Using Phantom currently with a SN2, call it a preference as been in setup for a year or so.
Chord & TQB are long gone but indeed fine cables.
When using my old 180/72 I fit the A5, that’s for upstairs duties.
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My witch hat Phantoms arrived last week. I let them run in for a few days before doing the comparison.
Compare to the TQ Black IIs, I don’t think they are as good to my ears. The mid range just seems a lot more muddled. Yes sound stage seems a bit broader but the togetherness of the music is less.
Will do more listening in the next few weeks but right now the TQs sound much better to my ears.
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Though I can’t comment on TQ Black 2 I’ve used Mk 1’s a couple of times but gone back to Nac A5 both times because although I initially preferred the extra detail that the TQB brought when I swapped the Nac A5 back in I found the TQB thin and lacking in both bass and rhythm.
Yesterday I connected up some WH Phantom into my now non Naim system and was instantly impressed all of the Nac A5’s boogie factor but with even deeper, tighter and faster bass and also lots more of the detail that the TQB brought.
The three elements of the music low, mid and tops where all present in the correct amount and blended together beautifully like Nac A5 on steroids.
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Interesting… I have been comparing True Signal Audio speaker cable with NACA5… on my ATC and Etude setup… by comparison the NACA5 sounds anaemic and flat with curtailed bass and treble… no boogie factor or emotion connection at all… quite bizarre actually.
Just goes to show speaker cable must be very dependent on amp and possiblybspeaker.
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Does the Etude amp have an internal inductance coil on the output stage? I suspect it does & that plus the high L with NACA5 could be causing high frequency roll off.
I read the TSA cables are plaited, if so that will give high C & should work well with that amp.
Interesting as you say.
I find it hard to assess speaker cables and find that it’s only after a while that you really know whether or not they make your music more enjoyable. I remember getting some Chord Odyssey and really liking it initially. It seemed better than A5, and made the various strands of music more intelligible. After a couple of months I was starting to get bored while listening to music, so swapped back to A5 and the engagement returned.
The Phantom is clearly flavour of the month at the moment and it will be interesting to see if its new fans stay with it for the long term. I find my TQBII fine with my ProAcs; it’s not new and exciting but seems to work well.
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Yes that is entirely possible and a good point but I can only post my findings as of today if of course things change as they did with the TQB 1 then I’ll update.
Just because things are flavour of the month HH doesn’t mean they aren’t excellent cables also there are posts on this forum dating back to September 2018 where Phantoms are being discussed so they are hardly new there is one user above who has stuck with the Phantoms for a long while.
Perhaps some of the early adopters can chime in and tell us their thoughts after almost two and a half years at the end of the day though you’re happy with your TQB 2 and so far I’m happy with the Phantoms and that is the main thing.
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I wasn’t doubting their excellence, merely reflecting on my Odyssey experience and wondering about how satisfying they might me in the long term. Certainly lots of people seem to be using them.
I don’t know Mike.
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And I wonder how much expectation bias is forming buyers opinions? There was a thread on the subject recently and I wouldn´t dare to try the Phantoms now as Íd most likely favore them because of the write-ups
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I have been using whichhat speaker cables for many years, the n2 first on my active set ups, then switched over to phantom when i got the fact 12’s over a year ago.
In all this time i have been very happy and not once thought about swapping over speaker cables or trying something else.
I still have a run of n2, nac5 and some white qed i think it is speaker cables sitting around in the loft
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I get how we can hear what we want to hear in general terms but I can’t understand how expectation bias can remove sibilant vocals and take away bass boom.
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I’ve had my Phantoms in since they launched them. I can’t recall how long ago that was, 3 years ish I think. IIRC I found them a significant improvement on the mish mash of A5 and N2 I was using prior to that on my active Isobariks, but that’s probably not surprising. No doubt there are better cables but when you need 3 runs the urge to experiment isn’t strong.
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Thinking a bit more about. If everyone was influenced into thinking something is ”better” as an expectation then nothing could be judge d as soon as you have expectations on it.
You nailed it. Unfortunately it is very difficult for us humans to be totally objective with our emotional reaction to stimuli, including sound and music.
First, we tend to judge what we hear differently based on our level of expectation. Think about the Joshua Bell experiment in the NY subway - people were not expecting to hear one of the best violonists in the world there, and nobody paid attention to his performance.
Second, to further complicate things, our brain apparently gets a healthy dose of dopamine reward when it discovers something new, which scientist think is why we tend to like new objects better. Just like my dog likes the new stick better than the old one each time.
Of course I for one am subject to those biases, too. Years ago I home demoed a Hiline for the CDS3. I was seduced, it seemed so much better, like it was supposed to at $1,000 or so. I bought it. Over the years however it self destructed and last week I switched back to the Lavender cable it replaced. Guess what? I like the Lavender better, less hifi but more coherent and engaging.
Now exactly which one is better? Honestly I don’t know. True, the severely degraded Hi-Line was clearly not performing as it was supposed to. But I can’t help thinking that both cables have different strengths and weaknesses.
The only thing I know is that the life expectanty of the lavender cable can only be longer. For the rest unfortunately I can’t really trust my brain.
Claude
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The dopamine reward certainly explains my addiction to hifi upgrades…
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What is the final verdict? I have TQB1 and am debating TQB2 vs. WHP as an upgrade.
In my system - TQBII is at the same level as WH Phantom, and both are noticeably better than the A5.
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I thought difference TQB1 vs TQB2 mainly were design, looks and price wise, its basically same material.
WH sound nothing like TQB
They seem to sound quite different according to reviews.