They seem to sound quite different according to reviews.
How would you describe the difference between TQB and WHP?
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So which are you keeping and why?
Going into my second week of Phantom ownership and am still very happy they just sound clean, fast
and are perfect at letting the signal pass through unhindered.
I’ve owned Nac A5 on several occasions over the past 10 years in fact during that time I’ve only owned three sorry four cables Nac A4, A5, Tellurium Q Black 1 and the Phantoms and I’d say the Phantoms are the least coloured of the four by quite a margin.
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Anyone know what the inductance & capacitance is per meter for the Phantom cable?
Your cables test is based on a non-Naim amplifier, am I right?
David
It wasn’t a test just my observation in my system but yes for the phantoms, Nac A5 , TQ I’m using the much maligned Hegel H190 but for the Nac A5 / Tellurium Black comparison I was using Naim Amps too.
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Would you venture to rank the cables in order of preference?
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I have TQB1 and I’m wondering whether to upgrade to TQB2 or WHP.
For my own personal preference and in my own system I’d say it would be in
1st Place WH Phantom
2nd Place Nac A5
3rd place TQB 1
4th place Nac A4
But my very strong advice if possible would be to try the cables in your own system first.
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So I had some extensive listening sessions in the past week and over the weekend with all three cables (WH Phantom, TQ Black II and A5) using both my Naim amp and Accuphase
On both sets of amps, I preferred the WH and TQ to the A5s, as both give music that extra bit of openness and detail which I like.
The WH sound like an upgraded version of the A5 - similar organic sound but more nimbleness at the top end and a tighter base. Slightly more separation too, just enough to give space in music without tearing things apart. The TQ bring an extra bit of detail, but compared to the WH, losses some body in the mid range. It has a cleaner sound.
On my 72/140 I prefer to WH to the TQ, however on my Accuphase, which has a warm, dense and more laid back presentation, I like the TQ Black IIs more.
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Same experience with your thoughts. In my case I compared Chord Epic and Signature XL to the NACA5 on my Naim, Sonneteer and Luxman amps.
I suspect the NACA5 was tuned to sound stellar with Naim speakers, not so much with other speakers where it will sound slightly dark with less openness, airiness and top end detail + slightly smeared bass with a midbass bump.
Hi Ryder
And what is your final hierarchy between those 3 câbles? Could you please describe the pros ans cons of each?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Arnaud,
Hierarchy from most preferred to less preferred :-
- Chord Signature XL
- Chord Epic
- Naim NACA5
I find Chord Signature XL to be be most uncoloured out of the 3 with a clean presentation. Nothing sticks out like a sore thumb, especially the bass which is much cleaner and more defined than both Chord Epic and NACA5. The Epic and NACA5 have considerably more bass presence than the Signature XL. When I first switched from the Epic (and NACA5) to Signature XL, I thought something was wrong with the cable as the bass sounded lightweight. After a while, I got used to the more neutral and accurate bass reproduction of the Signature XL. The Epic pumps out a lot more bass. In comparison between the Epic and NACA5, the bass on the Epic goes lower and sounds fuller, the NACA has a midbass lift with a chunk missing in the lower bass. The treble on the Chord cables sounds slightly sweeter and airier than NACA5, slightly more extended.
Unfortunately I don’t have experience with TQ or Witch Hat Phantom.
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“It has a cleaner sound” refers to TQBII versus WHP?
Yes compared to both
I have to add that Naim Nac A5 is a great value no nonsense cable that I’ve used with Naim, Nad, Quad and Hegel amps and though I ended up preferring the WH Phantom the Nac A5 served me very well in all of those set ups.
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I agree. Each system is unique, depending on the characteristics of each listening room. The exact same set of equipment may very likely sound different in different rooms. Also, each and every one of us are “limited editions” so we will hear what we hear, not what someone else hears. Hence, your order of preference may be different to someone else’s. Best thing is to listen for yourself and make your own judgement 
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Wise words, there are some other Community members who could learn a lesson from you as they repeatedly tell me that it’s not possible that I could prefer one amp over another and my answer is exactly as you describe it.
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