Bright! Not musical!No Bass!

The equipments: Audiolab 8000A integrated amp
Marantz CD63MKII KI-Signature cdp
Tannoy Mercury M2 speakers
Atacama 24SE stands
Harman/Kardon TU-930 tuner
Nordost BlackKnight interconnect
QED Qudos Silver & Cable Talk 4.1 speaker cables

I'm looking for this type of cable for quite sometimes. After reading various review in hifi magazines and internet, I bought this flat cable last month for S$110.
When I first hook-up my CD63KI-S cdp to 8000A amp using my old i/c, its sound bright and a bit harsh. At that time I'm using Daytona i/c and Audio Spec speaker cables.
First, I replace the speaker cables to Cable Talk 4.1 and I didn't found any different or audible sound improvement. When I start using the BlackKnight, the
sound become flat and the harshness is still there. But after a few days, I discover the soundstage become wider and bass produced by M2 become more control and smooth. I think, even M2 got laid back sound, its balance-up by BlackKnight.
I even get more detail music when change Cable Talk 4.1 to Qudos Silver. The bass in Moonlight on Havasu Creek by Nicholas Gunn in Music Of The Grand Canyon become tighter and I'm now can hear more instruments and enjoy the atmospheric effect in Flight Over North Rim.
The Nordost BlackKnight interconnect is the most worth thing I ever buy for hifi essentials. I highly recommend it for the system with lacks of dynamic and if you need more details and open soundstage.
Next, I should try Red Down or Blue Heaven.

In a price-compatible system these interconnects can astound: upgrading to these interconnects is almost as good as upgrading the electronics! I was astonished when I replaced my Audioquest Jades by the Nordosts: all of a sudden there was much more clarity, focus and detail, tighter and deeper bass - and all without a hint of harshness! I use them between a Planet and a Creek 4330: with the Jades the sound was too laidback and soft, but now it's as transparent and clear as it gets. A GREAT cable, then!

These cables deserve the "transparent" attribiute..They boosted the dynamics and the soundstage became more detailed with more air and not a hint of harshness.$90/pair in Turkey-good value...
Note: They reveal their merits after a few days of break-in...

I've been trying out new interconnect for a few weeks now. Mainly Tributaries SCA-300 Silver , XLO/VDO ER-5 , Nordost Solar Wind and Black Knight.After listening I decided I need a "BRIGHT" cable so I'm going with the Nordost line. I thought the Solar Wind were too "BRIGHT" for my speakers so I went a step down to the Black Nights. They are PERFECT!. Some people complain that these cables lack bass and amplify the highs. Well their right, the bass was lowered MODERTLY. But the highs VERY clear and MUCH more detailed. This is a very "TRANSPARENT" interconnect. Besides anyone really concerned with bass should buy a Powered sub and not use their speakers for low fequencies.

System Description:
Rotel RTC-965 Pre-amp
Rotel RB-985mkII 5ch AMP
Fronts: Polk Audio RT1000p (soon to be replaced by B&W Nautlis 804 or 805's)
Center: Polk Audio CS350-LS(soon to be replaced by B&W Nautlis HTM2)
Rear: B&W DM601
Sub: B&W ASW-2000

Very neutral, extremely clear

Slightly thin in the bass region

I have owned 2 pairs of Black Knights for about 5 months now. These were my first foray into high end interconnects. I upgraded from Radio Shack Gold Series cables. Since purchasing these, I have also purchased (for comparison purposes) AudioQuest Topaz X2, and MIT Terminator 3's, all of which go for around $80-$90 retail. After several months of comparing the cables, I finally feel ready to submit a review.

I feel fairly confident to say that the Black Knights came out the clear winner over the other cables. The are very neutral (I'm sure that's been said 1,000 times about Nordost cables), and demonstrate extreme clarity in voices and instruments. I try to talk in real-world terms, not the pseudo-scientific audiophile terms. What I can say about these cables is that they deliver a certain truthfulness to music that the other cables lacked. It sounded more like I was listening to the artist rather than listening to a recording. It's hard to put it into words, but these cables have a "goosebump" effect that the others lacked. They also separated voices and instruments FAR better than the other cables.

That having been said, the other cables were by no means terrible. The MIT's came in 2nd place, with the AQ's dragging way behind in third. Both of those cables exhibited more bass than the Black Knights, but it seemed to be very muddy and incoherent and took away from the music as much as it added.

I listen to lots of different kinds of music, so I tried to compare these cables using a variety of CD's. I found that for vocals, jazz, opera, pop, acoustic, etc, the Nordost cables really shine above the others. The differences are much smaller when switching to heavier rock. I found the MIT's to be much more forward and compressed sounding, which seems to be a somewhat desireable trait when listening to Metallica. Still, I couldn't say there was a clear winner with that type of music.

So, to make a long story short, the cables make a welcome addition to my collection. I would highly recommend giving them a try, but make sure to BURN THEM IN for at least a week before doing any serious listening. Of course, the caveat emptor here is that everything may be completely opposite for someone using different equipment, but isn't that what makes this audio stuff fun?!

CD's used for comparisons:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Soundtrack (Great CD!)
Steve Vai - Fire Garden
Metallica - Metallica
Sade - Best of Sade
Fifth Element Soundtrack (The opera song, track 14)

Equipment used:
California Audio Labs Icon CD Player
B&K AVP-1030 Preamp
Parasound HCA-1000A Power amp
Nordost Super Flatline MKII Biwire Speaker Cables
Paradigm 9seMkIII (Monitor 9)
Also used my (piece of sh!t) RCA DVD player for some CD listening, run through a Kimber Digital-X cable using the DAC in the B&K preamp.

Similar Products Used:

AudioQuest Topaz X2, MIT Terminator 3, Radio Shack Gold Series