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Cable observations ....Cardas NBS

In my earlier post Cardas vs NBS, I posted the following comment (see below) but wonder if the observation was consistent with those who had done similiar comparison.

Cardas Golden Reference sounds netural but not cold - in fact it is able to retain the warmth sound I have had experienced in the Golden Cross without the bloated bass! Mid-range has a nice body to the sound. The only thing about the GR is that it does not go as deep as the NBS.

NBS Signature III improves on the highs of the previous model ie Sig II and has plenty of bass definition. However, what I miss is the mid-range warmth which the GR has.

Anything further to add, anyone?
flameoforest
asa
662 posts
 
I forgot, its not fair to pontificate w/o disclosure, my main system: NBS Pro I spkr & IC; NBS Statement (blue jacket)IC; Hovland phono cable. I still use the KSII red between line & digital (because digital can use all the help it can get at the extremes). I could easily live with all Sig II system. As for other good cables, Omega Micro spkr cables are nice but delicate (no cats or kids); Purist nice but more distant perspective, little "silver" lispy on initial voice transients on older stuff; Maganan makes musical cables, but your system better be open to begin with and your pre have some drive or you can flirt with apparent compression. Any of these is preferable to Cardas in every instance except $2500-7500+ SS digitally biased systems (where warmth balancing becomes a matter of survival).Even then Id go KSII grey.
slawney
242 posts
 
Asa, you have my deep respect. That has to be one of the best posts about NBS cables that I have ever seen on audiogon. You go much further than I did, and are much more precise. A few questions: What Hovland phono cable do you use? Did you hear the NBS phono cable ("for vinyl lovers")? Have you any suggestions about the NBS digital cables? (I used a Pro II AES/EBU between transport and DAC for months without noticeable difference from a Mine Serpent II AES/EBU until one day the Pro II seemed clearly superior. After months of service, the Pro II digital cable all of a sudden seemed to have completed a path into the inner confines of my digital components finding the best, most direct route for their connection: greatly expanded dynamics, much improved immediacy and better low-level information retrieval was the result. But it took months of use. I believe Albert Potter has described a similar effect with regard to his Purist Dominus.) Last two questions for asa: what PuristAudio cable did you listen to? What do you think of the Monitor series?
rcprince
3,071 posts
 
I find Asa right on the money about the way that NBS cables work with tubed equipment. I bought a pair of NBS Monitor 0 running between my Jadis preamp and amplifiers and was extremely happy with how they let through much more detail without losing the harmonic rightness that you expect from tubes. And they do improve as they break in. Awfully expensive, though....
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