do you really think they are fake? do you really think a chinese manufacturer starts a cable production exactly identical to the original, with same wires, same connectors, same wood blocks, same writings, same serial number? maybe they copy nike shoes, but the audiophile market is so small that it is a nonsense to think a producer do all this work for copying an audio cable. The simplest hypothesis for me is the following: Nordost could produce on commission cables in China, buy them and put them in cardboard box, and then officially sell them for high price. But the chinese producer goes on building cables and then they sell them for less money, without the box. This is called grey market, almost every good on the market suffer this phenomena. It is more reasonable than producing copies! what do you think about it?
There's really big chance you're right. I can't see myself any reason in investing a factory line to forge something that's so niche, there will never be a chance on ROI (yes if your doing fakes you do want to have return over your investment too)
THank you for this review ! I buy 2 Silver Cloud Audioquest after your review. Now i need speakee cable but i'm not rich...so i wait for the sound quality of these cable. I have Kef LS50META. i like your chanel.
Are both blocks curved like that? I’d kinda think that a fake one would just have flat wooden blocks. Btw, absolutely love the channel. It really is interesting to take a really close look inside of these fake components and accessories.
Thanks! Yes both blocks are curved slightly like that, that got my attention as I wouldn't expect anyone bothering with something so insignificant for a fake cable :)
Oh friend thank you so much for this video, I am so glad I was able to watch it. I own a fake Red Dawn and am delighted with them. Now I want to buy the fake Valhalla 2. I can't wait for the next comparison film. All the best
@@k4syx When can we expect to see a comparison of the wires and their evaluation? Is there a chance to share your list for testing cables? I would look for it with pleasure on Tidal.
@@worms141414 Sorry no solid dates as I try to evaluate them in between the amp reviews - and since I do these in my free time after my hours in the office I cant promise any hard deadlines :( My testing list is the same for anything I test, this way I am able to get nuances and small details right: these are just some tracks that for various reasons resonate with me. I may share them in a separete video, but I use them as local FLAC or DSD files.
@@k4syx Please share this test list in your next video, it would be nice if you would dedicate the video to exactly this list with various examples and a story of what you pay attention to. Thank you very much. Well, and I look forward to testing the cables.
It would be nice if you could indicate the shop where you bought it! There are so many variants, so if sound will be any good, we can try it as well from the same source!
@@Koru-Health and vice versa, I'm interested in your opinion - what do you think of them? I'm giving them solid, lengthy burn in - 1,5 weeks now and counting
I had good speaker cables so not sure I noticed a huge difference. The interconnects made a huge difference, lifted a veil from the music. The Dartzeel clone amp... It cost me £500 and it sounds like an amp that's worth at least ten times that money. It gives a clean, transparent sound and added significantly to the low end bass. I'd highly recommend it to anyone, an absolute steal at that price.
I see you got the expensive version with the wood...could you get the inexpensive v2 cable and see if they sound the same? The less expensive version is under $50.
I can guarantee you, they sound the same. Cables transport electricity. Unless there is something fundamentally wrong with them, you will have the same performance. We developed speakers with scan Speak, the nasa and seas in anechoic chambers. We used good cables, nothing crazy but simple good quality.
@@benoitbricet8885 unfortunately it's not that simple. Electronic engineer here speaking. These have impedance, not pure resistance, and that means it Z will depend on signal frequency, it will also play with speaker total impedance as they fall within roughly same range (single ohms) and in additional these may introduce small phase variations. As every other cable on this planet that conducts variable frequency signals. That's why we're not using lamp cords for all purposes ;) The real thing is, can you actually hear these miniscule differences. And in my case I am very very sorry to be able to hear it. Sorry, because it hurts my wallet. And sorry, because chasing this rabbit would be way simpler if I would be able to take cables out of equation. I'm using electrostats and these are - for good and bad - transparency ultimate monsters. Like x-ray for audio chains. Long story short - there is no discussion if these affect signals they carry. The discussion is, is it below our over hearing and cognition thresholds. Thank you for your attention, I may make a video on that someday.
I wonder what kind of materials they use. What kind of copper. Are they really Ag plated or Sn plated. Cheap wires sometimes are Sn plated to imitate silver look.
I think these may be real silver plated (real silver plated - sounds funny). All other fakes that are plated do get that black look when exposed to air and my fingers =) for some time. I think that in this case the silver plating may be one of cheaper ingredients of this cables....(thinking about the machinery and tools needed to make it)
@@k4syx Got you. And to avoid any confusion I really appreciate your evaluation of the gears. For the Nordost I have only experience with red down in very nice setup. I think as long as there are the people who are willing to pay as much for the system components and follow the „ press” reviews we can see those numbers. I’m happy for everyone who own original version. I con not afford one but I still can enjoy the music. Wish you all the same and let’s wait for evaluation of this magnificent speaker cable.
There are actually 2 versions of the cable itself. The one shown comes from RM store, Lewe store or Himalaya Store on AE. It is 2.5mm thick and 52mm wide. There is another one based on the preffair l322 which is 3mm thick and 60mm wide and is sold on Hi Fi audio store. The conductors on this second version also seem bigger, I will have to remove the plugs to be sure, which I will do later. I have the straps with the small cable and a 1m50 cable with the preffair.
@@meristos I saw that there are price differences (significant) that I could not explain, and some photos looked better. I got one that had these better photos but price was still ok, I'll measure it to see which one I finally got. Thanks for sharing! You've got both types?
