Nordost Valhalla Power Cords

I bought a second hand pair a few months ago. I could'nt afford new prices. I like its speed and tranparency, but found it a little bleache tonally, in comparison to the Lessloss Origonal and Sablon Audio Robusto, I mainly use. Both are a lot cheaper new, as well. I find it hard to separate these 2 very good power cords

They are exceptional. I have two. Among the best I have heard, and I have heard many. A bit more full-bodied than the IC's. More detail tghan LessLoss Sig, which I also like a lot.

Neal

I have a set of Brahma cords and a Thor distribution box. I was interested to try a Valhalla cord in the system. I only borrowed one. I tried it between the Thor and the wall, also between the preamp and amp to the Thor. In every application I preferred the Brahma cord. Roy Gregory did some tests in Hi Fi+ that produced different results in which the Valhalla was preferred connected to the wall. It didn't work out for me. The soundstage was more natural with the Brahma and I felt the Valhalla a bit thick in the midrange.

I found them to be stunning. Incredible speed, resolution, etc. That being said, I also have to admit that I found myself listening to music less and less with them in the system. Looking back, I think they revealed so much information that the mind was constantly looking at all this new information, which led to listener fatigue, at least to me. I found that I got 90% of the resolution with Stealth Dream power cords, but could listen for longer periods of time, the Dreams were a bit more musical.

I'll still say that if I was demo'ing hifi equipment, I'd use the Valhalla cords, as they will really impress folks. I just found that I couldn't live with them long term. YMMV.

Hi John. Glad to hear your back in the area.
For me and in my system the Valhalla PC's and the rest of the Valhalla line for that matter was "one of those audio moments". They simply allowed me to hear further into the musical performance on recordings than all the others I have auditioned. Musical bliss for me.

best,
Tom

Hello Tom, thanks, how have you been? I stopped over at Earl's place just before Christmas. His system is sounding terrific. He has all the BAT/Nordost stuff, like you I believe. He has his Avalon speakers, what are you driving again?

John ... Eidolon Diamonds

LOL! So your system is VERY similar to Earl's!! Do you also have a VPI/Dynavector analog front end?

I think, it is System depending, some Designs react more, some less. I listened to Nordost ODIN power cords and I heard no improvement (with Lamm Tube amps) which justified their pricing.

John, although our systems are Very similar they're not identical. What can I say? ... I guess Earl enjoys coming over to listen to music as much as I enjoy having him.

The differences in our rooms have the biggest impact on the sound of his system vs. mine. I'm only running a digital front-end. The EMM's DAC2/TDS1 performance is quite considerable over Earl's EMM single-box. I'm also using a Finite Elemente Reference rack which is an improvement over the Zoethecus he is using at this time.

Back to the Valhalla P.C.s. I STRONGLY recommend to others that you try these in your system. I would not have thought a P.C. could have this kind of an impact a system's sound. Can only imagine how good the Odin must be!

enjoy,
Tom

Very much enjoying Valhalla in my system (PC and interconnects). They bring me closer to real music...

I just added a second Valhalla power cord to my Esoteric D-05. The first Valhalla went on the Esoteric P-05......and I will tell you that is does add some speed and clarity. The rest of my system is wired with Purist Audio's 20th Anniversary IC's, digital and speaker cables....the power cords are PAD's Limited Edition's.....very happy with the change and this mixture of brands. Wondering how one of the Valhalla's would work on the Esoteric clock ????

Hello Garebear,

Just wondering if you have tried the Valhalla p.c. on your amp plugged directly in the wall yet?

Hi Tom

The difference between Odin and Valhalla PC's is simply monumental..
Added 'AIR' and 'SPACE'
I feed my 1st Quantum QX4 and my Quantum QBase with 2 Odin's. The rest
of my PC's are Valhalla's which feed my Nagra's through Quantum QX4's
I have an Odin phono cable and an Odin RCA (from pre to power) the rest are Valhallas

Hello Jussy. Glad to hear you're enjoying music with Odin in your system. best,
Tom

Would appreciate comments on the preferred length of the Valhalla PC. Does the 2m version sound better on upstream components than the 1m version?

Hi Polyglot. Use the longest length of Valhalla PC between the wall socket and your distributor. Best PC (IME) should go there.

Also agree with Jussy. The Odin is a big step up from Valhalla. Nordost often comment that one Odin in primary position with say Vishnu's everywhere else compares favorably with an all Valhalla loom.

Thanks Kiwi. RE the ODIN main in and all the rest Vishnu PC loom, Lars of NordOst has demonstrated this in Shanghai. Any Goners have tried this? If this works, I will gladly upgrade to ODIN for the main tier and use all Vishnu downstream.

