Power cord comparison: Nordost Odin Gold vs CrystalConnect da Vinci vs Argento Audio EE
- Thread starter TLi
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I have two of them on my preamp and find them pretty good. They imparted a slightly darker flavour than my Crystal Cable cords and they were a little thicker sounding too which is what I like. They are a complete pain to handle though as they are very heavy.
Michael and Amy from Nordost/USA visited Rhapsody last week. They brought the full loom of Odin Gold to try out in my systems.
I have a few Odin/Odin2 customers that are interested in Odin Gold and were interested to hear the differences between Odin 2 and Odin Gold.
Initially the system was set up with all Odin 2. (IC's, PCs and sp. cables)
We then started with replacing the Odin2 PC's with the Odin Gold PCs. Then we replaced the Odin 2 ICs with Odin Gold and finally the speakers cables.
The people in attendance felt the PC's made the most significant difference. Then the Sp. cables, finally the ICs.
I found that, taking $$$ into account, that I REALLY liked the sound in my system with leaving my Odin 2 PC's and IC's installed and I am initially replacing the Odin2 speakers cables with Odin Gold speaker cables. The Odin Gold sp. cables will be delivered in January.
Down the road I will add a few of the Odin Gold Power cords. Although right now IN MY SYSTEMS AND TO MY EARS I really like the Odin Gold speaker cables with Odin 2 everywhere else. I will be a happy camper with this set up for the first part of '22.
I have a few Odin/Odin2 customers that are interested in Odin Gold and were interested to hear the differences between Odin 2 and Odin Gold.
Initially the system was set up with all Odin 2. (IC's, PCs and sp. cables)
We then started with replacing the Odin2 PC's with the Odin Gold PCs. Then we replaced the Odin 2 ICs with Odin Gold and finally the speakers cables.
The people in attendance felt the PC's made the most significant difference. Then the Sp. cables, finally the ICs.
I found that, taking $$$ into account, that I REALLY liked the sound in my system with leaving my Odin 2 PC's and IC's installed and I am initially replacing the Odin2 speakers cables with Odin Gold speaker cables. The Odin Gold sp. cables will be delivered in January.
Down the road I will add a few of the Odin Gold Power cords. Although right now IN MY SYSTEMS AND TO MY EARS I really like the Odin Gold speaker cables with Odin 2 everywhere else. I will be a happy camper with this set up for the first part of '22.
It takes a few weeks for Odin Gold power cord to burn in and really performs to its best.
I agree PC is most influential, SC to follow then IC.
Most systems only use one pair of SC, it is the most “cost effective” way of upgrade. It takes a lot more power cords to fully loaded up a system.
I just ordered some more PC but Nordost is now very slow in its production due to supply chain and logistics, expect more than 4 to 8 weeks for delivery
Luckily the all of the Odin Gold were already broken in when I heard them. Understood about the deliveries. I'm getting used to waiting a bit longer for EVERYTHING these days, although anticipation is fun as well, especially after you have already had the opportunity to listen to what you are waiting for.
They can burn in the cables with Vidar II but not for power cords. It requires them to be connected on a equipment and play for a few weeks.
Most dealers can’t burn in PC enough before demo. I know that from my personal experience. That’s why I bring it up to remind you. The Gold PC is better than what you have heard.
I know I'm an outlier in this group so no need to beat me up, but why anyone thinks rhodium sounds good (with some noteworthy exceptions such as AC connectors for subwoofers) is still a mystery to me.
Fun with Metallurgy
I’m been meaning to write this up for a while and now it seems like the sort of essay whose length is more suited for an assignment on “what I did on my summer vacation”. When I built my home a few years ago, I had enough foresight to know I should provide plenty of flexibility for the power...
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Me too - hate the amusical sound of rhodium and have deliberately purged it from my system.I know I'm an outlier in this group so no need to beat me up, but why anyone thinks rhodium sounds good (with some noteworthy exceptions such as AC connectors for subwoofers) is still a mystery to me.
Fun with Metallurgy
I’m been meaning to write this up for a while and now it seems like the sort of essay whose length is more suited for an assignment on “what I did on my summer vacation”. When I built my home a few years ago, I had enough foresight to know I should provide plenty of flexibility for the power...
I don't know, but I see that Furutech recently added a gold plated connector version of their highly regarded Flux 50 NCF filter, and that the WBF poster who compared the rhodium and gold versions preferred the latter. Furutech must have gotten some feedback to make them release the gold plated version several years later.
Gold has a warmer sound, no doubt about it. The problem with gold on the connector is the durability. After a few insertions, the gold plating will wear away. The only way to enhance the durability is to make sure the connectors on both sides are gold plated, but it will still wear away after a couple more times.
Rhodium has a brighter sound which in most systems will give an impression of higher resolution. It does not wear away that easily, so you can use it many times and still retain the effect.
There is no best material in this aspect, just choose the one that suits you most.
Yes, I did hear that Furutech is using Gold again. We did the Pepsi challenge years back on the FI-09 IEC A/C inlet plug, Gold VS Rhodium . Some preferred the Gold, others liked the Rhodium. As of right now , The group that liked the Gold now , are really sold on the sound of the FI- 09 Rhodium with NCF.
Rhodium price rocketed to us$27000 per ounce 6 months ago. Even now it is like $12000 which is 7 times higher than gold. Rhodium plating will be really rare now.
Anyone considering a purchase of Odin 2 / Odin 2 Gold should definitely try the Ansuz Supreme cable range. The Odin 2 cables was originally co-designed by Lars Kristensen who later teamed up with Michael Borresen to start Ansuz. While the Odin 2 has a reasonably low inductance, it has a very low mechanical stability which is the main drawback of the Nordost design. The Ansuz cable has extremely low inductance while delivering a much greater mechanical stability and better shielding which results in a more natural and considerably more dynamic presentation with blacker backgrounds and more precisely layered soundstage. I made the comparison in my system and the differences were easily audible. Coming back to the Odin 2 loom was rather challenging after trying the Ansuz cables. This is just my opinion based on personal experience so please treat as such!
Could you please describe to me what you consider to be a very low mechanical stability in the Odin power cable?
Mechanical stability is linked to how susceptible the cable is to the influence of microphonic distortion. For more detail, please reach out to Lars Kristensen. He is the co-designer of Nordost Odin and will be more than happy to elaborate fully on any questions you may have. As far as I am concerned, give the Ansuz DTC Supreme cables a try. You will not be looking back... it is that simple
. The proof is in the listening as they say.Coincidentally, there was a High-end Munich report by Absolute Sound that mentions a shootout between entry-level Ansuz cables ( A2 and C2) and Odin 2 loom, which apparently Ansuz won quite easily: " As a sideshow, Raidho’s Michael Borresen and Lars Kristensen did a shootout between their affordable Ansuz A2 and C2 cables and a $20k+ loom of Nordost Odin 2, which the Ansuz won quite handily." You can find the link here: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/munich-high-end-2017-loudspeakers
FYI, the Ansuz DTC Supreme is in a completely different league than the A2 or the C2. Not much else to add really.
FYI, the Ansuz DTC Supreme is in a completely different league than the A2 or the C2. Not much else to add really.
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