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drummerman

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... I thought I'd start a little cable thread
regular_smile.gif
.

We havent had one for at least a week.

So, being a bit bored but not having the finances for major changes (I really, really, r ... want a pair of Harbeths, even the tiniest ones) I ordered a Hifime ESS Sabre 9018 DAC for my CCA, a QED Graphite Optical/Toslink cable, a nicer looking 3.5mm jack to RCA cable with foamed polyethelene surrounding superior copper conductors and a nearly new set of QED Genesis Revelation Signature Speaker cables.

This is about the speaker cable; Admit, I was taken with the grand name shallow as I am and the fact that I got them much cheaper including lovely Airtight QED termination at one end and quality Zplugs at the other which fit my cute little cyrus. It also goes well with my silver power cables. Its all about matching, even if only the colour :)

Having swapped my NACA cable out the QED 'sounds' (well, it doesnt but if I dont correct myself someone will no doubt point it out) warm, snappy and open. Pretty much what I've expected considering I know my system very well. Differences? Not sure, perhaps a little more dynamic and cleaner highs but the most important thing is that it is cute and I like the finish.

I'm not going into lengthy comparisons as I have no intention of swapping wires back and forth but I can live with them for a while with no sweat.

Now awaiting the DAC ...
 

drummerman

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Mark Rose-Smith said:
How much naca you got for sale then drummerman?oh is it a5?

Hi Mark

I don't think I be selling the Naim wires just yet. Had them for ages and although not particularly pretty, they have been my gauge/reference for some years and with different systems. Like a worn in pair of sneakers.
 
So you do rate it then...?it's refreshing to see a respected forum member putting a limb out there on a cable preference and a certain belief that is does make a slight change in the overall sound from any given system....I used to be a non believer (it still didn't stop me spending hundreds of £'s on the stuff (just in case).but when I had my qed silver anniversary from my arcam system and then used it with the naim nait xs wired up to b&w cm5's..it was absolutely God awful...bright,harsh and aggressive even.then I got some nac a4 (aka linn k20),couldn't quite afford 9mtr of a5,and what a turn around...smooth,rhythmic and actually quite boring until I got the 20 21's....but have always had a urge to try the a5 or even a bit of telurium Q black at some point...
 

Squall Leonhart

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When I upgraded from Cambridge ultra 100 to QED XT40 I heard a clear improvement. I started analysing because of the possible placebo effect so I kept playing tracks that I just listened to with the previous cable. I am almost certain that it sounds better but not 100% certain as there could always be other factors. Maybe the improvement is due to the fact that the Cambridge ultra cable wasn't very good to begin with or the XT40 really is very good. Or both. Either way I was so happy with it that I bought the xt40 for my second system.
 

seemorebtts

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drummerman said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
How much naca you got for sale then drummerman?oh is it a5?

Hi Mark

I don't think I be selling the Naim wires just yet. Had them for ages and although not particularly pretty, they have been my gauge/reference for some years and with different systems. Like a worn in pair of sneakers.
tried lots of speaker wire but I keep going back to the naca.its very balanced and never pushes your system and sounds great.if I was going to make an upgrade I would go for a new power lead.dont know if you have any but recommend Clearer audio chopper line power cable £170.q ed genesis is a no no for me.it can work good in some systems but is not very balanced.i had it on my Arcam a19 with good results but on my primare no way just terrible.black rhodium foxtrot is a very interesting speaker wire if your after something different
 

Womaz

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Mark Rose-Smith said:
So you do rate it then...?it's refreshing to see a respected forum member putting a limb out there on a cable preference and a certain belief that is does make a slight change in the overall sound from any given system....I used to be a non believer (it still didn't stop me spending hundreds of £'s on the stuff (just in case).but when I had my qed silver anniversary from my arcam system and then used it with the naim nait xs wired up to b&w cm5's..it was absolutely God awful...bright,harsh and aggressive even.then I got some nac a4 (aka linn k20),couldn't quite afford 9mtr of a5,and what a turn around...smooth,rhythmic and actually quite boring until I got the 20 21's....but have always had a urge to try the a5 or even a bit of telurium Q black at some point...
I think I am a non beleiver ;-) I have upgraded my system over the last few years , but stuck with the same speaker cable. I have the Tellerium Q black and would love to try their Silver Diamond at some stage to see if I can hear a difference, but you can hardly demo speaker cable.
 
