Clean, clear soundstage

connection pins did not fit on my amplifiers binding posts

I have been trying out a variety of speaker cables and innerconnects this past year. I can generally hear minor differences from one to another. I bought the bi-wiring version from Madisound for $200.00. This was the best deal I found on the net. I had used XLO and IXOS bi-wire speaker previous to this and there was no contest. The Nordost was much cleaner and clearer. Some have complained of less bass but I did not hear a lessening with these cables. The one problem with these cables is they are about 3 inches wide and are not easy to hide. Other than that I want to try more of their product line now!!

Great sound- easy to run under a run

not all that flexible

Having moved from AQ Midnight to this cable, I am impressed by the speed of this cable, though it is pretty clear to me that if your system is on the bright side, or your speakers are deficient in the low end, these cables won't do you any favors. The AQ Midnight, for instance, has a fatter bass. This can be great with some speakers, and with other, makes the speakers subjectively slower. Which brings me to a great strength of these cables- speed. If your system doesn't need a fat low end sort of cable, this cable is a fine cable. By the way, I am using this cable, bi-wired, with a pair of Revels.

Clarity, detail, fast

None for me

I had never believed that speaker cables made a difference until I started using these. Before with the monsters, my system sounded bright, fatiguing and on complex passages, it was muddy. Now it is clear and clean. My speakers sound the way they did at the dealer showroom! Gladiator soundtrack sounds fabulous, and so does everything else. I guess what it comes down to is that these speaker cables match perfectly with my system - they really brought out the detail in my system without being fatiguing.

Speakers: B&W cdm1se
Cd player: California Audio Labs dx2
Receiver: Outlaw 1050
Panamax Max1000+

Similar Products Used:

Monster cable biwire mc1xs

Very Fast,Transparent,Well Constructed,Bang for Buck Value

Inflexibility of Design is a Very Minor Drawback

I found an unused 5 meter pair on eBay and decided to give them a try. Though I hadn't read any of the reviews the recommendation of the fine folks at Madisound was enough to peak my interest. I figured that the speaker cables were one of the more cost effective upgrades I could make at the time.
When they arrived and I examined them I was immediately impressed with the surface contact area of their banana plug design. I proceeded to roll them out on the floor of my studio and admire my eBay bargain. The length was overcut so that 5m would be the working length after the gentle bends necessary for connection. The striking nature of a "cable" this flat is an odd bit of visual candy when you first see them.
Since my current speakers are not configured for Bi-wireing I used a pair of dual banana adapters so as to utilize both runs. I carefully laid the runs from the amp to the speakers and took one last listen to the old bullitproof buddies for the sense of immediate comparison. Then after cleaning all the contact surfaces I plugged in the Nordosts and settled into the critical sweet spot in my listening area. As I pressed the power button on the remote and the telltale LED changes from red to blue on the Krell the relay seems to take longer than usual, like Christmas morning when you're a kid. Then I press the play button.......
Diana Krall is sitting right in front of me, the transparent airy openess is stunning. I noticed that the bass is somewhat dampened compared to the old MC but this is not even a remote consideration. I switch to Hancocks' New Standard and hear nuances for the very first time oooooooooo. Neighbors, let's see. Adjust the subwoofer and put on a well mastered Carmina Burana and head straight to O Fortuna.
The Krell smiles as I punch up the volume control.....
Windows bow,the mailslot door goes horizontal and a few recent memories relocate. I can hear the size of the hall and the texture of the wall coverings. Neumanns separate themselves from Crown PZM supplimentals. Cymbals crash and shimmer. Tympani resonance is palpable and you can pick out the individuals in the chorus. I sit into the wee hours of the morning remeeting Miles,Jimi,Horowitz,Morrison (Jim&Van),Brand X,Weather Report and any other well recorded & engineered CDs that I remember I have. Over the next two weeks dramatic improvemant is evident and the initial bass frequency rolloff I noticed has blossomed into tight realism.

Bottom Line:
A Tactile Sense of Speed.
Beautiful Midrange, Highrange transparency.
Excellent Value, even at retail.
Highly Krell Complimentary.
Noticeable and Rewarding Break In Period.
Plus/Minus Flexibility Characteristics.
The Fine Folks at Madisound Like 'em.
Beats The Hell Out of Oversized Zip Cord!

Next Project:Madisound ScanSpeak Soloist Kit..........

Similar Products Used:

20yr. old Original Monster Cable (similar for me)

Mid-range and highs...great open sound.

Bass notes are not robust

I tested the Nordost Super Flatline wire along with the above mentioned wires over a 3 week period in my home. Here is my system:

Jolida 502b integrated amp
Sony CD player (Dont know model but it is a low-fi player)
B&W Nautilus 804 speakers
True Colors Cobra interconnect

First let me state, that this was my first foray into listening to "high end" speaker wire. I have never purchased any other wire except from Radio Shack. Since I recently bought a "high end" system I thought I would investigate more expensive speaker cable and see if the these cables "really" made a difference from the typical $20 radio shack wires that I had been using all of my life.

The results? Well ALL of the "higher end" cables were superior to the Radio Shack...the sound difference was noticeable to both me and my wife. Although I suspect the difference is not as dramatic to justify the 20x greater expense for some listeners. For an "audiophile" the Radio Shack would be unacceptable, but for "casual listeners" and perhaps for even some "audio enthusiasts" the Radio Shack will represent the best "value" for the money.


