Chord Sarum T

james n posted:

Allante93 - I suspect ('tone control' aspects of analogue signal cables aside) the need for 'better' cables comes from our increasingly congested EM environment that systems now need to operate in rather some revolutionary breakthrough in cable design (whatever the cable manufacturers say)

James

PS - Your article is blocked here so i'll have a read when i get home later. 

By all means, the central theme was based on what the pioneers brought to the Party!

Linn, the Front End

Wilson, the Back End

And of Course, Julian, the Middle!

With drastic changes being made to the Front and End, dismissing the Speakers as the Weakest Link!

Hence, the IC, now the weakest Link!

(The Vertere Guy, TM)

Pioneered by the aforementioned Naims!

Couldn't help it!

That's my weak paraphrasing of the Article.

A real eye opener fo Me!

Out!

Allante93!

Chris Dolan posted:

bdnyc posted:

What is "not what you might expect" about this cable?    What role in your system will it be playing?    

Hi Bruce - as Dave J said it's a Sarum T mains cable for the Radikal powering my LP12 / Urika 

it is certain that this power cord will upgrade the urika, but it is nearly the cost of your urika. If i were you i would sell the urika , not buy this state of the art power cord, and buy a better phono stage for all that money, like pass xp15 or einstein the turntable choice: miles away from urika( for the cost of urika and super sarum array power cord....)

Of course it is only my point of view.  This power cord will give you perhaps 10% more, but xp15, einstein, rcm....would upgrade easily 30% of the sound....

Keler Pierre posted:

Chris Dolan posted:

bdnyc posted:

What is "not what you might expect" about this cable?    What role in your system will it be playing?    

Hi Bruce - as Dave J said it's a Sarum T mains cable for the Radikal powering my LP12 / Urika 

it is certain that this power cord will upgrade the urika, but it is nearly the cost of your urika. If i were you i would sell the urika , not buy this state of the art power cord, and buy a better phono stage for all that money, like pass xp15 or einstein the turntable choice: miles away from urika( for the cost of urika and super sarum array power cord....)

Of course it is only my point of view.  This power cord will give you perhaps 10% more, but xp15, einstein, rcm....would upgrade easily 30% of the sound....

but it is not a wrong buy, i didn't say that.  This power cord can upgrade every component and is a good step vs powerline.  So you can also upgrade the urika, if you want, after.

Keler Pierre posted:

Chris Dolan posted:

bdnyc posted:

What is "not what you might expect" about this cable?    What role in your system will it be playing?    

Hi Bruce - as Dave J said it's a Sarum T mains cable for the Radikal powering my LP12 / Urika 

it is certain that this power cord will upgrade the urika, but it is nearly the cost of your urika. If i were you i would sell the urika , not buy this state of the art power cord, and buy a better phono stage for all that money, like pass xp15 or einstein the turntable choice: miles away from urika( for the cost of urika and super sarum array power cord....)

Of course it is only my point of view.  This power cord will give you perhaps 10% more, but xp15, einstein, rcm....would upgrade easily 30% of the sound....

Your percentage improvements are entirely speculative. My own experience is that a Sarum SA is a significant improvement in terms of sheer musicality. The T version will only add to that. I have also heard a prototype Music mains lead and it's....

Sorry to bump you guys, I have had the pleasure of the Sarum T Mains cable.

I pugged it into a mains block and then fed the Hifi System from the mains block on regular mains cables.

Conclusion I was astonished how the noise floor dropped well worth the money and cheap for the results.

I went on to test a Torus which gave still better performance, but for the money the Sarum T well worth the upgrade.

Worthy of a test if you have noise in your electric.

Tested on speaker system and headphones. 

I'm going to assume everyone who is testing these new cables already has a dedicated Mains line for their stereo system

When Chord first introduced Sarum ,I had a power cord made up for my Audience PDC Power Block . All other power cords were Naim Powerlines to the boxes. I have a dedicated mains for the Audience. At that time, I did not perceive a huge lift in SQ from the Sarum power cord. This is probably due to the combination of quality  electric supply in my area / the excellent Audience PDC and the Powerlines already were providing a nice , clean supply of electrons .

If you are in an area with poor/noisy mains then the inclusion of an uber power cable may provide better results but the biggest bang for the buck is still creating a dedicated mains supply for all of your boxes, imo.

