Nordost Odin or Valhalla 2


Folks, 

Do you feel Nordost cables are worth it's asking price?  What's the proportionate amount one should spent on cables? 

After hearing them at RMAF 2015 and few other brands of cables, I decided to look into the upgrade cost.  I own a decent HT setup and invested over $125K in my pursuit of audio nirvana.  

So I contacted a Nordost dealer to get an estimate on my setup.  The dealer came back with an estimate of $110K on Valhalla 2.  Needless to say, I didn't even bothered to ask the cost of Odin in my setup.  

No offense to the dealers, but I started to wonder the profit markups on high end cables.  I do hear stories about some unscrupulous dealers who sell high end products to get spiffs from big manufacturers in shape of exotic vacations, free products and so forth if they sell more widgets.  Isn't this corporate hi-fi that only seeks to show returns for shareholders.  To me its pure business, where is the passion for audio?If they are only focusing on providing expensive audio jewelry and targeting individuals with deep pockets then I say, mission accomplished.  

I have much better experience with smaller companies who are dedicated and committed to providing 'magical' listening experience without taking a second mortgage on your home.  I thought the whole idea of audio art is to create aural magic.  

IMO most cables regardless of price point, will get you 80% of the performance of super expensive cables.   So is it really worth spending thousands of dollars more to achieve that 20% or 10% of performance? 

I would like to hear from folks who owns Odin or Valhalla 2 or other comparable brand of cables, what was decided factor in their choice, what other cables did you compare before settling with Odin or Valhalla 2.  

I don't have any hidden agenda or personal vendetta against high priced cables or dealers engaged in selling high end products.  The idea here is to gauge performance vs. cost of super expensive cables. 

Happy Listening!!!

128x128lalitk
Dear All,

I read all your post. IMHO : some are rights and some are wrong. First the choice of your cable depends on your system coloration : all get one.
The marriage between cable and element is very important.
Basis : Power Conditioner : Me I purchased the JMF Audio PC302 (very amazing for the results... But I connected 2 ODINS on 2 QB8 to power my 8 Linn Solos amp from the JMF Conditioner.
I added also a QX4 module (even if 2 are better), one will add more quiet sound, lower background for all my sources...
Tried also the Ansuz ramp. Good apparently.
I get also ODIN Phono (amazing and very natural and musical), ODIN RCA also.
Now I am doing V2/ODIN RCA comparisson.
My seller told me : V2 is better than ODIN but I don’t think so.

In my opinion, V2 is coloring the high frequencies and narrow bandwidth (less bass) than the ODIN so at the end less music because aggressive.
The size of the soundstage is narrow with V2 than ODIN.
So I validated my ODIN (without any doubts : ODIN RCA is not colouring the sound / real music / V2 is making distortion...
I am living with my ODINS for about 3 years so when I change sthg, I could see immediately the changes...

DY onw experience (not easy : to choose need for me 3 years with a lot of trial where to place cable (I started at the beg with all Nordost (ODINs, V2... but too energitic... less musical then strike the balance with your ears as usual.)
Good luck,
JIM
Vinyls a lot (LENCO JTN75MKII, Whest audio, Lyra Atlas, Linn Komri Aktiv system...)

Hello Lalitk,

I posted the same question here and on Audio Asylum a while back but specifically regarding the V2/Odin speaker cables.  I finally got around to auditioning the Odin speaker cables over the last three days.  ...................  STAGGERING!!!

Hard to believe that speaker wire could make this kind of improvement. I'm coming from a full loom of original Valhalla which still to this day is a reference for many and excels in areas of detail, speed, and openness.  Just the Odin speaker cables ..  alone .. and the improvement in these areas of performance (among others) is just massive. No kidding, this is an upgrade on a major component level!!!  Yes,  speaker wire. 

Not that Odin is right for everyone, every system,  and their taste.  But from what I've read the results from this cable is consistent in any system it's inserted.  For me,  I'm finding it extremely rewarding as what I'm now hearing  is just that much more - compelling - captivating - and that my emotional connection to the musical performance is stronger than ever for having Odin in my system. 

Lalitk, this is just me just passing along what I've heard and not from my 1st hand experience.  Someone who responded to my thread on AA who tried both V2 and Odin1 felt that V2 gave about 80% of the performance of Odin.  My dealer insist Odin1 is much better than V2 and I've also heard first hand comments from industry insiders that it's wishful thinking on the part of those who are saying V2 is as good or better than Odin1. 

Needless to say I wrote the check for the Odin1 speaker cables that I auditioned. 

Guys-

at this level, careful gear selection is paramount to achieve the proper system synergy.  I have only auditioned the mid-level Nordost cabling and rather enjoyed the experience w/ Naim gear.

Happy Listening!
trcnetmsncom, 

I am glad to hear that you loved the Odin1 speaker cables.  My experience with them was not as extended as yours but I am willing to concede that they are well made cables.  We all know that cables are system dependent and any well made cables with a decent R&D should yield good to great results. 

I started this thread to know if Nordost Odin or Valhalla's cables are worth the retail price. IMO, the answer is NO, simply because of the dealer mark-up and the marketing hype.  They are indeed good cables, no doubt. However, I believe you can create the same magic as Odin or Valhalla for lot less. 

The purpose of any well made cable is to simply to get out the way and let your components do the dance. If your components are good, you will hear good performance with any decent priced cable.  

Most of us with a decent investment desires to extract every last ounce of goodness from their components. I think that where these highly touted reference cables comes to play.  They ring up the top 10% of the nuances that some mid-priced cables simply incapable of conveying. 

I did find a very 'special' brand of cables that I am currently auditioning in my home.  Once I complete my evaluation, I will be happy to report my findings and how they stack against some very expensive and well known brand of cables. 

Happy Listening!

Nope, I have had the opportunity to compare the KLEI zFLOW33 ICs and the Nordost Valhalla2 ICs and the KLEI zFLOW33 ICs were noticeably better and much more musical... so, I would buy these ... http://kleinnovations.com/kle-innovations-klei-products/klei-zflow-ics/klei-zflow33-ics/