Womaz said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
So you do rate it then...?it's refreshing to see a respected forum member putting a limb out there on a cable preference and a certain belief that is does make a slight change in the overall sound from any given system....I used to be a non believer (it still didn't stop me spending hundreds of £'s on the stuff (just in case).but when I had my qed silver anniversary from my arcam system and then used it with the naim nait xs wired up to b&w cm5's..it was absolutely God awful...bright,harsh and aggressive even.then I got some nac a4 (aka linn k20),couldn't quite afford 9mtr of a5,and what a turn around...smooth,rhythmic and actually quite boring until I got the 20 21's....but have always had a urge to try the a5 or even a bit of telurium Q black at some point...
I think I am a non beleiver ;-) I have upgraded my system over the last few years , but stuck with the same speaker cable. I have the Tellerium Q black and would love to try their Silver Diamond at some stage to see if I can hear a difference, but you can hardly demo speaker cable.
In the uk you can try cables at home from Russ Andrews. He and his firm get a bit of stick here, and they've had to moderate their more fanciful claims thanks to the odd legal case. However, I've found their service good, and you get 60 days trial (I'm the satisfied purchaser of an 8 way mains block). Definitely worth a trial for the curious!
 

Womaz

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It's only Russ Andrew products though. The power conditioner etc may be something I investigate though as keen to see if it has an effect. On some other forums there are some very positive feedback on Shunyata and Audioquest gear
 
nopiano said:
Womaz said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
So you do rate it then...?it's refreshing to see a respected forum member putting a limb out there on a cable preference and a certain belief that is does make a slight change in the overall sound from any given system....I used to be a non believer (it still didn't stop me spending hundreds of £'s on the stuff (just in case).but when I had my qed silver anniversary from my arcam system and then used it with the naim nait xs wired up to b&w cm5's..it was absolutely God awful...bright,harsh and aggressive even.then I got some nac a4 (aka linn k20),couldn't quite afford 9mtr of a5,and what a turn around...smooth,rhythmic and actually quite boring until I got the 20 21's....but have always had a urge to try the a5 or even a bit of telurium Q black at some point...
I think I am a non beleiver ;-) I have upgraded my system over the last few years , but stuck with the same speaker cable. I have the Tellerium Q black and would love to try their Silver Diamond at some stage to see if I can hear a difference, but you can hardly demo speaker cable.
In the uk you can try cables at home from Russ Andrews. He and his firm get a bit of stick here, and they've had to moderate their more fanciful claims thanks to the odd legal case. However, I've found their service good, and you get 60 days trial (I'm the satisfied purchaser of an 8 way mains block). Definitely worth a trial for the curious!

Agree he has had justifiable bad feedback on some of the products he sells with questionable benefits but anyone offering this sort of try it and see from of selling can only be a good thing for items that are hard to audition. Only wish someone did it with cartridges.... ;-)
 

seemorebtts

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Womaz said:
It's only Russ Andrew products though. The power conditioner etc may be something I investigate though as keen to see if it has an effect. On some other forums there are some very positive feedback on Shunyata and Audioquest gear 
Clearer audio too 30day money back guarantee.love Clearer audio aspecily there power cable.i also think they are better than Russ Andrew:)
 

Womaz

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seemorebtts said:
Womaz said:
It's only Russ Andrew products though. The power conditioner etc may be something I investigate though as keen to see if it has an effect. On some other forums there are some very positive feedback on Shunyata and Audioquest gear
Clearer audio too 30day money back guarantee.love Clearer audio aspecily there power cable

Yes I use their entry level power cord for all of my components
 
Womaz said:
It's only Russ Andrew products though. The power conditioner etc may be something I investigate though as keen to see if it has an effect. On some other forums there are some very positive feedback on Shunyata and Audioquest gear
Well, I suppose, if you include Kimber, which has an international and long-standing reputation. He just happens to the UK importer. Looking at your kit, I'd actually be more drawn to Chord or Transparent brands. The sort of dealer that supplies your Melco, Dev and sf would surely lend you something?
 

drummerman

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seemorebtts said:
drummerman said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
How much naca you got for sale then drummerman?oh is it a5?

Hi Mark

I don't think I be selling the Naim wires just yet. Had them for ages and although not particularly pretty, they have been my gauge/reference for some years and with different systems. Like a worn in pair of sneakers.
tried lots of speaker wire but I keep going back to the naca.its very balanced and never pushes your system and sounds great.if I was going to make an upgrade I would go for a new power lead.dont know if you have any but recommend Clearer audio chopper line power cable £170.q ed genesis is a no no for me.it can work good in some systems but is not very balanced.i had it on my Arcam a19 with good results but on my primare no way just terrible.black rhodium foxtrot is a very interesting speaker wire if your after something different
To be honest, although I know cables can have an effect on sound (I wouldn't start a thread like this otherwise), they are at best very subtle. At least they are in my system so perhaps it isn't revealing enough ... . I can't imagine a cable making my system sound awful or, at the other end, wonderful without some more important changes to it. Night and day it ain't, important it is nevertheless imho. Although I haven't done a quadruple af ... z blind test, differences between the QED Revelation and NACA5 seem, expectedly, relatively small despite different build and to an extent, materials of the two cables though I think I can definitively detect a little more 'snap' or get up and go with the former. I'd be happy to use either.
 

seemorebtts

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drummerman said:
seemorebtts said:
drummerman said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
How much naca you got for sale then drummerman?oh is it a5?

