The Niagra is better balanced and more musical in the mod freq. compared to the sky.. The new Wild Blue Yonder is superior to the Sky. I own bought.
Audioquest stopped the production of the Sky. |
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I worked for over 8 years in 2 sound&Vision speciality shops. These days I only do consulting. it is so much more fun. The freedom is priceless. I had done consulting also from 2005 till 2007.
I live in the Netherlands, But I also have clients in other countries. Shops are not of this time we life in anymore.
Audio has changed a lot. The way I work I have a lot more time for every single client. I can deliver a much higher endresult than when I worked in a shop |
The Niagra is better in the mid freq, more musical. But in the high freq the sky is better.
The new Wild Blue Yonder is a different league. Individual focus of instruments and voices is more intimate. Blacks are better so you get a more physical stage.
There was one thing what I also notices, we played Light my fire a number of Jacintha. Now you could hear the difference in height of the percussion. Going back to the Sky it was all gone.
Later this year I will go to the Well Signature. And I will write a review about it.
I sold Nordost for over 9 years of time and sold and owned the Valhalla. When I bought the Audioquest Redwood it blew away my Nordost Valhalla in every aspect ( I oned it for 12 years of time)
Black levels are superior to Nordost. The physical 3 dimensional image is so much more stable and touchable than what is possible with Nordost.
Stage is also wider and deeper compared to Nordost. I call Nordost incomplete since I started to sell it in 2000.
Because there are a few essential parts missing for the absolute sound. In real instruments and voices are extreme small and direct to point out. Nordost is not able to achieve this.
Nordost is like a big orchestra without a conductor. There is a lot of resolution, but it misses his place were it is on a recording.
In blind tests all clients choose for Nordost loudspeakercable with Kimber interconnects instead of full Nordost.
Because I made it more complete. It made the stage wider and deeper. And instruemnts and voices were more intimate and physical touchable. Also the mid freq. became more involving.
You Always need to look further in audio instead of following what brands say ( what is often based on nothing) |
In the last year I won all battles against MIT cables at different clients. ( I sold MIT for over 6 years)
MIT is inferior compared to Audioquest in sharpness in individual focus of instruments and voices and intimate stage. Also the blacklevel is a lot lower. Physical presence same story. The timing and drive is also a lot better with Audioquest.
The more expensive interconnects like the the silver Audioquest cables go a lot further than the MIT in the same price league.
There is a lot more decay. The 3 dimensional image is a lot more physical and instruments are a lot more apparent. You also hear more control and authority. In the lowest freq. you hear more layers. MIT is not able to give a small and intimate physical image. When you compare them you will understand how much better the Audioquest can give a realistic proportion of instruments and voices. This part has a very big influence on our emotion.
Every single part I want to create in a system has to do with a realistic view how it is in real. These parts all create more emotion in the overwhole sound.
MIT is at this moment far behind and they need to do something to catch up.
I was surprised hoe easy it is to beat them! |
Many of my clients still thought MIT are still very good cables. After a comparison with Audioquest many sold their MIT cables.
Now te fun part comes; you still can sell these cables for good prices. I can sell new Audiquest cables for the same prices which are a lot better than the used MIT cables.
Many people have not enough knowledge to understand and they are not aware of it. |
I am only interested in properties. Because they can give me the best sound overwhole. Together they give a stunning endresult.
When you know and understand the properties. You can use these parts very effective.
Many people buy expensive loudspeakers, bur forget to buy a good level in amps and cables. When I visit them I am often surprised about the low level of endresult.
I have proven over and over again how much better the same amp or source wil work with better cables. People need to listen to it to be convinced. But that is alright. I need to be concinced as well.
When I work for clients I Always want to create a stunning improvement or endresult. Every single part need to be extreme effective. That is why quality sells. Because it gives people the best feeling it is worth the money. |
What I said many times; you need to know the properties
of every single part in your system.
With cables it is the same thing. Because different brands build up differently a stage. They also sound differently. There are even differences in dynamics and in resolution.
That is why I use the properties cables own. My focus and interests are in these properties. Because I am aware of what they are and what they do.
So I can adapt them more precise in every single system.
I hope people will look further than only the brands they own.
When another brand can give me a better endresult, this will be the new reference. Audio is not about brands, but about the best quality in sound ( for me).
This can make a big difference compared to other brands who does not have these level of quality.
I compare all the time. That is why I send clients to other shops as well. I want them to understand the differences.
When your goal is always focused on the best, it is so much easier to compete to other people in this business.
Often their knowlegde is a lot lower, many things they don't see ( hear) or even don't understand. |
You see what I said: the Niagra is better balanced, a more musical mid freq. People Always prefer a more involving mid freq.
What I said many times as well; there is over 95% average or even poor quality in audio for sale. That is a big limitation for customers. There is comming more of this instead of stunning quality.
When I worked in a shop I got irritated by average quality. As a perfectionist I don't want it. So you also don't want to sell it to clients.
That is why I work with just a few brands. This makes it a lot easier and efficient. It is like a battle against the land of the blinds. ( or even better deafs) It is like
there is almost no resitance of other shops.
I see a lot of people in this business with just a little knowlegde. These people are for a big part responsible for the low level in quality to consumers.
There is more and more low quality or average quality comming on the market. Shops start to distribute these products themselves. They earn more money for it. They focus on selling this first. |
I sell only Monitor Audio. Because I can create a stunning 3 dimensional image with all their speakers. I never heard a brand what could beat competitors this easy. Compared to other brands in the same price league you Always loose sharpness in focus and a less wide and deep stage.
The brands in amps I use are: Onkyo, Primare and Pass labs. They give me all a 3 dimensional stage I need for Monitor Audio.
I use 2 brands for conditioners: Fisch ( Germany) and Kemp elektroniks. They both give me the best quality for the money compared to competitors.
I do a lot of Audioquest, still a little Kimber and for powercords I use Purist Audio.
In 7 months time I sold 26 Olive streamers. I still have to find a new brand what can give me the same quality as Olive can give. This is not easy to be honest.
When my website is ready I will have a few appointments with architects and shipyards. I have an option to sell Sonus Faber. There is good chance I will use this for its looks and build quality.
For plasma, beamers and screens I use: Samsung, Sony and Panasonic.
I am a very focussed person, So I don't use a lot of different brands. In the past I learned that this does not work efficient.
I can get many brands for good prices, but I seldom use them. |
I do a lot of what I call quality control. This means I monitor every single set where I sell just one or two parts.
If there are parts which limits the endresults too much, I will inform them about this. For me selling a tool ( amp, source, conditioner, cable or speakers) is more than just selling it.
I want to know the rest of the set as well. The endresult needs to be good in the overwhole sound. |
I sell a lot of Audioquest these days. This means I have contact with them many times a week.
They are very friendly and honest people. But....they do not have the knowledge about the differences of there products. For me it is just as simple and clear as one and one is two.
When I aks them what the properties are of Audioquest and what makes them different compared to other brands? They just don't know. For me this is difficult to understand. Because for me it is very very simple and clear.
How I think about brands ( I think and work only in properties) it is a lot different compared to how other people work and think. |
