It Was Inevitable…

tima · Aug 13, 2021

....

Mike Lavigne said:
i think our indignation is a bit selective around here. ...

Don't be such a nanny. At WBF the best indignation is always selective.

Mike Lavigne said:
if super uber level hifi products are disqualified by market speak, they are all disqualified.

If someone wants to spend $35k on some blinged-out wire they have every right to do so. But don't get rattled if someone else pokes fun at the product or its marketing. It's just how things are. You're the only one talking about "disqualification". There are no sacred cows here - well, except for a certain reviewer.

cjf · Aug 13, 2021

I own a few audio cables myself that aren't exactly cheap and I cant blame anyone with the means to own such cables as these Odin Golds but at some point it should be remembered that, for power cables as an example, all that juice from the wall traveling thru the Gold cables eventually must past thru these cables before you hear your favorite tunes and that should give even the most well off at least some pause at some point

Ron Resnick · Aug 13, 2021

Here I agree with Mike. Condemning a particular product in this hobby solely on price -- ears unheard, reviews unread -- and especially on this website -- does not make sense to me.

Mike Lavigne · Aug 14, 2021

tima said:
Don't be such a nanny. At WBF the best indignation is always selective.

it's always easy to take shots. i do it myself occasionally, but i mostly regret them. don't hit 'reply' or delete most of them when i'm quick enough.

tima said:
If someone wants to spend $35k on some blinged-out wire they have every right to do so. But don't get rattled if someone else pokes fun at the product or its marketing. It's just how things are. You're the only one talking about "disqualification". There are no sacred cows here - well, except for a certain reviewer.

Click to expand...

rattled?

i was not emotional nor used foul language. OTOH a few other posts did get their dander up. don't get me wrong; i'm all for properly directed dander.

jespera · Aug 14, 2021

I once went to this demo. It wasnt nordost but it could have been.

The ministers preached that the more “air”, “wow”, “3d”, etc you could hear the better the product was.

And sure enough as another excessively expensive exotic material cable, foot or power distribution block (O(1e4 usd)) was brought in — you could hear differences in the blip bot music they played.

Thing is: none of it sounded good. As in pleasant, natural, as real music. In fact, it all sounded distinctly artificial.110% digital.

There is an audience for this and theyll buy this and next year’s uber viking gold as well.

tima · Aug 14, 2021

Mike Lavigne said:
rattled?

Yes, perhaps not the best word choice, the association with shaken is not apt, although I rattled is pretty tame relative to foul language or something like irritated'. How about irked or peeved'? I was reluctant to use 'indignant'.

Mike Lavigne · Aug 14, 2021

tima said:
Yes, perhaps not the best word choice, the association with shaken is not apt, although I rattled is pretty tame relative to foul language or something like irritated'. How about irked or peeved'? I was reluctant to use 'indignant'.

sure. that's fair. guys with 6 figure+++ systems calling out products they have not heard (or investigated to some degree) on price and, and, and......PRICE.....does irk me. guilty.

and maybe i'm wrong. it's just how i see it.

ddk · Aug 14, 2021

Ron Resnick said:
Here I agree with Mike. Condemning a particular product in this hobby solely on price -- ears unheard, reviews unread -- and especially on this website does not make sense to me.

While I don't care for Nordost cables I ridiculed this one on price because it's not simply expensive but because it's beyond ridiculous. While you and Mike don't have manufacturing experience I do, specially this and I know the costs associated with it. Those cheap gold plated chains I posted are made from similar gold plated wires, it's an automated process and literally made in miles not meters at a time. I don't understand exactly why pointing out the price of these wires is wrong, if someone told you that this is $35k do you need to wear it to know what's going on, even on this site?

Mike Lavigne said:
sure. that's fair. guys with 6 figure+++ systems calling out products they have not heard (or investigated to some degree) on price and, and, and......PRICE.....does irk me. guilty.

and maybe i'm wrong. it's just how i see it.

People will always have different values and opinions, deal with it!

david

spiritofmusic · Aug 14, 2021

There's only one kinda gold I crave, and that's ingots under the bed. Gold in my system? Not so much.

Ron Resnick · Aug 14, 2021

What is the point of discounting a $55,000 speaker cable by one (1) single penny to $54,999.99?

Ron Resnick · Aug 14, 2021

ddk said:
While I don't care for Nordost cables I ridiculed this one on price because it's not simply expensive but because it's beyond ridiculous. While you and Mike don't have manufacturing experience I do, specially this and I know the costs associated with it. Those cheap gold plated chains I posted are made from similar gold plated wires, it's an automated process and literally made in miles not meters at a time. I don't understand exactly why pointing out the price of these wires is wrong, if someone told you that this is $35k do you need to wear it to know what's going on, even on this site?