I owned them and I sold many of them. For source and pre-amp they can take your set to a higher level. But for amps there are many better options. Purist Audio for example is for poweramps superior. You hear it in the low freq. it goed dieper and you hear more layers. In the mid freq it is opener and better focused. Depth is also better than Valhalla. Wenn I used 100% Valhalla you will always loose depth and individual focus. I have done these tests over and over again. For me it is as simple as 1 and 1 is 2

My experience has been the same as Bo's. Valhalla has great resolution and top end. But you might find more weight, depth with other cables. In my experience they worked very well on my preamps, but I felt that the thinned out my digital front end too much, some more than others. Odin might be the ticket, but I have never tried them.

Odin has more authority. But the same problem in weight and depth. But it also misses an extreemly sharp imaging. Acoustic sound is very direct and small in dimension. Sound lacks emotion. I still think Nordost is useful for a part. Only using Nordost is never a Walhalla. Because there are always important parts missing what should be there for a perfect ballanced sound. Nordost people always became irritated when I said this. They said: it is your personal preference. But all the people with who I did the tests had the same conclusions. It is as it is. Some people have problems to face the truth!

I have one Brahma left to replace and can't wait. Purchased a Valhalla interconnect last week for very good price and is being reterminated to RCA. That will completed the interconnect upgrade. Still running Valkyrie speaker cable which will be the last piece to the Valhalla puzzle. It has taken a long time and have purchased most as used or demo. The improvement as I have added piece by piece has been something. I have not had the pleasure of hearing an Odin demo but heard it is amazing and know of a fellow who went from Valhalla power to and Odin. Well beyond my league unfortuately-it was a big enough decision to accept the valhalla path

Nordost Valhalla Power Cords
.....a question directed to the owners as well as the past owners of these power cords. Just your thoughts on these power cords...as I have mine and just want to see / hear what you think.
Garebear

Alright Gary, I'm still waiting for your thoughts.

As for mine, as someone who is just leaving the Nordost cable camp for the second time, I'd like to say that I've learned my lesson and I won't be back, but that would probably be a lie. Actually, I can't say that I'm totally sans Nordost, because I'm still using a pair of Heimdall interconnects between preamp and amp. They do have their place, Nordost cables add speed and resolution to any system.

However, I have found, that when I went all Nordost, power cords, interconnects and speaker cables, that my system started to sound too clinical, not organic enough for my tastes. It doesn't seem to matter whether I was using the Valhalla line like in the good old days when money was more easy to come by, or my current attempt with Heimdall and Brahma, I've come to the same conclusion. Now I'm sure that I could probably find some equipment and speakers that are warm enough where this would not be the case. I've played with enough gear to know that pretty much anything can be made to sound good with the right cables, and any cables can sound good if mated with the right gear.

Currently my system is sounding pretty good, though I am still looking for the right speaker cables. I've tried several different brands, but have not found a winner yet. I did put the Nordost Heimdall speaker cables back in again yesterday, and I know that they are NOT the answer, just as the Analysis Plus Solo Crystal 8 I'm listening to now is not the answer. However, by replacing the Brahma with Elrod and Purist Audio power cords, I am much closer to what I want my rig to sound like than before. Granted, I still have the Heimdall interconnect from pre to amp, my source ic's are Jade Vermeil and PAD Venustas.

Overall my experiences in a nutshell:
Some Nordost in my system = very good
All Nordost in my system = not so good

Exactly what I said......using some Nordost can make some good improvements. But all Nordost always gives flaw's. It is as easy and predictive as it is!

What about the wall receptacle and, much lesser talked about, the standard circuit breaker upgrades?

As for the former, having spent at least a couple grands alone on the cords (in case of Valhalla PCs), would it be logical to match the (quality of) Valhalla's Wattgate 330i/350i connectors with (the same quality) Wattgate 381 receptacle(s) in the wall? Or at least Hubbell IG8300 (cryogenically treated). What are your experiences?

As for the latter, I would appreciate recommendations for a (cry'od) circuit breaker that fits into a 200A GE panel.

While not the Valhalla model, any thoughts on the Blue Heaven cables/cords?

Blue Heaven are a lot different in sound. Less natural and less drive. Wattgate is quite poor compared to Oyaide. Valhalla uses in Europe a very cheep Shuko of 35 euro. I used Oyaide F1 on my Valhalla. Superior compared to the budget connectors Nordost uses on the Valhalla.