The ones I got are stiff, non directional, and dont say the word Valhalla on them... wondering if there are different quality ones. Also you can move the wooden block to any position, the colour of the wood is much darker, and the blocks are completely flat. I posted a video reviewing them check it out.
Thanks! So these are totally different, I saw there is at least a couple of different versions with different prices and smaaaal barely visible differences in the photos
I have a pair of thiel cs 3.5s driven by an NAD stack. I wonder if these will change the sound for the better compared to my current setup which is a thick gauge monster cable. What are your thoughts? Is it only worth it for electrostatic speakers?
No it works for all speakers, it's just that electrostats are so damn transparent that it's very easy to spot the difference (and that hurts my wallet). About 20 years ago I had thick Monster figure 8 speaker cables, consisted true Hifi then. They were replaced by entry level QED and I've never looked back. And these are definetely not entry level based on a few short sessions I've managed to squeeze (but I still need to do a longer, serious one for the review)
@@k4syx why is there such a divide in the audiophile community when it comes to cables? And what makes u decide it's worth the extra cash? Surely the differences are extremely minute
@@zombockerman I dont get the divide think too. Why so much anger and emotion. Im an engineer (electronic) myself and I always laughed at the idea of cables (especially power cables) affecting the sound quality. Until I bought REALLY bad cable that fkd up my system. I couldnt believe that, so Ive done some experiments to confirm or deny what Im hearing. When I was sure I actually can hear the difference I started my little quest of tests to understand whats going on and if there are any patterns that I could use. you're right about the changes, these will not make bad amp sound great etc. So anyway, a lot of things in life are worth being angry for and to fight for, but cables are definitely one of them :)
These are very good though I have no info yet on how do these compare to Dragons (but these are more expensive). I think main competition here is K2s and these are excellent
@@k4syx it would be awesome if you make "fake cable" listening experience video before 18.11. so we can still get good price on ali. As for me, im planning to get 0.5 for dac/headphone amp connection. Choosing between nordost Odin/Valhalla2/blue heaven/red dawn from your videos!
@@nw6066 I wont be able to make it, I do these in my free time if I have it after my regular job. Look for my older reviews of AQ fake speakers too. When I will finish separate cable reviews I will do a summary video with scores (yes I keep these!) so eeryone will be able to choose something that will fit the preferences and the budget
@@onnonugteren2935 I dont know yet, honestly. They are burning in now.They seem to be ok, I cant hear anything disqualifying, but I will have to do detailed comparison. I need to know if they are better (or not) too! :)
Hi and thanks for your video’s. Just want to say that I am curious and waiting for the sound analyses about the Valhalla cable and also a sound comparrisson between this cable and the Audio Quest Dragon from AE would be verre nice and helpfull. Thanks again.
The connectors are really bad, they break when turning the screws a little to much. I have tried a few differents kinds of this type connector and they ALL break (even the more expensive), certainly after some time. With the heat shrink it´s impossible to check the connection but I don´t trust these anymore 😅
Yes the lesson here is do not use plastic bananas ;) I always use metal ones, I can actually check for proper contact here without removing heat shrink - it's easy to access top of the screw via small hole in the shrink.
That's a valid complaint. I'd be surprised though if anyone could tell the difference, sonically, in a true double blind test. I've invested thousands in interconnects and speaker cables, and then discovered I cannot hear the difference when they are replaced with cheaper ones. No doubt I'm a wretched audiophile!
@@drmoss_ca unfortunately I can, but only when using my electrostats or AMT treble driver speakers. Logans mostly as they are really really transparent. Differences are there, though they are miniscule in a grander scheme of things, and they absolutely are not worth full real cable prices. Unless you earn so much that money doesn't matter anymore. The differences with dynamic speakers are harder to discern, at least to my ears, and with dynamic speakers that I have at my disposal!
@@k4syx I no longer earn that much, although at one time the biggest share of my disposable income as a physician went towards hi-fi (I had to retire when I developed leukemia). That has made me look far more critically at what works and what does not. I also use electrostatic speakers: Quad 2905s in my case. I run two turntables, four tonearms, an Ayre multi-format player, and Quad tube amplification. While I wait for the leukemia to come back and finish me off, I have to be honest with myself about what I hear. Interconnects and speaker cables were quickly dismissed as making much, if any, difference. As far as I can tell, the source is the most important component, be it cartridge or CD player. Nothing you can hear downstream is correct unless the source feeds it the correct signal. Your ears may vary, and don't take my word for anything. I just use what satisfies me.
@@k4syx I used to spend most of my disposable income as a physician on hi-fi, but when I had to retire because I developed leukemia, I also had to think very carefully about what worked and what did not, as I wanted the best sound during my remaining time. Interconnects and speaker cables were quickly dismissed as when I was honest with myself I could not hear the difference. Sources mattered. Cartridges, and CD player. I run two SME turntables, each altered to sport two tonearms, and I use an Ayre multi-disk player. All through Quad tube amps and electrostatic speakers (2905s). Until the leukemia comes back and finishes me off, I'm going to enjoy the best sound I can. Your ears may vary, but be aware that when it comes down to the wire, the results might be assessed rather more critically!
