I never saw any questions about Valhalla 2. Good news, all Valhalla owners use an old, outdated cable now and have to go for the new one. Otherwise their loss will increase from day to day. Great chance for 2. hand Valhalla starters, too.
I owned it for 12 years. And yes it needed an update. I bought the Audioquest Redwood a few months ago this year. I was surprised how much better this cable was compared to my Valhalla. Also in speed and control the Valhalla was outdated compared to the Redwood. I think the new Valhalla will me more musical and more have drive and speed in the low freq. The thing I still do not like it the individual focus. The Odin is still not very good at a sharp individual focus. Blacks and individual focus Audioquest is superior to Nordost. I sold a lot of Valhalla in the past. I was always aware of it's flaws. Also in depth and wide Nordost still misses a big stage. Within this stage instruments and voices are still not sharp focussed. I call this individual focus. I always used different interconnects to make the stage wider and deeper. And also to get a more sharp focus and instruments and voices to become the right proportion as in real.
Bo1972 to me it seems that if you are searching for a cable to widen the soundstage and produce a sharper focus than you should be looking for a better preamp and not a cable. Just my thoughts.
All the tests ( hundreds) and demo's at shows will have the same outcome wenn you use Nordost. A preamp cannot solve this. Only do a little better. This is about the main properties and talents Nordost owns. Soon I will get a friend/client at my home who now owns the Odin. I will let him hear what is missing. For me it is that easy. I will let you know about how he reacts.
I never heard a demo of Nordost by Nordost themselves were there was a individual focus of instruments and voices in small realistic proportions. This is what I call intimacy in music. I want it like it is playing in front of me. In full 3D toucable sound. Wenn a brand does not have this talents/properties a preamp will never solve this. The last time I heard Nordost was in Holland. They were using Odin. I had some cd's with me. I used Bruce Springsteen Brothers under the bridge. Bruce his voice was a little to big. I missed a 3D image. At my home the resolution is superior. The articulation of his voices was inferior. I can hear the endings of his words so much better. Like it was almost not even there at the Odin set.
I sold Nordost for 9 years. I sold it my way. I also sold a lot Valhalla. I used different brands of interconnect to make the stage wider and deeper. Wenn you use Nordost fully, you miss essential parts which should be there. I had these discussions with Nordost a few times. I think there Syngery story is bullshit. Because clients prefer different interconnects over Nordost. I Always did a a-b test. Always blind so they can choose. I prefer Audioquest these days because it is more complete. More complete means it has more different talents/properties. Stage is wider and deeper than Nordost. Individual focus is sharper and better in proportion. Blacks are a lot better. It gives you a much more 3-dimensional and touchable image. At the end it has to do with quality. I am Always looking for the best.
I owned the Valhalla for about 12 years of time. I bought the new 2013 Audioquest Redwood bi-wire. I was surprised that it beat the Valhalla in every aspect you Judge a cable for.
I auditioned the Odin also a few times. It is not my cable. Because you still miss a few important parts which need to be there. I had these discussions many times with the people of Nordost. One thing they improved; a more relaxt sound. But you still miss the sharp and small focus of instruments and voices. I hate all the demos at shows when voices and instruments are played too big in proportion. Those people need to learn and hear to real music. The intimate focus of instruments and voices is an essential part for the absolute sound. After I bought the Red Wood I realized that I missed some musicality and individual focus when I owned the Valhalla. Do not forget that I did a lot to limit the flaws it already had.
I have noticed that in just about every thread generated on Nordost over the past year you have jumped in to tell folks that you sold Nordost cables for the past 9 years and run 100's of tests with them -- and now you find Audioquest is better. How about investigating other cables? Have you heard Ansuz cables for example? How do you find them? Also, have you compared Nordost Valhalla 2 to the original? What are the differences? Looks like 100's more tests are needed.....
In America there are many more brands compared to what we have in Europe. I heared many new Nordost cables at shows, but not the Valhalla 2 yet. I still hear the same limitations. Individual focus and depth is an important part for a stunning level in presentation in audio. I prefer Audioquest far over Nordost cause it has all properties in one cable. With Nordost I Always needed to use more different brands to get all the parts which are needed in every well balanced set.
Bo, It's glaringly obvious that you don't like Nordost. But this thread is about Valhalla2 which you've neither owned nor heard - so no opinion yes? Yet 50% of the posts here are by you knocking them.
