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Review: Nordost Red Dawn Interconnect

Category: Cables

I have never been a big believer in high priced cables and had often thought it was just hype. After all, how could those pricey cables make enough difference to justify their cost?

Some of those expensive interconnects I have tried over the years made slight differences in the sound. Some improved the detail slightly, some made the sound bright, and others added more bass, but none of them were worth the $200. to $500. price for such tiny improvements. Was there really a interconnect made that could improve every aspect of the sound and still be affordable?

I was talking to Anthony Padilla of Aberdeen Components one day about different interconnects and he suggested I try a pair of Red Dawns from Nordost. Three days later the Red Dawns arrived and I was ready to give them a try. Now Anthony had already burned the interconnects in, so I could give them a listen without the need to wast weeks before making a decision.

After the first song finished on the Fourplay Heartfelt CD, I knew the Red Dawns were here to stay. The music seemed faster, more detailed, and full. I thought I was listening to a different version of this CD. Instruments I never before heard jumped out of my speakers. The separation of those instruments was astounding. I then played Spyro Gyra
and could not believe what I was hearing, congas off in the distance, trumpets crisp and clear, saxophones smooth and sexy, and keyboards that actually sounded lifelike. These cables revealed every nuance in the music that was simply not achieved by all of the other cables I have tried period.

If you want to hear a huge improvement in your system and have never tried Red Dawn interconnect cables by Nordost, your need to try these interconnects. They made this non believer change his mind and dish out the cash.

John Freeman

Associated gear
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McCormack MAP-1 Preamp
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Denon 3800 DVD Player
Monitor Audio Gold Series Speakers
Velodyne GHS-10 Sub
M&K SS-150 Tripole Surround Speakers
Monster Cable M1.4s Biwire Spaeker Cable
Harmonic Tech Fantasy AC 10 Power Cables
Exact Power EP-15

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sailor
chris_launder
66 posts
 
I used the Red Dawn interconnects & cables on home demo
in my system and at 1st I was very impressed by the clean , detailed sound but after a few days I found that what I 1st thought was clean & detailed was becoming more like bleached & slightly strident . I loved the ' 21st century ' look of these cables but found in the end that the sound was just a little to clinical for my taste in my system . I want to stress that by clinical I do not mean the same as accurate .
I also tried some Cardas cable and curiously found it overly rich and ' honeyed ' in its presentation , especially after the Nordost . Finally I tried some of the top of the range Harmonic Tech interconnects in my system ,
the H T's have stayed for the last 2 years , I couldn't be happier .
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,871 posts
 
While I have no experience with the Red Dawn IC's, I recently placed the speaker
cables into my system and I think they are a great cable.
One night myself and several other 'philes 'AB'ed the RD v11's vs Blue Heaven and everyone thought that the BH's were far brighter than the RD's. The RD's were also 'AB'ed against Cardas Golden Reference. again the group preferred the RD's; overall we felt the the RD's were able to unravel more detail and were a lot faster sounding. The Cardas was as one listener commented " fat and slow" compared to the RD v11's.
I wander if the RD IC's and the speaker cables as a combo are too much of a good thing. The IC's that we used that night were Highwire 700's, Cardas
Golden Ref and Hex Golden 5c's, Van den Hul d-102Mk3's and Harmonic Tech IC's.
neogeo
8 posts
 
I have used Red Dawns for a couple months now, 1 1meter and 1 .6meter all brought from fellow agoners. I tried them with tubes components and not as good as other i/c. In solid state it seems to be better. In tubes they appear with less body and feel slower. In SS they are faster and have more punch. I guess they like ss better than tubes.
achilles
135 posts
 
I've had Red Dawn 1-meters for several years now. They are nothing special IMO and have been gradually demoted to my least important source, a rarely-used MSB Link DAC which is what I use to hook the TV into the stereo.
I can't recommend Red Dawns. In my experience, AudioQuest and Audio Magic make more useful cables. I can't speak for the more expensive Nordosts, which I've never heard.
achilles
135 posts
 
Oops, I have to retract. The Nordosts I have are called "Blue Heaven" not "Red Dawn". Sorry for the confusion.
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