Hi, here's my question: I recently bought at auction a 1.25 M pair of Nordost Tyr 1 phono cables. The seller "got authorization" to sell me instead of pair of Frey 2 cables at the same price. Given that Tyr costs about 50% more than Frey, I'm uncomfortable with the transaction. Anyone out there think that second generation Frey is superior to first-gen Tyr? This feels like a flim-flam. Thanks
Nordost Frey 2 vs Nordost Tyr1 Phono Cables
- Thread starter Bill Sims
- Start date
2nd gen is supposed to be a bit warmer but Fry better than Tyr - sounds like total bs to me.
I bought the Tyr 1 phono cable on closeout prices. It is a great cable. It's used value will not drop much from what you are buying it for. The Frey will drop another 50%.
If I was in your shoes, I certainly would not accept that deal, as it is not a deal IMO.
I bought the Tyr 1 phono cable on closeout prices. It is a great cable. It's used value will not drop much from what you are buying it for. The Frey will drop another 50%.
If I was in your shoes, I certainly would not accept that deal, as it is not a deal IMO.
Interesting timing on this thread....
I just bought a 1.25 m Tyr phono connect...this after listening to the new Frey 2 connect. The Tyr 1 is a "steal" at its current price, IMO. The Frey 2 is good, the Tyr is better...slightly more high end delineation resulting in even greater air than the Frey 2.
The mids are also more fleshed out and detail is even more easy to follow than the Frey 2, which is one of the improvements in the new Frey cable.
I just bought a 1.25 m Tyr phono connect...this after listening to the new Frey 2 connect. The Tyr 1 is a "steal" at its current price, IMO. The Frey 2 is good, the Tyr is better...slightly more high end delineation resulting in even greater air than the Frey 2.
The mids are also more fleshed out and detail is even more easy to follow than the Frey 2, which is one of the improvements in the new Frey cable.
I'm using the same tyr phono, got it on close out too. I have it running into my Alephono, and Cardas golden reference to a Cardas Block into a Naim NAC82 preamp.
I was thinking of maybe getting tyr to the cardas block instead. Anyone compare these two cables, or use them together? Comparing in my system is a bit tricky with the din conversions.
I was thinking of maybe getting tyr to the cardas block instead. Anyone compare these two cables, or use them together? Comparing in my system is a bit tricky with the din conversions.
the Tyr will comfortably have better transparency, purity and bass tightness/coherence. the cardas has a nice airyness in the upper treble but a bit dark in the rest of the audio sprectrum in comparison.
Could not agree more.
Also, it is essential that the Tyr tonearm cable get properly cooked. Mine was sent off to Nordost and put on their VIDAR. I have never heard any product improve as much as a result of burn in. It was as if Nordost sent me back a better cable. I wasn't expecting much as I had it cooking on a CD player for two weeks prior to sending it to Nordost, and this barely moved the needle. So if you have not had your Tyr put on a VIDAR, contact a Nordost dealer and arrange to have it done. It's worth it even if they charge a nominal fee.
The low frequencies saw the biggest gains from cooking on the VIDAR. The lows were too polite with the energy being too restrained prior to the VIDAR.
I expected greater weight when I first received the Tyr, and no amount of cooking with a CD could open things up, but the VIDAR worked wonders. I was shocked by the improvement. A friend also heard it before and after cooking - and he had exactly the same reaction.
The VIDAR improved the highs and mids as well, though not as dramatically. The highs and mids became more natural, and the mids also gained greater weight and richer colors.
Nordost's MMF construction helps to ensure that the insulation has a minimal effect on the signal passing through the cable. But that makes the converse true as well: the signal passing through the cable has a minimal effect on the insulation. And I think that's why Nordost cables have notoriously long burn in times. And I think that's why Nordost provides many of their dealers with VIDARs. Nordost cables need a lot more juice to pass through them to get them properly burned in.
The very low voltages that pass through tonearm cables aren't going to do much to burn in a cable, so it's even more important to get these burned in using a more powerful source if you want to hear all that these cables can really do.
