I bought the KS-1 for a NSS333 NAC252 NC250 based system. I think it is great. Detailed without being fatiguing.
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Yes, both have their strengths, which is why I kept both.
On top, both the NACA 5 and the KS-1 are reasonably priced. I canāt get around the idea of paying a black box price for a cable.
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I was one of those too until I decided to borrow some and look at the performance upgrade which many times is a black box upgrade in terms of sound quality. I still cannot wrap my head around it but decided to let go of how much weight of product you get for your money and focus on how much sound quality you get for the money instead 
By the way. Iām in the āwill return itā camp related to Smoothlan right now. I think it is smoothing things out bit too much for me which means less air, leading edge, decay, engagement. Sound feels bit more..boring? Might suite other systems better. As most often, synergy is key.
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Had another listen & things were sounding a bit better. When I plugged in the Sigma I also swapped directions on the way the Smoothlan was installed, so maybe that needed time to settle or maybe even a pre loved Sigma needs time to settle? It does have a very natural presentation, currently it seems as the the Neet1008 sounds a bit more āhifiā or has a bit more of the typical U curve in that the bottom end & top end are tipped up slightly. This wasnāt an issue for me, as mentioned a NOS R2R DAC & also in an acoustically treated, dedicated listening space. It seems with the sigma there has been another step up in sounds detaching themselves from the speakers. At times (typically with good recordings) I sometimes wish there was just a bit more sparkle on the top end but it does make not so good recordings, a step better in ādoesnāt sound digitalā. Havenāt tried without the Smoothlan but will at some point (with the warmer weather here, donāt typically spend much time listening).
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I would definitely recommend trying it without the Smoothlan in the chain. Iād bet youād get that sparkle in the treble you are looking for. The naturalness you describe is exactly what most Shunyata users seem to hear. Itās almost an analogue type quality. Iāve not heard this with any other ethernet cable Iāve tried to date.
Too many filters in the same cable might be as said too much.
The sigma already has 2 and i would probably say it will sound best with just them and no others
In my system the Smoothlan is smoothing the top end. Try removing it and see if sparkle is back.
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I did like what the Smoothlan did pre Sigma, but yes it may now be ātoo much of a good thingā. Iām curious to hear peoples feedback when theyāve compare Smoothlan to Smoothlan regen as I get the impression they might be voiced slightly different, with the regen possibly being a better match for me.
Edit: For those who are using the Sigma, what else are you running in your network? (any āaudiophileā switches, filters, etc)?
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Nothing more than BJC and a Chord EE8 switch. I have the stock SMPS and an old LPS that I sometimes switch between.