Nordost Valhalla 2 Speaker Cables

@milpai, thanks and no worries, I don’t mind being judged online by strangers! People can make use of my experience or make judgements, that’s just the internet so it’s all good!

To shut down all who assume I may be biased having spent the cash, please reference my review of the Valhalla 2’s FROM 2019, where my review was just as enthusiastic as my experience after having bought the cables. In 2019, since I am not a millionaire made of money, I did not purchase them until now in 2022. That’s how much of an impact these cables made on me - my experience with them in 2019 was so positive it led me to commit to a purchase over 3 years!

I also totally get how some may not like this particular sound, and also, how systems that may be on the bright side may not be served well by these cables.

But like it or not, what these cables bring to my system is nothing short of what a speaker or amp upgrade can bring. I’ve tested other very pricey cables that did not have the same effect, so it is NOT just a function of pricing bias, as much as people would love to believe that. I will also say that in my 2019 review, I found that the Valhalla 2 power cord was lacking in bass. Despite the fact that it costs way too much!

What I do agree with is the fact that these companies are charging far more than they need to. The trouble is, the sound quality improvements are flat-out obvious to me!

Resume judging :)

Prior to my Valhalla 2 cables, it’s taken me 27 years of searching to arrive at a fairly simple system where finally I don’t hear a blaring brightness, edginess, or sluggish warm tone. I’ve tested so many speakers, power amps, pre-amps, including home demos, including some respected and some less respected amps, including from McIntosh, Moon, Bryston, Arcam, Musical Fidelity, Rotel, and many others. I almost gave up on my lifelong quest to to find a hi-fi system I liked, thinking that I couldn’t find a system that didn’t absolutely ruin a good portion of my favourite tunes such that it became un-listenable.

Then I came across the Gryphon Diablo300 integrated, with the internal DAC module. It really was the holy grail for me after searching for so long, and it makes all material I like sound awesome. I know you can do better with more cash, but with the gear available from dealers near or semi-near me, there was nothing even at double the price of the Diablo 300 that to my ears was even acceptable to me, regardless of the cost.

I am the opposite of the type of audiophile who says "above a certain price almost everything sounds amazing". I find 99.9% to sound good but have some flaw to my ears that ruins absolutely everything.

It’s been a very, very long road to getting to a happy place with hifi for me. Prior to the point where I got my Diablo 300 in 2019, my journey was filled with a lot of disappointment and compromise. There were many times where I felt, screw this I’ll just stick to my $500 headphones which sound great.

All that to say, once I found that the Diablo 300 could finally tame my relatively modest B&W 803 D2 speakers (I’ve tried many other speakers at that level through the decades too), I felt I could finally focus on cables without feeling the need to compensate for something I didn’t like about my system, and the Valhalla 2’s did the trick! Nothing thin at all about them. BUT - I DID find the Valhalla 2 power cord to be "thin", if by thin we mean lacking in low-frequency (bass) energy. It’s very possible it simply isn’t compatible with my Gryphon, especially considering that my Nordost dealer actually admitted that another Gryphon owner told him precisely the same thing about the Valhalla 2 power cord.  He said he even reported it to Nordost since two Gryphon owners had the same experience.

Currently I’m testing a demo Audioquest Dragon High-Current power cord, and also a Shunyata Omega QR-BB cord. Currently the Shunyata is kicking Audioquest’s ass (but the Dragon is nevertheless great), however, I just received the Dragon and it is not broken in, and as such it’s not fair to compare just yet. Also, concerning, the Shunyata seems to form a loose connection with my amp, even when you use the included plastic shim to help with this. The slightest wiggle can lose a connection. Might be a showstopper for me, despite how stunning the sound is.

@divertiti, I’m going to create a new thread on that comparison but I’ll offer a preview. The Omega QR BB is a far more lush and exquisite presentation at this point, vs the not-broken-in Dragon which has a more plain and straightforward, but highly detailed presentation. What do I mean by that? The Omega has a front-to-back depth to the soundstage, with acoustic guitars and vocals clearly presented “further back” into the overall 3D mix. In contrast the in-broken in Dragon presents mids including acoustic guitars and vocals more up front and “on the surface”, if that makes sense, with far less of a sense of 3D depth. While the mids are more up-front with the Dragon, I don’t mean that the mids are tonally accentuated. Both cords seem neutral to my ears. It’s just that the Omega absolutely goes to town with how mids are presented in the 3D space. For this same reason, vocals and mids seem more immediate with the Dragon, with Omega mids being surrounded by the rest of the 3D mix

The other thing is that the Omega has that magical ability to be utterly buttery smooth and relaxed, and yet the detail is astounding and the full musical energy is intact.

The Dragon may have a hair more low-end energy, but again, less 3D soundstage refinement.

I’m sure my impressions will change with the breakin of the Dragon. It’s a shame that the Shunyata cord is so loose, and that they felt the need to include a kludge plastic shim to try to tighten things up. Such a shame considering how great this cord sounds.  I will ask why they did that….  Maybe others with other amps won’t have this issue and won’t need to use the cheesy plastic shim.  Other power cords have no issues forming a solid connection with my amp.

