A repost...
its not just about raw material price...
ODINS EXPLAINED AND REVIEWED
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/nordost-valhalla-2-the-importance-of-cables-in-high-end-audio/
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/nordost_odin.htm
http://www.soundandvision.com/content/nordost-odin-cables#c68okKGhtPBGbdrT.97
THE Highlights extracted from the above
(1) THEY WORK, BUT THEY ARE NOT FOR EVERYBODY AND THE REST OF THE SYSTEM IS PRESUMED TO BE IN LINE WITH THE ULTRA-HIGH-END STRATA OF THE CABLE .
You could easily spend six figures to connect all your gear with these cables, so the big question is how much improvement do they realistically provide? They've garnered glowing reviews in the audiophile press, but I contend that any improvements are most noticeable when the rest of the system is similarly ultra-high-end—anything less will drown the effect of the cables in other problems. But if you've got the audiophile itch—and the scratch to match—I'm willing to bet you can't do better than Odin.
(2) THEIR HISTORY IS UNIQUE.
Nordost came to the field of audio cabling in a rather odd way. The company was founded in hard science -- developing and manufacturing cabling for ultra-high-precision aerospace, aviation and medical applications. Somewhere along the line a clever Jack decided that the same technology just might be the proverbial cat’s meow when applied to high-end audio. Whoever he was, he was right, and the company now makes cables for every wallet -- from the bargain-basement Best Buy shopper to the enthusiast who owns a penthouse overlooking Central Park or Malibu Beach.
(3) YES THEY ARE EXPENSIVE.
There are reasons for Odin's extreme cost. There is a lot of very high-purity metal in these surprisingly heavy wires, and a lot of it is silver.
-- Odin is also VERY hard to make.
-- The micron-level precision tolerances necessitated by the design result in a crazy-high scrap rate.
-- There are also nearly ten years of research and development in this product, and that investment of man hours has to be recouped.
its not just about raw material price...
ODINS EXPLAINED AND REVIEWED
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/nordost-valhalla-2-the-importance-of-cables-in-high-end-audio/
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/nordost_odin.htm
http://www.soundandvision.com/content/nordost-odin-cables#c68okKGhtPBGbdrT.97
THE Highlights extracted from the above
(1) THEY WORK, BUT THEY ARE NOT FOR EVERYBODY AND THE REST OF THE SYSTEM IS PRESUMED TO BE IN LINE WITH THE ULTRA-HIGH-END STRATA OF THE CABLE .
You could easily spend six figures to connect all your gear with these cables, so the big question is how much improvement do they realistically provide? They've garnered glowing reviews in the audiophile press, but I contend that any improvements are most noticeable when the rest of the system is similarly ultra-high-end—anything less will drown the effect of the cables in other problems. But if you've got the audiophile itch—and the scratch to match—I'm willing to bet you can't do better than Odin.
(2) THEIR HISTORY IS UNIQUE.
Nordost came to the field of audio cabling in a rather odd way. The company was founded in hard science -- developing and manufacturing cabling for ultra-high-precision aerospace, aviation and medical applications. Somewhere along the line a clever Jack decided that the same technology just might be the proverbial cat’s meow when applied to high-end audio. Whoever he was, he was right, and the company now makes cables for every wallet -- from the bargain-basement Best Buy shopper to the enthusiast who owns a penthouse overlooking Central Park or Malibu Beach.
(3) YES THEY ARE EXPENSIVE.
There are reasons for Odin's extreme cost. There is a lot of very high-purity metal in these surprisingly heavy wires, and a lot of it is silver.
-- Odin is also VERY hard to make.
-- The micron-level precision tolerances necessitated by the design result in a crazy-high scrap rate.
-- There are also nearly ten years of research and development in this product, and that investment of man hours has to be recouped.