What are jumper cables for ? I have TQ black diamonds to sbl speakers.
I have the naim 552 and 300DR set up. Where do the DIN cables figure in this?
Do tellurium make phono cables for an SME arm set up.
Thanks
The jumper cables replace the brass jumpers connecting the speaker terminals on the back of your speakers. This is the case if you have 4 terminals. If you have only two terminals, no jumpers are needed.
The DIN cables plug a Naim source to a Naim preamp. I do not believe TQ makes phono cables for an SME arm.
Thank you. I have just two terminals on the speakers. Does that mean I could use the 5 pin DIN cable from a 552 preamp to its power supply? Would you advise a silver or a black diamond DIN cable. My source is a turntable only.
No. The signal din lead is different. You need to leave the Snaic5 alone.
I was there in 2005 at the Bristol show when Naim proudly showed off their Hiline, their first interconnect for a decade or whatever and it broke.
So back to lavender blue dilly dilly instead for the show. You would have thought they had a spare.
One to tell the grandchildren, should they be remotely interested, when i hand down the hifi system (why so many boxes grandpa ?)
Interesting to know how the TQ SD din is performing? Has it been a good investment?
It has been performing great! It has been a good investment for me. It replaced a cable that was more expensive (Yter RCA) and it is noticeably better.
Hi, I know itās a while since you posted this, but I was wondering if you ever got to make the comparison, I would love to hear your impressions.
Just in case anyone is still interestedā¦
Iāve used Hi-line for about 7 years. About a year ago, I switched back to the ālavenderā Naim interconnect and realised that Hi-line, whilst superior in many ways, wasnāt quite what I wanted! After getting a fault with the Hi-line repaired and giving it a few more months, I tried Morgana, and over the last few weeks, Iāve been trying Tellurium Q Black DIN and TQ Black Diamond DIN interconnects.
I found that Morgana was a bit upper-mid / treble-happy and thinner than Hi-line, as well as less musical, in my system. I understand we all hear differently, it just wasnāt a balance I found enjoyable.
TQ Black actually gave me a sound I could live with very happily; if youāre a fan of the ālavenderā, I would really recommend listening to the Black - punchy, body and texture, and fun, but with more refinement than the lavender. At first, I thought the treble was rolled-off, but after comparison, I think itās just lacking any edge or distortion (the main claim of TQ) and if youāre all about the bass, you may really like the Black.
TQ Black Diamond, to my ears, is the most natural, refined sound Iāve ever had. Not quite as much bass as Hi-line, or as punchy as the Black, but Iām enjoying every single track I play, rather than hitting ānextā. Iām not sure about peopleās thoughts on burn-in, but they certainly changed radically from a slightly hard midrange to a smooth, natural and neutral balance.
My impression on TQ black diamond match very well with the above. Very fluidy and detailed sound, no bright but not a dark sound. What I understood compared to the Morgana, the latter is brighter.
Really helpful post. Iāve been hoping someone would do this sort of comparison. Thank you.
Thought it worth sharing this as it made me laugh at myself!
Earlier, I switched from TQ Black Diamond back to the ālavenderā and thought, āoh no, I prefer the presentation of lavender again!ā Itās not as āgoodā, but it is more listenable. Sadly, I had to get back to the day-job, so couldnāt listen much more.
Later, I sat down to listen more and realised the system now sounds much, much better than ever! Oh no! What? Track after track. Punchier, more enjoyable, musical, not harsh, great resolution and āreal-nessā. Huh? Better switch back to the Black Diamondā¦ except Iād forgotten that I had switched back before going back to work. Audio nervosa catches itself out Kind of validates that you can over think these things.
Blockquote@Myx
Just in case anyone is still interestedā¦
I was certainly interested and am very grateful for your comments.
Having recently become conscious that improvements to my LP12 had simply further widened the gap between the pleasure I was getting from vinyl and that from CD. I set out to see what impact a better interconnect than the standard Naim ālavenderāmight make, having previously paid little attention to this aspect of the system.