ATB,

Mark

The Chord Power Chord ( one of the first models ) is a different model than the Sarum T power chord.

I have not used a power chord before so the uplift was astonishing.

I now use a Tours Power Supply 16 AVR 2

bdnyc posted:

Chris,

When you have some time with the cables, perhaps you could assess the sonic impact of using these Chord AC power cords in your system context for the rest of us?

Thanks,

Bruce

Will do Bruce, it has certainly been interesting but it would be premature to say more now 

glevethan posted:

I'm going to assume everyone who is testing these new cables already has a dedicated Mains line for their stereo system

I'm from the School, if it ain't broke, why attempt to fix it!

With that being said, I've found my Naim amps, to be temperamental, and I have Three of them!

Some days, I have to strain, to see if the system is powered up, and other days, I can Hum along with the amps.

When the Hum is noticeably present, usually when the electrical grid is peaking, I power off in sequence.

With Volume down:

Cdx2, HCDR, Amp1, Amp2, then Amp3.

Then the process is repeated, powering the System.

The noise associated with the source was reduced after being service.

on a scale from 1-10 with ten being unbearable, a one is barely distinguishable:

282~0

Cdx2~1

PS~ 3

Tighter Thud when powering the later amps!

2015 250~5

2012 Amps~5.5

With that being said, dedicated mains can't solve one's humming issues, if the grid is dirty!

FOOT TAPPER, has appeared, to remedy the Humming Blues.

The downside the yellow box hums at a 10, the Upside, its outside!

Allante

Sorry however if you are a Naim user, especially here in the States, there is nothing you can do about the transformer hum.

Consider it part of the admission ticket

PS  PLEASE - do not try to use any third party boxes to filter the mains - they will only kill the sound

Learn to embrace the Hummmmmmm

Airlink offers a range of "domestic", portable BPS that you may choose to put next to your hifi system.  This is a much easier, quicker option than installing one of their hard wired ones.  However, I didn't want to replace humming Naim transformers with a humming Airlink one in the living room, so here is ours in situ:

There is very little difference in cost between the two options, but the hard wiring option ensures that the BPS is away from the living room.  It also enabled the installation of an upgraded radial supply circuit with 10mm2 cabling.

 [@mention:1566878603958572] check it out!

Foot Tappers Thread!

Allante93!

Dave J posted:

Keler Pierre posted:

Chris Dolan posted:

bdnyc posted:

What is "not what you might expect" about this cable?    What role in your system will it be playing?    

Hi Bruce - as Dave J said it's a Sarum T mains cable for the Radikal powering my LP12 / Urika 

it is certain that this power cord will upgrade the urika, but it is nearly the cost of your urika. If i were you i would sell the urika , not buy this state of the art power cord, and buy a better phono stage for all that money, like pass xp15 or einstein the turntable choice: miles away from urika( for the cost of urika and super sarum array power cord....)

Of course it is only my point of view.  This power cord will give you perhaps 10% more, but xp15, einstein, rcm....would upgrade easily 30% of the sound....

Your percentage improvements are entirely speculative. My own experience is that a Sarum SA is a significant improvement in terms of sheer musicality. The T version will only add to that. I have also heard a prototype Music mains lead and it's....

all is also relative, an urika remains an urika, even with a 10 k power cord.  A power cord and interconnect reveals the potential of a component, but there are limits. You will not put a chord music at 6k on a nait 5i.....

I guess with all the claims, counter-claims, hype, existence or otherwise of dedicated mains, the 'suitability' of our hifi chain (to realise the benefit from better cables), the 'credibility' of feedback on here, the cost of these exotic cables and other imponderables, the only sensible way to make any kind of personal judgement on the VFM these bits of wire offer is to do a lengthy home demo. I am 'guilty' of spending, some might say a 'disproportionate' amount of money on bits of wire. But this was an informed decision based on lengthy home demos.

I will accept here and now that some outside of the UK may not be able to arrange a home demo of some of the cables discussed here. All I would say to those is, 'if you can't try then don't buy'.

Caveat emptor!

nigelb posted:

I guess with all the claims, counter-claims, hype, existence or otherwise of dedicated mains, the 'suitability' of our hifi chain (to realise the benefit from better cables), the 'credibility' of feedback on here, the cost of these exotic cables and other imponderables, the only sensible way to make any kind of personal judgement on the VFM these bits of wire offer is to do a lengthy home demo. I am 'guilty' of spending, some might say a 'disproportionate' amount of money on bits of wire. But this was an informed decision based on lengthy home demos.

