate from Cross Point. This is their top model which I am currently using at home and I think I have not seen a more luxurious receptacle cover and plate then the one from Cross Point.
There are actually 2 components here:
(a) XP-CP Flare Limited
(b) XP-BE/PS Flare Limited

Both are made via carbon fiber composite materials using special techniques developed by Naraoka and each the pieces are 20mm thick (i.e both added together will be 40mm thick). These are limited production products and no stocks are maintained due to the exorbitant prices. However he is able to manufacture it every time when there are at least 4 or more orders of (a) or (b) and each run takes about 2~3 months before it can be completed due to the complicated process that it goes through.

There are indeed many manufacturers in the audiophile world using carbon fiber composite materials, however they may not be custom made for audio applications and differences in the formula and process used will result in drastically different properties which may even be detrimental to the sound. Naraoka (CP owner) has worked using the material for many many years and he has taken painstaking measures to ensure that his carbon fiber composite materials will not be detrimental to the sound before implementing it in his products.

If you asked me, what has this done for the music at my home.

Following are the main changes:
(a) The reaction speed of the music playback system have increased (i.e Small variations in the music can be picked up and played by the system).
(b) Playback system has more robust energy, its not playing louder, but instead there is more body and texture to the sound and bass can go deeper then before. It feels as if i have changed to a bigger pair of speakers.

The above changes made feel more emotional involved in the music and movies which are the critical aspect for me.

I think i have not introduced my system here before but these are the key equipments that I am using:

Audio (pure streaming)

• Speakers – Burmester B38
• Amplifier – Dan D’Agostino Progression Integrated
• DAC – Rockna Wave Dream Reference Signature
• Streamer – Lumin U2
• Roon core – Silent Angel Z1 plus
• Switches – Silent Angel Bonn NX/Fiber box II Extreme Edition
• Clock – Silent Angel Genesis GX
• Linear power supplies – Zayin Suprareg/Silent Angel Forester FX/Silent Angel forester f2
• Cables – Assorted from Cross Point/Music Interface Technologies/Way Cables and YBA Cables
• Circuit breakers – Doepke DFS 2 Audio RCCB/XP-BR HYAKUSHIKI
• Power receptacle – XP-PS HYAKUSHIKI
• Power strip – Gigwatt PF2-evo+/Crosspoint XP-PB (discontinued)
• Grounding – Telos Foundation Ground Core
• Routers – Asus AX86u pro/Asus AX Tuf Gaming AX6000 (powered by Linear Power Supplies)

Video – 120inch projector (Yes, it is linked to my hifi system)

• Apple TV X https://dejitterit.com/
• Casiris H6 projector (search on lazada/shopee)
• 120 inch vava ALR pro screen

 

[Kingrex]

Someone else discovering, the panel matters.. I have been touting this in the USA for many years.

What I have been trying to get is an all copper duplex. No plating. I reached out to a Chinese company that made a copper, NCF duplex. But they coated it with gold or some other metal. I asked about getting some before they were plated. They told me I had to purchase 100. I tried to get 10 to test. Can you get all copper duplex in a NCF case that have no plating on the metal?

By copper I mean copper. Not Brass. If I want brass, I can get a Hubbell or Leviton.

 

[Zeins]

Someone else discovering, the panel matters.. I have been touting this in the USA for many years.

What I have been trying to get is an all copper duplex. No plating. I reached out to a Chinese company that made a copper, NCF duplex. But they coated it with gold or some other metal. I asked about getting some before they were plated. They told me I had to purchase 100. I tried to get 10 to test. Can you get all copper duplex in a NCF case that have no plating on the metal?

By copper I mean copper. Not Brass. If I want brass, I can get a Hubbell or Leviton.

Hi Kingrex, I am not able to help on this request. You can consider the power receptacles from Cross Point but they are gold plated.

 

[Kingrex]

View attachment 159257

Since the last post was on the circuit breaker, today i will like to touch on the flagship receptacle cover and plate from Cross Point. This is their top model which I am currently using at home and I think I have not seen a more luxurious receptacle cover and plate then the one from Cross Point.
There are actually 2 components here:
(a) XP-CP Flare Limited
(b) XP-BE/PS Flare Limited

Both are made via carbon fiber composite materials using special techniques developed by Naraoka and each the pieces are 20mm thick (i.e both added together will be 40mm thick). These are limited production products and no stocks are maintained due to the exorbitant prices. However he is able to manufacture it every time when there are at least 4 or more orders of (a) or (b) and each run takes about 2~3 months before it can be completed due to the complicated process that it goes through.

There are indeed many manufacturers in the audiophile world using carbon fiber composite materials, however they may not be custom made for audio applications and differences in the formula and process used will result in drastically different properties which may even be detrimental to the sound. Naraoka (CP owner) has worked using the material for many many years and he has taken painstaking measures to ensure that his carbon fiber composite materials will not be detrimental to the sound before implementing it in his products.

If you asked me, what has this done for the music at my home.

Following are the main changes:
(a) The reaction speed of the music playback system have increased (i.e Small variations in the music can be picked up and played by the system).
(b) Playback system has more robust energy, its not playing louder, but instead there is more body and texture to the sound and bass can go deeper then before. It feels as if i have changed to a bigger pair of speakers.

The above changes made feel more emotional involved in the music and movies which are the critical aspect for me.

I think i have not introduced my system here before but these are the key equipments that I am using:

Audio (pure streaming)

• Speakers – Burmester B38
• Amplifier – Dan D’Agostino Progression Integrated
• DAC – Rockna Wave Dream Reference Signature
• Streamer – Lumin U2
• Roon core – Silent Angel Z1 plus
• Switches – Silent Angel Bonn NX/Fiber box II Extreme Edition
• Clock – Silent Angel Genesis GX
• Linear power supplies – Zayin Suprareg/Silent Angel Forester FX/Silent Angel forester f2
• Cables – Assorted from Cross Point/Music Interface Technologies/Way Cables and YBA Cables
• Circuit breakers – Doepke DFS 2 Audio RCCB/XP-BR HYAKUSHIKI
• Power receptacle – XP-PS HYAKUSHIKI
• Power strip – Gigwatt PF2-evo+/Crosspoint XP-PB (discontinued)
• Grounding – Telos Foundation Ground Core
• Routers – Asus AX86u pro/Asus AX Tuf Gaming AX6000 (powered by Linear Power Supplies)

Video – 120inch projector (Yes, it is linked to my hifi system)

• Apple TV X https://dejitterit.com/
• Casiris H6 projector (search on lazada/shopee)
• 120 inch vava ALR pro screen

What do you think a heavy carbon fiber plate does for you when its on the face of a plastic box that has been feed by 40 feet of uninsulated, nylon jacket wire. Its not blocking anything. Its maybe a dense inert backing plate to reduce vibrations.

 

[Zeins]

What do you think a heavy carbon fiber plate does for you when its on the face of a plastic box that has been feed by 40 feet of uninsulated, nylon jacket wire. Its not blocking anything. Its maybe a dense inert backing plate to reduce vibrations.

Hi Kingrex,

Thanks for the question.

I will like to reiterate that I am a consumer using his products, and my occupation is that of a audit manager, not a scientist or engineer role. Hence I do not have full knowledge of how the product work and can only describe the effect that it has on my system.

However, based on what i read from the owner's blog and online google search, carbon fiber products do have their unique sound acoustic properties and can affect electrical fields around it. Perhaps it is the optimization of these properties which resulted in the improvement in the sound and less so for vibration dampening.

If u are keen, i will urge you to try out XP-CP and XP-BD/PS at your home system to test it out.