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Better than FIM Gold?

Has anyone done extensive listening comparison between FIM Gold cables and competition. If so, what were your impressions? For me it took FIM about two weeks to really settle in, so extended listening impressions I belive are important, for this cable anyway.

I had the good fortune of owning a pair of FIM GOLD speaker cables a while back but ended up selling them to raise some money, but am now back on track and keen to upgrade again. I found the FIM absolutely amazing and was sorry to lose them. Hence, I'm looking to maybe buy them back again used if they come up for sale. However, I'm wondering is there better for the price. I've also been keeping an eye out for Tara Labs The One, Valhalla, Synergistic and NBS stuff too. Still, with FIM, I know what I'm getting and it's great. Let me know if you've found better than FIM (especially for less money). Thanks!
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Showing 2 responses by mes

mes
393 posts
 
I've no experience with NBS, but lived with Tara The One's,FIM Gold and Nordost Valhalla for extended periods each. As noted, the FIM is very musical and a great cable. The Valhalla was more transparent,more extended top to bottom, faster and had a black background that was noticeably absent when going back to the FIM. The Ones were quieter than the FIM,a tad more transparent, but overall somewhat compressed and anemic sounding in comparison, notably the bass. The Valhalla was the closest I'd heard to no cable at all, and in my system bested the One and FIM. I lastly A/B'd the Valhalla against various levels of Jena Labs cables and felt the Jena's did( or more accurately didn't) everything I liked in the Valhalla, had a blacker background, and most importantly lent a sense of body to instruments that made the Valhalla seem a tad lean by comparison. Also,the overall presentation with the Jena's was more relaxed and natural sounding. These are all fabulous cables and tacitly system dependent. I have a cd front end (Capitole), tube amps (Tenor OTL) and Rockport Antares speakers. The cables may sound different in different configurations, but honestly, the Valhalla, and Jena's in particular, are so neutral I would bet they work well in any system.
mes
393 posts
 
I auditioned both the Symphony and Pathfinder IC's and their SC counterparts (Twin-11 and Twin-19). I was fortunate enough to have a full set of Valhalla's on loan for about 6 weeks, during which the various comparisons took place. Again, I'm fully aware of system matching, and depending on ones components some cables mate better than others. The Jena's sounded best to me in my particular configuration. All the other cables are fabulous and I could easily have lived with any of them, particularly the Valhalla's, they are extraordinary. But I had to go with what I heard and what sounded best to me in my system. This is not meant to ignite another brand war, I was merely trying to relate my experience since I have indeed spent time with a few of the cables in question. As Mark Twain said,"he charged nothing for his advice, and it was worth it, too" :-) Mark
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