I have now had the opportunity to compare Hi Line, Tellurium Black Diamond and Chord Signature. I expected the Hi Line to build on the strength of the lavender, the great PRAT that typifies Naim, and was immediately impressed by the extra detail and better spatial imagery it brought. Bass guitars and particularly double bass on some jazz recordings sounding wonderfully three dimensional.
The Chord from new simply sounded too bright and brittle to my ears, and even after a decent running in period It was not to my liking.
In contrast the Black Diamond sounded pretty good from the outset, with a very full sound and warmer presentation, particularly on vocals. Because this was very different to what I was used to, I initially thought that it may be obscuring some fine detail. Further listening and, perhaps due to more hours running in, I came to appreciate how good this interconnect was, in a very natural āun Hi-Fiā way.
So, both the HiLine and the Black Diamond brought significant improvement to my ears, but which one to buy?
You certainly can, after further comparisons, I got to a point where I preferred one cable for a certain favourite track and a different cable for another track! I found myself playing what I considered āproblematicā tracks, waiting for a āeurekaā moment. Ted Sirotaās āGeronimoās Freeā was great with the HiLine and something of a chaotic mess with the BD. While one of my wifeās favourite Ed Sheeran songs was transformed from a confusing mess on the Hi-Line to a coherent whole by the BD.
Given the well documented reliability issues with the Hi-Line. I am inclined
to buy the Black Diamond, in the hope that I can now simply sit back, relax and enjoy the music.
Thanks for your reply.
Sounds like youāre in a good place, based on my experiences. What youāre saying really resonates with me; especially with regard to Hi-line. There are a couple of tracks that were my āgo toā examples (over my years with Hi-line) that do not sound as āgoodā with Black Diamond. There are hundreds more that sound ārightā, now, with Black Diamond. It is easy to forget that the recordings themselves also have issues that can be ātamedā by one cable and exacerbated by another. The opinion Iām forming, and itās just one opinion that only really matters to me, is that Black Diamond is actually very neutral and honest, whereas Hi-line shapes the bass and treble more - an effect some love, others, not so much . Iām still able to return the Black Diamond, but I donāt want to, even though I believe Ā£890 for any cable is shameful.
Your comments about Signature reminded me ā¦ Iād completely forgotten that I tried a Chord Epic DIN interconnect about 5 months ago! Silly ideas about using Epic speaker cables and āfull loomāā¦ I was very disappointed indeed. Similar results to your Signature trial. I do feel that Chordās range is a bit too convoluted, which is a shame, because Iām a big fan of Epic speaker cable.
I have found the process of comparing interconnects far more subtle and problematic than I envisaged. It is easy to find difference but not always ābetterā.
As you say the only opinion that matters is ones own, but it is good to hear others perspectives. Different systems, different musical tastes and experiences will all lead to different conclusions.
I entirely agree with your final sentence, I find the outlay very difficult to justify to myself, let alone to others!
Iāve had my TQ Silver Diamond DIN for 3 months now. I am very happy with it. It is a noticeable upgrade over the Yter RCA cable I had before.
The sound is clearer and the individual instruments are better separated and defined.
Iāve been trying to avoid posting over-excited opinions on the TQ Black Diamond here, but the more time I spend with it, the more I feel like dramatic proclamation that itās the best upgrade Iāve done - ever! I havenāt listened to the high-end Chords or Super lumina, but it has been transformative in terms of all the hifi things and musical enjoyment! It doesnāt āimpressā, but Iād definitely put it on the enthusiastically recommended audition list, with 150 hours before judging it.
I love TQ cables as wellā¦ not sure what or how they do it but they just sound so natural and detailed without any fatigue. Their Silver Diamond USB is incredible. I also have the Ultra Silver XLR but listened to the Black Diamond XLR and again, just brings out the best in your system. They do take a while to burn in though!
Whether you go Silver / Black really depends on preference and current brightness of your system. Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy your TQ journey