Interconnects... Help!

[Schu]

Nordost

Bolstered by my new configuration when I recently added monoblocks to my system, I decided to try and upgrade some of the wiring and interconnects in hope of extracting even more joy for my two channel listening environment.

I have been using cheap interconnects that I just happened to have laying around the house until now... when I decided to purchase a quartet of Nordost solar wind inteconnects.

when i made the move to Bel Canto monoblocks, my system really came alive... the sound being extremely crisp, detailed and sparkling on the upper range all while projecting great separation, dimensionality and an absolute Black floor that was DEAD SILENT!

After installing the Nordost, I immediately experienced a very audible hum/buzz that didn't raise or lower with volume... and on top of it all, sound became very flat with little separation and zero sparkling highs.

What seems to have happened?

having never worked with nordost before I did notice that the wires seemed unshielded and exposed to external influence... but regardless of where I move the wires (closer to power or further away from power) it made zero difference.

My previous interconnects were a pair of EXTREMELY CHEAP RCA's... but they performed in my system exceptionally well.

I guess what I am looking for is possible answer's prior to me putting the nordost up for sale.

[Don Richard]

Could be:

Lack of shielding or twisting of conductors making the interconnects susceptible to hum or EMI.

If the monoblocks were moved to a location near the speakers there could be a ground loop from using different power feeders.

All of the above.

[Schu]

Clocking of the connector itself on the female can cause audible issues?

as far as everything else... placement of components... the only thing I did was swap in and out the interconnects.

are we gaining anything by using unshielded wiring like the nordost I posted above? because from where i am sitting, I would rather go to radio shack and use the cheapest shielded wires I can find if they are going to sound this good.

[ZombieWoof]

get some of these thick sheilding ,good quality connectors & a fair reasonable cost .

these have a double thick Copper sheilding

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2680&seq=1&format=2

Ya bought into the interconnect snake oil . pass them along to another " True Beleiver "

Not knocking on Ya at all I myself bought into that "oil" many dollars later I went back to MonoPrice

& my problems dissappeared

[Mighty Favog]

Though I'm not giving up my beloved Kimber Hero's (yes, I CAN tell the difference) you may even try Blue Jeans cable. I ordered a 3M length for my TV to the preamplifier and its worlds better than the, forgive me, Monster Cable that was back there.

I decided to ditch the HDMI because there was a compatability issue between the Sony TV and the Mcintosh pre. (3 meter WireWorld Starlight 52 still for sale BTW...). But I agree that the lack of sheilding has something to do with it.

[Islander]

I had a similar experience when I bought a famous name subwoofer interconnect. It was Ultralink, IIRC. There was a hum that would not go away, and the hum prevented the sub from shutting down when the rest of the system was turned off. When I returned it, the salesman said he'd never heard of any problem like that, but he did refund my money.

As for modestly-priced interconnects, I'm getting good results with the premium Electrohome cables.

[Schu]

I mean... the nordost are certainly impressively made. they are beautiful to look at, but why don't they work?

luckily I was able to find the deal via eBay... I guess they are off to eBay again. thankfully I don't pay full retail on any f my audio gear.

as for my system, all I want is performance, not aesthetics... I will check out some of the recommendations listed here. I have been looking at Kimber, but I dont want to be bitten again.

[fuzzydog]

They're very sensitive cables...Most likely picking up interference from the actual solar wind. []

[Schu]

They're very sensitive cables...Most likely picking up interference from the actual solar wind.

hahahaha... that's awesome!

[LarryC]

Wow, the lack of shielding makes little sense, with all the EMI and RFI around. I thought they were speaker wire at first,

A quote from another forum, which also suggests they might have been pulled out wrong and something broke::

"Two things to be aware of though, one, the Solar Winds (and I guess other Nordost cables of similar construction) are not the most robust of cables and care has to be taken when removing them from the component. I have had to have two cables repaired / replaced by Nordost. They can grip the phono socket extremely tightly which makes them difficult to remove and it is easy to damage them.