Hi Mark

I don't think I be selling the Naim wires just yet. Had them for ages and although not particularly pretty, they have been my gauge/reference for some years and with different systems. Like a worn in pair of sneakers.
tried lots of speaker wire but I keep going back to the naca.its very balanced and never pushes your system and sounds great.if I was going to make an upgrade I would go for a new power lead.dont know if you have any but recommend Clearer audio chopper line power cable £170.q ed genesis is a no no for me.it can work good in some systems but is not very balanced.i had it on my Arcam a19 with good results but on my primare no way just terrible.black rhodium foxtrot is a very interesting speaker wire if your after something different
To be honest, although I know cables can have an effect on sound (I wouldn't start a thread like this otherwise), they are at best very subtle. At least they are in my system so perhaps it isn't revealing enough ... . I can't imagine a cable making my system sound awful or, at the other end, wonderful without some more important changes to it. Night and day it ain't, important it is nevertheless imho. Although I haven't done a quadruple af ... z blind test, differences between the QED Revelation and NACA5 seem, expectedly, relatively small despite different build and to an extent, materials of the two cables though I think I can definitively detect a little more 'snap' or get up and go with the former. I'd be happy to use either.
you would easily be able to do a blind test on these two wires with a primare i22 amp and a pair of Dali opticon 6.it like night and day.within 2 mins you're ears would bleed with the QED.i sat in a room with 3 people at my local dealer and we all got the same result.it was a great day because we went through about 5 different speaker wires all different in there own way.that was the day I bought my naim cable.
 

drummerman

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seemorebtts said:
drummerman said:
seemorebtts said:
drummerman said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
How much naca you got for sale then drummerman?oh is it a5?

Hi Mark

I don't think I be selling the Naim wires just yet. Had them for ages and although not particularly pretty, they have been my gauge/reference for some years and with different systems. Like a worn in pair of sneakers.
tried lots of speaker wire but I keep going back to the naca.its very balanced and never pushes your system and sounds great.if I was going to make an upgrade I would go for a new power lead.dont know if you have any but recommend Clearer audio chopper line power cable £170.q ed genesis is a no no for me.it can work good in some systems but is not very balanced.i had it on my Arcam a19 with good results but on my primare no way just terrible.black rhodium foxtrot is a very interesting speaker wire if your after something different
To be honest, although I know cables can have an effect on sound (I wouldn't start a thread like this otherwise), they are at best very subtle. At least they are in my system so perhaps it isn't revealing enough ... . I can't imagine a cable making my system sound awful or, at the other end, wonderful without some more important changes to it. Night and day it ain't, important it is nevertheless imho. Although I haven't done a quadruple af ... z blind test, differences between the QED Revelation and NACA5 seem, expectedly, relatively small despite different build and to an extent, materials of the two cables though I think I can definitively detect a little more 'snap' or get up and go with the former. I'd be happy to use either.
you would easily be able to do a blind test on these two wires with a primare i22 amp and a pair of Dali opticon 6.it like night and day.within 2 mins you're ears would bleed with the QED.i sat in a room with 3 people at my local dealer and we all got the same result.it was a great day because we went through about 5 different speaker wires all different in there own way.that was the day I bought my naim cable.

You're not at all prone to exaggeration ...
regular_smile.gif
 

seemorebtts

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drummerman said:
seemorebtts said:
drummerman said:
seemorebtts said:
drummerman said:
Mark Rose-Smith said:
How much naca you got for sale then drummerman?oh is it a5?

Hi Mark

I don't think I be selling the Naim wires just yet. Had them for ages and although not particularly pretty, they have been my gauge/reference for some years and with different systems. Like a worn in pair of sneakers.
tried lots of speaker wire but I keep going back to the naca.its very balanced and never pushes your system and sounds great.if I was going to make an upgrade I would go for a new power lead.dont know if you have any but recommend Clearer audio chopper line power cable £170.q ed genesis is a no no for me.it can work good in some systems but is not very balanced.i had it on my Arcam a19 with good results but on my primare no way just terrible.black rhodium foxtrot is a very interesting speaker wire if your after something different
To be honest, although I know cables can have an effect on sound (I wouldn't start a thread like this otherwise), they are at best very subtle. At least they are in my system so perhaps it isn't revealing enough ... . I can't imagine a cable making my system sound awful or, at the other end, wonderful without some more important changes to it. Night and day it ain't, important it is nevertheless imho. Although I haven't done a quadruple af ... z blind test, differences between the QED Revelation and NACA5 seem, expectedly, relatively small despite different build and to an extent, materials of the two cables though I think I can definitively detect a little more 'snap' or get up and go with the former. I'd be happy to use either.
you would easily be able to do a blind test on these two wires with a primare i22 amp and a pair of Dali opticon 6.it like night and day.within 2 mins you're ears would bleed with the QED.i sat in a room with 3 people at my local dealer and we all got the same result.it was a great day because we went through about 5 different speaker wires all different in there own way.that was the day I bought my naim cable.

You're not at all prone to exaggeration ... 
;-)
 

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