12 wire compared to Nordost Blue Heaven Speaker Cable?

I think the mistake/misunderstanding is/was they are authentic Nordost and sold at their actual audio valve. My sandbox, don’t like the game get out….lol

Cheers

@tomic601 ....*G*  You and I both....It'd be fun while it lasted, anyway....😏

Fuses, smoozes....Why hasn't someone wished up an audio-grade circuit breaker?

'Ell, it ought to be about the same $s as a TubeZilla after all the exotic bits are leashed together.... ;)

Perhaps I’m in the minority but I’ve actually owned Blue Heavens. I found them to actually hit far above their price point. I only sold them to expensive more expensive Nordost cables. Why’d I purchase more expensive cables if the BH’s were good enough? Money to burn. 

OP let us all know what your thoughts are after you audition both.

Will these cables sound any better than heavy speaker wire?

OP should know the answer once he gets the cable.

I want to hear a tube Ampzilla….

Exactly, but he acts so innocent, and even offers to pray for us!

@macg19 -- I'm glad I wasn't the only reader confused by that statement.  The OP said he was getting the Denon soon, and the wording leads you to believe he already had the Polk 8-T's hooked up using 12 gauge wire...but says nothing about his current amp source.  I'm still questioning how a person thinks paying $30 for speaker wire that retails for $1,000 isn't a Red Flag  😂.

This week I will get my new (to me) Denon 697ci to drive my Polk 8-T monitors. I have been using heavy gauge (12) speaker wire, but have a pair of Nordost Blue Heaven Speaker Cables coming. Will these cables sound any better than heavy speaker wire?

Have been using 12awg speaker wire with what?

@middlemass

+ 1 maybe,,,.

It is not impossible that this was just a perverted and  lame thread by a tin hat keyboard kommando .

Disappointing…and if so, the OP will be watched for any repeat offence.

middlemass

902 posts

05-30-2024 at 04:58pm 

I love it when people come in here to stir stuff up by pretending to play dumb. And then, when they're brought up to to speed by well-intended posters, they just double down and continue to play dumb. This is a worthless thread.

I think you’re giving the OP too much credit. 

On another topic, I got this great Pass Labz amp for $129 at Best Buy. It's amazing!

So true @middlemass 

I love it when people come in here to stir stuff up by pretending to play dumb. And then, when they're brought up to to speed by well-intended posters, they just double down and continue to play dumb. This is a worthless thread.

As others have said, it is very hard to believe that you thought that genuine Nordost cables would be that cheap. If they were, everyone would own a set.

I already answered you above.

"3. roxy54 I came here with no conception of "fake cables!" The "shame" here should be upon those who flared at me for asking a civil question."

Perhaps your response to dekay was accurate?

I guess I'm slow. I didn't get the joke @dekay 

I purchased "Hamburger Helper" from AliExpress and in tiny itty bitty print after the name on the box it read ('s Buddy).

I just have to add hamburger and...

Enriched Pasta (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Corn Starch, Wheat Flour. Contains 2% or less of: Modified Whey, Onion Powder, Color (caramel color, annatto extract), Maltodextrin, Potassium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy, and Wheat Protein, Yeast Extract, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Vegetable Oil (canola, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), Spice, Monoglycerides, Sugar, Safflower Oil, Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent).

DeKay

@ristrettox6 

All very pretty, but you still didn't answer the question. Did you know they were fake, and if so, why didn't you say it from the beginning?

lak: Beautiful comment. This IS about the music for me also. Blessings to your mother.

zlone: Thank you for answering my question! Some day I'd love to hear about your concert history. I was just recalling the incredible sound system Cat Stevens had at the Auditorium Theater; massive room, pure crisp clean sound.

To those who called me "thick, a fool, troll, naive, posting a runaround and more, I really feel sorry for your displaced anger. Prayer helps!

Welcome to Audiogon, apologies for the condescension. 

Some of us don't suffer fools so gladly. Not saying this applies to the OP, but really, some of the naivete in posts are clearly worth some criticism.

@hilde45 

+1 Thanks, that was really funny m and true!

Welcome to Audiogon, apologies for the condescension. Honestly, I would not expect too much with the new cables. They may change the sound characteristics some, but are unlikely to be a significant upgrade for a couple reasons. The Denon, while nicely featured, may not be resolving enough to reflect the cable change. Secondly, I dallied with the Neardost gear from AliExpress, and other than a decent digital cable, the speaker, interconnect and power cables did not offer much improvement. Just my opinion though, the only way to really find out is try them. 

Nice collection of concert experiences, I have a lot of good stories too.

3. roxy54 I came here with no conception of "fake cables!" The "shame" here should be upon those who flared at me for asking a civil question.

I can't believe anyone is this thick. This must be a hoax. 

@ristrettox6 As far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter what audio equipment you own or where you purchase it from as long as you are enjoying the music. I try to live by this old saying that my mother told me; If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all...Bless her soul!

With Ali express you can built a $30,000 system for $300. Only think is most of their products are counterfeit. You may or may not be able to tell the difference.