Thanks for sharing! And I stand corrected, its "made from solid core 99.999999% oxygen free copper and plated with 85 microns of silver." so all in all its even closer to the original
bought a Valhalla 2 clone to upgrade from Valhalla 1 clone. Both clones are worth the price, however Valhalla 1 clone is a lot cheaper. So far tested about 15 different clone speaker cables from Ali Express. This one is the best sounding and most expensive. Compared to Valhalla 1, rhis v2 has more black background, overall more and better detail and micro detail, improved richer bass with more detail, more open airy mids, detail highs, less sharp then with v1. You need some time to accept the differences, once you hear and aporeciate the extras, it is an amazing upgrade....really cherry on the top after 15 other also good clone cables
Thanks for sharing your experience! I have Valhalla 1 too in one of my setups downstairs, I need to do reviews and comparison on both of them. Valhalla 2 is larger and thicker and v1 is easier to bend in thight spaces
These were my first set of cables. Weird design, I need to try this. I liked the silver-plated wrapped flat idea. When I switched to my current and hopefully final, silver 16ga and 8ga teflon jackets. I never looked back.
Even at first listen, before burn in, I see how my current wire was going to be my last speaker wire. Just sounded open and I sensed the beautiful imagery that we eventually receive cleanly after burn in. Plus, it got louder than my Nordost knockoffs. It’s so basic how a un-terminated silver wire is possibly the purest and open sounding form of connection. There was a point where my sound wasn’t as thick as it should be. I changed my original 16ga to 14ga silver and found my music sounding thicker yet clean.
@@tubefreeeasy Id use that only on connecting ends. I was thinking about doing something like that, maybe not for that scale, but I am using solid silver for some soldering work inside my equipement (silver plated occ solid core is also quite good)
Very good. Havent done a full listening session yet (I have a procedure for that as I want to do this always the same repeateble way to compare the results with other cables I've reviewed earlier). It will come here, there will be a video for that, but I cannot promise any date as I'm doing these in my free time and theres a constant battle between cables and amps factions ;D
@@k4syx I'll be here waiting! ..... just received a 1 1/2 meter pair from Allie today.... I think it was worth the $100. While the materials it uses is important, I think it's the geometry that has the most importance
Wow ribbon wire .. pair of ribbon silver speaker cable custom made from japan 15 years ago may be 20 years old .. it was my best choice to match with audioquest silver viper rca interconnect cable .. mainly for vintage sansui amplifiers or receivers .. Soundage , more clean and transport .. but may not be attractive in the midrange like good copper wire ..
@@k4syx i guess those wire are little tool to fine tone the whole system the same wires areworse in FiiO K11 R2R DAC ( as preamp) + axyima AO7 max mon.. it is bertter to use wbc Gotham GAC-4/1 (Black) Star-Quad Audio Interconnect Cable 9$31 per pair ) + 10awg speaker cable (99.9%OFC) just match wirh Sony DHR-1000+onix digit coxial +sony sscs5 speakers are pretty good .. play with this set for one months it is pretty good in differenet area eccept sounodage .. first may change to wbc ultimate 7awg speaker cables ( less than $200) they claims they can bet most of the branded cable... then WBC Mogami 2497 Wire and Eminence Gold Locking RCA Connectors ( $80 per pair ) or bonus ( old school audioquest clear + silver spades ) well this bring in a play time 2 to 3 months then chnage Fossi Mon then FM 255 clone + FM300A clone then JC2 clone +D5 pro clone then switch pre and power amp bonus QUAD 34 clone to play with some poor quality CD with favour soongs with soem EQ plus a couple pairs of " alike " speakers too many toys to play
Could it be to prevent total corrosion on the cross section ? If they have a copper core it would insure reliability. Silver can be delicate to use for Hi-Fi gear, as humidity will often be a factor.
@@benoitbricet8885 oxidized silver (black one) is at least as good conductor as pure silver, though looks very bad. It's different with copper, oxidized copper is an insulator and when it gets green, it's bad...
@@markushillemalm that's interesting as this means that these should be even closer to originals than fake dragons that are supposed to be solid silver! :)
I'm definitely going to buy a pair of these. I'm very pleased with the blue heaven, which doesnt say Nordost, but they are really really good for cost almost nothing, so i also bought a pair for my friend, whom also enjoys them. Anyway I am looking forward to these. They also look better....🎉❤😅
I have Valhalla 2 from RM Store without 2.5 m wood, they are really good. At such prices you should stop using the name FAKE and only Alternativ because they do not pretend to be expensive originals and offer an alternative as you noticed in the material at a tenth of a lower price. You can't make a mistake and take them for originals. But they are absolutely great.
Yeah I am calling them fakes as they use brand name and model type names, if they could loose that (and some of the sellers do!) then its a fair game to me
hey hindagsxr i'd really appreciate if you can measure the width of your cables. There's a few different versions out there and cable asylum guys have been having rave reviews on your ones from RM digital store. For me they look a lot better with the wooden blocks... thanks mate!
@nsxt28 not yet but I've used it in some of my listening sessions. It's very good, but I need to do full dedicated review and some head to head comparisons with Dragons and K2
@@k4syx mine finally arrived yesterday. Sound dramatically changed, improved. More air more dynamic , over my blue heaven. However it sounds really hard.. looks like it’s gonna take some time to break them in! How’s your pair sounding so far? Hope you had the chance to break in yours. Looking forward to your review
@@Reyfox1 ah I think I know now what you mean with Valhallas. 🙂 We call them Walhallaas. 🙂 With a W. And at all I hate abreviations: they confuse and I hate nerdy words only known by a few and confuse the majority. .... No I think you mean the Nordost Valhalla's .. I give up. 😞
You state original valhalla is silver. It's not, it's Silver-plated Oxygen Free Copper. thanks for sharing your thoughts, I currently have Nordost Valkyra speaker cable and Brahma Powercord. I'm tempted to give these a try.