Well hello John....nice to hear from you. I had three of the Valhalla's Power Cords in my system on my Esoteric set up including the clock. The rest of the system is Purist Audio 20th Anniversary and Canours cables, which if you remember I have always enjoyed and liked the sound of the Purist Cables. I wanted a little more speed and the Nordost Valhalla's seemed to be the right move. It opened the system right up and was very reveiling. Like with all changes yuo make, initially I enjoyed then after a few months that hmmmmm came in. It became apparent that I had lost some rythm along with bass. Don't get me wrong - these are a great cable if the rest of your system has enough base for the room for your likeing and is on the '' slower side '' of sound. I also missed the texture that Purist has so I went back to Purist after about a year. My whole system is once again all Purist - and yes, something can be said about a whole sytem being wired with the same cabeling. As we anything in this hobby ....it's what you like and what works in your system

It sounds like your experiences are similar to mine Gary, except that I've had the same problems when going all Purist too. That too much of a good thing is not good. At this point, I have a mix of Nordost and Purist in my system. Whenever I've tried to go fully in one direction or the other I have found that the further I go down one road with a single manufacturer, the more their flaws become apparent.

I haven't lived happily (at least two years) with one manufacturer's cables since my days with the Tara Labs Decade in the early-mid 90's. I've tried many times without success. Jade Aduio and Stealth Audio came the closest to fulfilling that goal, but even then I discovered that my system sounded better when I mixed Jade with Stealth.

It is very easy to explain. When you use more different brands you can add more different properties. I want everything in my set. For example; people who only use MIT ( I owend it and sold it) you alwats will miss individuel focus. Instruments ans voices are very direct and small in dimension. People have to learn how instruments and voices sound in real. MIT makes voices often too big. All the shows I have been I encounterd the same problem. For me this is as simple as 1 and 1 is 2. Like Nordost is not good at individual focus, not enough depth en lack of emotion in the mid's. This you find in most brands. I tested cables for hundreds of hours.

Bo I agree Nordost cables are very un-musical and cold. Some will say very neutral however I disagree and have bought and sold lots of it over the years. No music just noise.

Wenn you use Nordost for a part like only the loudspeakercable or one powercable for source or preamp Nordost can give you extra speed and air. Then it can work very effective. But wenn you use it too much, you will always loose some important parts in your system. For me it is this clear. Another example Transparent cabels. It does not do anything wrong. But what I heard sometimes you miss some definition compared to Nordost. But at the end sound is more important then the best resolution. First you have to tearn about the properties of your amp and speakers. Only then you know what kind of cable you should use.

Personally, I'm getting more and more convinced that there are drawbacks of mixing and matching cable technologies to much within the same system. All you do is compensating for weaknesses and flaws ending up with a big compromise.

A trusted local supplier explained the theory behind the cause of timing issues as well recently when combining different cable technologies, which all made sense to me. Timing issues causes a lot of problems, among them cognitive strain and in the end - listening fatigue.

That said, I'm there myself right now combining Nordost Valhalla power cords (throughout) with Kubala Sosna Elation interconnects & speaker cable. I will try Valhalla all through soon. Then we'll see who's "right" :)

Been there, done that Sidekick_i, but by all means, knock yourself out, it just might work.....for you.
That's the thing about this cable business, what works for me or you, usually doesn't work for someone else. It is a very subjective topic.

@Jmcgrogan2. Subjective, indeed. Have you ever tried Nordost-cabling throughout your system?

@Jmcgrogan2. Subjective, indeed. Have you ever tried Nordost-cabling throughout your system?

Nice example. I sold a Baldur loudspeaker set a few years ago. My client says to me: can you order Baldur interconnect for me. I said, If I were you I would not do this. Why: because you will get a less focussed image and you will loose depth. He said: oke I believe you. So I advised to buy Kimber select. So he bought it. Two weeks after he got the Kimber he phoned me. You were right about the Baldur interconnect. He borrowed the Baldur of a dealer were he lived. With the Kimber voices and instruments were much sharper foccused. And the sound was more musical and pleasant.

@Sidekick_i, yes, I have had Nordost throughout my system....twice. That's what I meant by "been there, done that". It didn't work for me, but that doesn't mean that it can't work for you.
Nordost is intoxicatingly transparent, but both times I found out that the further I went down that road, the more clinical or anemic the music began to sound. I know others that love it, so it's just a matter of tastes and system matching. I've found that Nordost sounds best with warmer sounding gear, equipment that needs a little extra life or resolution. Just be careful, too much of a good thing can become bad.

As always, YMMV.

It also depends about your level of knowledge in music. Wenn you do not know how an instrument sounds in real. And you do not know how small in dimension a voice or instrument should be. I had a client with 100% Valhalla. He loved it. There was no emotion in his set, for me it sounded dead.

