Cable shoot-out: FIM against Valhalla


Before I begin with my next summary I would like to explain a few things.
First of all I apologize that my review is lacking a certain sophistication, but I am sure that you must have realized by now, that English is not my mother tongue.
Then I am fully aware, that I have a certain responsibility towards the cable manufacturers also, since these are all hard working people, trying to create an excellent product for their audiophile customers and I can imagine that my reviews could influence certain buying decisions.
All the cables I have received for auditioning are excellent products and even if I find that a cable does not sound optimal in my system when compared to the Valhalla, does not mean that in a different system it will sound a lot better. And please, let us not forget the price of the Valhalla!! This cables 7 times more expensive than most of the cables I review, so doesn’t it deserve to sound a little bit better? But does it mean it is still the superior cable, if you balance the price against the quality of the performance? I am not so sure anymore. It all depends what you are looking for. I personally can live with 10% less performance and save 5 times the money.
My intention was to find the best cables for my system and not the most expensive. I was very curious the see how good the Valhalla would sound in my system and then ventured out to compare certain other brands against the Valhalla. I have never intended to do an absolute cable review, comparing all the cables I have at home against each other and I state also, that I am in no way a professional reviewer or have a top notch system.
This said, I will post another short follow up:
Today I tried the famous FIM cables. I received the bi-wire version and it is a very well build cable also, very thick and pretty stiff. You need to bend the pig-tails a bit in order to make it fit your components, but I find that people have greatly exaggerated that this cable will lift components from the shelf , or break loose from the binding posts. My two Bel Canto Amps are not the heaviest amps in the world, but it took me only 5 minutes per channel to stick the cables to amp and speakers. And I am talking bi-wire here. I cannot see why anybody would have problems with the single wire version, if you bend the pig-tails slightly before installing the spade lugs to the components.
My first impression again was that it does not reach the qualities of the Valhalla in my system. It is a very musical cable, with a detailed sound stage, but the sound is a bit darker, although the bass is less pronounced than compared the Valhalla. It seems that the Valhalla is a pretty lean and very fast cable, the sound of a piano is awesome with the Valhalla, you really can hear the keys “bottom out”, whereas the FIM is heavier sound wise and slower, but maybe a bit more musical than the Valhalla. And I am sure it some systems this could be an advantage for the FIM.
In my system with the Bel Cantos and my Martin Logan Prodigy speakers though, it looks, like a leaner, brighter and faster cable will cater better to my musical taste. Price wise the FIM and Valhalla are pretty close together, the FIM biwire in 8ft. is $4400 whereas it is possible to get 8ft of bi-wired Valhalla for $5000.
So again, I personally tend more towards the Valhalla again, but to me it looks like the FIM has a potential to reach the Valhalla in a different system. That’s why it is so important to audition cables before buying.
After the recent audition, my personal decision would still be the following: (provided I cannot get an excellent deal on used Valhalla): Ensemble speaker cables with Pure Note Epsilon interconnects.
I have a few more cables coming in: Empirical Audio and Virtual Dynamics and I was able to lay my hands on a pair of Siltech Compass Lake interconnects, which are the most expensive interconnects in the world and I am very curious how they will compete against the Valhalla.
I will keep you updated.
tekunda
Brianw, why does it leave you wonder? I was told by Winston Ma, that I will not get a refund if I leave marks and we are talking a $5000 cable here. I already left tiny marks when trying to hook it up to the amps and speakers, but imagine more marks, by putting it on the cable cooker. Do you want to be out $5000 by a cable you might not like? Read my dilemma at: http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/bbs.html
in full detail. The name of the post:
FIM cable scared the sh..t out of me
I have mentioned this in other threads but the Argento VDM is the best. Please try it and you will not look back. This may seem a little thick but just listen and you will see (sorry B&W haha).

www.argento.dk
Tekunda, would you mind, giving me the serial number of the cable set? FIM hasn't highly polished copper spades ever, and hasn't used soft copper for spades in well over a year.

And, did you recieve a installation booklet with your cables?
Tekunda- I have to side with Brulee and Brianw. The sound you attribute to the FIM is certainly not that of a pair properly burned-in and installed. If I read correctly, you wish to state that an unoptimized set of FIM cables are unlikely, in your estimation, to achieve the sonic level of a set of fully optimized Valhalla in your system. Interesting.

Though many will appreciate your attempt at providing a useful comparison between these cables, it is obvious by your own admission that this simply isn't the case. I understand your apprehension concerning retrieving a refund for a set of cables that you wished to review and return. At the same time, I fully understand the desire for the manufacturer/dealer to expect or demand an auditioned item be returned in "like new condition". Without belaboring the point, tight contacts are absolutely necessary to maximize any cable's performance, and my experience has shown that even fully burned-in FIM cables require at least a day after they are manipulated into position to sound their best.

I do not wish to appear overly critical of your attempt, but an incomplete review is likely to be more confusing than no review. Your thread preamble is thoughtful and hopefully heeded by those who will give credence to your conclusions. I'm simply stating the comparison as you have stated is incomplete, and therefore, provides at best limited service for potential readers. Certainly, your frustration concerning the return policy and even your concern over resale value are valid points. However, without a completely evenhanded review process, your conclusions seem to be mostly conjecture.

Good luck in your search.
Goodness, I could be mistaken about the copper. The spades are plated with a gold like high polish plating, are to me quite soft, but of course could be made of silver or some sort of an alloy. Its kind of tough to look underneath the plating.
I received the cable directly from Winston Ma.
And in order to make my point, it really doesn't mattter, which alloy or metal the manufacturer has used to make the spades from.
Are you affiliated with FIM, btw, since you are asking about the serial numbers?