These cables are good, very good, never realised my speaker existing cables were causing some 'glare' that I thought was digital edginess. Shocked to hear my system singing so good and clean and was a semi-sceptic engineer, not so much now after connecting up with these and then reconnecting the previous cables. If you are getting going in h-fi for the money, it seems like a no-brainer to just buy these cables, even for a budget setup. Btw Nordost report silver plated OFC copper same as these. REF:Krell/Bryston/ATC 40scm.
I never believed in cables making the difference other than looks, until I got good loking boutique power cord for my Stax headphones setup. It fkd up the sound so badly, that I've examined energizer (amp for electrostats) for damage or wear. When 2 days later I've realized everything gets back to normal with regular black IEC cable I was shocked (to say the least). Then I've reasoned that if a single cord can make such a terrible damage to the sound, then there is also possibility that some other cables may actually make positive difference (regardless of the fact if I can understand the reasons). And boy yes they did. Thats why I got in this whole cable testing thing, I want to learn the repeatable build patterns to understand whats going on. And to get good cables for my gear, too :)
@@k4syx The best aspect is the price-to-try them is within reach of everyone. Songs I've listened to for decades are revealing new hidden musical details, and there is more definition and musical structure throughout. If the improvements I believe I hear are typical and are due to the cable, this is potentially audio-heaven for those willing to try it. Never thought I would be writing this craziness about speaker cable. Most certainly worth the money I paid for them regardless of their pedigree, and to-a-certain-extent I can see why they charge the ridiculously high price if that makes it easier to understand the improvements.
@@johnshaw359 I think this is also partially due to how our brain works and perceives differences. I am willing to bet that these changes fall within 1-2% of "overall objective sound quality" if you know what I mean, but our brain perceives them as really significant
@@tommusikauswahl1066 replica is 1:1 copy impossible to tell from original. This one is not replica. I've checked with myself a couple of times and I'm pretty sure I know what I meant. I generally tend to know what I mean :D
@@k4syx Replica means NOT 1:1 Copy. A Clone is a 1:1 Copy, so I'm sure you mixed it up a bit. But no harsh feelings, all good, i like your Videos to have a look at the Product, before i might order :)
@@tommusikauswahl1066 English is a tough taskmaster A replica is an exact copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is …. Wikipedia a copy exact in all details DNA makes a replica of itself. Merriam-Webster
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Aren't all audiophile cables 'fake' anyway.
No
tis tis...
They all sound different but that doesn't mean better
Shhh, don't mention "blind test"....
@@turokforever007🤣🤣
do you really think they are fake? do you really think a chinese manufacturer starts a cable production exactly identical to the original, with same wires, same connectors, same wood blocks, same writings, same serial number? maybe they copy nike shoes, but the audiophile market is so small that it is a nonsense to think a producer do all this work for copying an audio cable. The simplest hypothesis for me is the following: Nordost could produce on commission cables in China, buy them and put them in cardboard box, and then officially sell them for high price. But the chinese producer goes on building cables and then they sell them for less money, without the box. This is called grey market, almost every good on the market suffer this phenomena. It is more reasonable than producing copies! what do you think about it?
There's really big chance you're right.
I can't see myself any reason in investing a factory line to forge something that's so niche, there will never be a chance on ROI (yes if your doing fakes you do want to have return over your investment too)
@@k4syxexactly! Thanks for your reply, regards from Italy
very correct reasoning, I also thought about it and I believe you are telling the truth. That's why I ordered them.
THank you for this review ! I buy 2 Silver Cloud Audioquest after your review. Now i need speakee cable but i'm not rich...so i wait for the sound quality of these cable. I have Kef LS50META. i like your chanel.
Are both blocks curved like that? I’d kinda think that a fake one would just have flat wooden blocks.
Btw, absolutely love the channel. It really is interesting to take a really close look inside of these fake components and accessories.
Thanks! Yes both blocks are curved slightly like that, that got my attention as I wouldn't expect anyone bothering with something so insignificant for a fake cable :)
Valhalla 2 vs K2 vs Dragon? price/performance ratios? also, something else to throw in between?
Dont know yet: no head to head with all three. For AQs, K2 very closely follows Dragon, but Dragon really is better overall
@@k4syx thanks for the info anyway!
Hello,witch cable do you prefer most,the nordost valhalla 2 fake or the audioquest k2?
Thanks
I dont know yet as I havent done the serious listening session for this V2.
I got covid last week and its delaying all my tests :(
Hope you get better soon
Greetings
@@tomvanooteghem11 Thanks!
@DepthDeafDeath Thanks!
I'm already better and I hope to be back tomorrow with some reviews. I've done some listening today :)
Oh friend thank you so much for this video, I am so glad I was able to watch it. I own a fake Red Dawn and am delighted with them. Now I want to buy the fake Valhalla 2.
I can't wait for the next comparison film.
All the best
Thanks!
@@k4syx When can we expect to see a comparison of the wires and their evaluation?
Is there a chance to share your list for testing cables?
I would look for it with pleasure on Tidal.
