Nordost or AudioQuest?
March
24, 2019
Hi
Marc
I
always read with great pleasure your reviews and now I would like to receive advice from
you, because I am buying new cables (interconnects and speaker cables). I am very
undecided between AudioQuest (Fire and Wildwood) and Nordost Valhalla 2. I live in Italy and I don't have the possibility to
try them in my setup, and I know that you used them for a long time.
I
have a quite neutral stereo system: Esoteric Grandioso K1 digital player, Audio Research
Reference 6 preamp, Pass Labs X600.8 amplifier, Vivid Audio Giya 1 speakers.
What
are the main differences between these cables?
Massimo
Riccardi
Brand
A versus Brand B is the eternal dilemma, and often the choice of one over the other boils
down to which one you have more experience with. Of the cables you mention by name, I
would definitely choose Valhalla 2, for two reasons. First, they are the only one of the
bunch I've heard in my system. Second, while AudioQuest Fire and Wildwood are current
designs, I can attest from AudioQuest's presentation at CES that the company's new Mythical
Creatures-series speaker cables, which feature new distortion-killing technology, are very
impressive and clearly better than earlier AudioQuest designs.
I
suggest investigating them, or others in the Folk Heroes series, which use some of the
same technology. Even so, the speed, neutrality and even-handed tonality of Valhalla 2 are
hard to beat, and, for me, make Valhalla 2 the safest choice, given that I've reviewed it.
-Marc Mickelson
Alexia
to replace Sasha?
March
14, 2019
Marc,
I
am still very much enjoying your reviews, which takes me to a question, if I may. I am
using Wilson Sasha 1s in my 15'W x 21'L x 8'H dedicated listening room. I have the
opportunity to buy a pair of Wilson Alexia 1s from a guy I met online (I bought a Wilson
Mezzo center-channel speaker from him). He is getting Wilson Alexxes and has offered his Alexias at a great price, saying they
are much better than the Sashas he had previously. My question is, do you think my
listening room is big enough to support the Alexia in place of the Sasha?
Bill
Barotti
The
answer is an unqualified yes. The Alexia will definitely work in your room, or any room in
which the Sasha already works well. One of the stated design goals for the Alexia was as a
drop-in replacement for the Sasha, allowing owners who wanted larger Wilson speakers to
have them. The Alexia takes up about the same floor space as the Sasha, and the Alexia's
greater time-alignment adjustment will allow the speakers to be tailored to your preferred
listening height and distance.
As
for the implied question -- are the Alexias a clear sonic upgrade -- the answer is also an
unqualified yes. The Alexia is perhaps my favorite Wilson speaker (the Alexia 2 even more so than the first version) because it's so amazingly
coherent and throws a deep, wide and high soundstage. It has big-speaker sound in a
not-so-big package, and it works especially well in mid-sized rooms like yours. I predict
you'll love it. -Marc Mickelson
Thanks
and questions
March
6, 2019
Marc,
I
continue to enjoy reading all the many great articles and pieces on The Audio Beat
each week -- a lot of work. Thank you and the whole TAB team.
I
have read your articles on isolation with great interest, and I had a question about
Silent Running Audio (SRA). I currently use "isolation sandwiches" with each
component comprised of HRS M3X or Stillpoints Ultra 6s underneath, and HRS or Artesania
dampers on top.
I
have the chance to buy secondhand SRA Ohio Class XL units calibrated for my Zanden
components.
1.
Would you think I will get a big improvement over my "sandwiches"?
2.
Would you upgrade from SRA Ohio Class XL to XL2?
Any
guidance is most welcome! Thank you very much!
Lee
Stephens
It sounds like you already have a strategy in place for your Zanden electronics,
one using multiple effective products. I can't say if the SRA units would be a definite
upgrade for you, because I have no experience with the products you mention, but I
wouldn't be surprised if they are. First, you deserve congratulations for finding used SRA
platforms for your components; most of the time I get questions about using platforms made
for one product -- SRA is unique in creating platforms specifically for what will set on
top of them -- with one that's completely different. SRA's approach makes sense to me, and
it works. I've used SRA platforms under various amps and preamps, and they've always
enabled those components to sound more like themselves -- more vivid and easeful at the
same time.
As
for upgrading to the XL2 platforms, if you can find those for not much more money, they
are worth your consideration, although you might also want to start with the unit(s)
you've already found and then think about upgrading. Again, what you're using now sounds
promising, but some SRA platforms may improve things even more. -Marc Mickelson
Add
me on your list
March
1, 2019
Marc,
Please
add me to your list for updates. Thank you.
Rick
Cooper
You're
on the list. To join TAB's reader list and find out about new articles first,
send e-mail to rl@theaudiobeat.com.
-Marc Mickelson