I will accept here and now that some outside of the UK may not be able to arrange a home demo of some of the cables discussed here. All I would say to those is, 'if you can't try then don't buy'.

Caveat emptor!

disproportionate is an appropriate term:   spending the same amount of money than the component itself on a power cord is non sense. It will upgrade the sound of this component for sure, but not as much, in general, as a component itself twice more expensive.  You can put a super sarum array on a nac 202, it will not sound as good than nac 282. Or a nait 5i with that cord will not sound better than a supernait. In each case the amount of money spent is the same.

In the same logic, you will not put a 10k cartridge on a 400 GBP turntable.

I was not speaking referring to your personal choice, i don't know it. But in general and also referring to the case of super sarum array on a urika phono stage.

Keler Pierre posted:

nigelb posted:

I guess with all the claims......

I will accept here and now that some outside of the UK may not be able to arrange a home demo of some of the cables discussed here. All I would say to those is, 'if you can't try then don't buy'.

Caveat emptor!

disproportionate is an appropriate term:  

I agree with both of gentleman:

Yes, Caveat emptor!

However, as the Frenchman suggest, logic must enter the equation at some point.

Repeat, a good read:

"We should examine the work of a bunch of pioneering guys – Peter Walker, Ivor Tiefenbrun, Julian Vereker, Bob Stuart, Mark Levinson, Dan D’Agostino, Ed Meitner, Dave Wilson, Alon Wolf and Yoav Geva. Who are these guys? What did they do to awaken the interest of Joe Reynolds (Nordost), George Cardas (Cardas Audio), Dr. Ray Kimber (Kimber Kable) and Edwin van der Kley (Siltech), leading lights in the cable industry?"

https://www.pressreader.com/ca...0101/281582355295062

In Summary the three digit Cables manufactured in today industries, are far more advance than the three digit Cables Ten years ago.

Point and Case: 

Naim's Hi Line vs Chords Signature~10 years

Naim's SL vs Chords ST ~ 3 years

Not to mention the Pioneers:

Joe Reynolds (Nordost), George Cardas (Cardas Audio), Dr. Ray Kimber (Kimber Kable) and Edwin van der Kley (Siltech), leading lights in the cable industry!

Give it a read, in your spare time, all of 5 minutes and 42 seconds!

Allante93!

"For those familiar with Vertere’s infamous line of products this is big news. The company has developed a reputation for crafting the most technically precise analog replay components in the world. As a result the price is often beyond the reach of even the most dedicated audiophiles. To give an idea, Robb Report recently ran an article called: “Today’s Top Tonearms Can Cost as Much as a Car.” The main feature was the Vertere Reference Tonearm coming in at $36,000 USD."

Average Joe, a Success Story:

House, a Cool $ 1.5 Million. i.e cheapskate!

Car, a modest 350K USD

Veretere's mains Cable, $3,127.96 USD

When it's all said and done, I wonder how it sounds!

Sure wouldn't mind trading places!

Enjoy your Music!

Allante93!

First of all that was a really enjoyable article. Thanks for the link.

The other comment I would like to make is that there remains a huge amount of scepticism regarding the improvements that can come from better cables, particularly if they are not made by Naim. My own experiences have been with Chord Sarum and they have been massively in excess of 10%. I think there are too many individuals who for a variety of reasons are blinkered to the idea that a wire can improve things as much if not more than a box! I was sceptical but could not wipe the grin off my face that appeared within a couple of minutes of upgrading just one cable (552 mains) to Chord Sarum Tuned. Speculative comments from people who have never heard the differences are unhelpful.

Bryce Curdy posted:

First of all that was a really enjoyable article. Thanks for the link.

The other comment I would like to make is that there remains a huge amount of scepticism regarding the improvements that can come from better cables, particularly if they are not made by Naim. My own experiences have been with Chord Sarum and they have been massively in excess of 10%. I think there are too many individuals who for a variety of reasons are blinkered to the idea that a wire can improve things as much if not more than a box! I was sceptical but could not wipe the grin off my face that appeared within a couple of minutes of upgrading just one cable (552 mains) to Chord Sarum Tuned. Speculative comments from people who have never heard the differences are unhelpful.

