I have never thought Nordost cables were perfectly neutral. To my ears, in certain applications, they can lack body and natural warmth and sound hifi-ish. In other applications, they can sound very nice. But they are not my favorite flavor. Of course many people whose ears and taste I greatly respect disagree with me. As one who owns and have used in my system Nordost, Stealth Indra, Tara, Cardas, Kimber, Shunyata, High Fidelity, Discovery, Tributaries, Audioquest and on and on---I would emphasize that it is ALL system and ear dependent as EVERY system has a character and EVERY cable has a character.
Through a 100k system, you should be able to discern the differences in cable sound form one brand to another and from the most basic to the most unobtainable. Please test before you buy. I use thecableco library frequently.
Also and most importantly, I find that the difference in character between cables of different manufacturers far exceeds the difference in sound between a midlevel and top level of the same brand.
Others will no doubt comment. Although there are no rules in audio, I have been willing to spend about 25 percent of the cost of my components on power cords and cabling, although I'm happier when it's more like 20 percent. Above that, the law of diminishing returns applies and I upgrade other aspects of my system all of which are more cost effective at that cost-benefit ratio---especially speakers.
Just MHO
Through a 100k system, you should be able to discern the differences in cable sound form one brand to another and from the most basic to the most unobtainable. Please test before you buy. I use thecableco library frequently.
Also and most importantly, I find that the difference in character between cables of different manufacturers far exceeds the difference in sound between a midlevel and top level of the same brand.
Others will no doubt comment. Although there are no rules in audio, I have been willing to spend about 25 percent of the cost of my components on power cords and cabling, although I'm happier when it's more like 20 percent. Above that, the law of diminishing returns applies and I upgrade other aspects of my system all of which are more cost effective at that cost-benefit ratio---especially speakers.
Just MHO