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Cable shoot-out: FIM against Valhalla

Before I begin with my next summary I would like to explain a few things.
First of all I apologize that my review is lacking a certain sophistication, but I am sure that you must have realized by now, that English is not my mother tongue.
Then I am fully aware, that I have a certain responsibility towards the cable manufacturers also, since these are all hard working people, trying to create an excellent product for their audiophile customers and I can imagine that my reviews could influence certain buying decisions.
All the cables I have received for auditioning are excellent products and even if I find that a cable does not sound optimal in my system when compared to the Valhalla, does not mean that in a different system it will sound a lot better. And please, let us not forget the price of the Valhalla!! This cables 7 times more expensive than most of the cables I review, so doesn’t it deserve to sound a little bit better? But does it mean it is still the superior cable, if you balance the price against the quality of the performance? I am not so sure anymore. It all depends what you are looking for. I personally can live with 10% less performance and save 5 times the money.
My intention was to find the best cables for my system and not the most expensive. I was very curious the see how good the Valhalla would sound in my system and then ventured out to compare certain other brands against the Valhalla. I have never intended to do an absolute cable review, comparing all the cables I have at home against each other and I state also, that I am in no way a professional reviewer or have a top notch system.
This said, I will post another short follow up:
Today I tried the famous FIM cables. I received the bi-wire version and it is a very well build cable also, very thick and pretty stiff. You need to bend the pig-tails a bit in order to make it fit your components, but I find that people have greatly exaggerated that this cable will lift components from the shelf , or break loose from the binding posts. My two Bel Canto Amps are not the heaviest amps in the world, but it took me only 5 minutes per channel to stick the cables to amp and speakers. And I am talking bi-wire here. I cannot see why anybody would have problems with the single wire version, if you bend the pig-tails slightly before installing the spade lugs to the components.
My first impression again was that it does not reach the qualities of the Valhalla in my system. It is a very musical cable, with a detailed sound stage, but the sound is a bit darker, although the bass is less pronounced than compared the Valhalla. It seems that the Valhalla is a pretty lean and very fast cable, the sound of a piano is awesome with the Valhalla, you really can hear the keys “bottom out”, whereas the FIM is heavier sound wise and slower, but maybe a bit more musical than the Valhalla. And I am sure it some systems this could be an advantage for the FIM.
In my system with the Bel Cantos and my Martin Logan Prodigy speakers though, it looks, like a leaner, brighter and faster cable will cater better to my musical taste. Price wise the FIM and Valhalla are pretty close together, the FIM biwire in 8ft. is $4400 whereas it is possible to get 8ft of bi-wired Valhalla for $5000.
So again, I personally tend more towards the Valhalla again, but to me it looks like the FIM has a potential to reach the Valhalla in a different system. That’s why it is so important to audition cables before buying.
After the recent audition, my personal decision would still be the following: (provided I cannot get an excellent deal on used Valhalla): Ensemble speaker cables with Pure Note Epsilon interconnects.
I have a few more cables coming in: Empirical Audio and Virtual Dynamics and I was able to lay my hands on a pair of Siltech Compass Lake interconnects, which are the most expensive interconnects in the world and I am very curious how they will compete against the Valhalla.
I will keep you updated.
tekunda
tekunda OP
127 posts
 
I would love to try their squared designer reference with active shielding, but its even more expensive than the Valhalla, isn't it?
So we are getting here into the price range of Siltech's new G5 stuff.
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Tek, having reached stratospheric price levels, why not try some inexpensive alternatives while you're at it -- 47 lab OTA, bearlabs & similar come to mind.

The OTA comes in a kit so, Anyone out there who can lend one?

Cheers!
adsal7e18
250 posts
 
syn.squared ref.interconnect is 3200$ for a meter,new reference speaker cable 6000$ for 2 meter.
jadem6's avatar
jadem6
1,074 posts
 
Tekunda, nice job on your review. I too have been trying a number of cables including FIM vs Valhalla. I completely agree with your assesment. The Valhalla tend to be much more open and airy with the best detail I've experienced. I have hoped to write my findings here but as of yet have not put together the time to do so.
My final feelings are that for my system (and a number of systems I've heard the Valhalla on) the Valhalla are superior in every way. I've been using them for over two months now and still enjoy every time I put on a disk. I have gone back to the FIM a couple of times, let it burn in a couple days and still, the Valhalla for me is the best. Thanks for taking the time to write this, and now to defend your opinion. J.D.
tekunda OP
127 posts
 
You have no idea, what it means to me to read these words of support for what I am doing here.
So many people have almost taken it personal that I prefer one cable above another, or do not believe that there is an audible difference of sound quality in cables.
I never claimed to be a professional reviewer, and I could be the most naive guy in the world when it comes to "high-end" sound. But this could be my big advantage also. I had no bias whatsoever against any cable manufacturer or cable brand, positive or negative, when I started my quest.
I wanted to find a nice pair of cables for my system and for me, a good way was to listen to one of the top lines,(in this case the Valhalla) and then put other cables to the test, some of whose manufacturer claimed to beat the Valhalla for a lot less money. This was my objective, to find out if such a cable exists. What would be better than a cable, which is cheaper than the Valhalla, but offers almost the same perfromance.
So I started my cable quest and came very soon to realize, that all the cables had certain distinctive charcteristics, but all had their problems to reach the performance level of the Valhalla in certain areas. But does this mean these are bad cables altoghether? Of course not. Most of the time we are looking at a huge price difference, so why not give a slight advantage to the more expensive cable?
I am also very glad that you share my impression of the FIM cable. That tells me, a guy who has never compared cables before in his whole life, that I can trust my ears and the ears of my wife, who is a musician, playing the piano and gives me valuable input.
Since I can get the bi-wired FIM for almost the same price as the Valhalla, it was obvious, that I would prefer the Valhalla in my system under thes circunstances.
But again, the FIM is an excellent cable with great potential in the right system.
So come fellow audiophiles, before you buy, compare cables, like I do. If more people would do this, it would be easier for the customers to find a way to get these cables for home audition.
Because, as the manufacturers would see that more people ask for an audition, they would have to comply one way or the other with such a reasonable demand and not turn you away, like some companies have done in my case.
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