Van Den Hul Interconnect

[crusaderlord]

I started talking about this on another thread - but to make it easier to find ill start a new one.

I am keen to upgrade my interconnect - i like Van Den Hul 'The Name' over the Chord Cobra 3 (both good though) so am pretty happy to continue with the VDH brand.

There are loads of options to choose though - but has anyone any comparitive listening experience on :-
VDH D102 III
VDH Integration
VDH Orchid

I have had Orchid recommended to me but its price is nicely high too - more than twice the D102.
Any input is appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

Like I said on the other thread you get what you pay for with the VDH they are great cables (especially if you get the D102 for £30).

You just need to make sure you don't spend too much in comparison to your systems limitations.

ÿ

 

[Big Chris]

I initially used 'The Bay' I/Cs with my Arcam pairing and found the sound too mellow. But there's no getting away from the fact your Arcams are waay more capable than mine.

I'd also guess the D102 3s would be a great place to start.

 

[JoelSim]

I really rate the d102 III

ÿ

 

[Thaiman]

They also do another over 100 different models if you would like more chioce! and all different colour too

 

[Anonymous]

I've got 'The Thunderline' between my Cambridge 740C and amp and its great.

 

[crusaderlord]

I am not sure if im going a bit crazy but while browsing for cables i read some VDH are best directional with wording reading from amp towards cd.

So i looked at mine and they were opposite way round - so i changed them around and do you know i beleive it sounds more open and vibrant in the soundstage.

Is it real or just my head telling me its better

 

[Anonymous]

I currently use VDH D102 III interconnects. After having them for 6 months I compared them against Chord Signature (£250) and VDH First Ultimate.
In blind testing I could not hear any difference.
If I could go back I would spend £40/£50 on VDH The Name to save money.
Dont be fooled into paying more.
Better quality cable leads do make a difference though.

 

[JoelSim]

crusaderlord:I am not sure if im going a bit crazy but while browsing for cables i read some VDH are best directional with wording reading from amp towards cd. So i looked at mine and they were opposite way round - so i changed them around and do you know i beleive it sounds more open and vibrant in the soundstage. Is it real or just my head telling me its better

Don't say that - I'll have to get behind my bloomin' rack again now to check it out. You'll be telling me next that speakers sound better if you point them away from the walls

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:
crusaderlord:I am not sure if im going a bit crazy but while browsing for cables i read some VDH are best directional with wording reading from amp towards cd. So i looked at mine and they were opposite way round - so i changed them around and do you know i beleive it sounds more open and vibrant in the soundstage. Is it real or just my head telling me its better

Don't say that - I'll have to get behind my bloomin' rack again now to check it out. You'll be telling me next that speakers sound better if you point them away from the walls

Hey, think I'll try that.... grills inwards or out?

I had a pair of VDH d102 mark 3s - liked them very much and the odd bargain on eBay is still to be had....

 

[crusaderlord]

I need to qualify what i said earlier. I decided to do a proper test using the 2 inputs on the CD player and connecting the cables to different outputs on the amp. This makes it quite easy to tell the sound differences by remote control.

So Chord Cobra 3 and Van Den Hul Name - to be honest i could hardly hear any difference whatsoever between these. Maybe just maybe the Chord was a tad tighter in the bass but it was almost identical to my hearing. But they are a closely matched priced.

I then tried the Van Den Hul to my old Cambridge Arctic (£20 cable). I admit i was worried but actually this time there was an opening up of the overall presentation with the more expensive cable. It isnt light and day drastic but was certainly enough for me to be happy with say £30 extra well spent on the more expensive one.

Good news i found a local trader willing to lend me the VDH D102 and a Chord Chameleon Silver Plus to try so ill post later with findings hopefully.

 

[Anonymous]

VDH is extremely open, natural and uncoloured. Even compared to Chord, but not by much.

 

[Anonymous]

another satisfied owner of the vdh d102 III here. ive tested it back to back against the Crystal Cable Piccolo (which is much pricier) and found little difference.

 

[crusaderlord]

I have demod today a friends VDH D102 MkIII and Chord Chameleon Silver Plus directly against my own VDH Name and Chord Cobra 3.

The short answer is that the difference between the interconnects must be so miniscule that neither i nor the owner of the more expensive cables could hear a difference.

The only thing i can say is that there is a very very slight distinction between VDH and Chord in both cables - the Chord are slightly tighter in the bass and VDH a tad more open or vibrant in mid range.

I am not saying either is better and it is such a small difference that only instantly switching from one input to another could you even tell.

My own opinion is that for my own mid range system its worth upgrading to the Name or Cobra 3 for sure but beyond that my money is better spent on a different tweak. So back to thinking about bi-wiring then............

 

[Anonymous]

crusaderlord:So back to thinking about bi-wiring then............

Spend some money on interconnects. You will see a marked improvement.

 

[crusaderlord]

I have £50 interconnects and tried the £100 level but with no sign of any real benefit. How much do you think needs to be spent to see this marked improvement on interconnects. I am happy to hear a suggestion on a cable.

 

[Anonymous]

Between the VDH Name and Bay (£20 extra but different technology) I heard huge improvements. I then bought Integration for £160, again improvements were there but not in proportion to the Bay over the Name, but that's hifi for you. They are all beaten by Gotham cables mind you.

 

[crusaderlord]

Its very interesting that some can get real improvements but others really cant find anything. I didint get any benefit between the Name and D102. In my mind the Name cable seems an excellent buy.

That said Integration has different cable component so maybe thats what will make a difference.

What system do you have Octopo.

 

[crusaderlord]

I demod the D102 and it seemed no different to the Name as outlined above - both are great though.

I am currently trying a VDH Thunderline and a Blue Emerald from Audioquest. The latter is sounding very nice but not sure about its price relative to what i have.

I remain a little unconvinced by interconnect upgrades being good investments beyond the £50 level.

 

[Anonymous]

crusaderlord:I remain a little unconvinced by interconnect upgrades being good investments beyond the £50 level.

I can only disagree, but it saves you some cash!ÿ

 

[stephennic]

Hi,

I had the vandenhul 102iii, it was nice. I ended up ugradeing to the old kimber pbj (similar price) - it was a little leaner however a lttle more detailed and open and natural sounding especially in the mids and the human voice with tighter bass.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

[stephennic]

I have just upgraded to Nordost blue heaven its even more open, detailed and fast - the only flaw I can see so far is its a bit lean - but I hear it improves with burn in.

Cheers

Steve.

 

[Anonymous]

Fair enough, but what has Nordost got to do with what I said?

Be careful with those Nordosts though, they are brutal.

 

[stephennic]

Hi,

Just that the Nordost is an upgrade on both vandenhul and kimber but of course it costs more money. Not sure how the chord chamelon 2 compares with Nordost though.

cheers

Steve.

 

[crusaderlord]

After an evening testing the thunderline and Audioquest emerald.

Now these do show more of a change to the VDH Name and Chord Cobra 3. The thunderline has a smoother approach to my ears which wasnt actually what my music needed to be fair but i can see a real benefit to a sharper system like Cammbridge Audio.

The Emerald does have a step up on clarity albeit not huge. This is a quality cable that i thought was worth considering at a good price.

But overall it amazes me that the Name and Cobra 3 are simply fantastic value for the money.