I have a VPI JMW tonearm that is wired with Valhalla. I rigged up something that would allow me to send the output of a CD player through the arm wires (cartridge disconnected of course). This made a dramatic improvement as well. I got the idea after reading this: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/tonearm_burn_in_link.htm (I rigged up something different).
Agree with Kenny. I had all of my cables burned in on the dealer's VIDAR. I think it would take forever to burn in the phono cable with just the voltage from the cartridge.
I have no idae whether it would be as effective as the VIDAR, but Audioharma(sp?) make a cable cooker: http://www.audioexcellenceaz.com/cablecooker.htm I've never tried it myself, but I am intrigued. IIRC, Mike Lavigne has one.
Rich, I think the audiodharma does the same thing as the VIDAR. I don't see any reason to buy an audiodharma, as I have my dealer do the cooking and I'm not swapping out cables like a reviewer may. So, to pay $800+ for one makes no sense to me. BTW, I know that audiodharma suggests that one re-cook the cables every so often...this also makes no sense to me. YMMV.
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I tried the audiodharma on Valhallas and Odin which were burnt in before with Vidar. The audiodharma still made some further improvements.
Well they operate both at 80 % of the speed of light , would love to see their equipment to measure that ,luckily they have faster cables 
http://www.nordost.com/default/downloads/norse_2_brochure_lr.pdf
As far as i know the electro magnetic force operates at or just short of the speed of light ,about 99,99999 % of that
Heimdall Tonearm Cable
Insulation: Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP)
Construction: Precision Micro Mono-Filament
Conductors: 4 x 24 AWG
Material: 60 microns of extruded silver over
99.99999 % solid-core OFC
Capacitance: 25pF/ft
Inductance: 0.06?H/ft/
Propagation Delay: 80% speed of light
Termination: High quality 5pin Din, MoonGlo
RCA or Neutrik XLR connectors
Frey Tonearm Cable
Insulation: Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP)
Construction: Precision Micro Mono-Filament
Conductors: 5 x 24 AWG
Material: 60 microns of extruded silver over
99.99999 % solid-core OFC
Capacitance: 28pF/ft
Inductance: 0.055?H/ft/
Propagation Delay: 80% speed of light
Termination: High quality 5pin Din, MoonGlo
RCA or Neutrik XLR connectors
http://www.nordost.com/default/downloads/norse_2_brochure_lr.pdf
As far as i know the electro magnetic force operates at or just short of the speed of light ,about 99,99999 % of that
Heimdall Tonearm Cable
Insulation: Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP)
Construction: Precision Micro Mono-Filament
Conductors: 4 x 24 AWG
Material: 60 microns of extruded silver over
99.99999 % solid-core OFC
Capacitance: 25pF/ft
Inductance: 0.06?H/ft/
Propagation Delay: 80% speed of light
Termination: High quality 5pin Din, MoonGlo
RCA or Neutrik XLR connectors
Frey Tonearm Cable
Insulation: Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP)
Construction: Precision Micro Mono-Filament
Conductors: 5 x 24 AWG
Material: 60 microns of extruded silver over
99.99999 % solid-core OFC
Capacitance: 28pF/ft
Inductance: 0.055?H/ft/
Propagation Delay: 80% speed of light
Termination: High quality 5pin Din, MoonGlo
RCA or Neutrik XLR connectors
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This thread's over a year old, but what the hell…
I had the Tyr 1, bought the Frey 2. I'm afraid I don't agree with the other posters. The Frey two is far less mechanical sounding than the Tyr 1. I don't go by the frequencies: I go by how close it sounds to the Metropolitan Opera Hall and Carnegie. Frey is superior in its fluidity, it's ability to be as 'playful' as the music itself (i.e, when flutes 'dance' in a composition, it is unmistakable when they are better. Woodwinds seem to show improvements better than any other instruments. Frey has a vastly more playful 'palette' than Tyr).
By the way, I also have the Tyr 2, so I have Frey 2 AND Tyr 2. Tyr 1 is quite good…but I couldn't say its better than the Frey if you want it to sound real the way it does in real life. I was surprised when I got the Frey and replaced the Tyr. I did a little jig after I'd listened to it for a while - and I'm not Irish!
