Upgrading-Clear Days to Nordost Tyr 2 or Frey 2 vs Cerious Matrix IC's and speaker cables
Hello everyone. I need your help. I’m in the process of upgrading my Clear Day double shotgun speaker cables and IC’s. I prefer musicality, micro and macro dynamics, speed and transients, and air and soundstage width and depth vs warmth.
I am very happy with what my Clear days are delivering I just want a more refinement in what it does well. The ClearDays are generally neutral with good soundstage width height and depth. Musical but not overly warm, or thick sounding. Good bass presense with nice but not overly harsh highs. I am looking for more front to back layering of the sound-stage, detail in the mids and lows, plus balanced bottom to top performance across the entire frequency spectrum.
My 2 channel listening system consists of a Modwright Oppo with a GEC U52 rectifier and 75 silver shield "holy grail reflectors" output tubes. My amp is currently a BAT VK-6200 feeding into PSB T3’s supplemented with a REL S5. I use REL bassline Blue and AQ Boxer cables to connect my REL S5.
Has anyone demo’d both Nordost and the Matrix lines? How do they compare? What is the Matrix house sound vs the Nordost? Performance wise how does Matrix compare to both Frey 2 and Tyr 2?
May I suggest you move your speakers out into the room more and away from the rear wall. I have found by doing that improves depth, front to back and tightens up the bass.
@dill Thank you for your suggestion. Due to furniture and other considerations I cannot move my speakers any further out into the room. I am actually happy with my current setup’s presentation. I listen to music for hours. The sound-stage depth is fine. I just want to tweak and get more of what I like.
If I were you I will call Bob at Cerious Technology Cables, and auditions the matrix, and call usedcable.com for Nordost.I have the heimdall Nordost speaker cables and ic , they are very fast, and revealing, my Cerious Tech graphene speaker cables they sound very balance, easy to match...I both like this cables, the Nordost Tyr are on a different level speed , musicality and clarity wise,
I do own the ClearDay shotgun as well, clarity they are very close to heimdall2, but they can’t touch the heimdall on speed, and soundstage,and layering, the Tyr does more.
@jayctoy Thank you for the comparison. That’s part of what I want to hear. How much superior from my Clear Days are the Nordosts/Matrix and how, and how do the Nordosts compare with Cerious Matrix???
The Nordost are very very fast, revealing, on darksounding system they work better, t prefer the Cerious Technogy Cables on my bright sounding system, remember matching is very important...
EDIT-I currently have 2 Puritanlabs 156 power conditioners in my system as we as an PS Audio AC12 from VK-6200 to PL 156 as well as upgraded cables from all of my other components to the PL 156's.
I was an early adopter of Clear Day speaker cables: the double shotgun were the best of them, plus his XLR cables. All were exceptional value. One has to spend a lot more to get more
Now I am using WireWorld series 7 XLRs from my Oppo105 direct to my RIc Schultz EVS 1200 + WireWorld power cords, which provide a big improvement to overall sound and presentation
Could well be that a Core Power Deep Core would solve your concerns. It goes between the wall and ones PC with adjustments to dial in accurate voltage hth
I went from expensive Nordost (oxymoron?) to ClearDay cables and never looked back. I feel kind of foolish for what I paid for the Nordost and have absolutely no desire to try other cables. Once you have synergy you stay put IMO.
@tuberist A big +1! Paul Laudati, God rest his soul, knew what he was doing and how to recommend the right cables for a specific system. Then again there is no "universal" cable that will sound great with all systems!
Thanks to @tweak1@hifiman5 and @tuberist for your comments here. In appreciative memory of Paul who many of us got a chance to know through the years. Great guy and such a loss for our community.
My Puritanlabs 156 conditioners are a very recent addition and they are breaking in now. The process is much like breaking in an amp as the sound character is evolving and although not finished breaking in I am very pleased with the improvement in SQ. I changed out a CPT 1800 and I must say it is several huge steps up in both current delivery and SQ with the 156’s vs the CPT 1800.
@tuberist What Nordost cables did you have in your system and how do the Clear Days compare to them???
First I sold them several years ago, so not much memory, but
WW cables are designed by a professional (David Salz) who understands the various electromechanical issues (capacitance, inductance and skin effect) that affect signal transfer
Paul’s cables and jacketing were extremely simple, with no regard for what it could be doing wrong
Guys, none of those mentioned (or other) cables even comes close to the pure, calm and shocking dynamic signal you can get from a thick (minimum 9awg) solid copper conductor. Simply because they represent a much lower resistance and eliminates interference, just what your amp asks for.
In fact, no conductor on the secondary (low current) site should be thinner than 9awg solid core.
I have been super happy with my Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8 speaker cables! You should look into a pre owned pair. Just awesome sounding cables.
So sad to hear about Paul. I had no idea that he passed on. He was truly one of the, if not THE, nicest, warm hearted fellow audiophiles that I’ve had the pleasure talking with. We talked on the phone for hours. I will truly miss you friend.
Thank you for the suggestion @b_limo Not known to the community at large, was that during the last year or 2 of his life Paul was being treated for acute stomach problems. He thought it complication due to previous back surgery. He barely was able to sleep and it turned out in the end he had cancer. He will always be remembered for being a kind and generous man.
@b_limo In what ways do your Oval 8 better the Clear Days and what is there general sonic signature on the warm/analytical scale???
What I experienced with the Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8’s are a warm, full sound. They have great bass, as would be expected with an 8 guage copper wire but whats most impressive is how it untangles complex pieces of music. They really allow me to hear each individual instrument and how they fit together to make music. I’m guessing that this is in part due to good attack and decay, or good timing as well as the cable not “smearing” certain frequencies. They don’t sound thin at all. If you weren’t to notice how it untangles music, they may just sound full, warm, good bass, and slightly laid back highs but with the sparkle and micro details in tact. But again, the way they untangle music with multiple instruments playing over each other, was the final selling point.
If you can score a used pair in 8 feet for $1k or less you might strongly consider them. I’d go with the T1 spades if possible.
Clear Day double shotguns sound good but are not in the same league in my humble opinion. The Clear Days sounded open, detailed, slightly thin to me. For the $ new though, I really like the Clear Days.
Of course cables are system / listener dependent so ymmv, but I doubt it 😁
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