Btw, I couldn't disagree more with your descriptives (almost the polar opposite actually) re Nordost nor Siltech which you seem to also hate and shot down at every conceivable opportunity. IME, in the right company/mix, they are both some of the best cable in the market (Nordost Odin not Valhalla, and for Siltech their RS King/Queen upwards). If I can't get my system balance right using either, I'd be checking on my equipments and/or speakers otherwise.
I am particularly interested to know how new Valhalla2 compares to Odin from those who have actually heard and compared.
People need to read better before they use they say that I do not like Nordost. I sold a lot of Nordost and a lot Valhalla as well. I used it my way. The thing I like is that they are different. When they started you could not compare them with any other brand. We had many different brands like Audioquest, Monster, MIT, vd Hul. They were stunning in speed and resolution. I loved it a lot. When you test many hours every single week you understand everything of a cable. I played 100% Valhalla, but I dind't like it cause of missing the involvement in the midfreq and also because instruments an voices where not extreme sharp focussed like some other brands were. But I wanted to keep the extra speed and timing. When I used loudspeakercable from Nordost and I use interconnects from brands like Kimber I could make the stage wider and deeper and get a better sharp foccus of instruments and voices. Also the mid freq. became more involving. In blind tests people Always prefer the Nordost/Kimber combi instead of full Nordost.
Nordost uses the same technique in most of there cables. You hear the same kind of properties back in all there cables. This counts for many other brands as well.
Siltech is a different story. I like there digital cables. But I did test and compare many of there cables. At the time the Valhalla powercable came out I battled often to companies with Siltech Emperor powercables. I never lost once. All the time I was the one who got the deal.
I said often to the Nordost people that I found Nordost incomplete. The chnaged the sound, what I found a good thing to change.
Valhalla2 will never be a lot different in properties compared to Odin. It will not be better, they are not stuppid.
I prefer personally Audioquest cabels cause they are more complete. Even with the same set.
So what means more complete?
I Always want a big and wide stage, deep and fast low freq. with all the layers, lots of air and resolution, extreme sharp and touchable individual image of instruments and voices and an involving and open mid freq. And stunning blacks.
It is very easy to make people understand why all these parts are important. And that they make the music so much more fun to hear. When you go back to other cables I easilu can tell the difference between those two.
One important thing to notice why I got irritated by the Siltech company. I know from the shops who sell it that they raised there prices and the % for shops became higher. So they could give there clients some discount. This is not an honnest way of selling cables.
At the end in audio it Always is about what you will get for the money you want to spend. My focus is on giving every single client the best quality for there money. That is why I like to compete in this business. You want to win and defeat those brands which are in my opinion too expensive for the money.
One of my biggest Nordost clients in the past also goes from Nordost to Audioquest. He sold his Odin cables. And no he did not buy his AQ from me. He also got not the information about Audioquest from me.
Audio and music Always will be a personal matter. Every person can do it there way. Like I do it my way and you do it your way. We all have the freedom to do how we like it to be!
@Bvdiman; start a Thread to ask people about there experience with the New Valhalla 2. I think it will be very interesting. Nordost is a company which is very capable of improving there cables.
And do not think I hate Nordost. I still think it is special and unique in the world of audio. I only make the remark that you need to use it the right way. That is why you need to understand and be aware of the properties before you can use it best.
Bo - You are welcome to your opinion but you really need to understand that most people on this forum are no longer interested in listening to our opinion. There are a lot of people here who want to have a real discussion. Present your opinion, but please do it succinctly and cut out the long, repetitive lectures. Nobody is listening. Many here would like to have a real discussion. Unfortunately, you stop that discussion.
You really need to learn how to participate in this forum. If you want anyone to listen to you, please learn some forum etiquette.
What is the problem to use Nordost differently than others do? We live in a free world and a forum you have different people with different thoughts. When audio is your profession you test all the time. I have compared many times full nordost setups with partly Nordost setup with other brands. What is the problem with that?
I have sold a lot Nordost in the past. For a time I could life only from selling Nordost. When people say ; that I hate Nordost, how stuppid you can be.
I used it my way because I wanted to get a sharper individual focus. And I wanted to create a more musical mid freq. Clients had the freedom to compare full Nordost with Nordost in combination with other brands.
In audio I Always look deeper in everything. Just to create a higher level for my clients. It is about the maximum quality you can create.
Can you handle the truth or you want to hear what you would like to hear?
