Strange, that none of the great experts answered your query so far...so to break the silence here goes for interconnects:
I find both cables very neutral. Both present an excellent soundstage and a very good layering. Dynamics come through unimpeded. Both have very natural and sweet highs. The low end is fast and defined. I cured a certain midbass heavyness in my system with the Nordosts. So perhaps there they have a slight subtractive colouring, which however I found very helpful. The Nordost is an excellent match with my Jadis gear, which has a certain (very nice) euphonic colouration in the lower mids/mid bass area, which I found the Nordosts evened out, taking the molasses out of the honey so to speak. I use the XLO to and from my Aesthetix IO ( which is less coloured and euphonic than the Jadis ) and as far as I can hear, they are of a beautiful neutrality, neither adding anything, nor taking anything away. I did not directly compare the two brands with each other in my system but used them as described.
I find both cables very neutral. Both present an excellent soundstage and a very good layering. Dynamics come through unimpeded. Both have very natural and sweet highs. The low end is fast and defined. I cured a certain midbass heavyness in my system with the Nordosts. So perhaps there they have a slight subtractive colouring, which however I found very helpful. The Nordost is an excellent match with my Jadis gear, which has a certain (very nice) euphonic colouration in the lower mids/mid bass area, which I found the Nordosts evened out, taking the molasses out of the honey so to speak. I use the XLO to and from my Aesthetix IO ( which is less coloured and euphonic than the Jadis ) and as far as I can hear, they are of a beautiful neutrality, neither adding anything, nor taking anything away. I did not directly compare the two brands with each other in my system but used them as described.