NORDOST Valhalla V2

MJ11.02.2015

Speaker cables

It is notable that Nordost keeps the original Valhalla in their catalogue. Inevitably there is a pricing gap of 30% between the two Valhallas which creates a competition from within the range. Not a bad move; it prevents the rumours that the V2 has been created as a marketing trick to justify the price increase. Anyone can compare one to one both cables to see to what extent it is the marketing and to what extent it is the performance. To my ears the new V2 is better. By big margin.

100% reference

Function and form

82%

Ease of use

85%

Sound

100%

Appearance

The brand new Valhalla is the perfect example of the less is more approach. Nordost drastically reduced the conductor mass by 30% - the AWG of the wires dropped and so did the number of wires. The V2 now features 4 x 7 high purity solid core copper wires. Yes, copper. It surprises me how many audio enthusiasts still consider the Valhalla to be a silver cable. There is a thin layer of silver on each conductor's surface (85 microns replaced 78 microns of the original Valhalla) but the core always was and remained pure copper. The V2 adds another filament that spirals around each conductor to create an air gap between the conductor and teflon dielectrics. By these changes plus modified spades Nordost achieved significantly improved values of capacitance and inductance to the level of the Odin. Like the Odin the V2 also sports a wooden block that is claimed to have anti-resonance properties.

Bass management

Weight

Slam

Articulation

The V2 is a very resilient cable despite its flatness and low weight. Be sure to allow the cable to travel in generous curves if you do not want to bend the solid core wires ruthlessly. On the contrary, the V2 can be easily hidden behind furniture or even under a carpet which may be very beneficial in contemporary architectonic set ups.

Clarity & delicacy

Detail

Air

Transparency

Perhaps you read somewhere the frequently quoted word of mouth that the Valhalla is a great and fast cable but somewhat sonically thin. Not the V2. Together with Stealth Dream Petite the V2 was one of the deepest reaching cables that I've had in my system. More precisely said, one of the deepest reaching and at the same time the best contoured cables.

If one concentrates just on the weight of the V2's bass there is nothing missing - the bass is tuneful, rich and visceral with clean attack and natural afterglow. I like Richard Marx's Hazard (Rush Street) - the V2 beautifully portrayed the fast and warm deep sound without any smearing but as a bonus it added the microdetail of the fat string's resonance. Actually it was the first time I could hear it so clearly. Is it perhaps that the Valhalla 2 does not keep the woofers employed a milisecond longer than needed and thus makes the sound nuancees, that are normally overwritten by a cable's own resonances, trail off more clearly and naturally? The tautness and timing of the bass can indeed result into a 'lighter' presentation for some ears but this is not the V2's responsibility: it just does what a good cable is supposed to do without overhang and smearing, without distortion.

Tonal accuracy

Timbre

Dynamics

Temporal resolution

The great control of woofers was apparent on demanding and often unlistenable Passage 138B.C.-A.D.1611 (Telarc). The fretless bass of Doug Lunn was grave-deep yet, through the V2, it did not cover fast rhythms of fingers dancing on a drum's skin neither it did not bury the hovering voice of surround-processed trumpet. The soundstaging was a kind of surreal through the Valhalla 2 as well as were microdynamics. As a result the fade in of the trumpet could be tracked a fraction of second earlier than with other cables. The V2 was questionable among the most dynamic speaker cables I've ever had in my system.

It was due to the microdynamic competence why it was so easy to track differences between PCM and DSD layers of hybrids SACDs. I mean well recorded SACDs that feature great mastering of both the layers like Groove Note's Something Cool (The Best of Groove Note). Jacintha's voice is impeccable in redbook but it is DSD when the vocal is transformed towards breathtaking reality. With the V2 in place I could hear the sound waves being reflected from the open board of a grand piano and then travelling to studio's walls and back to the microphone.

Spatial resolution

Holography

Soundstage width

Soundstage depth

The five saxophones in Don´t Be That Way (Maeda meets 5 saxophones, Audio Lab) take the listening room by storm, with brutal dynamics and laser-like resolution. One can hardly believe that the recording was made in October 1976 - it is so alive. The V2 invites the listener to try another silver disc and then another... there is so much new to hear. One moment at time I panicked: I will have to return the V2 soon and I still have a big part of my CD collection unexplored. Perhaps I should take a day off tomorrow?

The Valhalla is a sonically clean cable so I could crank volume up without any strain or distortion. I did. With phenomenal Strauss's poem Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30 (Edo de Wart, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Holland, Exton) for the first time I challenged 12 o'clock setting of my preamplifier to reach 140 watts of power peaks. Usually the music gets clumped and problematic in my room when playing over 90dB loudness yet with the V2 in place I could not detect any hint of anything. It was interesting that even the not so good recording - those that suffer from overcompression through the mastering process - were listenable and at high volume levels enjoyable as the cable could keep perfect control of the sound. The re-recorded version of Battle Hymns MMXII (Manowar, Magic Circle Music,) can be the example. Through the V2 the bass guitar detonated with unbelievable power, like a punch in your chest. Is this still Nordost? You bet!

Price as reviewed:260 000,- Kč

Recommended resellers

Perfect Sound Group, Praha, tel. +420 722 960 690

Manufacturer's website: http://www.nordost.com

Associated components

Sources: Van Medevoort CD transport CT460 and DAC DA466, Accuphase DP-78, Accuphase DP-700
Amplifiers: Van Medevoort PSQ/CAQ/PAQs, Accuphase A-70
Interconnects and speaker cables: Tara Labs ISM The 2EX, Stealth Dream Petite, Krautwire Fractal, Nordost Valhalla V2, Cardas Clear, Audioquest Wild
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 802 Diamond, Revel Ultima Studio2
Power conditioning: Nordost Thor (modified)

Gallery

39%

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