Audioquest NRG 2 and NRG 10 review
This is a brief user review on the Audioquest NRG 2 and NRG 10 AC cables.
My components are:
Cambridge Audio 751BD transport
Bryston BDA-1 DAC
Bryston BP25 preamp
Bryston 7B SST2 and 7B ST monoblocks
Axiom M80 V3 floorstanders
Approximately 3 years ago I bought my first set of monoblocks - The Bryston 7B ST's. I was only using low grade factory AC cables and was still skeptical on the effectiveness of quality brand name AC cables though I was already well familiar with Audioquest interconnects. The sales rep at my local AQ dealership had a used pair of trade-in 2 meter NRG 2's that he offered to me for a wicked price. About $150 for the pair I think? Since they were already used there would be no issues returning them so I figured I had nothing to lose.
I brought them home and installed them on the 7B's and to my utter astonishment there was an instantaneous leap in the quality of the sound I was hearing. I reinstalled the old factory AC cables and listened to them for a few minutes to make sure that I wasn't just imagining anything. The sound was simply bigger, stronger, more clear, more open, more detailed, more vibrant and more dynamic. A completely different listening experience.
I phoned the sales rep about 30 minutes after I got home to share my revelation with him. He basically welcomed me to the "club" in a matter of speaking. Definitely among my most significant "eureka" moments in HiFi.
I enjoyed those cables on the 7B ST's for about 2.5 years until I upgraded to 7B SST2's. I continued to enjoy them on the new amps until a friend of mine very generously let me borrow a pair of 2 meter NRG 10's for a few months.
At this point I had already invested in a few other AC cables such as the NRG 3, NRG 5 and Nordost Blue Heaven.
I wasn't really expecting a major "eureka" moment as before with the NRG 2's but upon implementing the NRG 10's on my new 7B's the improvements were quite evident. Much like the NRG 2's, the sound became more open and less veiled. The highs felt more detailed and the mids were smoother. The noise floor was also brought down a notch and that always helps!
My friend offered me a good price on the cables and I would have kept them but I was in the process of moving and thus, downsizing my system. Otherwise, I would have gladly kept them but I still have my trusty NRG 2's! :)
I would certainly recommend both the NRG 2 and/or NRG 10 for any potential buyers. In my humble experience I have had the best success with Audioquest AC cables by implementing them on the more power hungry components such as power amps, integrated amps and preamps. For Digital transports, DAC's and preamps I find I have better success with Nordost AC cables but that is purely my own experience.
My components are:
Cambridge Audio 751BD transport
Bryston BDA-1 DAC
Bryston BP25 preamp
Bryston 7B SST2 and 7B ST monoblocks
Axiom M80 V3 floorstanders
Approximately 3 years ago I bought my first set of monoblocks - The Bryston 7B ST's. I was only using low grade factory AC cables and was still skeptical on the effectiveness of quality brand name AC cables though I was already well familiar with Audioquest interconnects. The sales rep at my local AQ dealership had a used pair of trade-in 2 meter NRG 2's that he offered to me for a wicked price. About $150 for the pair I think? Since they were already used there would be no issues returning them so I figured I had nothing to lose.
I brought them home and installed them on the 7B's and to my utter astonishment there was an instantaneous leap in the quality of the sound I was hearing. I reinstalled the old factory AC cables and listened to them for a few minutes to make sure that I wasn't just imagining anything. The sound was simply bigger, stronger, more clear, more open, more detailed, more vibrant and more dynamic. A completely different listening experience.
I phoned the sales rep about 30 minutes after I got home to share my revelation with him. He basically welcomed me to the "club" in a matter of speaking. Definitely among my most significant "eureka" moments in HiFi.
I enjoyed those cables on the 7B ST's for about 2.5 years until I upgraded to 7B SST2's. I continued to enjoy them on the new amps until a friend of mine very generously let me borrow a pair of 2 meter NRG 10's for a few months.
At this point I had already invested in a few other AC cables such as the NRG 3, NRG 5 and Nordost Blue Heaven.
I wasn't really expecting a major "eureka" moment as before with the NRG 2's but upon implementing the NRG 10's on my new 7B's the improvements were quite evident. Much like the NRG 2's, the sound became more open and less veiled. The highs felt more detailed and the mids were smoother. The noise floor was also brought down a notch and that always helps!
My friend offered me a good price on the cables and I would have kept them but I was in the process of moving and thus, downsizing my system. Otherwise, I would have gladly kept them but I still have my trusty NRG 2's! :)
I would certainly recommend both the NRG 2 and/or NRG 10 for any potential buyers. In my humble experience I have had the best success with Audioquest AC cables by implementing them on the more power hungry components such as power amps, integrated amps and preamps. For Digital transports, DAC's and preamps I find I have better success with Nordost AC cables but that is purely my own experience.
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