Hi, I agree with the post above!, cables as we all know are very system dependent,I have seen people sell the nordost odin for Taralabs zero gold and omega gold,in turn I ,ve seen gentlemen sell the tara for the nordost,the same thing with lessloss, K.S. elations,they are all great cables to me,I prefer the Taralabs for my system,these are good cables to throw around and go audition,cheers,happy listening!

Hi Bo1972, I have herd the samething,no emotion,, running all Nordost cables thru out a system,I was a professional musician for 20 years,LOL,now at 46 yrs old, I do not do touring eanymore,your point about knowledge of live,real music,I totally agree with you,It helps me alot to have that kind of experience,I have never listened to Kimber select cables before,I have known about Kimber cables for years,so I suppose I cannot coment on Kimber cables,Have you listened to the Taralabs Cobalt A/c power cable before?,I am considering buying one,what is your opinion on that cable?

I sold Taralabs for some time. I liked it a lot. But Taralabs were difficult company to deliver cables to Holland. Most people don't know how an instrument sounds in real. Wenn I listen to Avalon ( sold it for many years), Spectral and MIT togheter( sold it for manu years and I owned it) for me it is difficult to hear to classical music. A violin does sound a lot different in real. I prefer classical music in sound realism played by Sonus Faber and B&W 800, 801 and 802. The things I miss with these brands are 3d holograhpic sound. I did not try powercables of Taralabs. Not the better ones they have. What I said earlier for poweramps I love the Purist Audio Design cables. Tuesday I will receive my Limited Edition 2013 powercable. I sold a lot of Valhalla powercables. Most of them were for cd players, sometimes conditioners, preamps and only a few times for poweramps.

Hi Bo1972,The cobalt power cord is the current top-line a/c cord,kinda exspensive,not as exspensive as the nordost odin!,and the performace of the odin power cord does not justify paying more for it over the tara to me,I will be useing the cobalt a/c on a cd-player,It seems to get great effect there,I guess I been around a while myself,The avalon,mit,spectral, you mentioned,I have had alot of exsperience with myself,liked the avalon speakers,did not like mit cables or spectral,they were just not for me,purist audio design are great cables indeed!,one of the best period!,I wanted the cabolt to match the tara zero gold I/C I have,have you ever listened to this I/c before?,cheers!

The thing I love about the Purist powercables is that the mid freq. are more open. Like a flower what comes to bloom. Low freq are more tight and better defined compared to Nordost. Makes your stage wider and deeper compared to Nordost. People of Nordost always became irritated wenn I said that there synergy of using only Nordost is the biggest bullshit. Purist is also much more musical. Tuesday I will receive the Puist Audio LE 2013 powercable for my Pass labs X250.5

I looked at the Taralabs website.

Hi Bo1972,your description of purist audio design top tier cables sounds like my tast in sound,the extreme series Tara cables do that sound as well,you sound like me,,If you don,t have the mid-range sound right,you have nothing!,If you have profound mids,every thing else falls into place,If its a very good cable.,,I would like to here the cables you have,I have not listened to purist in a long time,,I believe nordost is a good cable,however,It seems its not for you are me,I do not like a analitical sound that comes with some nordost cables,like you said,does not sound like real music,I concur.,,are you mixing cable brands?,I run all Tara so I do not go thru,fix that ,or fix this,to me,seems like you have to make ajustments all the time to balance each sound out,,thats exspensive fighting that war,some people may have to do there cables like that to better there system sound,,I am glad I do not need to do that. cheers!

Hello Bol1972 - I was the original poster of this thread and as I noted ; Nordost Valhalla power cords are a good cords for the right system. They just seemed to thin for me, there was no texture to the music and I lost some of music's rhytham. My whole system is Purist 20th Anniversary's and Canorous cables......but the power cords are all the Limited Edition's. Let me know what you think of the sound when you put the LE on the monster Pass Labs amp.

'" Garebear" I will let you know I promiss, Bobby

hi,cheers to purist audio for making some cables that bring happiness to those who own the top-tier cables by them!This is what its all about,satiesfaction!,Thou I am A taralabs fan and owner, I am glad to see people enjoy what they have!

The last thing I want to say about Nordost is that people and also Nordost it self needs to learn to use the properties better and more secure. You need to know what it is capable of and what are the flaws. Yess it can improve some important parts. In speed, resolution and air it is great. It needs to be adapt to put every instrument and voice were it is standing exactley on the recording. By using Nordost interconnect this will not happen wenn you use there interconnects. At shows I could discribe exactley what would happen with the cd's I had with me before I played them. I have done so many tests with them. For me it predictable as one and one is two. To all the people I showed the difference between Nordost interconnects and other interconnects. Which had superior in individual focus. I never heard anyone saying with Nordost is better or I prefer it. People should learn and hear more to real music. You will be stunned how direct and really small in dimension it often can be!