Valhalla spkr cable good match Pass and Legacy ?

Ozzy, based on your pervious posts and answers, I know your a intelligent audiophile and music lover. We both know when you get to a higher level of gear that personnal taste and system snergy becomes more and more important.

Regardless of what other reviewers have said about Valhalla IC's and speaker wires, I have always found them kinda bright, in your face, and not very musical to my ears. The lover of the wires always come back with, "the Valhalla is so revealing that the shortcoming is in your system, not the wire." Well, I just to agree to disagree. I find them to be one of the most over rated and over priced "pargon of virtues" in high end audio. The only time I thought they sounded O.K. is with very warm sounding tube gear, were the brightness actually helps the system sound more alive.

Finally, since you own one of the great amps of the world, the Pass LabsX-350.5, and I also use Pass LabsXA-100's I would recommend you audition Acoustic Zen's Silver referenceII's or Absolute IC's along with either Satori or Absolute speaker wires in your system. I believe they sound great with Pass amps, are well built, and are very reasonable priced.

Ozzy - According to our customers, Nordost is NOT a good matc for either the amp or the speakers that you mentioned. Semitrical co-ax designs are favored ( Wireworld and/or Straightwire) along with Stereovox, Analysis Plus(Silver or Gold), and Acoustic Zen Silver would also be good matches for this system.

Teajay, Jwpstayman,
Thank you Gents for the kind Help. I will persue all the recomendations.
I just cant understand why so many reviewers, review equipment with them.

Ozzy, I owned Legacy Focus speakers at one time and enjoyed them very much. In the process of upgrading I auditioned 7 or 8 brands of speaker wire and IC's including Nordost. I agree with the comments regarding a lean/analytical bent to the Valhalla tho to a much lesser extent than their other less expensive wires. To make a long story short, I ended up with Silversmith silver speaker and IC's. They sounded the most like music to me without sounding etched or lean. They also had the added benefit of being cheaper than the Nordost,Purist,Tara labs I also listened to(tho not by alot). Unfortunately, I haven't owned the Pass Labs amps but did own an SS amp known to be slightly warm like the Pass(OCM-Belles). Hope this helps and enjoy listening.

I have Legacy Focus 20/20s as my rear speakers now (replaced by WHispers in front) with a McCormack DNA-500 amp. When they were front speakers, the best cables I found were from Virtual Dynamics - after break-in they were amazing. Since the Focii are now rears and used only for movies, I no longer require that level of cable to them. The VD's continue to shine even more strongly with my Whispers.

Tried Valhalla and would agree with prior comments - no bottom end in the system. My VDs provide all the speed, etc of the Valhallas with the most balanced, accurate yet musical presentation I have ever heard out of my system.

Good luck!

People have to use the properties of cables and equipment. When you have the possibillity to try many cables so you can compare them you now what they can do. I always judge a cable or part of the rest of a system what it does. I use Valhalla loudspeakercables for many years now. It is not a cable what is harsh. When you use it well you will have a resolution you never heard before. I say to people just take your favorite cd's with you and listen. People hear so many new things that they are impressed. But is all Valhalla in a system a good choice? Is it the synergy what brings a system to a higher level. Nooooooo...it never will. Why? Because it misses important properties other cabels have. Other example? Many of my audio friends used the Cardass Golden ref speakercable because it has a musical "warm" sound. When we compared the Valhalla with the Cardas, the people who play and played with the Cardas where stunned how much more resolution the Valhalla had and how much better the sound was in the mid freq. Totally uncoloured and not harsh at all. As the would have expected. So look for a demo and listen with your own ears. And then you know what it does. it is not interesting what people think or say. They cannot listen with your ears and with your system in your room.

Good luck and I wish you all the best,

Bobby

I have a lot of knowledge of many cable, because I listen to them in many systems. So also with Nordost products. A Valhalla sounds so much more ease and relax than cheaper nordost products. So people never can compare the cheaper ones with the Valhalla. It is from another plannet.

2 years ago the Valhalla powercable came out. It was really stunning. I tried many good powercables ( Siltech Ruby Mountain Hill, MIT AC 1 and 2, Purist Audio Aqueous, Electraglide Ultra Kahn RevII, Electraglide Epiphany x, Cardas Golden ref and may more. But there was no one who could match the level of resolution of the Valhalla powercable. Very good results on sources and conditioners. And Yes the Valhalla powercable is not a good match on many poweramps, only sometimes it works well. But to much Valhalla will cause problems. There is a lack in the low freq ( A Purist Audio is the best in this area by far) and also not well working in the mid freq. This also counts for the IC cabels of the Valhalla. But, for a part you can use the properties of the Valhalla in many systems. But you always will need other brands properties. The Valhalla cab di things no other cable can do. When you play with fully Valhala wiring in your system you lose individual focus, and the mids are less involving and many times you lose some depth. But exept of all the notes I wrote the Valhalla is a hell of a good product. But use it well and just for a part, never use to much of it. That is the fault many people often make. Use different brands in your system so you can use more properties, so you will get closer to the sound you prefer. I never got the best results by using one brand of cables.