I'm very satisfied with the Frey 2 speaker cables in my system and my listening room and setup. It was a big decision, financial and conceptual, to jump from a Red Dawn bi-wire to a Frey 2 shotgun (w jumpers), both 2 meters and banana plugs.
Rest of my system are:
- PrimaLuna Dialogue Two with KT-120 tubes
- Proac Response 1SC on Atlantis stands filled with cat litter
- Rel S/3 SHO subwoofer
- VPI Classic TT, Soundsmith Zephr, SDS controller, Ring, 300 rpm motor
- Manley Chinook phono amp
- Shunyata PS8 and power cords
- SolidSteel rack
- Wadia 121 DAC, 151 for iPad
- Music Fidelity CDT
Listening room is about 15.5 feet wide by 22 feet long, with chair placed at 16 feet mark. Speakers are just under 3 feet from wall.
Before the Frey 2, I'd categorize the sound to be how most would describe Nordost cables, fast, shimmering, wide open, but bottom shy. Depending on listening material and source (vinyl or digital), often times I have to switch the PrimaLuna to triode mode to tame down shrill highs a bit. Doing that means the bass will have even less punch. So it's always a compromise. That is why I got the Rel S/3 btw, to help restore some low end when I'm running in triode mode. Even so, it still feel like a compromise.
After much research online, I decided to stick with Nordost and give the Frey 2 a chance, hoping that it'll balance things out in my system, not lose the speed and openness, but add some strength to the bottom, and hopefully control the highs as well.
Well, after 3 months, I'm happy to say that I've found the perfect balance in my system that I can live with for a long time to come, as long as the components can hold up.
The Frey 2 basically removed the need for me to turn on the Rel sub, for almost all sources and listening volume. The Frey 2 gives abundance of bass through the little Proacs. I can even run the PrimaLuna in Ultralinear mode and the highs are totally acceptable. The overall spectrum of music is so well integrated I can't find any fault or more wishes from it.
Janos Starker's Bach cello suite striking and powerful.
The New Basement Tapes from T Bones sound steely.
Civil Wars' voice and guitar no longer sound like nails on a blackboard.
Norah Jones' Chasing Pirates is full of Impact.
Diana Krall voice is sublime with full weight of the bass lines.
Murray Peraphia's Bach Goldberg variations is no more just background music for work.
Now I'm thinking of selling the Rel S/3 because I don't think I'll miss it.