@@worms141414 Sorry no solid dates as I try to evaluate them in between the amp reviews - and since I do these in my free time after my hours in the office I cant promise any hard deadlines :(
My testing list is the same for anything I test, this way I am able to get nuances and small details right: these are just some tracks that for various reasons resonate with me. I may share them in a separete video, but I use them as local FLAC or DSD files.
@@k4syx
Please share this test list in your next video, it would be nice if you would dedicate the video to exactly this list with various examples and a story of what you pay attention to.
Thank you very much.
Well, and I look forward to testing the cables.
@@worms141414 Thanks, I will!
It would be nice if you could indicate the shop where you bought it! There are so many variants, so if sound will be any good, we can try it as well from the same source!
alix
@@net_news🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@MrSplit57 I would like to link to stores selling fakes...
I have these. Interested to hear your thoughts.
Tell me than if he is right. 🙂 Normally he is.
@@Koru-Health and vice versa, I'm interested in your opinion - what do you think of them? I'm giving them solid, lengthy burn in - 1,5 weeks now and counting
Hope you can try the XLO signature 3 speaker cables too
I'm already using the Odin 2 speaker cables and interconnects. I ordered it just after I ordered the Dartzeel clone amp.
How do you like Odin 2 and how do you like Dartzeel?
I had good speaker cables so not sure I noticed a huge difference. The interconnects made a huge difference, lifted a veil from the music. The Dartzeel clone amp... It cost me £500 and it sounds like an amp that's worth at least ten times that money. It gives a clean, transparent sound and added significantly to the low end bass. I'd highly recommend it to anyone, an absolute steal at that price.
I don’t support counterfeit products. It’s wrong
The wooden blocks are used to prevent people from cutting cables in half and selling them separately. And yes, to look pretty!
Any chance to compare the sound quality with the fake Audioquest Dragon SC ?
@@oldboy4150 yes I'll do that once I'll get back (I need time!) to serious listening sessions for cables. I want to compare totl fakes.
@@k4syx That's great ! THX.
I see you got the expensive version with the wood...could you get the inexpensive v2 cable and see if they sound the same? The less expensive version is under $50.
I can guarantee you, they sound the same. Cables transport electricity. Unless there is something fundamentally wrong with them, you will have the same performance. We developed speakers with scan Speak, the nasa and seas in anechoic chambers. We used good cables, nothing crazy but simple good quality.
@@benoitbricet8885can you recommend few good brands?
@@benoitbricet8885Mogami 3082 speaker cable,
per meter : €6.00.....
@@benoitbricet8885 unfortunately it's not that simple. Electronic engineer here speaking. These have impedance, not pure resistance, and that means it Z will depend on signal frequency, it will also play with speaker total impedance as they fall within roughly same range (single ohms) and in additional these may introduce small phase variations. As every other cable on this planet that conducts variable frequency signals. That's why we're not using lamp cords for all purposes ;)
The real thing is, can you actually hear these miniscule differences. And in my case I am very very sorry to be able to hear it. Sorry, because it hurts my wallet. And sorry, because chasing this rabbit would be way simpler if I would be able to take cables out of equation.
I'm using electrostats and these are - for good and bad - transparency ultimate monsters. Like x-ray for audio chains. Long story short - there is no discussion if these affect signals they carry. The discussion is, is it below our over hearing and cognition thresholds.
Thank you for your attention, I may make a video on that someday.
I wonder what kind of materials they use. What kind of copper. Are they really Ag plated or Sn plated. Cheap wires sometimes are Sn plated to imitate silver look.
I think these may be real silver plated (real silver plated - sounds funny). All other fakes that are plated do get that black look when exposed to air and my fingers =) for some time.
I think that in this case the silver plating may be one of cheaper ingredients of this cables....(thinking about the machinery and tools needed to make it)
@@k4syx
If the manufacturer and seller on Ali can make their profits and this all for around €400, why then the Nordost charge € 23000. 🤯
@@michas4185 that's excellent question. Another good one would be who exactly buys that cable for 23000Eur ;)
@@k4syx Got you. And to avoid any confusion I really appreciate your evaluation of the gears. For the Nordost I have only experience with red down in very nice setup. I think as long as there are the people who are willing to pay as much for the system components and follow the „ press” reviews we can see those numbers. I’m happy for everyone who own original version. I con not afford one but I still can enjoy the music. Wish you all the same and let’s wait for evaluation of this magnificent speaker cable.
Original cables are not solid silver. They are OFC coper 85 microns silver plated.
I stand corrected, its "made from solid core 99.999999% oxygen free copper and plated with 85 microns of silver."
There are actually 2 versions of the cable itself. The one shown comes from RM store, Lewe store or Himalaya Store on AE. It is 2.5mm thick and 52mm wide. There is another one based on the preffair l322 which is 3mm thick and 60mm wide and is sold on Hi Fi audio store. The conductors on this second version also seem bigger, I will have to remove the plugs to be sure, which I will do later. I have the straps with the small cable and a 1m50 cable with the preffair.
@@meristos I saw that there are price differences (significant) that I could not explain, and some photos looked better. I got one that had these better photos but price was still ok, I'll measure it to see which one I finally got. Thanks for sharing!
You've got both types?
@meristos appreciate a little inside to which version you prefer?
The ones I got are stiff, non directional, and dont say the word Valhalla on them... wondering if there are different quality ones. Also you can move the wooden block to any position, the colour of the wood is much darker, and the blocks are completely flat. I posted a video reviewing them check it out.
