NVA INTERCONNECT REVIEWS
TIS
The TIS interconnects were to replace a pair of SSP MkII’s between DAC and NVA M600 monoblocks. The SSP’s were sounding nice, so when the TIS’ were dropped in for the first time I wasn't sure what to expect. First impressions were interesting - by comparison the SSP’s were more laid back and recessed, but I had grown used to this sound. So initially whilst TIS were more up front with greater detail, a bigger soundstage and more bass, they were a tad overwhelming, and for a while I was swapping back and forth not sure which I preferred. But this has changed with time and the longer I have had TIS in the system the more I have come to appreciate them. The detail, soundstage and increased bass has evolved to include a much more relaxed feel. To my ears they took about 200 to 300 hours of play for them to fully break in. Now when I swap back to SSP MkII the SSP’s still sound great but TIS are definitely more musical and revealing. Since this purchase I now need a further pair of interconnects, so TIS it is..
TIS
Just picked up my TIS 0.5 interconnect cable and all I can say is, Oh my god the BASS is amazing this is without any run in time. Will post more in a week or so. All I can say is that I am really impressed. Cheers & Merry Crimbo.
TIS
I posted my initial experiences in October and they stand. In the meantime the cable has continued to improve. The level of detail is amazing and even better, it plays music. There is a down side however. Poor recordings still sound poor - even worse in some cases. There is also music which I am accustomed to hearing as a "wall of sound" e.g. Fleetwood Mac, Clannad. The increased level of detail doesn't suit all of them. That's not the cable's fault but changes the enjoyment quotient. Conversely there is some music that sounds sublime - Elbow, The Doves and Opeth's Damnation. However, there is still a trace of upper mid range hardness. I can live with it for the other benefits I get (even at the price - yes I bought it) and it does seem to be diminishing slowly. That's consistent with my experience with other high quality cables (or maybe it's my ears?). Yes I would recommend this cable to anyone with a reasonable system. It brings out the best the system can do and it doesn't smother the unpleasant bits. You have been warned. Enjoy!
TIS
This TIS cable is exceedingly good and probably even better than that. I was not prepared for the jump in the musical ability of my system when adding this cable. I use a super sound cord in my other other system and knew that was good but this cable is so much in a different league it could almost be from another planet.
TIS
Listened to a few albums whilst warming the system up to listening temp (ouch audiophile bollocks spoke already :) but for crucial comparison between my old cable (Mark Grant GH1500HD) and the very smart looking NVA 70cm TIS connector, I chose the rather fantastic Laura Marling - Semper Femina (released October 2017) Vinyl LP. In particular the first three tracks…. Soothing / The Valley / Wild Fire. The TIS doesn't take long to show it's differences between my usual cable, there's a sense of the music being slightly louder (I check the volume) but I'm certain I haven't messed with the volume? (I haven't) But on the second and then third track I can hear that its certain elements of the track(s) that are easier to perceive. Vocals are a little more forward in the presentation, not overpowering or bright just better, I can hear the lyrics with more clarity (ever had that "Ohh that's what she's been Singing" moment) one or two words really pop out as new to me. Musically there's little different in its overall presentation than my usual Mark Grant but I'm finding with more listening that the rhythm track (background) is also easier to pick up and follow. Violins or acoustic guitar….. the pluck of a double bass also comes in with a sharper front edge (Transient?) which I like. Altogether a more focused listen, I do like being able to see 'behind' the singer to instruments being played and the extra information in the vocals is quite welcome.
TIS
The improvement brought about by the additional length of TIS is considerably more than that by the first length and is not subtle. It mainly concerns the higher frequencies where there has been a transformation. To optimise the sound I have needed to change the filter setting on the Qutest from white (Incisive neutral) to green (Incisive neutral HF roll-off). My understanding, though I am non tech and could be wrong, is that the TIS is able to transfer frequencies beyond the range of human hearing which have an effect on those we can hear. Cymbals now have a presence and clarity which was not there before. With regard to the impact of crashes this is very apparent on tracks such as Queen’s “Tie your mother down”. However the improvement brought about by more subtle cymbal work is even more pleasing. I am fully appreciating the contribution of the high-hat for the first time, very noticeable on favourite tracks such as Neil Young’s “Like a hurricane” and a lot of Def Leppard material. To sum up, TIS all the way from DAC to mono blocks, has vastly improved high frequency performance and increased the amount of what is classed as low level detail coming out of the speakers. Having one length was a worthwhile upgrade, but two is the equivalent of a major component improvement in the context of my digitally fronted system.
TIS
I have been using NVA interconnect for many years starting with Soundcord and ending up with the TIS, at the moment I am using an AP20 with headphone output and a SONY x555es with Sennheiser 650. Every time you upgrade with NVA you seem to get quite a marked improvement particularly with SSC to SSP however nothing prepared me for the the shock of moving from SSP to TIS. SSP is a really excellent cable but TIS is just in a different class. Sound stage is massive, vocals are so real you could actually be in the same room. I wont go on about more detail or better bass and treble but just let me say that a veil has has been lifted that I was unaware of. Everything is just so natural and musical. I have never been a great one for lyrics but that has changed as they seem to communicate so much better. I think really that is what this cable is all about, communication of the emotion that is in the music along with amazing clarity detail and smoothness. By the way something no other review has mentioned is these things really boogie they have had me up and dancing quite a few times which at 70 is probably a bit unedifying but I cant help it.