@roxy54 +1 a simple google search on Nordost is all it would have taken. Some feathers here getting ruffled by exceptionally timid breezes. (Self-concern trolling? Is that a "thing"? ;-) )

@ristrettox6 

I understand that you were badly treated by some here, but my question is didn't you know that genuine Nordost cables were much more expensive?

1. cundare2 - I would love to hear more of this! Your story so compelling and well written! I never was exposed to someone who had this depth of history with my favorite musician, Are you familiar with Shakti and the various incarnations of John's acoustic side?

2. noromance - Such an awesome acoustic progression...

3. roxy54 I came here with no conception of "fake cables!" The "shame" here should be upon those who flared at me for asking a civil question.

@ristrettox6 

There's no shame in buying cables from aliexpress, (at least I don't think that there is) but why didn't you admit that from the beginning? Didn't you think that it was pretty important to say that they were fakes?

@ristrettox6 This makes more sense now that we know you are referring to Chinese knock-offs of the original $1100 Nordost cables. See how that would throw things? Anyhow, compare them and let us know how it all sounds. You had me at Hurry on Sundown!

@cundare2 

Re: your original question, I think you may have a good sense of where to go by now. It may make more sense to upgrade the rest of your components before spending that type of money on cables.

Since he actually spent only $30, so I think he's got some $$ to spare for the rest of his components.

>I have attended 100’s of live performances which would melt down most of the elitists here. Who? Ive seen John McLaughlin 7 times - both electric and acoustic, Oregon with Ralph Towner at Amazing Grace and the ASU hatbox. How about
Frank Zappa, Weather Report, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Michael Walden, Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, The Selector, Rory Galagher, Moody Blues, Talking Heads, Ted Nugent, BOC, Jean Luc Ponty (7 times), and so many others!

Wow, now I am impressed. Excellent taste in live music. Back in the day, I saw the original Mahavishnu Orchestra (the quintet) over a dozen times and even today, I look back at those shows as some of the high points of my life.

As others have said, ignore the mockers and trollers here -- Audiogon, like most online forums, has its shares of self-important, condescending Wikipedia experts who don't know when to shut up. It’s not a good look, but there’s not much you can do about that. Don't let them make you feel bad.  The rest of us share your pain.

Re: your original question, I think you may have a good sense of where to go by now. It may make more sense to upgrade the rest of your components before spending that type of money on cables. I’ve experienced jaw-dropping sonic improvements from cable upgrades, but other times -- especially before I started getting into five-figure hardware -- little if any effect.

Heh, reminds me of when I was younger and I, entranced by the audiophile lore of the day, connected my hobbyist Quad ESL- 57s to one of those old Quad current-dumpers with 12-gauge cable. This upgrade from Zip cord (this was the early 70s, so don’t shoot me) changed the frequency response of the Quads so dramatically that I had to rig up a low-pass filter to make them listenable. Then, when cables became a thing, I upgraded to the first Monster products -- reputedly one of the best cables on the market at the time. And that changed the sound dramatically again. But I never got rid of that nasty high end -- the better the cable the worse it got -- until I replaced my solid-state Quad amp with rebuilt 1950s Quad Class A monoblocks. Configuring those beautiful speakers the way Peter Walker had intended & pulling out all my well-intentioned modifications revealed the sound that J. Gordon had called "pants-wetting."  My first audiophile schooling!

So the point is, even with "lowly" Polks and Denons (really, not bad choices in their respective price ranges), cables can make a difference. But it’s just a toss of the dice. Maybe look for a dealer with a good return policy (I can recommend my own favorites offline if you want) and try before you buy.

Boy, this conversation reminds me about how much things have changed over the last half-century. My last pair of speaker cables cost $4000 and my phono cables almost as much. But I think I enjoyed my system more, back when my hands were steady enough to hold a soldering iron, when I was rebuilding vintage electrostatics and tube-rolling 1960s gear.

Welcome to Audiogon!

The cables were only $30. May I please keep them?

I looked up that model. They’re $1100, or thereabouts. See this.

OP, is this some kind of runaround or did you get a counterfeit item?

I've already mentioned the potential bottlenecks, so reread my reply. Over and out.

@ristrettox6

The Blue Heaven cables were $29 here= https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804265444804.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

Yeah, those are not Nordost Blue Heaven cables. But hey, let us know if they sound better than your "12 gauge" cables.

knockoff thread

OP, no shame in asking a question. I've done a lot of work on my system in the past few years, and here's my opinion. You might find it aligns with some of the things said above, but not with all.

My number one takeaway is that the room is by far the largest factor and best place to put money. John Darko does a nice job talking about his early experiences with acoustics and what he learned. Listen here.

Next, the key to improving sound is to seek out the bottlenecks first. Including the room. Only after those are all taken care of should things like expensive cables, and tweaks come into play. Those are garnishes -- they make a difference, but if the meat (room, speakers, amps, room, DAC, etc.) is mediocre, they cannot help anything.

As for those who say that your new expensive cables will make your (relatively) lower-end system sound better? Well, maybe. But what will be invisible will be the opportunity cost of spending on cables rather than on other bottlenecks. 

