One system can’t do it all as John said , thank God Iam fortunate to have two, like you David.i play redbook on my transport and dacs and sacd disc on my sacd player exclusively.at times I will change speakers If I plan to play jazz music for 2weeks...yup this is crazy and fun..,,
Curious How These Nordost Speaker Cables Do What They Do
For a day and a half I’ve been listening to Nordost Red Dawn Rev.II cables in my system(Quad VA-One and Dynaudio Excite X14),courtesy of a friend who is in turn demo’ing some ungodly expensive upgrade...My reference are the Acoustic Zen Epoch..What these cables have brought to my system are:
The first thing I noticed is the music seems to come easier,ie:a touch louder than normal at low levels and it’s so clean I find I’m listening louder..
wider,deeper,and sharper defined imaging and staging...deeper,better defined and tonally richer bass...increased low level detail retrieval...a treble that is not as easy on the ears but seems better defined,almost sharp and I can see where some systems could move way to far into bright with these cables...
So I attribute the cleaner/sharper tone to the addition of high purity silver to the cable but I wonder what it is about the materials and construction that allow the bass,imaging and staging changes and especially the ease which music seems to come now?Any comments(from those who have found cables do matter)and NOT from those who believe they are snake oil PLEASE!!!
The first thing I noticed is the music seems to come easier,ie:a touch louder than normal at low levels and it’s so clean I find I’m listening louder..
wider,deeper,and sharper defined imaging and staging...deeper,better defined and tonally richer bass...increased low level detail retrieval...a treble that is not as easy on the ears but seems better defined,almost sharp and I can see where some systems could move way to far into bright with these cables...
So I attribute the cleaner/sharper tone to the addition of high purity silver to the cable but I wonder what it is about the materials and construction that allow the bass,imaging and staging changes and especially the ease which music seems to come now?Any comments(from those who have found cables do matter)and NOT from those who believe they are snake oil PLEASE!!!
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David Iam fortunate to be mentored by two brothers , they have good ears, they brought me to their houses to listen to their 20k systems, their system do have 3d, good bass, palpable, micro and micro is to die for, PRAT all there.They are so musical.So I knew what a good system sound. It took many years before I accomplished , what they have, one I did not have the finances to do it, second I did not have a lot exposure to different cables to mix and match, so it took time.i also attended many Axpona show , I live 30 min from the venue , it still did not help much.Also Iam very impatient to leave gears and cables to settle...I know you have good gears , synergy is the key, expensive does not mean it will work, John is right, Until I decided to commit longer hours to listen to my systems, I really did not know exactly what’s happening in both of my systems, once I committed my listening skills got better and better, there are times I recognize all the teaching of my two mentor during my listening time, usually from 12 midnight and 4am.I realize it will take our time sleep and money, to be able to learn this hobby and how to listen properly.Reviewers spend weeks months to review such cables and gears, they are fully committed why 99% of the time they get it right.This open up my eyes. It’s about my goal, my commitment , willing to learn this hobby, trust me once your system go so musical , the reward is non ending enjoyment listening to music... |
Agree with Jmc that what initially can sound exciting and more detailed can become too much over time. Not saying it will, and it all comes down to system synergy and individual tastes in the end, but something to keep in mind while auditioning. Also realize that you're comparing to cables that cost about 3x your current cables. At that price you'd skip two levels at AZ to the Holograms, which would be a more realistic, fair, and probably a more interesting comparison. Be that as it may, enjoy listening and comparing. |
My style is choosing the speaker cable first then pc, from there I will play with interconnect.if you been expose to many different cables, you know which cable to choose, example if I want more clarity I go with Kimber ic, their kcag and silver streak does that, they have expensive one as well.If I want to have more weight n tonal balance Audioquest cables are good choice.If you want more air Teo GC is good at it. Nordost are really fast...Clearday are silver less bright than other silver, If you want with sparkle sound siltech is doing that... It’s a lot of work....if it’s your passion it’s really fun...other tip, if you think the cable has potential to your liking leave it till it settle in the system. |
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What I can’t wrap my head around,especially as an electrician,is how it’s possible for an electrical signal conductor to effectivelly change the regeneration of the signal between the amp and the speakers... Bell labs and the U.S.Gov.spent how many millions wayyy back to test wire and they say it makes no difference but I know what I hear... I think my next dilemma is do I get the new McIntosh I/A I want or the really really good cables for what I have... |
I have tried almost every major cable ie. Kubala Sosna, Transparent,Tara MIT any many more I am using GT Audio Works planar speakers no crossover on the mid planar pure copper traces And got best results from Triode Wire Labs cables - the most musical cable you can buy very affordable- detailed, non fatiguing and 3 dimensional |
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Here is the CANADA HI-FI reporter’s take from the NORDOST cables bake-off exhibit actually performed live at an audio expo show in TORONTO . I personally attended that show and agree with the reporter’s following article on his experiences. They stopped at the improving model bakeoff summit at the Valhallas (one below the Odins) with the inference that a move up the model trendline in improvement keeps going further. ".....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...." http://canadahifi.com/taves-consumer-electronics-show-2014-now-we-have-a-ces-north-part-2-by-george-... |
Three key points in my experiences: (1) There is no one-size-fits-all "silver bullet" cable choice among the brand contenders and pretenders. We all know that your cable choice is entirely system dependent....full stop. (2) I settled on an all NORDOST FREY full array (shotgunned speaker cables, matched shotgunned jumpers, and balanced interconnects) as my final choice governed by a performance versus budget matrix. In an extensive in-house series of A-B shootouts, having a matched loom array with matched model ICs supporting their speaker cables took it to the next level. (3) The higher up in their model line you go, the better they get.... bottom line. There is a reason why many reviewers use them. FWIW..... |
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