Thanks! So these are totally different, I saw there is at least a couple of different versions with different prices and smaaaal barely visible differences in the photos
I have a pair of thiel cs 3.5s driven by an NAD stack. I wonder if these will change the sound for the better compared to my current setup which is a thick gauge monster cable. What are your thoughts? Is it only worth it for electrostatic speakers?
No it works for all speakers, it's just that electrostats are so damn transparent that it's very easy to spot the difference (and that hurts my wallet).
About 20 years ago I had thick Monster figure 8 speaker cables, consisted true Hifi then. They were replaced by entry level QED and I've never looked back. And these are definetely not entry level based on a few short sessions I've managed to squeeze (but I still need to do a longer, serious one for the review)
@@k4syx why is there such a divide in the audiophile community when it comes to cables? And what makes u decide it's worth the extra cash? Surely the differences are extremely minute
@@zombockerman I dont get the divide think too. Why so much anger and emotion. Im an engineer (electronic) myself and I always laughed at the idea of cables (especially power cables) affecting the sound quality. Until I bought REALLY bad cable that fkd up my system. I couldnt believe that, so Ive done some experiments to confirm or deny what Im hearing. When I was sure I actually can hear the difference I started my little quest of tests to understand whats going on and if there are any patterns that I could use.
you're right about the changes, these will not make bad amp sound great etc.
So anyway, a lot of things in life are worth being angry for and to fight for, but cables are definitely one of them :)
Hi any quick feedback based on your time with them so far. 11.11is around the corner and I'm highly considering these cables... thanks
These are very good though I have no info yet on how do these compare to Dragons (but these are more expensive). I think main competition here is K2s and these are excellent
@@k4syx it would be awesome if you make "fake cable" listening experience video before 18.11. so we can still get good price on ali. As for me, im planning to get 0.5 for dac/headphone amp connection. Choosing between nordost Odin/Valhalla2/blue heaven/red dawn from your videos!
@@nw6066 I wont be able to make it, I do these in my free time if I have it after my regular job. Look for my older reviews of AQ fake speakers too. When I will finish separate cable reviews I will do a summary video with scores (yes I keep these!) so eeryone will be able to choose something that will fit the preferences and the budget
Great if you do this yes, but can you compare it with 'our' Audioquest Dragons too?
That would be a real good reference than too.
'hear' you. 🙂
@@onnonugteren2935 yes these will join larger cable shootout, I thought it would be incomplete with "top of the line" Nordost fake :D
@@k4syx Aha Great. I presume as a spoiler these Valhalla's 2 are inferior? If not tell me also. 🙂
@@onnonugteren2935 I dont know yet, honestly. They are burning in now.They seem to be ok, I cant hear anything disqualifying, but I will have to do detailed comparison. I need to know if they are better (or not) too! :)
@@k4syx Great, and yes it takes a lot of time. 🙂
Hi and thanks for your video’s. Just want to say that I am curious and waiting for the sound analyses about the Valhalla cable and also a sound comparrisson between this cable and the Audio Quest Dragon from AE would be verre nice and helpfull. Thanks again.
Yes I want to do that, I just need time as I do all of these in my free time after my regular work
The connectors are really bad, they break when turning the screws a little to much. I have tried a few differents kinds of this type connector and they ALL break (even the more expensive), certainly after some time. With the heat shrink it´s impossible to check the connection but I don´t trust these anymore 😅
Yes the lesson here is do not use plastic bananas ;)
I always use metal ones, I can actually check for proper contact here without removing heat shrink - it's easy to access top of the screw via small hole in the shrink.
That's a valid complaint. I'd be surprised though if anyone could tell the difference, sonically, in a true double blind test. I've invested thousands in interconnects and speaker cables, and then discovered I cannot hear the difference when they are replaced with cheaper ones. No doubt I'm a wretched audiophile!
@@drmoss_ca unfortunately I can, but only when using my electrostats or AMT treble driver speakers. Logans mostly as they are really really transparent. Differences are there, though they are miniscule in a grander scheme of things, and they absolutely are not worth full real cable prices. Unless you earn so much that money doesn't matter anymore.
The differences with dynamic speakers are harder to discern, at least to my ears, and with dynamic speakers that I have at my disposal!
@@k4syx I no longer earn that much, although at one time the biggest share of my disposable income as a physician went towards hi-fi (I had to retire when I developed leukemia). That has made me look far more critically at what works and what does not. I also use electrostatic speakers: Quad 2905s in my case. I run two turntables, four tonearms, an Ayre multi-format player, and Quad tube amplification. While I wait for the leukemia to come back and finish me off, I have to be honest with myself about what I hear. Interconnects and speaker cables were quickly dismissed as making much, if any, difference. As far as I can tell, the source is the most important component, be it cartridge or CD player. Nothing you can hear downstream is correct unless the source feeds it the correct signal. Your ears may vary, and don't take my word for anything. I just use what satisfies me.
