High Fidelity Cable replaces NPS 1260

HI all,

Here’s my write up on HFC Q45-T.

First of all, It’s my privilege to be 10 mins drive from HFC

I did get to try the NPS-1260 not too long ago after I gave HFC a very first visit .... and it changed my life for this hobby forever.

Few weeks later, I went out and bought Mad Scientist enhancement just for my curiosity and comparison. Now, I have the new Q45T in my system., and below is my findings of each.

In short:

. NPS-1260 is impressive.

. Mad Scientist enhancement (MS-E) is garbage

. Q45-T sounds organic and beautiful.

NPS-1260: I first applied it in both of my speakers ends then gradually moving to the rest of the system and up to the wall outlet.

1260 made my system sounded musical and beautiful. Solid, dynamic, tight and well control. Smooth, liquid, and less white noise,

Bass was never muddy but very tuneful and excited. Very nice PRAT.

Very clean and crisp sound staging and imaging.

NPS-1260 woke my system up and sounded so good that 1 point, I felt like my amp got extra upgraded to another $5k $10k

 

Mad Scientist Enhancement: (MS-E) About 2, 3 weeks later after I had 1260 in my system, my other online friend brought up (MS-E and he quoted "it’s popular, it’s cheaper and probably perform just as good as 1260?"

Well, one way to find out, I said.

I bought one and about 10 days later, MS-E arrived to my house. The liquid was thin and very dark and very messy to work with.

So , I cleaned off the 1260 very well at both ends of my speakers cables and applied the MS-E ((Keep in mind, the rest of system still on 1260.)

At first, MS-E had more air, more revealing and appealing similar to live experience. But it also sounded like in the hall or a cave. with lots of echoing and reverbs followed by flaws and distortions. It was wild.

It shifted my system to sound more in upper range and leaning toward to hi-fi sounding.

After the third day to a week, it became so dull and dark that I had to switch to my other power cord to fix it but then it went south from there; it was very confusing for another 2 weeks until I had the possession of Q45-T.

NPS-Q45-T:

Before I put the Q45-T in, I wiped off clean the MS-E at both speaker cables ends, and connect them back to the system and BAM. My system woke up and sing beautifully without MS-E. (Again, 1260 still on the rest of my system)

At this point, I was very skeptical about the Q45-T’s credibility. How could it be any better from here.... and it did.

The Q45-T is thicker and darker liquid than NPS-1260 and also has more grit and feel like sand because some of their properties aren’t in nano size but in micro. Thus, you will feel a bit of grind when tighten up the metal connectors but not to panic. It’s totally fine, according to Rick.

First music notes, I was floored, Q45-T sounds very "vinyl sounding.". Very organic and beautiful with lots and lots of LAYERS and RESOLUTIONS. It’s so real and accurate. Bass is very solid and full authority. High is nicely extend and very silky. Over all sounding, in my system, it is so musical, so easy to the ears and it’s just getting better and better.

I wanted to share with you guys my findings much earlier but every time I sat down to listen and to make notes, music is just keep getting so beautiful. that I literally got lost many times.

Now, if 1260 gave me the impression of "jaw-on-the-floor", then the Q45-T would give me the goose-bumps and satisfactions. For the first time ever, I stop listening to my gear and cables.

Today’s sounding is diff and (much) more sophisticated than 10, 15, 20 years ago and that goes to latest technologies in most/all electronics, cables and cords, and I feel that this Q45-T enhancement helps bridging that gap. It’s an icing on the cake for every systems, updated or not.

So, for a million dollar question, is Q45-T better than NPS-1260?

Yes yes and yes. I just can not say yes enough.

 

I do strongly recommend it.

 

Regards,

John

My system list below:

Speakers: Sonus Faber Elipsa SE

Speaker cables: Purist Audio Aqueous Aureus, Lumin Version

Speaker Spikes upgrade: SoundStageAudio Brass 2-in Audio Points

 

Amp/Pre: Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 Integrated

Interconnect: HFC Orchestral Double Helix Signature

Power cord: Sablon Gran Corona

Isolation Feet: CustomIsolation,net, Floating Balls

Amp stand: CustomIsolation.net Acrylic amp stand

 

Source: Lumin Streamer A1

Digital cable: Sablon Cat-5

Power cord: Cerious Technology, Matrix

Isolation system: SoundStageAudio.com, Sistrum SP-1 and SoumdWork Platforms

Amp stand: CustomIsolation.net Acrylic amp stand

 

Power Distributor: HFC MC-6 DHS 3D

Power Cord: Sablon Gran Corona

 

Power Conditioners: HFC MC-0.5, MC-1 Pro, MC-1 DHPS

 

Subwoofers: REL S/3 paired

Interconnect: DIY Canare 4S11

Power Cords: TBD

 

nasaman

Thanks for the update on  the NPS Q 45t. Did you get a chance to apply it over NPS 1260  treated connection? Or having the ends of the connection treated with one of each 1260 and Q 45 t at opposite ends. Or do you recommend removing the 1260 and applying the Q 45t on a clean connection for the best sound? Was there a long if any break in before you heard a positive sound improvement?

My whole system is treated with the 1260- power cords, speaker wire, interconnects, binding post, speaker wire jumpers, and of course all of my High Fidelity wave guides.

Thanks again for the info

68pete,

At the moment, I only have Q45-T at both ends of speaker cables (by wiping off clean the MS-E ) and the rest of system still treated with 1260. I can not recommend either way as you listed because I have not gotten there yet but base on the result that I’m getting from Q45-T, I think I would, likely, first, wipe off the 1260 at males connectors like AC connectors, interconnects, using napkins, dry cotton towel and Q-tips. The female parts from AC receptacles, cords and IC’s will be last as they are more challenging to wipe off and Rick recommends some bottle cleaners that I have not tried or looked into.

https://vetco.net/products/mg-isopropyl-alcohol-aerosol-spray-16oz

Q45-T pricing as below:

$349 for 5mL

$599 for 10mL

Thanks for reading

Just use a metal tool like a butter knife with the power on. Make sure you are grounded.

No don’t  but why clean the old juice off is it not compatible?

If you have 1260 on all your connections why bother you are just wasting money and material. 

 

The female parts from AC receptacles, cords and IC’s will be more challenging to wipe off

nasaman

Thanks for the info-Lets us know how the rest of the system sounds once applied