I initially started with HEIMDALL in a prior system on the belief that it was the NORDOST model “sweet spot”, and then drank the KoolAid for an upgrade to a full FREY cables loom
MY TAKE:
IMO that experience in audio improvements moving up from the HEIMDALL to the FREY are as follows:
(a) Firstly, the audio performance uptick was slight / small incremental in general, but certainly not any Jesus moment …. and in hindsight, simply not worth the added cash outlay.
(b) if I was still married to NORDOST cables in my system and somehow looking for a meaningful performance upgrade, I would go straight up to the VALHALLA ….and just skip everything in the middle cable models..There is a good reason why NORDOST VALHALLA and CARDAS CLEAR are the two largest cable options selected by the exhibitors at the audio expos.
(c) Without prejudice to (b) above, the main audio improvements from HEIMDALL to FREY were only gleaned by going the full Monty as a cradle-to-grave full loom upgrade ( ALL of IC, speaker, & power…) to an entire matched NORDOST model full loom .For example, If you think that upgrading just the current HEIMDALL speaker cables in isolation will favourably stir your drink, you may be disappointed.
(D) Further, any NORDOST cable upgrades are entirely VERY system dependent … more so than many other premium brands . You might see audio performance changes but be prepared that they may not be for the better. For example, when I upgraded to new HARBETH speakers, my full current FREY loom carry- forward frankly now sucked, and sounded very “edgy”. and “brittle” and fatiguing at a minimum . A full FREY loom change was undertaken to a full CARDAS CLEAR loom as a necessary upgrade with improvements that were not insignificant.
Choose wisely.
PS NOTDOST V2 cables versus the prior V1 models
My personal take , the prior V1 is 95% of the performance quotient of the V2 at a fraction of the price. There are similar personal experiences posted in different audio forums that comment in like manner on this.