@@k4syx I used to spend most of my disposable income as a physician on hi-fi, but when I had to retire because I developed leukemia, I also had to think very carefully about what worked and what did not, as I wanted the best sound during my remaining time. Interconnects and speaker cables were quickly dismissed as when I was honest with myself I could not hear the difference. Sources mattered. Cartridges, and CD player. I run two SME turntables, each altered to sport two tonearms, and I use an Ayre multi-disk player. All through Quad tube amps and electrostatic speakers (2905s). Until the leukemia comes back and finishes me off, I'm going to enjoy the best sound I can. Your ears may vary, but be aware that when it comes down to the wire, the results might be assessed rather more critically!
thanks for this amazing review 🙌
How is the fake cable.. maby i want to buy this cable
Thx
To my opinion these are really good speaker câbles that deserve better connectors
"Running these cables on my Focal Sopra-2 speakers with tube monoblocks, and wow! Outperforming cables that cost way more. Highly recommended!
Thanks for sharing! And I stand corrected, its "made from solid core 99.999999% oxygen free copper and plated with 85 microns of silver." so all in all its even closer to the original
bought a Valhalla 2 clone to upgrade from Valhalla 1 clone. Both clones are worth the price, however Valhalla 1 clone is a lot cheaper. So far tested about 15 different clone speaker cables from Ali Express. This one is the best sounding and most expensive. Compared to Valhalla 1, rhis v2 has more black background, overall more and better detail and micro detail, improved richer bass with more detail, more open airy mids, detail highs, less sharp then with v1. You need some time to accept the differences, once you hear and aporeciate the extras, it is an amazing upgrade....really cherry on the top after 15 other also good clone cables
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I have Valhalla 1 too in one of my setups downstairs, I need to do reviews and comparison on both of them.
Valhalla 2 is larger and thicker and v1 is easier to bend in thight spaces
These were my first set of cables. Weird design, I need to try this. I liked the silver-plated wrapped flat idea.
When I switched to my current and hopefully final, silver 16ga and 8ga teflon jackets. I never looked back.
Even at first listen, before burn in, I see how my current wire was going to be my last speaker wire. Just sounded open and I sensed the beautiful imagery that we eventually receive cleanly after burn in. Plus, it got louder than my Nordost knockoffs.
It’s so basic how a un-terminated silver wire is possibly the purest and open sounding form of connection.
There was a point where my sound wasn’t as thick as it should be. I changed my original 16ga to 14ga silver and found my music sounding thicker yet clean.
One more thing, I’ve spread Furutech Liquid Nano along my silver wires. Not sure if it’s a positive or negative sound, I know it won’t hurt.
@@tubefreeeasy Id use that only on connecting ends. I was thinking about doing something like that, maybe not for that scale, but I am using solid silver for some soldering work inside my equipement (silver plated occ solid core is also quite good)
how did they sound?
Very good. Havent done a full listening session yet (I have a procedure for that as I want to do this always the same repeateble way to compare the results with other cables I've reviewed earlier).
It will come here, there will be a video for that, but I cannot promise any date as I'm doing these in my free time and theres a constant battle between cables and amps factions ;D
@@k4syx I'll be here waiting! ..... just received a 1 1/2 meter pair from Allie today.... I think it was worth the $100. While the materials it uses is important, I think it's the geometry that has the most importance
@@jeff3575davisonswapping connectors to pure copper Viborg made a dramatic change.
@@meristos for the better, I assume :)
@jeff3575davison yes original one are not so good, especially with your version, same as mine
Wow ribbon wire .. pair of ribbon silver speaker cable custom made from japan 15 years ago may be 20 years old .. it was my best choice to match with audioquest silver viper rca interconnect cable .. mainly for vintage sansui amplifiers or receivers .. Soundage , more clean and transport .. but may not be attractive in the midrange like good copper wire ..
All previous Nordost that I've tested had this - a little - dry mids, but it wasnt bad at all. Just like a small flavor :)
@@k4syx i guess those wire are little tool to fine tone the whole system the same wires areworse in FiiO K11 R2R DAC ( as preamp) + axyima AO7 max mon.. it is bertter to use wbc Gotham GAC-4/1 (Black) Star-Quad Audio Interconnect Cable 9$31 per pair ) + 10awg speaker cable (99.9%OFC) just match wirh Sony DHR-1000+onix digit coxial +sony sscs5 speakers are pretty good .. play with this set for one months
it is pretty good in differenet area eccept sounodage .. first may change to wbc ultimate 7awg speaker cables ( less than $200) they claims they can bet most of the branded cable... then WBC Mogami 2497 Wire and Eminence Gold Locking RCA Connectors ( $80 per pair )
or bonus ( old school audioquest clear + silver spades )
well this bring in a play time 2 to 3 months
then chnage Fossi Mon
then FM 255 clone + FM300A clone
then JC2 clone +D5 pro clone
then switch pre and power amp
bonus QUAD 34 clone to play with some poor quality CD with favour soongs with soem EQ
plus a couple pairs of " alike " speakers
too many toys to play
Nordost doesn't use pure silver. Only silverplated copper. Incredible consider the price 😎
Could it be to prevent total corrosion on the cross section ? If they have a copper core it would insure reliability. Silver can be delicate to use for Hi-Fi gear, as humidity will often be a factor.
@@benoitbricet8885 oxidized silver (black one) is at least as good conductor as pure silver, though looks very bad. It's different with copper, oxidized copper is an insulator and when it gets green, it's bad...
@@markushillemalm that's interesting as this means that these should be even closer to originals than fake dragons that are supposed to be solid silver! :)
I'm definitely going to buy a pair of these. I'm very pleased with the blue heaven, which doesnt say Nordost, but they are really really good for cost almost nothing, so i also bought a pair for my friend, whom also enjoys them.
