It's hard to say , it depends a lot on what you are trying to achieve and the system you are using.
I have used the pjb, hero and blue heaven but not the chord. In my system the pjb produces a good all round evenly balanced sound but a little lacking in space and detail, the hero is more dynamic and exciting but can sound a little edgy in the upper mid , the blue heaven is superior in every way but if your system balance is on the warmer side of neutral it can sound a little laid back and ultra detailed, but it really opens up the top end .
These are only my observations in my system , it would be best if you try them all in your own system.
Steve, I agree with Electrohead, try then all out and then decide if you really need to change cables - dont be fooled into thinking what costs the most must be the best.
Thanks for the feedback. I found the chords warmer with a fatter sound, The Kimber Hero had a full bass but a bit rolled off at the top end, wide soundstage however the Nordost was very detailed,open, fast and punchy. I'm quite impressed with the Nordost. However they are sometimes a touch hard sounding in the mids, Does this improve with burn in?
Dont wish to dampen your thoughts on ( burn in ) but you will find that most of the knowledgeable members on this site consider burn in to be a manufacturers ploy to palm us into excepting thier word that said cable will improve over time ? this is another fable that causes heated debate on this forum ? and i have got to agree, with their stance on this subject ! Cheers .....Carl.
A quick response re "burn in" Does a cable do that, or do we just get used to the sound? A lot of people believe the latter.
As for the Blue Heavens, at one stage I had my kit completely linked with them, 4 in all, and at the time believed they were great, but, it wasnt until I went on to a Chord Chorus (similar- ish price) that I realised how much bass they were holding back, a lot think this is why they sound so great at the top end.
As ive mentioned numerous times before, Ive had lots of ic's, the most expensive being Black Rhodiums Oratorio at £600, but, I am now using one that cost a tenner for 0.6m, and its amazing!
its the NVA Sound Cord, available thru E bay, so getting one isnt a problem wherever in the world you are, add to that a 30 day money back warranty, how can you go wrong?
I have had their more expensive Sound Pipes too, and preferred the cheaper SC
Just to add more view points, I use the Blue heavens between pre and power amp (primare pairing) where you have to be careful with the brighter cables. Works Very well, good sounds stage in a large room. However I use the Chrous between pre amp and cd source (xlr terminals). Its a good combo for me but I was most impressed with the addition of the chorus.
Most of the big firms have us believe that "burn in" exists, basically what they say is that if their cable sounds crap when first connected, after a number of hours, usually over 100, the cable will sound better because its been "burnt in"
Im no scientist either, so a scientific explanation of what theoretically happens is beyond me, all I can say is that a lot of people dont believe anything else happens other than you just get used to the sound.
Stepehen, if i can answer your"Iis the Chorus better than the Blue Heavens", as a former owner of both, id say yes, but beware, system synergy plays a major role here, so what works in someone elses system, may not work in yours.
As i said, ive had a lot of different cables, and recently found that the stupidly cheap NVA's actually improved the sound ( to my liking) over and above the Chord Anthems, which are the next ones up from the Chorus.
Im afraid all the suggestions in the world wont mean diddly squat unless you get to try them in your own set up.
One more thing, I used to be in the if it costs more it must be better camp, ( hence the £600 ic's) ive found that that is definitely not the case since discovering the NVA Sound Cord, you would be silly not to try a pair, what can you lose, they have a 30 day money back guarantee, but you may save a couple of hundred pounds if you do like them, as I did!
I prefer the chorus over the blue heavens but I would echo early comments, its quite personal and needs some in situ listening (burn it not required!!!).
Thanks for the feedback, the chord chorus is $399 AUS and BH is $289 AUS at the moment. In what way is the chorus better in your system.
Burn in is often a debated issue but from my experience I do notice cables tend to open up a bit more in the soundstage, generally becoming less harsh and easier to listen too. I can't really explain it scietifically, but I suppose like a new car needs to be run in before it performs at its best.
Most cars dont need running in nowadays! Joking aside, as i mentioned before, the Chorus doesnt stop bass coming through like the BH does, thats the main difference to my ears.
Interesting to note there seems a bigger gap price wise in Oz between the cables than here.
One other point, you havent acknowledged the NVA at all! You have Ebay over there, so why not try one, let me point out that I have absolutely no connection with NVA at all, in fact whaen I spoke to the owner and mentioned how much id raved about the cable in forums like this, he said "Oh youre the bugger thats causing me all the extra work are you!"
Just remember, ive had cables almost 3 times the price of the Chorus, so feel "qualified" in telling you that you really can get an extremely great set of wires without having to spend loads!
Thanks for the feedback. I will have a look at the NVA, I heard Gotham cables are good too, have you heard them?. My standard cable up to this point were the old Kimber PBJ, which I liked but wanted to open up the soundstage a bit more.
Had some Gotham xlrs prior to the NVA. No contest, NVA all the way!! In fact, I got my first pair of NVA's as a trade against my Gothams, expecting them to just be ok, boy was I surprised!.
Come on Guys get real, even wotslics's 30p cables had a flat response to many megahertz, if any difference were possible then it would only be at the extreme top end. To say a cable sounds 'harsh' now that implies distortion and a cable cannot distort. As for burn in , we are talking about a length of copper, not a car engine, no moving parts, no warm up, no settle down but simply a length of copper.
Some of you appear to exaggerate the differences to unbelievable proportions, quote 'expecting them to just be ok, boy was I surprised!' Sorry, we are talking a length of copper here, not some new found technology, whoever puts their name to it and whatever price they put on it a length of copper wire is only that and nothing else. There are plenty of problems to be solved in Hi Fi reproduction and cable will not resolve them, nor remove them. John...
John, I agree with some of what you said, but that last sentence of yours is inaccurate in as much as lets say for instance if you have a "bright" system, a Van Den Hul cable will help tame it, due to its top end roll off.
If you have a bass heavy system, something from Nordost will help there.
Cables have characteristics, most agree on that, it certainly isnt a case of a cable is cable is cable etc, Apart from that, cables are also made from silver, these usually sound different from copper. and with regards to my VDH and Nordost comments, I have witnessed these traits in my own system.
Ditto for QED Silver Anniversary cable, a lot say "wow, such great top end" but then realise its because its strangled the bass that it allows its higher frequencies to shine through.
I agree I found that in my system. When i use silver it tends to brighten the sound up, whereas when i use copper cables, it usually is warmer sounding. I think cables do have characteristics that can highlight weaknesses or strengths in ones system. I tried the QED silver and yes it seem good in the top end but i lost some of the bass I use to get.
Cheers .....Carl.
.......Carl.
