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Brought a new Tweak home today to try out.

Today I stopped by the local hi end store to compare speaker wires and ended up listening to my $7 hardware store wires to a pair of Nordost that retail for $2,000. Admittedly, there was a difference, but not enough to justify the cost. I'd rather spend $5,000 for the Pathos integrated amplifier that I was listening to that made the $7 speaker wires and a pair of Focal 807v speakers (not as good as mine) sound better than my speakers. It was an amazing display of clarity.

In any case, when I told the owner/salesman my thoughts and the reality of my budget, he pointed me toward a set of Nordost Sort Kones. I've heard them in the store on an expensive CD player and he promised he'd take them back if I wasn't sold on them with my system. So far, I think I'm impressed, but need to do more listening this week.
mceljo

Showing 2 responses by gbmcleod

gbmcleod
521 posts
 
Mceljo, I agree completely with you about the Sort Kones. I have the aluminum steel, aluminum ceramic and the Bronze (the titanium are stupidly expensive).
Do you have yours pointed with the narrower end on the component? I had originally placed the narrow end downward,onto the platform the equipment was on, and thought it good until I realized the ambience was gone. I went to Nordost's site, saw that the narrow end is supposed to be against the component, changed it and was pretty surprised that it sounded better.
These are excellent devices, but Nordost's pricing is somewhat expensive, as it usually is....
gbmcleod
521 posts
 
mjelco, usually cones fit with the wide part under the component and the spikes downward. The Sort Kones, however, are not cones, so they don't follow that rule. The Goldmund cones, which I have, are also a pyramid-type design, but I don't think Nordost's design was intended to drain the vibration out of the component in the same way.
I just listened to the Nutcracker Suite, one by the Kirov, I think. Hadn't heard it in a year or so. Was astounded by how pure it sounds. Never sounded that way before, was always a bit thick in the bass. Not anymore.
I'm using Hurricanes, Nordost Tyr interconnects, Shunyata Andromeda speaker cable, First Sound preamp and Nola Elite speakers right now with an Arcam CD player. Excellent sonics, but more to the point, the lines of instruments -- and instrumental groups -- make more sense. I'm simply hearing the music more clearly and distinctly. In other words, the music just makes more sense, which means I get more "involved" and emotionally connected to it with the Kones.
People could easily get the ceramic kones (as you did), which are only $10 more per cone than the aluminum, but well worth the difference, as far as I can hear! They outperform my Goldmund Cones, Nordost Pulsar and Quasar Points and even the (more expensive) Finite Elemente feet I have.
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