Anyway I am looking forward to these. They also look better....🎉❤😅
I have Valhalla 2 from RM Store without 2.5 m wood, they are really good. At such prices you should stop using the name FAKE and only Alternativ because they do not pretend to be expensive originals and offer an alternative as you noticed in the material at a tenth of a lower price. You can't make a mistake and take them for originals. But they are absolutely great.
Yeah I am calling them fakes as they use brand name and model type names, if they could loose that (and some of the sellers do!) then its a fair game to me
hey hindagsxr i'd really appreciate if you can measure the width of your cables. There's a few different versions out there and cable asylum guys have been having rave reviews on your ones from RM digital store. For me they look a lot better with the wooden blocks... thanks mate!
@@kevinlim6521 53 mm
@@kevinlim6521 Yes, exactly 5.251mm
How good are this fake cable now? Gr Marco
I havent done the full listening session for review yet - cant tell exactly without it. Stay tuned for full review,ok?
@@k4syxjust curious, have you did a listening review yet? I was looking for it on your page.. can’t find any. Thanks
@nsxt28 not yet but I've used it in some of my listening sessions. It's very good, but I need to do full dedicated review and some head to head comparisons with Dragons and K2
@@k4syx couldn’t wait no more. I just bought a pair. lol
Looking forward to see your full result.🥂
@@k4syx mine finally arrived yesterday. Sound dramatically changed, improved. More air more dynamic , over my blue heaven. However it sounds really hard.. looks like it’s gonna take some time to break them in! How’s your pair sounding so far? Hope you had the chance to break in yours. Looking forward to your review
Can't wait for the next video!! Don't forget the original fake Valhallas!
It's getting a little confusing now....
'the original fake Valhallas" ??
🙂
@@onnonugteren2935 don't want to confuse you. You mentioned you have another pair of "fake" cables in another system. The "Vahalla" 1's?
@@Reyfox1 ah I think I know now what you mean with Valhallas. 🙂 We call them Walhallaas. 🙂 With a W. And at all I hate abreviations: they confuse and I hate nerdy words only known by a few and confuse the majority.
.... No I think you mean the Nordost Valhalla's .. I give up. 😞
Grazie per le prove che fai, sono molto apprezzate e utili. Grazie mille amico
@@attiliobrunetti6565 Grazie!
You state original valhalla is silver. It's not, it's Silver-plated Oxygen Free Copper. thanks for sharing your thoughts, I currently have Nordost Valkyra speaker cable and Brahma Powercord. I'm tempted to give these a try.
I stand corrected, its "made from solid core 99.999999% oxygen free copper and plated with 85 microns of silver."
These cables are good, very good, never realised my speaker existing cables were causing some 'glare' that I thought was digital edginess. Shocked to hear my system singing so good and clean and was a semi-sceptic engineer, not so much now after connecting up with these and then reconnecting the previous cables. If you are getting going in h-fi for the money, it seems like a no-brainer to just buy these cables, even for a budget setup. Btw Nordost report silver plated OFC copper same as these. REF:Krell/Bryston/ATC 40scm.
I never believed in cables making the difference other than looks, until I got good loking boutique power cord for my Stax headphones setup. It fkd up the sound so badly, that I've examined energizer (amp for electrostats) for damage or wear. When 2 days later I've realized everything gets back to normal with regular black IEC cable I was shocked (to say the least). Then I've reasoned that if a single cord can make such a terrible damage to the sound, then there is also possibility that some other cables may actually make positive difference (regardless of the fact if I can understand the reasons). And boy yes they did. Thats why I got in this whole cable testing thing, I want to learn the repeatable build patterns to understand whats going on. And to get good cables for my gear, too :)
@@k4syx The best aspect is the price-to-try them is within reach of everyone. Songs I've listened to for decades are revealing new hidden musical details, and there is more definition and musical structure throughout. If the improvements I believe I hear are typical and are due to the cable, this is potentially audio-heaven for those willing to try it. Never thought I would be writing this craziness about speaker cable. Most certainly worth the money I paid for them regardless of their pedigree, and to-a-certain-extent I can see why they charge the ridiculously high price if that makes it easier to understand the improvements.
@@johnshaw359 I think this is also partially due to how our brain works and perceives differences. I am willing to bet that these changes fall within 1-2% of "overall objective sound quality" if you know what I mean, but our brain perceives them as really significant
Thx
Flat cables? might as use copper flat tape. You can't get better than it in terms of value and quality of sound.
Nordstrom is such terrible cable, does it matter?
Nordstrom? I think I am missing something here? :)
Anyone calling FAKE when he means Replica should be ignored on RUclips and in society
@@tommusikauswahl1066 replica is 1:1 copy impossible to tell from original. This one is not replica.
I've checked with myself a couple of times and I'm pretty sure I know what I meant. I generally tend to know what I mean :D
@@k4syx Replica means NOT 1:1 Copy. A Clone is a 1:1 Copy, so I'm sure you mixed it up a bit. But no harsh feelings, all good, i like your Videos to have a look at the Product, before i might order :)
@@tommusikauswahl1066
English is a tough taskmaster
A replica is an exact copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is …. Wikipedia
a copy exact in all details
DNA makes a replica of itself. Merriam-Webster
@@tommusikauswahl1066 Cheers mate!
replica, fake, copy, clone, immitation, Please list the differences between each? or all different words for same thing?? hmmm..