View attachment 81028

People will always have different values and opinions, deal with it!

david

I do not disagree. I simply am supporting the intellectual principle that on a subjective review website if we haven't heard the component then we just don't know for sure, and that hyperbolic marketing copy (which in this case admittedly reads with a bit of the feel of a Nigerian email scam) might actually somehow be accurate.

bonzo75 · Aug 14, 2021

The penny can help buy the audition LP at a charity shop

Addicted to hifi · Aug 14, 2021

I would buy these cables if I could afford them.they look a work of art.

Addicted to hifi · Aug 14, 2021

I can afford them but would have to live on baked beans and toast for the rest of my life.

microstrip · Aug 14, 2021

Mike Lavigne said:
i think our indignation is a bit selective around here. i get that sometimes it supports certain narratives. and cables and tweaks are a special category. few are untouched by excess (even the cost of acquiring vintage can be excess). just depends on where you are standing.

glass houses and all that.

reading about these new cables i admit these same thoughts came to mind....they do push limits. but not sure any (a very few?) here are in a position to quibble.

now if we hear them and they don't live up to their cost then that is fair game. and if you did not care for Odin 2 likely the Gold is not going to do it for you. but getting caught up on just the price (or color ) is not a good direction.

Yes Mike, I can't see how a forum entitled Whatsbest concerning stereo can show indignation before listening and a proper discussion.

My interest turned into other brands, but since long I respect Nordost cables - when I tried Odin in my system I found they did things I appreciated a lot no other cable can do. The price was the only aspect that separated me from a complete loom at that time - as you say I was not standing there!

A couple of my audiophile friends own middle price cables from this brand and love them.

All marketing on cables is absurd - any thing more expensive than Belden or Mogami is scientifically and technically impossible to prove being better than these professional cheap cables. Commenting their sales literature - funny metals, strange electrons and even a few quantum

- is always a recurring success with plenty of folklore, but IMHO of null real value.

Many people, including me, prefer the sound quality of the expensive cables and assemble great sounding systems with them and do not feel guilty on it.

Oh yes, glass houses and narratives ... Audio forums are filled with them!

TLi · Aug 14, 2021

People like to say 10% better 100% more expensive. The same is true for audio equipment.

Today I listened to Odin Gold speaker and interconnect cables in dealer showroom, took home a power cable to replace the Odin 2 in my Constellation Altair II preamp. Oh, the improvement is not subtle.

As expected, Odin Gold has a warmer sound. Gold plate usually gives warmer sound. The imaging and dynamics are also significantly improved. I would say Odin Gold enhances the well known advantages of Odin 2 and corrects its short coming. The overall result is very pleasing.

It is at least 20-30% better than Odin 2. The purchase price is around 40% more expensive. I think it is reasonable. I plan to replace most of my Odin 2 cables with Gold in the near future.

Addicted to hifi · Aug 14, 2021

TLi said:
People like to say 10% better 100% more expensive. The same is true for audio equipment.

Today I listened to Odin Gold speaker and interconnect cables in dealer showroom, took home a power cable to replace the Odin 2 in my Constellation Altair II preamp. Oh, the improvement is not subtle.

As expected, Odin Gold has a warmer sound. Gold plate usually gives warmer sound. The imaging and dynamics are also significantly improved. I would say Odin Gold enhances the well known advantages of Odin 2 and corrects its short coming. The overall result is very pleasing.

It is at least 20-30% better than Odin 2. The purchase price is around 40% more expensive. I think it is reasonable. I plan to replace most of my Odin 2 cables with Gold in the near future.

Thanks for your feedback on these amazing cables.

microstrip · Aug 14, 2021

spiritofmusic said:
There's only one kinda gold I crave, and that's ingots under the bed. Gold in my system? Not so much.

The famous and revered in this forum SME 3012 R had a gold edition in a luxury box. My Forsell turntable and the flywheel air bearing are gold plated and Iook great. Can you imagine how the Primare 205 would look without the gold buttons?

Down Under · Aug 14, 2021

sfoclt said:
I’m holding out for Odin Platinum next year.

Then in 2023 it will be the Odin Unobtanium only available to registered users of Odin Gold.

PeterA · Aug 14, 2021

Ron Resnick said:
Here I agree with Mike. Condemning a particular product in this hobby solely on price -- ears unheard, reviews unread -- and especially on this website -- does not make sense to me.

Ron, it’s not just the price. People are also commenting on the marketing mumbo jumbo and trying to figure out what it means.

We can already surmise what the reviews will say. And this website is about what is best, not what is most expensive, thou some equate the two. My cables are what ddk thinks sound best with this gear. They are all dirt cheap but now most of them are quite difficult to get.

We read and comment about this stuff because this site is used for launching products and marketing. These announcements are made before the public and reviewers have heard or even seen the stuff. If there were no comments on a discussion forum, these product launches would not be so effective. WBF and other sites create the buzz which is often needed.

It Was Inevitable…

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