Yes, with a caution to the caveat noted below.
I upgraded from NORDOST FREY XLRs to CARDAS CLEAR XLRs. In my system, the step-up in audio performance was not subtle.
CAVEAT IMO:
- The degree of improvement is predicated by where the rest of components the your system falls in in the price/performance strata.
- each cable and components manufacturer displays their own bespoke sonic signature and thus form another key variable in your experimentation to find improvements and system synergy.
FWIW SUPPLEMENT: Here is a magazine article reporting about the “upgrade” benefits experienced at an audio fest that I also physically attended a few years ago, and I personally observed the the same experiences.
This is the CANADA HI-FI reporter’s mag report from the NORDOST cables bake-off exhibit actually performed live at TAVES in Toronto. It was in front of many, many attendees - The moves up the model line for audio improvements was clear.
http://canadahifi.com/taves-consumer-el ... rge-de-sa/
".....I had a chance to sit in on a couple demonstrations in the Nordost room, giving my feet a well deserved break. I’m very familiar with the benefits of high quality cables and use a full Nordost Heimdall 2 loom with my reference two-channel setup. That being said, I always find the Nordost demonstrations to be an “ear-opening” experience.
Michael Taylor from Nordost demonstrated the significant sonic benefits of replacing an OEM cable with a Nordost model – in particular
1) a swap of a single USB cable, from OEM to Nordost Blue Heaven ($250/2m), to Heimdall 2 ($500/2m) and;
2) a swap of a single RCA interconnect, from OEM, to Blue Heaven, to Heimdall 2, to Tyr 2 and finally Valhalla 2.
Along with convincing the audience in the room that cables DO matter, I’ve now got the bug to upgrade...."