Of note, the Shunyata Omega QR is billed as a conditioner and a power cord in one. It’s got a hard segment mid-cord where I guess the conditioning/filtering happens. So maybe it’s doing a bit more than the Dragon in that regard? Not sure.

I’m also testing the lower Shunyata Sigma V2 NR and the AQ Firebird. For the Sigma my results are inconclusive. Shunyata didn’t have a 15A demo on hand so they provided an adapter to fit my amp for the Sigma cord. I’ve a feeling this may have impacted the sound, as after a while I start to notice I can’t get a “solid” stereo image and I keep repositioning to find a sweet spot that doesn’t exist… I don’t want to judge the cord because of this. I’ve not tested the Firebird yet.

@divertiti also to compare with the Nordost Valhalla 2 power cord, I’m going by memory of my very intensive testing in 2019.

I recall the V2 being incredibly natural in the mids and high frequencies, extremely fast, and with more of what I like about my V2 speaker cables. BUT. The bass was very noticeably diminished and that was a showstopper. As I mentioned it may be simply not compatible with my amp, as my Nordost dealer noted another customer with a Gryphon said the same thing.

Ignoring the missing bass, the Valhalla 2 power cord and the Shunyata Omega couldn’t be more different in terms of presentation styles, but both are great! Again, ignoring the missing bass in the V2.

The V2 is just so quick and natural that it allows you to REALLY get into the music. The Shunyata Omega QR is a lush jungle of 3D imaging, smooth yet detailed and energetic, and utterly immerses you in the soundstage. If the Nordost had adequate bass with my amp and the Shunyata had a better physical connection with my amp, I honestly don’t know which I’d choose!

I am actually hoping my Dragon demo “catches up” with the Omega QR after breakin, since it has no physical connection issues. It may also catch up if I get the chance to connect it with a Niagara 5000 if I can demo that. Of note I have a Niagara 1200; connecting my amp to it degrades the impact of the mids which become veiled/softer. I’m hoping the Niagara 5000 doesn’t do that. Because of this all my testing of cords is direct to wall.

@ronboco, yes, I have also started looking at speakers. So far, I’ve listened to Magico A5’s and Audiovector R6’s with my Diablo 300 DAC and my cabling connected (including Valhalla 2’s). I had also listened to B&W 802 D3’s extensively when auditioning the Diablo 300.

Of the three speakers I’ve listened to, I think I gravitate towards the B&W sound. The 802 D3’s sounded great, but I think even my 803 D2’s had more bass presence. For that reason, I now want to test the 801 D4’s with my Diablo 300 next. They could have all I am looking for - the sound of the 802’s, but with a stronger bass presence.

The thing about my current speakers is I really like the sound they produce with the connected equipment.  I detect no flaws.  I just know that I can get better imaging performance and transparency by upgrading.  As the 801’s are stretching my budget considering my recent upgrades, and since I’m not unhappy with my current system, I may take my time with the speaker purchase.

@ronboco, yep I am avoiding any possible exposure to Odin 2 like the plague!  I’ve heard nothing but good things.  As good as my gear is, Odin 2 would essentially have my cabling outclass the rest of my system, while also utterly clobbering the budget…

I can see how Valhalla 2 power cords could be better on sources than amps.  Might just not be as good for applications requiring access to instantaneous current?

@ronboco,

Regarding B&W I did not really take to their sound until I heard them with the Gryphon amp.  So it could be a pairing thing for me.

I would really love to audition the Rockports.  Unfortunately it looks like I’d need to travel from Canada to Boston to be able to audition Rockports with Gryphon.  I could do all of that on travel points so it’s actually doable.  My concern however is shipping them to Canada, with undetermined duty costs when importing them. Because of that I’m not sure that logistically I can consider Rockports.  In theory I could audition them in Boston and purchase them in Canada (from a store across the country from me).  But I wouldn’t feel right about wasting the store’s and salesman’s time in Boston if I have no intention of buying from there.
 

@ronboco, also, what conditioner are you connecting the Odin 2 power cord to, if any?

Correction - the newer B&W’s ARE ported, but downwards as opposed to front firing.

@henry201, very interesting with regard to the A5’s with the Valhalla (I’m assuming you tested Valhalla version 2 as version 1 is known to be thin-sounding).

Regarding B&W, from D3 onwards, I personally find the bass to take a back seat to the mids.  That’s why I’m interested in testing the 801’s.

My current 803 D2’s are front ported (the newer designs are sealed), so they have much more of a bass emphasis.  When comparing the Valhalla 2 speaker wire on my current B&W’s with other very high end cables from AudioQuest, Transparent, and my lower end but excellent Clarus Crimson biwires, I do not detect ANY less bass with the Valhalla 2’s.  In other words, while the Valhalla 2 speaker wires may favour B&W, I don’t think it’s related to B&W’s having more bass to start with.

Could be a red herring but maybe the Valhalla 2’s simply don’t do well with 4 Ohm speakers like the A5’s?  I’m not an expert, but I think with lower impedance speakers the wattage generated and the current running through then speaker wires would be much, much higher.  So maybe the Valhalla 2’s can’t manage the higher current flow when connected to the A5’s?