TIS
Hope my limited English is enough for short impressions. Bought a pair TIS MKII interconnects for connection between phono2 and P50sa. I already had 2 pairs TIS MKI, so the whole way from turntable to power amps is now a mix of old and new TIS. The TIS MKII replaced an SSP MKII. I immediately noticed a big improvement in sound and musicality when TIS MKII was in place. I had to move my Cube1 20cm away from the wall, there was more bass with TIS and more dynamics, detail, space, better highs and more insight into the music etc...I like to use TIS the whole signal way, as it is much better as when mixed with other interconnects (my experience). Now I enjoy phono very much. The next step will be TIS in the digital section. Thank you for making such a good interconnect. Not cheap but worth every penny.
TIS
Been using a 1m pair of TIS for a few months now. I wanted to try the top interconnect and have now come to some conclusions about its performance. The cable is providing the signal to a P90SA and second statement amp. Sources are PL71/Denon 103/NVA phono 2 with a single BBPSU for records and a Mac mini with a Teddy Pardo dac for digital. When I listen to music, I want to hear musical instruments sounding like musical instruments and ensembles/bands playing like ensembles/bands. It sounds like a simple requirement but I have lost count of the number of systems I have heard which fail the test. The TIS is certainly an improvement over SSC on both of my criteria. What did surprise me was the leap with the digital replay. I have no idea why this is so and not really interested in knowing why. I can’t find the words to describe what the cable does other than to say that I have been changing between SSC and TIS on both analogue and digital and it’s quite clear that there is an improvement with the TIS. It’s not more bass or higher highs but a fundamental sense that the music is more “correct”. I wouldn’t mind comparing some so called high end cables with eye watering price tags against the TIS.
SSP
I recently purchased some LS5 speaker cables and an SSP MK2 RCA interconnect. Wow!!! These cables are stunning. I have owned numerous top quality Chord cables in the past, this NVA stuff is in a different league, they are beautiful sounding cables that let your gear breathe, nothing added or taken away. I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, you will definitely notice the difference. I own early Farlowe Exposure amplification and boy do these cables compliment, just couldn’t believe the difference, top notch.
SSP
I have been a fan of these cables since my first NVA system was delivered and set up by “the Doc” back in 2015. I stupidly sold off most of it thinking the grass was greener elsewhere. I was re introduced via this purchase and I have to ask myself what I have been playing at over the past few years! So using the SSP with my P20 pre amp or direct from my Dac to my monoblocks has brought back the ‘fizz’ to my one source system. Difficult to quantify, but continuous foot tapping has been the order of the day and far more listening to random tracks from my collection. Fair to say it has just made things more musical to my ears - any other insightful technical comments are meaningless to me as I don’t understand the concepts of many comments made by so called experts. This cable does the business for me and that is what is important! Long may it continue!
SSP
Recently got a pair of ssp mk2. I’ve not been able to really tell the effects as I have been in a constant state of change trying to get everything positioned etc and wanted it in my vinyl input- my turntable is always the last to be set up. Anyway the recent changes allowed me to use a single cable as coaxial from cd to dac- to which I have been listening to a lot lately- well- I was already happy with the performance, adding the mk2 had me in awe- it was surreal- control, timing and Foot tappingly engaged- The only way to describe it is as if there was a conductor now controlling each song, placing instruments, vocals, space etc. Big thumbs up from me...
SSP
I am very impressed with the SSP Mk2 digital coaxial cable. Its much better than a Chord Signature coaxial cable I tried which was about 4 times the cost used! I will likely look into buying the SSP Mk2 analogue cables and maybe speaker cable from you in due course but have decided not to buy any more hifi until the balanced power unit has arrived and I hopefully establish a proper baseline.
SSC
After so many years of trying different interconnects, the SSC received yesterday has redefined what I’d ever expect straight out of the box without burn-in.
SSC
This is the fourth time I have bought a pair of these outstanding cables, a short run from the Well Tempered to the Trigon, another from the Trigon to the (NVA) passive pre, another from the Cyrus CD7Q to the pre, and now a longer run out to the Meridians. Each one has been a breath of fresh air. No hype, no hyperbole, these just get out of the way, they do literally vanish acoustically, leaving you wondering how you ever put up with the now obvious colouration from other cables. A true hifi bargain, I simply love them.
SSC
So, I bought SSC digital lead sometime ago and have listened few CDs after putting it between my Teac CD player and cheap "Docdac". SSC replaced basic origin live cable with good result. SSC makes music more enjoyable and music just flows to my ears in away that previous cable just couldn't do. Fine cable with fine price, what more could you want.
SC
This is very good. Give it some time. Money well spent. Even on very good stuff.
SC
I've been using Sound Cord Interconnect cables, on my humble headphone listening rig (since 2014). As for their sound. At first, I found the Sound Cord slightly lean and brightly lit. But not in any intimidating way! After listening for a while, I came to the realisation that they sound decent, and can equal cables costing £150-200. For beer money your getting a decent cable, that gives you a good ''live'' raw sound. I also like Sound Cords for their fit and forget style. No silly thrills happening here, just simple average Joe!