Nordost cable damage - opinions?

OP,

I agree the seller should have pointed this out.
 

On the other hand I bet there is absolutely no discernible audible effect. I imagine if you count the number of conductors and assume a 5% reduction of fidelity in the one conductor it would amount to a very small difference.

I would inform the seller and expect a 10 - 15 % refund.

Thanks everyone for chiming in, it’s good to have multiple viewpoints.

Nordost replied to me and according to them the difference would not be audible, though since the surface was compromised the copper will start to oxidize but it might take many years. Ultimately the level of performance degradation, however slight, would put it somewhere between Frey 2 and Heimdall 2.

I’m leaning towards making this a keeper and push out the thoughts of “oh it could be even better”, but yes the resale value will no doubt take a hit. I might not care about that if I use it for the next 10+ years or more, just have to get over the psychological part!

As for the seller, it appears to be a honest mistake and oversight and we are sorting out a partial refund.

I would be inclined to put a small dab of clear silicone on that spot to seal it from further degradation.

@rhljazz good suggestion and I’ve done it already. In fact I had asked the Nordost support person but they claimed that it wouldn’t help since the damage was done and it’ll oxidize. But oxidation depends on the amount of O2 it gets exposed to and limiting that would surely help.