If I was in your situation, I'd take a breath, send the cables back, get the refund, and research a better way to spend the money. I'm not trying to be unfriendly or snarky or mean. I'm telling you the truth out of respect for the hobby you're undertaking, ostensibly in earnest.

ristrettox6

Sounds like I unintentionally stirred up a bee hive! I can feel the seething resentment and condescension from most of you. I have no idea why you are so filled with venom! ... To those who offered their snarky elitist derision, thanks anyway ... If some of you want to insult me, go ahead and enjoy your pride.

Such drama!

I am simply here to learn -period.

It looks like you're here for the drama.

Greetings all! Sounds like I unintentionally stirred up a bee hive! I can feel the seething resentment and condescension from most of you. I have no idea why you are so filled with venom!

So, a statement about this listener:
I began my music path very young trying to build speaker cabinets in grade school. This was fun but produced bad quality. In college, a friend had some impressive audio equipment; I remember a top of the line Nak deck and a Lyn Sondec table. Very impressive! For fun we used to go to Paul Heath Audio in Chicago to bring in imported vinyl which they would play for us when customers left. I think the system was a tube Ampzilla played on a Magnapan variant which looked like room dividers. Hawkwind "hurry on sundown" was dynamic. Cat Stevens vinyl sounded "live." Later I went to a Fulton demonstration and heard what real base from a pipe organ sounded like on 30" drivers with electrostatic tweeters- wow!

So here I am trying to build a dirt cheap system this year. I spent $80 on the 697, $140 on the 8-t's, $50 on my DP-47F w/ Ortofon 10 cartridge. The Blue Heaven cables were $29 here= https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804265444804.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

I also own some gear from my youth - a SA-8500 and a pair of 355 Barons, along with many other speakers. Some of you obviously are proud of your glorious investments; my modest system is being built to meet my budget as this is not my only pursuit. My 8' stainless Espresso counter also requires $$ along with roasting gear.

To those who support my adventure, blessings to you for your kind words!
To those who offered their snarky elitist derision, thanks anyway.

PS: I have attended 100's of live performances which would melt down most of the elitists here. Who? Ive seen John McLaughlin 7 times - both electric and acoustic, Oregon with Ralph Towner at Amazing Grace and the ASU hatbox. How about
Frank Zappa, Weather Report, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Michael Walden, Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, The Selector, Rory Galagher, Moody Blues, Talking Heads, Ted Nugent, BOC, Jean Luc Ponty (7 times), and so many others!

I am simply here to learn -period. If some of you want to insult me, go ahead and enjoy your pride. Thank you to the rest!

Blessings!

OP my guest is you will get a better sound with Nordost blue heaven, this are amazing cable for the price.Just let the Nordost acclimate for six days, and burn in if its brand new.By experiment you will learn and constant listening.Play your familiar cd or music. Keep us update what you think. Just be patience.

I think you would have better off upgrading the power cord to the Nordost Blue Heaven or Red Dawn. I did this in the past and it blew my mind. I would definitely buy used which will be easy because Nordost just upgraded their Leif line. The one cavity to this is the New Nordost blue Heaven power cable is the same guage as the Old Red Dawn power cable. If you can find an old 2 meter Red Dawn power cable at 40% + off retail  you will be set. The power cable made a bigger difference in sound on Home theater than the speaker cable did. Probably because it has so much DSP. You give it a good RFI/ EMI filter power cord like Nordost you won’t believe your ears. I say return the speaker cable. Guage is more important. 

As a long time slave in the mines of mid-fi, let me help OP with this. The Denon DRA-697CI is a very good mid-fi receiver. When it was current it sold for around $800.00 iirc, so it is not an entry level item, and has a fairly unusual feature set implied by the CI designation. Your Polk RTI-8Ts are solid, well made upper mid-fi speakers, with many owners singing their praises online. 12 gauge tough pitch stranded copper zipcord speaker wire is what you have.  Nordost BH is not the first rung of the ladder up from there. If you have been given it to try, by all means do so, and form your own opinion!  If you have to purchase it at retail, even in Nordost’s line there are more sensible options, like Super Flatline.  But I would suggest getting Mogami or Canare wires from WBC as more suitable to your circumstances. 

@ristrettox6 

Welcome to the forum.

After you unpack the Blue Heavens and connect them, I would either a) put on some Depends@, or b) have a change of underwear close by.  You should experience something(s) quite different in your system -- in a good way.

There's quite a bit of "noise" on this forum about whether or not a system has to be of a certain caliber to hear differences in cables (or other upgrades).  Just a point here that a respected cable manufacturer (highly supported by this group) literally used a jam box with detachable speakers to demonstrate premium speaker cables with consistent and compelling results.  So, your "modest" system WILL reveal differences in cable/upgrades.

That being said, it is possible to be a little top heavy (or bottom heavy) when assigning cost to various components and putting too many eggs in a particular basket.  Interconnects, power cords, AC noise/suppression, room acoustics and a LOT of other factors come into play. Trying some, or all, of the above is what makes being an "audiophile" fun.

I just hope you're enjoying your hobby, and money spent gives you the sonic improvements (and grin from ear to ear) you are looking for.  

Enjoy.

It's just like putting the carriage before the horse, it won't go anywhere.