@lalitk @ghasley , just on the topic of my access to demo cables in Canada, you are right I probably don’t have access to test the variety of cables you have access to. I’ve tested the usual suspects though, for power cords and speaker cables: Audioquest, Shunyata, Nordost, Transparent, Cardas. I also used to have a pair of Clarus Crimson Biwires (fantastic cables) that I sold when I got the Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker cables. For the record, I didn’t find the Valhalla 2’s to be leaner or brighter than any of the other cables I tested, aside from Cardas which were too slow and warm in my system. The Nordost’s were however far more revealing and yes they have that crisp leading edge quality that Nordost are known for. Certainly no less bass than the others. The Valhalla 2 power cord and USB cable DID have noticeably less bass however. But the speaker cables don’t seem inhibited this way. I’ve read that Gryphon does poorly with extra high capacitance cables like Cardas and there are even reports of some Gryphon users blowing fuses when using Cardas with certain Gryphon amps.
As above, I’m seeking slight warmth in my components, and transparency and neutrality in my cables. My philosophy was to try not to use cables as tone controls for my gear, and to let my gear be the voice of my system. But maybe I need to be a bit more flexible in my philosophy, if I were to go the Innuos route. I did find a dealer who was offering a pretty great discount on a new Statement.
Back to the sound, I’ve noticed a class of music that Innuos clearly does better with than the N20 in my opinion - with the caveat that the AES cable and circuit is still presumably burning in. Music that has a sense of atmosphere driving it, music with air, space, and immersion. The N20 is simply not as immersive with its more dense and solid sound. In comparison these songs with Innuos have air and detail that leap out of my speakers to create an immersive space for the song to exist in. I used the word “expansive” earlier to describe this. Again, not saying the N20 isn’t good in this area but the Innuos is on another level on this particular dimension. I still think I prefer the N20 overall across all music because it has more focus, but I thought this was interesting. I found a dealer who offers excellent discounts on the Innuos Statement, so that could possibly unlock the top of the line Next Gen as an option. But only if I were to go straight to it and bypass buying the others so I don’t lose any cash buying and selling…. If I needed some more liquidity/organic smoothness, I could always resort to a nice Shunyata USB cable. Using “resort” only because it would be compromising my cable philosophy slightly.
It’s an avenue worth considering, because I’m fairly sure the only drawback I’ll find with the Statement Next-Gen is a slight lack of warmth, which is not the biggest deal and yes, can be addressed with cables. InnuOS certainly doesn’t seem performance-limited with my DAC when it comes to detail, air, and space. Wheras the N20 could possibly be limited, given the unexpected result of AES sounding absolutely identical to USB (there may be just the slightest bit of added high frequency sparkle with USB still over AES, not sure).