Anyway, here are my thoughts for the Nordost Super Flatline. The flatline was actually worst sounding out of my audition (except the Radio Shack). That does not mean they were terrible, but just not as good as the others. The biggest weakness coming from the Nordost was the lack of bass reproduction. I was listening to acoustic jazz and the bass line was very weak sounding when compared to ALL the other cables (including the Radio Shack). However, the midrange and highs of the Nordost ranked with the best of them. The aestetics of the Nordost are interesting to say the least. They are very flat, but about 2 inches wide. The thin copper strands that are fairly susceptible to being bent which will negatively impact the sound quality. I'd strongly recommend this wire if you want to place under a rug. Otherwise, I think there are better wires available in its price range.

Similar Products Used:

MIT Terminator 4 (Bi-Wired), Audioquest Slate, Audioquest Bedrock (Bi-Wired), Synergistic Research Quad Alpha (Bi-Wired, Radio Shack flat cable

I recently purchased these cables with the Blue Angel interconnects (to use with B&W 602). I auditioned MIT and Transparent but none of them are comparables to the definition of the Nordost set of cables. In fact, the bass is rich, deep but without any exaggeration and the high frequencies are also very present to give a high level of detail never heard before. The Flatline cables have a very extended frequency range and can reveal details like no others. The soundstage is excellent and all the instruments are well defined with no trace of congestion; you can hear all them even when the volume level is high. All the background instruments are revealed without the music being aggressive. You really must audition these cables before any other purchase, even more expensive one. Highly recommended!

This is the double run version of Flatline Gold. Built quality is superb up to the termination. I got it to replace the center channel 4VS which is too smooth for voice reproduction. The sound is detailed and fast, typical of Nordost but there is also a hint of warmth in the upper midrange. I prefer the more accurate sound of Blue Heaven but the Super is excellent for center channel application. Based on the value/performance, I have to give it 5 stars. By the way, terminating flat wires can be a real pain. I had to peel plastic on every single conductor!

Bought my set of Nordost Super Flatlines and Nordost Blue Heaven Interconnects about 2 weeks ago. I have upgraded my cables from Chord Cobra interconnect and Cable Talk 3.1 biwire.
Sound: Initial listening was a bit disappointing. I thought I had lost all the bass and imaging. However, 2 weeks later (after about 70 hrs), the sound improved a lot. The soundstage is MUCH wider and the clarity is incredible!
I'm pretty such it will improve after a bit more of burning in. I think one good thing about the upgrade is that these cables can handle all kinds of music better as opposed to my earlier cables (good as they be for their price!)

Verdict: Excellent for its price. Can handle complex passages without losing musicality.

My search for new speaker cable (around $100) is finally over. I've also listened to MonsterCable (my original), AudioMagic sceptre(?), Tara Prism biwire, and Goertz MI1. The Nordost superflatline is definitely the best of the bunch. It's got fantastic imaging, speed, and tonal accuracy. It is very well extended in both the highs and lows. And the timing detail is great. With these wires in place, I can now hear individual finger taps on tom-toms, With my old MonsterCable it sounded more like the toms where being hit by the palm. The nordost also give a much better feeling of ambience, room echo, soundstage depth, and air than any of the other cables I've tried. And on top of all this, they don't seem to give up anything in bottom-end weight, in fact there were times when I was listening and it felt like I added a subwoofer to my system. The bass is deep and very controlled. It is without a doubt the biggest improvement/dollar I've spent on my system (2.5meter $175 list). On a side note, I also want to say that the Goertz MI1 was also an excellent cable, and that I almost bought that one. It has many of the same abilities as the Superflatline, but was thin in the bass, and really hurt the bass of my already bass shy Acoustat 1+1. The Goertz dealer didn't have any MI2 or MI3 in stock for demo, so I can't comment on them, but they are both supposed to improve the bass response. Both the Nordost and Goertz were head-and-shoulders above the other cables I auditioned.
I also auditioned a set of Nordost Solar Wind interconnects, and these are also fantastic. Lots of detail, musical involvement, imaging, enhanced image localization. The only thing I'm not sure on is that it seems give up a little bass weight in trade for bass detail (fantastic represenation of standup bass). But this might just be that the bass blurring caused by my Tara Prism22 interconnects sounds weightier.

Associated equipment:
amp: Parasound HCA500
preamp: NAD 1155
CD: Philips 920
speakers: Acoustat 1+1

Clean, Fast, Dynamic, Excellent well-controlled bass, beats other cables hands-down

None - bests other cables by far

This cable is incredible. I got an incredible bargain, and I have never looked back. Many other more expensive cables have tried to unseat this in my house, but ALL have failed. In my opinion, this bi-wired copper cable is the best out there. Many others have way to much sibilance or are too bass heavy. In my room with my set-up this cable is the best. It is fast, very detailed, but not etched, or overly bright or sibilant. It does well with music or movies.
It is good on all kinds of music - classical, acoustical, and certainly rock. I have not found any deficit in bass. This is likely due to the Bryston 4B-ST, and PSB Stratus Gold-i's.

Do not overlook this cable at all. I find copper cable to be the best. I find silver wiring not to my liking - way overemphasis on treble.

This cable is balanced and neutral. It creates a wide soundstage, and is not veiled in any way.

It is clear why many people have this as their reference cable - you do not need to spend any more than this, I feel you would be wasting your money if you did.

Set-up:

Parasound AVC-2500u Pre/Pro
Bryston 4B ST
PSB Stratus Gold-i mains
Interconnects: Harmonic Technology Pro-Silway MKII
Source: Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 Tube CD Player

Similar Products Used:

Cardas Cross, DH Labs Q-10, Cardas Golden Cross,