Who makes super quiet XLRs around $1k?

@akg_ca I thought Nordost was the last brand designed for quietness but as for this hobby, anything is possible .

Two things with NORDOST in my experience

(1) I upgraded to the FREY in their NORSE 2 model series and dumped the lower LEIF series models. Their upgraded models are a BIG STEP-UP in audio performance (... I’ve had both ....)

(2) I experimented with a lot of different major cable brand options. Eventually, I upgraded to a full all-FREY cable loom that produced that ethereal transparency, openness and “ quietness” (an ill-defined, subjective and biased descriptive term ) in a $30K 2-channel system.

Like with every other audio system, system synergy - including cables - is an experimentation hands-on trial and error bespoke journey down the Yellow Brick Road to audio OZ .... the full matched loom array bested the many contenders and pretenders at their price-point in MY system ( emphasis added).

Want something  much better look at PURIST.

It’s all about how the cable is shielded without hurting the sound. Most shielding closes in the sound even though it makes for less noise. Shielding is there to reduce noise and make a cable “quiet”.

The quietest cable one can hear, based on my experience, is building one with a sort of faraday cage around it that has no sonic degradation properties.

To that end, read about the helix design principe talked about here.....

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/duelund-conversion-to-diy-helix-geometry-cabling


Feel free to contact me if you are open to new ideas.