Tellurium Black Diamond DIN-DIN

I own a TQ black diamond din. It does take an age to break in but well worth the wait in my opinion. I'd give it a few weeks.  It works very well along with your Ultra black speaker cables. Of course it all depends on what sound you like. I found the TQ Diamond to be a smooth and detailed cable. It doesn't have a sparkly top end or gut wrenching bass, but is very neutral and this, I found allows bags of detail through. I really enjoy the sound of the black diamond range. 

Like [@mention:51970829741422995] I'm a fan of TQ Cables.

I've compared and used the following DIN-DIN: Naim HiLine, Super Lumina, TQ Black and TQ Black Diamond, Clearer Audio Optimus Reference (this one is on an extended loan form a fellow forum member, whilst he's using my TQ Black Diamond).

I'd say all cables need to burn-in. Weeks, not days, seems to be the norm.

I'd actually rate TQ Black Diamond as notch above Naim's HiLine - somewhere in between HiLine and SuperLumina.
However... it's very dependent on what speaker cables it's been used with. If one uses NACA5 or one of TQ cables - Black Diamond is a clear winner there. 
However once SuperLumina is installed it actually helps to remove the TQ Black Diamond. Even installing a cheaper Clearer Audio makes for an easier, more balanced sound. Of course SuperLumina is the ultimate choice then.

So.... enjoy your Black Diamond - give it some time to settle into your system (NOTE: Black Diamond cable is directional).

Adam

Thank you guys for your detailed feedback! I'll wait to break in and in the meantime I try to relax .

Regarding the cable directional, The Hi-Line has a light grey collar source side while the TQ black Diamond has the arrows printed amplifier side. Can you confirm? I expected to find the arrows printed source side like the Hi-Line but probably their reference is different.

My TQ Balck Diamond is one of the first ones ever made so it has no arrows - just printed words. . So I connect it this way: the signal flows the way I read the words.

HiLine has indicators: light gray and dar gray. 

Mine is the same Adam.  I arrows. The writing goes in the same direction as the signal flow. 

As has been said above, it's all a matter of patience.

In the right cable combination it is superb, I just think your best off having either all naim or all TQ.

Thank you guy for your feedback.

After one week of testing and break-in (also with XLO CD Test break-in track) I can say that the cable is improving drammatically. It is more open than before and more lively. The high frequency extension is wider than Hi-Line and the detail that it brings to the music is huge. It seems quite impossible that the cable has changed in this manner. What I still did not find yet is the bass line of the Hi-Line, with more Slam but I like more the balance of TQ rather than Hi-Line. It seems strange but with the Naim cable I think to have lost the highest frequency range that surely help the general tonal balance of the whole music.

After the full break-in I'll connect again the Hi-Line to compare it with the TQ but I'm afraid that after one month disconnected, also the Hi-Line will need a short break -in period to be at its full potential.

Glad its working out for you Damy. I found that even second hand, TQ cables can need a good few days of running before they come on song so I dread to think what the run in is like getting them brand new!

Damy79,

It is interesting that you find the Hi-line to be rolled-off in the treble. I thought it's only the standard Naim cables that are rolled-off in the highs but the Hi-line as well? Perplexing indeed. Nevertheless, my experience is not with the interconnect that connects the source to the amp but the cables that connect between the preamp, PSU and power amp. They truly brought a massive difference to the system. Perhaps the full loom played a role as well. 

[@mention:1566878604025788]

I was also a bit puzzled when I compared HiLine vs TQ Black Diamond.
I found the interconnects performance varies with a source - HiLine seemed like a better choice for connecting a Naim CD player and the nDAC.
When it came to connecting an NDX the choice was not so clear cut - both cables offered a slightly different presentation. But none that I would call 'rolled-off' trebble.

Adam

Adam,

Thanks for the post. You own the Hi-line and TQ Black Diamond so you are in the best position to comment. As usual it is dependent on the components that the cable is connected to. Though Damy's experience appears to suggest the Hi-line to have a rolled-off treble in the context of his system when compared to the TQ Black Diamond which contradicts your experience. Perhaps different source, or a case of different presentation as you say. It's all relative. If the Hi-line does not sound rolled off, the Black Diamond will sound more extended in the treble.

Ryder, probably my comment above is too much enthusiastic and it can be misunderstood, what I said is to highlight how good is getting my TQ black Diamond after a week of break-in, at the beginning it was flat and lifeless but it has changed very much. I did not consider Hi-Line to have rolled-off treble but in my opinion the different tonal balance of TQ makes the music smoother but with a more extended high frequency that can be emphasized by a lighter bass. Anyway it may need more and more hours to break-in before to rate it definitely.

I didn't notice any difference in the bass frequency response between the cables.
Cable dressing with both (HiLine and TQ Black Diamond) is quite important - best if they 'hang free' and not touch anything.

Another neat trick is to: insert the plugs into sockets and then pull them out by 1 mm. 

Thank you Adam for you suggestion. Actually I hanged the connector with a wrapper to avoid that the weight of the cable pull out the connector. Infact I noted that the upper part of the connector  tends to deviate slightly. I'll try to remove the wrap and pull it 1mm out.