2. misc-audio
  3. 1286851512

Brought a new Tweak home today to try out.

Today I stopped by the local hi end store to compare speaker wires and ended up listening to my $7 hardware store wires to a pair of Nordost that retail for $2,000. Admittedly, there was a difference, but not enough to justify the cost. I'd rather spend $5,000 for the Pathos integrated amplifier that I was listening to that made the $7 speaker wires and a pair of Focal 807v speakers (not as good as mine) sound better than my speakers. It was an amazing display of clarity.

In any case, when I told the owner/salesman my thoughts and the reality of my budget, he pointed me toward a set of Nordost Sort Kones. I've heard them in the store on an expensive CD player and he promised he'd take them back if I wasn't sold on them with my system. So far, I think I'm impressed, but need to do more listening this week.
mceljo
mceljo OP
1,348 posts
 
My second impression of the Sort Kones is that they are as impressive as advertised. I was told to use a duet vocal CD to demo and specifically listen to the seperation of the vocals. I have the CD The Priests that is perfect because it's an excellent recording and great music, but I've had the thought that it was difficult to distinctly hear the individual voices due to the tight harmony. I heard things tonight that I hadn't heard before.

My plan is to leave the kones in for a few days to get use to them and then see how much I miss them once removed. I seem to realize negatives easier than positives.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
When I swap things like cables in my system I try not to make any snap judgments. The placebo effect is too strong. After a few weeks of listening though, I seem notice the differences, both negative and positive, which I believe to be real.
One of my test tracks is Jane Siberry's Calling All Angels which is on her cd titled When I Was A Boy. On this track she does a beautiful duet with kd Lang. When I hear the two women side by side I know things are working, and this doesn't happen all the time.
mceljo OP
1,348 posts
 
I think I'm sold on the Sort Kones. I just spent some time listening to four specific songs with the Sort Kones, then without and now again with. It's difficult to describe the difference other than to say that something big is missing when I take them out. I would compare the difference to what I heard in the $2,000 Nordost speaker cables I listened to compared to the $7 ones I took in to represent the hardware store. I think my $180 plus tax for the Sort Kones is a much better investment.

I guess the best description is would be to quote two things I've heard different saleman at the store say.

(1) You can hear farther into the music.

(2) The seperation in the voices is much more clear and distinct.

It give the effect of smoothing the sound make it another step closer to the wonderful vinyl sound and also makes the music sound like it's coming from somewhere beyond the wall.

I don't really know much of the audio jargon yet, so that's the best I can do.
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,206 posts
 
Mceljo, you should also try the Audioprism Ground Controls on your speakers.
More to discover