Well, Shut up!

I'm Broke! LOL.....

All jokes aside, I'm glad you enjoyed the Article!

Hats off to the Pioneers, that inspire the Hi-Fi Industry:

Front End~ Linn, 

Middle~ Naim

Back End~ Wilson

And the new weakest Link Guys:

Joe Reynolds (Nordost), George Cardas (Cardas Audio), Dr. Ray Kimber (Kimber Kable) and Edwin van der Kley (Siltech), leading lights in the cable industry! 

But to your point, when I do get some extra Cash, I'm thinking Chord ST & Signature Speaker Cable, Ouch!!!!!!

Allante93!

Bryce Curdy posted:

First of all that was a really enjoyable article. Thanks for the link.

The other comment I would like to make is that there remains a huge amount of scepticism regarding the improvements that can come from better cables, particularly if they are not made by Naim. My own experiences have been with Chord Sarum and they have been massively in excess of 10%. I think there are too many individuals who for a variety of reasons are blinkered to the idea that a wire can improve things as much if not more than a box! I was sceptical but could not wipe the grin off my face that appeared within a couple of minutes of upgrading just one cable (552 mains) to Chord Sarum Tuned. Speculative comments from people who have never heard the differences are unhelpful.

in your case it is more understandable:  going from powerline, witch is even a bit expensive for what it is, for me, to the super sarum array main cord on the 552 is giving the 552 to reveal all his potential. I would even put a 5 k power cord on the 552.

But in case of a component, like the urika phono stage, which costs the same as the sarum array main cord, i disagree totally. sorry. 

I am desperately trying to resist the temptation to try the demo Chord Sarum Super ARAY power cable on my 552PS before the cable goes back, and I'm not normally very successful at resisting temptation 

Chris Dolan posted:

I am desperately trying to resist the temptation to try the demo Chord Sarum Super ARAY power cable on my 552PS before the cable goes back, and I'm not normally very successful at resisting temptation 

Oh go on, Chris! Go on!

Or even the Sarum T...

For all this talk of super expensive mains cables 

i assume everyone contemplating this has a dedicated CU and separate spurs from this feeding the Hi-Fi alone as this will have a bigger impact in reducing noise 

10mm cables I'm not so sure if these are really necessary given the electrical loads and the voltage drop of a 230v signal in a domestic setting will be nothing 

also the permissible voltage supply will be between 216 - 253v

also if we need to spend 2K on a mains cable then what is the Supercap up to ? It's there to provide a low volt DC supply, surely a 4.5k power supply shouldn't need a 2K cable just to connect it to a fluctuating mains

lyndon

lyndon posted:

For all this talk of super expensive mains cables 

i assume everyone contemplating this has a dedicated CU and separate spurs from this feeding the Hi-Fi alone as this will have a bigger impact in reducing noise 

10mm cables I'm not so sure if these are really necessary given the electrical loads and the voltage drop of a 230v signal in a domestic setting will be nothing 

also the permissible voltage supply will be between 216 - 253v

also if we need to spend 2K on a mains cable then what is the Supercap up to ? It's there to provide a low volt DC supply, surely a 4.5k power supply shouldn't need a 2K cable just to connect it to a fluctuating mains

lyndon

 

someone above replaced the powerline on the 552 ps by the super sarum array power cord , 3 times more expensive, and heard an immediate upgrade in sound quality.  I believe easily in that.  But not in putting this cord on entry level components...it is more logic to upgrade this component itself first. You will not buy bugatti veyron tires for a fiat punto!

"I am desperately trying to resist the temptation to try the demo Chord Sarum Super ARAY power cable on my 552PS before the cable goes back, and I'm not normally very successful at resisting temptation."

Hi Chris,

Not that you are likely to need any extra advice since you have a great dealer local to you, but I would encourage you to at least experiment with this cable on other components in your system while you have it in your home.   Sometimes one link in the chain will be the most uplifted by a better cord; power or signal interconnect.    This is highly system dependent, and practice in your system will always trump theory.    So, I would try it on anything you are curious about, including the pre-amp power supply, but I would also try it on your power amp so you can hear whether it offers a similar set of improvements throughout your system, or if one use for the AC power cord really stands out- for you.

Good luck,

Bruce