has anyone compared Nordost Frey ICs vs Valkyrja


I have the NAD M3 integrated amplifier connected to the matching NAD M5 SACD player. My speakers are Dynaudio Confidence 5, using Nordost SPM speaker cables. The interconnect I used so far is Audioquest Jaguar XLR, but I would like to upgrade to Nordost. I just don't know wether I should get the Valkyrjas over the Freys, or should I go the painful way and get TYR, maybe even Vallhalla. Would I ven hear the difference or does that require a whle new leauge of Nordost speaker cables? Any words of wisdom would be highly appreciated.
arned
I recently upgraded to Tyr speaker cables and am still using Cardas Golden Ref IC's. The Tyr's were spectacular in my system. I pondered the question between Tyr, Valkyrja and Frey. What the Nordost rep told me was that the Valkyrja was very similar to the current Heimdall. From my experience, the Tyr's are the closest thing to Valhalla, the difference being that the Valhalla has marginally better bass detail. The rest of the characteristics are very similar to Valhalla (Eli Manning vs. Payton Manning). I have tubes and installing these cables really showed what my system was capable of. The speakers disappeared completely. Vocals, acoustic guitars, pianos and violins gave a familiar sound of accuracy. The backgrounds became extremely quiet. Try mixing the Tyr's with the wireworld cables. It may compliment it well. Some think that mixing brands is not the way to go, but I have found that careful auditioning and mixing works. If I were you I would pick the Tyr's over the Valkyrja they're almost the same price.
thank you for your advise Sanji. I will consider the TYRs, have only heard really good things about them, but at an average $1000 used for 1m XLR it is quite the expensive route. Good to hear though that the rep compared Vaklyrja to Heimdall, meaning even the Freys should sonically exceed the Valkyrja ICs.
Thanks
Consider the Frey also. At around $500 used for a 1m pair, they are excellent and half the price of Tyr/
Thank you all for your feedbacks and tips. For all of you who are still watching this thread I have news for you! I got a reply from Nordost on this topic! The Valkyrjas where discontinued as the whole new NORSE series including the smallest one being BALDUR sonically outperforms Valkyrja. Only the Vallhallas where kept from the older series as they sound better then the new TYR. But even Vallhallas have their limits and sound poor compared to the new flagship ODIN.
So, in regards to that feedback I am really tempted to go for a used pair of TYR, but looking at the budget might just end up buying a used pair of balanced Freys for now. Regards, Arne
>The interconnect I used so far is Audioquest Jaguar XLR, >but I would like to upgrade to Nordost. I just don't know >wether I should get the Valkyrjas over the Freys, or >should I go the painful way and get TYR, maybe even >Vallhalla. Would I ven hear the difference or does that >require a whle new leauge of Nordost speaker cables? Any >words of wisdom would be highly appreciated.

Since its a discussion about nordost I thought I wil give my 2 cents.

I hear people say, "heimdall gives you a taste of valhalla", "going up in nordost line things you get are only improvements" etc. thats pure nonsene. I mean, every cable has its own taste. Take Heimdall for instance, the cable is clearly in the league of its own, with a distinctive character: warm, midrange bloom, full rounded base, sweet but still detailed and not agressive highs. If you like that kind of things in sound reproduction, thats it, your search for a cable might be over. Vallhalla wont sound the same, nor Odin. I have had heimdalls for a month or so (dealer demo), liked them a lot, but purchased freys believing they will be like heimdall but even more impressive (more midrange bloom, more bass, more everything) - big mistake. freys are not heimdalls, they sound different. Same, I believe goes with upper cables. If cable wont fit your system or your taste you prefer, you wont want to keep it.

From a specific price point all cables are very good and the only thing that matters whether you like the sound taste they deliver or not. The only way to know that is to try.