A question for those who've chosen a Valhalla PC..


I've recently compared the Shunyata Anaconda Helix alpha, and the Nordost Valhalla, and I was quite surprised by the large difference in character between the two. Considering that most PC-savvy audiophiles would call either a 'reference-caliber' PC, I wasn't expecting such a dissimilar sonic signature.
Could those of you who have chosen the Valhalla over the Anaconda Helix Alpha (not the VX) give me some feedback on why you prefer the Valhalla, and what components you prefer it on, including any component on which you didn't prefer it over the Anaconda?
Those who prefer the Anaconda are of course welcome to comment as well, but since there seem to be far fewer Valhalla owners currently, I'm looking for input from them the most.
Please try to put your comments in the context of your system, ie. tubes, horns, large speakers, smaller monitors, etc.
I know it's asking alot, but it seems to me that choosing one PC or the other as a basis for my system will lead to very different paths in upgrades/replacements.
Thanks in advance.
tplavas
Hello Tplavas,

I just though it would be helpful for you to know that I did choose to buy 3 Valhalla power cords. Two for my BAT 150se monoblock amps and one for my BAT 51se pre-amp. Oddly enough I haven't bought serious power cords for my EMM Signature DAC6 and CDSD as of yet. My speakers are Avalon Eidolon Diamonds.

Also soon after buying the Valhalla p.c.'s I was fortunate enough to try risk free some Valhalla interconnects and speaker cables speaker cables in my system and also bought them. For me, they were an education and a learning experience in what neutral really means.

Enjoy,
Tom
Thanks for the replies. I've moved my smaller speakers into the room to compare the two cables. I've found in the past that my smaller monitors tend to make hearing what's 'really' going on easier. What may sound like a bit of warmth or coolness on my big boys, tends to be more clearly heard as a frequency anomaly on my small speakers. After I've done more listening, I'll try to post my thoughts, and perhaps have more questions.
Thanks again.
I own 2 Valhalla powercables and also between power and Psu of mu Nu-Vista poweramp. I sold also many many Valhalla powercables. It has properties no other cabels can do. Resolution I think it is hard to beat by any cabel. But in de low and mid freq. it can cause some limitations. For example a Purist Audio is so much better in the low freq. It go's a lot deeper than the Valhalla can. And also in the mid freq. it is much more open. I hadvery good results with Valhalla powercables at: cd players, dac's, conditioners, pre-amps. And only a few good results on power amps. When you use to much Valhalla you will loose involvement in the mid freq. and also often in the low freq. I always say to use more different powercables, so you can use more properties.
Hello Tplavas,

I'm looking forward to read your thoughts when you get a chance. Leonx, I can't say that I agree with you 100%. Not to say you are not hearing what you hear, but IMO ... all Valhalla can show just how colored other cables are. I don't find Valhalla at all lean, I think it just exposes all the muck other cables impose on the sound. It's too neutral for its own good. Resolution galore!!!

All the best,
Tom
Trcnetmsncom wrote:


Valhalla can show just how colored other cables are. I don't find Valhalla at all lean, I think it just exposes all the muck other cables impose on the sound. It's too neutral for its own good. Resolution galore!!!

After doing a bunch of listening, I'm going to have to say that you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.
I tried the Anaconda Helix Alpha and Valhalla in every possible position in my system, and came away with these impressions:
The Anaconda has better low-bass performance, probably due to it's greater gauge. Other than that, the Valhalla betters it in every respect. I know that seems like a bold statement, so let me elaborate. I have a DSP that allows me to make frequency corrections, and I primarily use it to correct for poor recordings. It does come in handy in evaluating system changes, because I can use it to nearly nullify differences between components and cables. Looking at these corrections often gives a window into what each cable is doing sonically. In this case, the Anaconda required some boosting in the midrange and presence regions to give it a naturalness when listening to vocals, specifically female vocals, which sounded a bit too 'chesty' with the Anaconda. The Anaconda seems to feature a bit of a dip in the middle, which makes it seem more extended upon first listening, but also introduces some excess emphasis in the upper midrange and treble, which can sound a bit like a hint of digititis after extended listening.
The Valhalla, simply put, is neutral from the midbass upwards. I can't help but suspect that it would be perfect if it was slightly heavier in gauge, but that's just speculation on my part. When listening with the Valhalla in the system, I found that I could essentially 'zero-out' my DSP frequency settings on most recordings, even on some I'd previously thought to be a bit hi-fi-ish in production. Along with this neutrality came an organic ease that made recordings less fatiguing. Not rolled-off or smoothed-out, just 'natural'. It seems the brain just accepts what it hears more easily when the fundamentals and harmonics mesh naturally. (That's my take on it at least). What I hadn't expected from the Valhalla, given it's lighter gauge, was an increase in dynamic contrasts in the midrange. When vocalists moved closer to the mic, there was a sometimes startling increase in volume and proximity to the listener within the soundstage. I simply felt as though I was hearing more of what the recording engineer must have heard in the studio. This effect was heard both on high and low current components. Surpisingly, all these sonic effects were more clearly obvious on my small monitors than on my full-range speakers. I had expected the Anaconda to sound better on the bass-shy small speakers, but instead the midrange 'suck-out' of the Anaconda was more obvious when not masked by the thundering bass of the big speakers. With the Valhalla, the small monitors just sounded terrific; like big loudspeakers, minus the low-bass.
Of course, if you have speakers that are bass-shy, and also feature a prominent midrange, you might not like the overall effect of the Valhalla, but I'd blame that on your speakers. As a foundation for a system, I'd say the Valhalla is nearly ideal. I'd also like to add that this is the first time I've ever auditioned a Nordost product that I wanted to keep, so I'm no Nordost fanboy.
The only problem I have is, how do I 'spin' the price of the Valhalla with the wife? :(