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Brought a new Tweak home today to try out.

Today I stopped by the local hi end store to compare speaker wires and ended up listening to my $7 hardware store wires to a pair of Nordost that retail for $2,000. Admittedly, there was a difference, but not enough to justify the cost. I'd rather spend $5,000 for the Pathos integrated amplifier that I was listening to that made the $7 speaker wires and a pair of Focal 807v speakers (not as good as mine) sound better than my speakers. It was an amazing display of clarity.

In any case, when I told the owner/salesman my thoughts and the reality of my budget, he pointed me toward a set of Nordost Sort Kones. I've heard them in the store on an expensive CD player and he promised he'd take them back if I wasn't sold on them with my system. So far, I think I'm impressed, but need to do more listening this week.
mceljo
mceljo OP
983 posts
 
I got the AC kones. They are the 2nd step up and the only ones I've seen in the store.

I asked an electrical engineer friend of mine about the ground controls and he actually thought the concept was pretty sound other than some of their specifics were absolute BS. His biggest concern was that the product didn't look big enough to peform the function they were intended to do.

He commented that based on the advertisements alone he'd probably choose them over the Sort Kones. I'm pretty certain that he'll approve of the Sort Kones once he gets a chance to listen.
gbmcleod
396 posts
 
Mceljo, I agree completely with you about the Sort Kones. I have the aluminum steel, aluminum ceramic and the Bronze (the titanium are stupidly expensive).
Do you have yours pointed with the narrower end on the component? I had originally placed the narrow end downward,onto the platform the equipment was on, and thought it good until I realized the ambience was gone. I went to Nordost's site, saw that the narrow end is supposed to be against the component, changed it and was pretty surprised that it sounded better.
These are excellent devices, but Nordost's pricing is somewhat expensive, as it usually is....
mceljo OP
983 posts
 
I have mine big end down, I wouldn't have guessed it would be possible to do it any other way.

I've only had two people come over to see if they could hear a difference and one heard no difference and his girlfriend thought she could hear some differences, but wasn't convinced that the kones always made for a positive difference. I think it was simply a recognition of the music itself and she wasn't really hearing anything related to the equipment. I couldn't hear much difference that day either. Sitting on the opposite end of the couch is almost like turning headphones around for changing what you hear.

I have one other friend that I expect to be able to hear a difference if anyone can.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
drubin
3,240 posts
 
How tall are the Sort Kones?
mceljo OP
983 posts
 
A couple of inches I would guess.
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