However, I don't think the distance between Tyr 2 and Frey 2 is as vast as Frey 1 and Tyr 1. Now, THAT was a big jump (which is why I bought it!).
I had the Tyr 1, bought the Frey 2. I'm afraid I don't agree with the other posters. The Frey two is far less mechanical sounding than the Tyr 1. I don't go by the frequencies: I go by how close it sounds to the Metropolitan Opera Hall and Carnegie. Frey is superior in its fluidity, it's ability to be as 'playful' as the music itself (i.e, when flutes 'dance' in a composition, it is unmistakable when they are better. Woodwinds seem to show improvements better than any other instruments. Frey has a vastly more playful 'palette' than Tyr).
By the way, I also have the Tyr 2, so I have Frey 2 AND Tyr 2. Tyr 1 is quite good…but I couldn't say its better than the Frey if you want it to sound real the way it does in real life. I was surprised when I got the Frey and replaced the Tyr. I did a little jig after I'd listened to it for a while - and I'm not Irish!
However, I don't think the distance between Tyr 2 and Frey 2 is as vast as Frey 1 and Tyr 1. Now, THAT was a big jump (which is why I bought it!).
Does that mean the Fry2 is warmer and less revealing?
Personally I have never found the Tyr mechanical sounding, YMMV
cheers
Not the tonearm, just the Series 2 interconnects.
And the only thing I could ask XV-1 is: have you heard the generation 2 cables? I didn't hear the 'mechanical sound' of the Tyr until I got the second generation cables. I would never have described the Tyr as mechanical, except after I got the Frey 2, and then - in comparison - I could hear it.
And i wouldn't call the Frey 2 'warmer' or 'less revealing,' for the simple reason that it's unlikely Nordost would create something a step backwards, although manufacturers do do that (as in the WATT 2 being warmer than the WATT 1, but then the series 3 WATTS were much leaner - and obviously so).
The Frey 1 was much the same as most series 1 Nordost cables: lean in the upper bass/lower midrange. The Frey 2 is more coherent and has considerably more lower midrange, upper and mid bass (I don't play much pipe organ music or piano, so I don't listen for low bass, although even if I did I'd put in my Nola Thunderbolt first with the Contenders I have). There's no region where it sounds as though there is a suckout of any frequencies. The frequency evenness gives it more tonal color, but I hear tonal color in live music, and I don't classify that as 'warm.' It simply 'is'. And 'less revealing' it is not.
I think it is a given that the original Nordost cable was subtractive in its colorations, not additive, all the way up to the Valhalla 1, which I have as well. It's just that now, with the newer generation of Nordost cables, they have a more full 'palette.'
But my apologies if this is only about the tonearm cable, as perhaps that is not the newer generation of cables, but some form of the Series 1 cables. I wouldn't know about that at all.
And the only thing I could ask XV-1 is: have you heard the generation 2 cables? I didn't hear the 'mechanical sound' of the Tyr until I got the second generation cables. I would never have described the Tyr as mechanical, except after I got the Frey 2, and then - in comparison - I could hear it.
And i wouldn't call the Frey 2 'warmer' or 'less revealing,' for the simple reason that it's unlikely Nordost would create something a step backwards, although manufacturers do do that (as in the WATT 2 being warmer than the WATT 1, but then the series 3 WATTS were much leaner - and obviously so).
The Frey 1 was much the same as most series 1 Nordost cables: lean in the upper bass/lower midrange. The Frey 2 is more coherent and has considerably more lower midrange, upper and mid bass (I don't play much pipe organ music or piano, so I don't listen for low bass, although even if I did I'd put in my Nola Thunderbolt first with the Contenders I have). There's no region where it sounds as though there is a suckout of any frequencies. The frequency evenness gives it more tonal color, but I hear tonal color in live music, and I don't classify that as 'warm.' It simply 'is'. And 'less revealing' it is not.
I think it is a given that the original Nordost cable was subtractive in its colorations, not additive, all the way up to the Valhalla 1, which I have as well. It's just that now, with the newer generation of Nordost cables, they have a more full 'palette.'
But my apologies if this is only about the tonearm cable, as perhaps that is not the newer generation of cables, but some form of the Series 1 cables. I wouldn't know about that at all.
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