Following a conversation I had with @PeterR I am interested to hear the findings from those who have had the opportunity to play about with speaker cables and interconnects.
I have only ever used Chord Epic speaker cable prior to NACA5 which is used now.
I personally found the Chord Epic to bright. I was told that this was probably due to the use of silver in the cable and can have this effect.
In turn I moved it on and changed to NACA5 which certainly solved this particular issue.
Obviously there is a lot of talk of late regarding Witchhat Phantoms.
I haven’t heard but in my head I wouldn’t compare this with Super Lumina as it’s an all copper cable and more akin to NACA5. Likewise the new Kudos but I maybe wrong.
Has anyone much experience comparing SL with comparable Chord offerings and other brands that use silver in there make up?
Obviously Naim have completely designed there cables to be tailored to their products but how does this compare against a company like Chord who only and solely specialise in Cables.
I just did not get on with SL in my room , i had 3 goes at it, last time it was a full loom at rrp would have been ÂŁ8k. It just did not move the needle for me over std Naim cables inc NACA5. My dealer suggested the Kudos ks-1 and i liked it immediately. Many many like SL and i do not really understand why it does not work for me. Best to listen.
Hi Gazza, would you say your room is somewhat damped with soft furnishings/ full carpet etc. Ie not bright? ( would make sense if that’s the case) ATB Peter
That was my only conclusion, Axminister carpet, 2 sofas, 15-16 foot window with heavy curtains…SL sounded a bit better with curtains open, but i mainly listen at night.
Hi popeye, as we discussed for me the SL loom is the most neutral cables I’ve heard in my system, but maybe I need to get out more ATB Peter
I’m also aware that my cables do not have to make up for a certain characteristic of my room, which of course simplifies matters.
If you are determined to avoid silver, you won’t want Super Lumina, as it uses silver plated copper cables. I’m not convinced that the use of silver has to be a bad thing, and think SL speaker cables are very good, albeit at an eyewatering price.
The only SL vs Chord comparison I have made is between the SL and the Chord Sarum Tuned Array interconnect. Although auditions were at home they were not at the same time, i.e. not A/B, but were with the same system.
The Sarum TA sounded strange in my system. Really didn’t get on with it, which surprised me. Must have been some kind of incompatibility with the system, room or me!
The SL interconnect was the first SL cable I heard at home and it was a significant uplift in SQ in areas that matter to me over the HiLine it replaced.
Well it was extremely so for me and very fatiguing. And changing for NACA5 was transformative. I can’t say bright is a condition/characteristic of my room that has concerned me.
Chord actually backed this up with a conversation with me and also said it was a common symptom of the insulation they Previously used and with the silver. Apparently this was changed within the revision/addition of the Epic X and X Reference however.
I haven’t heard tho so can’t comment.
That just shows how much of an impact the room and setup of the system can bring to the system. Perhaps it is more to the speakers than room as there was no significant difference swapping between the NACA5 and Chord Epic Twin in my system. Although there was a difference it’s not transformative. I am using Harbeth loudspeakers and perhaps the speakers have masked the differences. I did find the treble of the Chord Epic to be slightly more extended, smoother and sweeter than the NACA5. Not a rough or harsh treble which brings listening fatigue as described.
I am currently using Chord Signature XL which I think has some silver content in it and it’s also not bright, even when used with the highly revealing Marten Duke 2 which reveals any small warts and changes with amplifier and cables. I did find brightness with the Marten but it’s not with the speaker cables but the amp (282).
Recommending speaker cables is more risky than recommending underwear (don’t ask!), but my 500 and Shahinians get on very well with Mogami 2972, which I find a more balanced, tonally accurate and nuanced performer than NACA5, not giving away much in leading edge PRat but gaining a lot in terms of natural instumental decay.
On the interconnect front I’ve not had much luck, preferring the Hiline to SL and Chord Music.
Just typed it in and only one thread I can see without going down the list for miles talking about chord vs SL only.
I would be interested to know if anyone has experience with some of the other big cable brands like Tellurium Q, Audioquest, Transparent Audio etc, etc.
Like many threads the title does not fully expose the contents. Once a thread starts the conversation can deviate in many directions and the information you may seek can be buried within. Happy hunting… if you choose to follow the many paths.
ATB Peter