Bo said : Siltech is a different story. I like there digital cables. But I did test and compare many of there cables. At the time the Valhalla powercable came out I battled often to companies with Siltech Emperor powercables. I never lost once. All the time I was the one who got the deal.
<< Siltech Emperor powercables? Never heard of.
Bo said : One important thing to notice why I got irritated by the Siltech company. I know from the shops who sell it that they raised there prices and the % for shops became higher. So they could give there clients some discount. This is not an honnest way of selling cables.
<< Mark-up and healthy discounts are common and no secret. If you are not getting decent cut buying cable means shop/seller is keeping them as profit. It is as it is.
Interconnects and loudspeakercables were Emperor and the Powercable were Siltech Ruby Moutain Hill. Valhalla was better in timing and speed compared to the best Siltech had at that time. Instruments were also better focussed.
With krell Valhalla was not a good combination. I understood why Transparent worls better In 2004 when it came out it was the powercable which could change the overwhole sound the most. In 2004, 2005 and 2006 I sold many many Valhalla powercables.
With poweramps it was not the best powercable. Audiogon people gave me Purist Audio as a good cable for poweramps. It worked a lot better than Valhalla did. More drive, more depth and a more open and musical mid freq.
Siltech lost a big part of the market in the Netherlands cause of the higher prices. And also because other brands made better cables. The distributor of Siltech in the Neterlands stopped because they were not satisfied about the quality and price.
I've been playing with cables, following each marked incarnation with great interest eversince early 80's. Cardas, MIT, TaraLabs, Siltech amongst others were literally just born then. Hundreds if not more varieties have come visit or stayed in my system at one time or another so am quite familiar with characteristics of each and just found some of your descriptives of them contradicting.. >>
Bo : Interconnects and loudspeakercables were Emperor and the Powercable were Siltech Ruby Moutain Hill. Valhalla was better in timing and speed compared to the best Siltech had at that time. Instruments were also better focussed.
<< I happen to own/using both brands. Also some Odin PCs hence my curiosity of new Valhalla2, and possibility of Odin2 if on the horizon.
Btw it is Ruby Hill/2, Ruby Mountain/2, or Ruby Double Crown (recent), there's never been AFAIK a Ruby Mountain Hill.
Anyway, please spare this thread and let it get back on track. Speak truth, and not what you are selling.
Here you can read that the overwhole sound became sweeter. They call it more natural. I remember that when the Valhalla came out they called it the most natural sounding cable. I was one of the first who bought it, but I did not find it very natural. When you played full Valhalla the sound was a bit on the cold/clean side. The stage was ok, but not the widest and deepest. Instruments and voices had a lot of space around them but where not as small and direct as in real. The same you could say about the sound of a violin. In real it still was a lot warmer.
They also talk about that the stage became wider with the Valhalla 2 powercord. I had the same results comparing Valhalla 1 and Purist Audio powercords.
In 2001 the Valhalla loudspeakercable was in timing and in decay the best you can get. I lent the Audioquest Kilimanjaro for 2 months of time. In a direct battle the Valhalla had a better overwhole sound. So I bought the Valhalla in 2001. I had this cable for 12 years of time. That is a very long time.
I compared there interconnects often with others. In 2009 I bought the new Acapella XLR pure silver interconnects. With the Pass Labs XA100.5 and XP20 these were superior compared to the Valhalla xlr with Valhalla loudspeakercable. A bigger and wider stage. Much more weight and different layers to be heard. Also the mid freq were more musical and open. Instruments and voices were so much better focussed compared to the Valhalla xlr.
In the test of stereophile they also noticed a less bigger improvement with the change to the new Valhalla 2 interconnect compared to the new powercable and loudspeakercable. I always said that the loudspeakercable and powercable from Valhalla are of a higher level compared to the Valhalla interconnects.
This year on a show I listend to Nordost Odin loudspeakercable, Valhalla powercables, Odin interconnects with Raidho D-1 speakers and Neodio cd player and amp. The played my cd; Bruce Springsteen Brothers under the Bridge. Compared to my own set the word endings of Bruce Springsteen his voice are so much better to hear to my set at home. The biggest difference is that Bruce is so much sharper focussed at my set. The difference in black is very big. All the instruments play a lot more loose from eachother and are much easier to follow. That is why I always say that the intimate focus of Nordost is missing when played full Nordost. All the times I demonstrate it people prefered other interconnects over the Nordost interconnects with the Nordost loudspeakercable.
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