If low end NBS then don't bother. Omega I and II are pretty good. |
I suppose it all depends on the complementary gear and your tastes. In several tube-based systems I've heard them in, the Nordost speaker cables and interconnects sounded a touch bright and harmonically lean. But, this was probably a system-dependant phenomenon.
I personally like the NBS line of cables. Their different lines have a different sound, so, if you work with a dealer, you can try different cables to dial in what you are looking for. One word of caution, don't try the Black Label stuff, it will make you disappointed with almost anything else.
Other cables I personally like are: Basis (the turntable manufacturer), XLO limited, and certain Audionote (uk) cables. |
Larry is absolutely right about the Black Label, we tried a lot of Power cord but none can compare. My friend have about 5 of them in his system. The solidity of the image, the body and weight, the silence. I just wish it is not as heavy and rigid and expensive. Sometimes you wouldn't use it just because it is so difficult the work with. |
I made some comparisons with NBS Black Label (BL) and Nordost Valhalla and the choice was quite easy. While the Valhalla has some good detail retrieval it lacks completely body and natural weight, also it's color is withish. In the past I owned MIT cables and found them pretty good until I met NBS. MIT cables sound a bit artificial to me(boxes??).
No, the NBS BL is the far best cable I'm aware of.
BTW in Europe there is a special version which called the NBS Active series with an excellent price quality ratio.
Now I understand that NBS is the most copied cable: because it's so good. BTW I heard recently such copied NBS (Heavens Gate Audio) which is derived from the old Statement series. Well it sounded quite bad, very hard and out of balance. So be aware of such brands, they also cost money. |
Hello Dkhanhxuanl,
I just wanted to say you should try to listen for yourself to decide. I do not find the Valhalla interconnect or speaker cable to be lean at all. IMO it is the most neutral cabling I've heard. Good luck, I hope you find what you are looking for.
Enjoy,
Tom |
There is one important part where NBS makes a big fault. I worked for a company who also sold NBS. I did a lot of testing with many NBS cables. It makes instruments and voices bigger than they sould be. Listen to live music in a small room with just a few instruments. And yo know actually what I mean. People have to learn how big an instrument is when you listen to it. The right proportion of an instrument or voice is a very important part of listening to music as it would sound in real. And yes there are brands who are capable to let you hear the right proportions. |
Hello Leon,
You are right, the big sound is what so many audiophiles crave and that is what most cable companies supply. This phenom is so entrenched that some audiophiles think that the big sound is actually more neutral or correct.
Plelko |
Leon: NBS doesn't make the sound bigger than the real size at all. They just show what the components do. You only have to figure out which series of cable you have to apply, dependent on the quality of your components. Many manufacturers let their components sound too full, just to camouflage their faults, for such you need lean sounding cables. But this way of compensation is not the way I want.
My experience is that I get better sound by using neutral components (getting closer to the music). And with that a portray of life size instruments/voices/space will come automatically. And NBS helps me a lot with that. |
I also sold many Nordost cables and I also know exactly how to use and what the properties are. I was the first one who bought the Valhall loudspeakercable in my country. I also did a lot of testing with the the rest of the Valhalla cables in mu system. Now I also use Valhalla powercables for a part in my system. But When you use only Valhalla cables you will miss important parts in you system. The most important part what is missing, is individual focus. There are cables who cab do this so much better. But Valhalla is the only cable who can let you hear the highest resolution. Use a live recording and you know what other cables miss. I use a Purist Audio PC on mu power amp. It gives me more information in the lowest freq, yes a lot more than a Valhalla van. Also it gives more depth information and has a richer mid. So when you want to have the sound you are looking for, the only way is to use different properties of different brands. I wanted to have a sound what has a lot of depth info, high resolution, involvement in the mid freq, a very good individual focus, control and speed in the low freq, the right proportion of a voice and instrument. A Purist is capable of getting lower in the low freq. than other cables can. I wanted a system who has all these things toghether, and yes it is possible. And now I have a sound to die for. I am sucked in the music and I can touch the people who are playing in front of me. It feels if they are standing in my room. And that gives me a feeling of live music. Just by using different properties of different brands. |
I found the same faults with al the NBS gear with many different brands of equipment. So for me it is clear that NBS makes everthing out of proportion, it is a poperty what NBS has. When you compare the Valhalla with the most expensive NBS cables you miss information. Every person can hear it, and that is resolution. |
Lenox says:
"Valhalla is the only cable who can let you hear the highest resolution".
I vigorously disagree with this. There are a handful of interconnects from PAD, Stealth, Jena, Prana, etc. which are clearly superior to this overrated product. However, Valhalla is unsurpassed in the hype surrounding it. |
NBS cables are ridiculously expsenive for their quality (good to very good, depdending on the models.
there are even bettre cables, less expensive !)
Other brands would sell it half price, at least !
Nordot is not a good comparison, as it's not so good cables. |
It's better to judge the right type of cable depending on the quality of your system. Many people make the mistake that they think the most expensive cable is always the best for their stereo.
The "big" NBS cables and some other serious brands only work when the execution of inner and outer dynamics of your components are extremely well organized.
Otherwise the sound gets too flat or dry and the flow is gone; then the cables are letting you hear too much information. |
I have tried a lot of cables in my system and when I tried some of the higher-cost NBS cables there was no way of going back. The NBS have an immediacy, a vividness in the midrange that is to die for. I was surprised at how much bigger the soundstage is and the improvement in bass. The only problem you might have, if your system is bass-heavy to begin with, the NBS may enhance this effect until you get too much bass. Not a problem in my rig but it might be in others. |
NBS cables are expensive, there are other brands just as expensive. How many companies give you full credit to upgrade their cables or trade-in for the latest version? If you like the sound from these cables, then it is a good deal in the long run. |
Truthfully, there is no way to judge cables except to borrow a pair, install them in YOUR system, and evaluate it for yourself. Nordost is beautiful, but the Valhalla's tend to be a little light sounding. They are fabulous with some euipment, and not quite so on others. Price should mean very little in your quest for cabling. Check out Anti-Cables on this site, or go directly to Anticables.com to look into this stuff - very cheap and excellent. I have a statement system and use this stuff. |
