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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
gbmcleod
511 posts
 
I've had the Valhalla power cord as well as the current Shunyatas. I also have the Brahma power cord.
My experience with Nordost in general is akin to Michael Gindi's review in issue 69 of TAS, wherein he was reviewing Jadis electronics.
He posited that some components create transparency by having thin "guppies" (he was into fish at that point, apparently), so it appears that you can see more fish in a space, which others have great big healthy-looking guppies wherein you can see fewer fish but more OF the fish.
The Nordost gear has always seemed a bit washed out in the upper/midbass, from the powercords to the speaker to interconnects -- and I've had them all. They have a type of transparency that, while impressive, does not have all of the "body" of say, the Shunyata gear. The Nordost is like blowing up a balloon so full it looks like it's going to pop -- and then letting half the air out, so you can actually squeeze it with no fear of it exploding. The Shunyata is more akin to the full balloon -- which stays full.
I'd say the Nordost has a really low noise floor, contributing to the "utter purity" of its sound (to paraphrase Anna Russell) but the Shunyata seems more "present" and also has a very low noise floor.
I like them both, but I always return to Shunyata gear.It has stunning microdynamics and has a 'BIG' sound. The Nordost is perhaps more linear, but doesn't "move me" in the same way.
I would remind some of you that Jonathan Valin also pointed out that the Nordost seems slightly washed out in its tonal colors, although he was discussing speaker cable. Nordost's sound, however, is consistent: pure, fast and low in noise (although, say, Transparent cable is obviously quieter than Nordost), but lacking in the fullness of the mid/upper bass, where the Shunyata excels. And the midbass is the foundation of the orchestra, so draw your own conclusions
tplavas OP
123 posts
 
Gbmcleod,

I think some of the character you're attributing to the Valhalla power cords can be blamed not on the cords themselves, but on the sonic character of other components in the chain, such as AC outlets, power conditioners and IEC sockets. I've heard the 'whitening' of sound with power cords, and it usually can be ameliorated by upgrading/eliminating power conditioning, and using high-grade, cryo-treated AC outlets and IEC sockets. Many high-end manufacturers 'cheese out' on their IEC sockets, and replacing them with audio grade sockets really seems to reduce/eliminate this whitening of the sound, as well as eliminates a coloration in the midrange that tends to mask upper-bass detail. I'll speculate that the Valhalla power cord reveals the aforementioned AC shortcoming, while the Shunyata offsets them due to its' sonic signature.
Just another system matching issue I guess...
gbmcleod
511 posts
 
TP:
could be, but I'm inclined to think otherwise. I've heard the Nordost in several systems that vary dramatically, and the effect is rather obvious. One component that would not 'whiten' the sound is the JVC XL-Z1010 CD player. Its' sound is anything but 'white.' With the Nordost plugged into it, the noise floor is lower, but leaner, which, as I recall, is a function of the midbass, a frequency where the Nordost is, I would say, DEFINITELY a bit on the lightweight side. In this frequency, the Nordost compensates by being very 'fast' and defined, but I doubt it's an effect of the conditioners, since in several of the systems I placed it in, there were no line conditioners. As for the outlets, I use PS Audio, FIM and the FIM super outlets, and the effect is still there. Add to that the fact that a cello is MOSTLY upper bass/lower midrange, but it does not sound thin in real life. I've heard it performed in drawing rooms, where I'm no more than 10 feet away, and the sound is quite familiar. The Nordost absolutely portrays the dynamics, but planes off some of the richness of the color (of course, it COULD be the recording, but when it does this to the majority of recordings, one must, by nature, suspect the component that shows its' 'colors' by what it does as much as what it does NOT do. And the Nordost does lightne the upper/midbass. This has been noted in many of its previous incarnations. Just read the reviews of the Quattro Fils, SPMs, etc., especially in TAS. It's pretty plainly laid out.
I think the Nordost is by far the most transparent interconnect, but as pointed out, that transparency comes at a price (after all, nothing is perfect) and the price is a lightweight sound. I am not the first to notice this. Stereophile pointed this out in its review several years ago; it's a pretty obvious trait.
As for Shunyata adding a sonic signature, ALL components do that. Every last one in existence. If, say, an audio component did not color the sound in some way, it would be perfect, and that simply does not exist in anything made by man.
gbmcleod
511 posts
 
...and, 2 years later, who weighs in on the Nordost, but HP, who only NOW realizes that the Nordost is "somewhat threadbare." Hence the Odins. I would guess this does settle the uncertainty of whether or not Nordost "whitens" the sound for those of us not quite sure if it was the Nordost or our system....
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