Have any of you who have Naim streamer, compared AQ Vodka Ethernet vs Chord Indigo Tuned Aray Ethernet ??

I can not do a comparison without buying the Indigo Tuned Aray Ethernet cable outright with no ability to return it, as it is a special order only , ... no returns.  So if any of you have done this comparison please let me know your opinion of the differences in sound quality  ! Thank you. 

How did you buy the Sarum interconnect or was this just done as a lucky punt ?

Given the price (2k !!!) won't Chord send you one directly on a sale or return basis. If it's so good then you are unlikely to return it and Chord must be confident in its abilities...

james n posted:

How did you buy the Sarum interconnect or was this just done as a lucky punt ?

Given the price (2k !!!) won't Chord send you one directly on a sale or return basis. If it's so good then you are unlikely to return it and Chord must be confident in its abilities...

Lucky! It was based on reviews and many said  Chord Sarum Super Aray was good match with Naim NDS!  Importer of Chord will not bring in Indigo Tuned Aray Ethernet for me to try! They do not even stock it. Special order only!  So that is why I am asking on here. AQ Vodka is good, just looking for a bit of an upgrade abd wanted to know if there was a noticeable one between the two Ethernet cables! Hopefully someone on here has done that comparison! 

Hi - Again, i would have thought if it's so good the Importer would be willing to provide it on a sale or return basis to show confidence in a product they import...

Given the good press on the new Core, perhaps this is where money could be spent rather than on Ethernet cables. You don't say what is up stream network / server wise of the NDS so you may already have this all sorted. 

Anyway, hope you get the answer you are looking for. 

James

An NDS/Statement/S800 owner has found Chord Music Ethernet to be very very good....

You might try AQ diamond. I started with Vidka and then tried Diamond. It was much better. Astonishing actually on my NDS. Should be easy to demo in the US. I have recently sent my Chord STA ic and Din/XLR cables back to Chord to be up graded to SA. Like you,I had no opportunity to Demo before up grade.

BPW posted:

You might try AQ diamond. I started with Vidka and then tried Diamond. It was much better. Astonishing actually on my NDS. Should be easy to demo in the US. I have recently sent my Chord STA ic and Din/XLR cables back to Chord to be up graded to SA. Like you,I had no opportunity to Demo before up grade.

I will think about it! Can't blindly buy Chord Indigo as it is really pricy and might only be marginally better ! 

I have tried the Chord Indigo ethernet at home with an NDX and SN2 - I didn't like it, it just seemed to force too much information at you, and I felt slightly tense and on edge when listening (I trialled it for a weekend). This was in comparison to the Chord C-Stream which I currently use, and is a bit more relaxed. I did also audition a Chord Signature Tuned Array at a later date, which I did think was worthwhile, though not night and day compared to the C-Stream. But it did make some vocals and piano music sound the most real I have heard on my system, and I am intending to purchase it at some point. While I've not heard the Sarums I know they are much liked by those who use them. From various comments on the forum, it seems to be best to stick with a particular family of cabling, as the improvements are progressive as you add to each segment of the audio chain. So at front end, I have UnitiServe> C-Stream> Switch> C-Stream> NDX> Signature Digital> Hugo> Signature Analogue> 282. Hope that helps anyway (as always, your results may vary).

I also have used the Chord C Stream which I use with the Nas and Uniti Serve and they sound great. I am using the Diamond on the NDS it is much better than the C Stream in that application. What I noticed the most is how accurate or should I say Mor life like the piano sounds. 

I'm  using a Chord Indigo TA between NDS and switch. Compared with the basic cable it replaced the main differences are a lower noise floor, smoother top end and more detail coming through, so easy on the ear and good value for the improvements it brought. It did take a week or so to "burn in"  so FPSIK's experience may be because he only used it for a short time.

Jonn, when you say a lower noise floor - can you help me understand what you are trying to explain please? Noise floor is usually used to describe low level hiss or other artefacts that mask very small signals - so sets the minimum resolution - are you saying you are hearing a hiss or some sort of noise on the old cable that is absent with the newer cable?

Thanks

S

It's a subliminal effect which is more noticeable between tracks where the silence is seemingly total. So what I thought was totally silent before was not quite in comparison so there must have been some very low level noises which I only came aware of in their absence if that makes sense.

I think the brain filters out a lot of background noise so what is previously thought to be silent turns out not necessarily to be the case.

As an aside, true silence is an odd experience if you've ever been in a desert or similar uninhabited area at night.

I use Chord Indigo with my NDS - tested C-Stream, Signature ans Indigo. Indigo was my choice.

I also use C-Stream as patch cables for streaming connections with my Cisco switch.

Jonn posted:

It's a subliminal effect which is more noticeable between tracks where the silence is seemingly total. So what I thought was totally silent before was not quite in comparison so there must have been some very low level noises which I only came aware of in their absence if that makes sense.

I think the brain filters out a lot of background noise so what is previously thought to be silent turns out not necessarily to be the case.

As an aside, true silence is an odd experience if you've ever been in a desert or similar uninhabited area at night.

Thanks - yes true silence is odd - and you can never hear it as ultimately you will hear the blood pumping by your ears as a hiss - but close as is strange - its  like with a anechoic chamber - very disorientating.

But yes artefacts and other crud the brain will filter out as you say - however music can get tiring to listen to when your brain is substatnitally doing this - when the crud is absent its far more relaxing.

S

i have an optical bridge which significantly improved the sound. So i am not sure that it is necessary to take the best ethernet cable now.It can be too much. I hesitate between audioquest vodka and diamond into my nds. They are vastly used in naim stream systems.

FWIW my Naim dealer swears only by the Chord Indigo for this last meter to the streamer after he had promoted the Audioquest Diamond for years.

I am still using a Meicord Opal for the very rare moments I stream on my NDS.

Chag -

1000£ per meter ethernet cable! Very but very expensive

Emre posted:

1000£ per meter ethernet cable! Very but very expensive

Ineed - and very good at it

... and less than a meter is needed. Can't say that much of SL or Sarum TA for that matter.  

Chag -

Chag... posted:

FWIW my Naim dealer swears only by the Chord Indigo for this last meter to the streamer after he had promoted the Audioquest Diamond for years.

I am still using a Meicord Opal for the very rare moments I stream on my NDS.

Chag -

It sounds strange to have an nds but only stream to it in rare  moments? Do you use it as a dac only?

Claus  

Indeed Just a dac on springs. But what a dac on Qobuz or HDtracks downloads!

Chag -

My Chord and Naim dealer informed me that a 1 meter Chord Indigo Tuned Aray Ethernet cable went up $255 to $1555 here in USA. So I was stretching it to even consider the old price ! It now really is out of my price range! Guess I will stick to the AQ Vodka Ethernet . Ohhh well. Really wanted to try it. Not now though. 

If you don't already have one, I'd suggest you try a posh switch. It costs very little secondhand and will very likely make as much, if not more of a difference as changing to even more expensive Ethernet cables. The Vodka is already extremely capable. 

HH: which "posh switch" would you recommend please?  

Chris G posted:

HH: which "posh switch" would you recommend please?  

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...-audiophilia-nervosa

G