Secondly, they can pick up interference. I have had to be very careful with routing them and keep them as far away as possible from mains cables and power supplies."

What a weird product!

[Schu]

I would agree with everything in that statement form the website... they do appear fragile.

and while the ones I have have been delivering sound, the sound that comes across is not that impressive... back to eBay they go.

[LarryC]

[Edited] FWIW, I, myself, like Audioquest, for both sound and quality. I also like Monster Cable's build quality. Those Nordost's seem like a misfire.

The quoted comments in my earlier post were from here: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/nordost-cable

[dubai2000]

Try Belden 8471 - first I used them only as speaker cables, but they do work as interconnects as well - nicely open sound with beauifully smooth highs (to my ears that is).

Cheers,

Wolfram

[mustang guy]

Those cables look a lot like FM ribbon antennae. If you want to see if they are the culprit, wrap them in aluminum foil and see if the problem diminishes.

[LarryC]

My understanding and experience says that AL foil is good for RFI, but not so much for EMI. EMI may have to be traced to its source and eliminated there if possible (there are earlier threads on that subject).

One EMF source is dimmer switches for transformer-based halogen lighting. You'll need to be sure that the light switches are the right ones: look on the flange of the switch to make sure they're NOT "for incandescent only."

[Schu]

they are already for sale... []

if anyone wants to try them out... let me know before the auction closes. $90pr. and I haev two sets...(I am sure they were MUCH more expensive new)

I already ordered a set of mono's to try out. I am not to sure about the coax set up, but they are so cheap it's not a big deal. I would like to try some kimbers out, but I am not ready for another $100+ et of wires that make my set up soudn like shyte. the only reason I am changing from my CHEAPO set up RCA's is because they are on the slight short side and a little unsightly.

FWIW... can you guys take a look at these and tell me what you think?

AB Systems

they say solid silver... this chinese seller also has some interesting looking Copper cables.

AK for sale

[Schu]

I may opt to try some blue jeans specified cables

interesting article from Blue Jeans Cables...

Conclusions:

Our conclusion is that for rejection of low-frequency, high-energy
noise, just as electrical theory would suggest, a coaxial cable with a
highly-conductive double braid shield will outperform similar braid/foil
and single braid cables. When we recently had our own unbalanced audio
cable, BJC LC-1, custom-built by Belden, we went with the same shield
configuration found on the best performer of these: Canare LV-77S, but
with a softer texture for better flexibility and lower capacitance for
less high-frequency rolloff. This new cable replaces our prior
recommendation of LV-77S for subwoofer use and Belden 1505F for general
audio use.

Does this mean, then, that a double-braid cable will always be the
best choice from a noise rejection standpoint? Not necessarily. First,
for video and RF applications, where RFI is an important consideration,
the 100% coverage offered by a good foil/braid combination (e.g.,
Belden 1694A) will outperform a braid-only shield. Second, it's
possible, in an RF-noisy environment (for example, a home close to radio
and TV broadcast antennas), for RF to play a role in audio quality as
well. Strong RF signals can enter audio circuits and be "rectified,"
stripping their high-frequency content and causing audible interference.
In such a situation, a braid/foil shield may well provide the more
effective shield; but for most users, in most environments, EMI is a far
more likely cause of audio mischief than RFI, and the highly conductive
double braid will reduce this low-frequency noise more effectively.

[Schu]

Ordered a set of interconnects from Blue Jeans Cables... I am in awe.

not only are they well made and conduct zero noise, they actually managed to improve the sound I was getting by cleaning up some bass bloat(tightened up the bass image) and by focusing the rest of the range. it also seemed to have cleaned up some little separation issues I was having.

props to BJC's and I will be buying all my stuff from them in the future.

[Daddy Dee]

They should work fine under normal circumstances. Their noisy performance is a clear sign your residence is being bombarded with signals from the NSA and CIA.