[AudioDuck]

My Vygarde has just arrived - its just beautiful!
Its my 3rd headphone cables from Norne after Drausk and Solvine.

Compared to prev cable, now Susvara has bigger slam, wider soundstage, more detailed and more “grandeur”.

Its almost as big upgrade from Qutest to TT2. I just couldnt believe it!

Its also flexible, non microphonic and not easily entangled.

Thank you Trevor @TigzStudio for your magic!

I also have his new 20awg silver iem cable - but I havent had a chance to
do proper listening

My Vygarde has shipped and is inbound… much excitement! My ZMFs are waiting impatiently.

 

[lycos]

My Vygarde has shipped and is inbound

Congrats!! Keen to see how it looks with your zmf!

 

[lycos]

I also have his new 20awg silver iem cable - but I havent had a chance to
do proper listening

Norne 20.4awg silver iem cable:


Size comparison with other 22, 24. 26awg iem cables that I have:




This cable has outstanding details, surprisingly smooth (no peakiness that cheaper silver cable usually has), sounds grand.
It works great with my Odin!

The only drawback is less punchy bass (i guess thats the drawback being pure silver).
Im going to order a fusion instead in the future for different flavour.

 

[Slim1970]

That Meze Silver looks a bit "copper-ish"....

The Meze cable is silver plated copper.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

My Vygarde has just arrived - its just beautiful!
Its my 3rd headphone cables from Norne after Drausk and Solvine.

Compared to prev cable, now Susvara has bigger slam, wider soundstage, more detailed and more “grandeur”.

Its almost as big upgrade from Qutest to TT2. I just couldnt believe it!

Its also flexible, non microphonic and not easily entangled.

Thank you Trevor @TigzStudio for your magic!

I also have his new 20awg silver iem cable - but I havent had a chance to
do proper listening

Did you A/B test your Qutest and TT2 at the same time you A/B tested your Vygarde and your prior cable?

I ask because audio memory can be very deceiving. If you just heard the new cable and were thrilled by the sound, that may have reminded you of the time that you upgraded your Qutest to TT2. But, unless you A/B test them at the same time, it is a dubious claim.

I own 4 Norne cables from S3 to S4 to Vykari. I love them alll and they are my favorite cables. I also own Hugo 2 which is similar to Qutest and TT2 and none of my cables are comparable to the improvement in sound quality from Hugo 2 to TT2.

 

[AudioDuck]

Congrats!! Keen to see how it looks with your zmf!

Impressions from some listening so far are below. Photos to come soon!

I am already the proud owner of a Norne Audio Drausk, the Norne top-of-the-line pure copper cable, which I love. I currently use the Drausk with a ZMF Auteur, which is a phenomenal combination.

It was an easy choice to return to Trevor and Norne Audio for my next high-end cable purchase, this time to complement my ZMF Eikon- though of course I can use either cable with either headphone.

This time Trevor was allowing discounted pre-orders of the Vygarde, his mid-range silver/copper fusion cable. I put in my order, and as communicated up front, he built my cable once materials arrived in early June.

As before, the Norne cable arrived meticulously pacakaged in a branded box, inside which was a nice zipper pouch with the Norne logo, inside which was a branded anti-static bag with the Vygarde.

The cable is immaculately made, with gorgeous sleeving, the customary (and cool) Norne splitter and top-notch Eidolic connectors. I ordered my Vygarde with black sleeves with a copper tracer, with a copper/black splitter and gunmetal connectors. I can’t imagine a sleeved cable looking or handling/feeling any better, frankly. The braiding is precise and excellent, and the cable is completely non-microphonic.

The sound has a distinct clarity and phenomenal range- the deepest bass and extended treble is very evident. The first image that comes to mind is clear, flowing water.

While the Drausk’s calling card is an exceptional sense of organic presence, the Vygarde seems to be defined by incredible clarity and exceptional micro-details. Acoustic guitars have simply a lifelike body, with the texture of the strings and their vibrations resonates as if they were feet away (I am currently listening to The Mountain Goats’ “Tallahassee” album).

Yet the “organic” sound is not missing, either- listening to Tori Amos’ “The Beekeeper”, voices singing in harmony are easily placed in space and separated with air between them. Drums and bass guitar have substantial drive and PRaT, as well as nice punch.

It is frankly going to be hard to crown a favorite between the Drausk and the Vygarde, as they both bring substantial virtues to any musical party. The Vygarde leads the contest in clarity and definition, and skews towards absolute neutral. The Drausk casts a slightly warmer glow on the stage, more like hearing a performer at your favorite pub, as opposed to the fave concert hall the Vygarde depicts.

Fortunately, I now own and love both cables, so I can match the “venue” as needed. Thanks Trevor!

(For the record, the amp I’m using is a Woo Audio WA2 OTL tube amp, fed by a Schiit Audio Gungnir multi-bit DAC as the source.)

 

[lycos]

Did you A/B test your Qutest and TT2 at the same time you A/B tested your Vygarde and your prior cable?

Good point. I upgraded from Qutest to TT2 a month before I upgraded from my prev cable to Vygarde.
I dont have Qutest anymore but I have Hugo2 instead. Will do a test again.

 

[AudioDuck]

Impressions from some listening so far are below. Photos to come soon!

Photos for those of you who might be interested.

Of note, after doing some back-and-forth, I’ve moved the Vygarde to the Auteur and the Drausk to the Eikon.

It may seem counterintuitive (it certainly is to me!), but the clarity and crisp imaging of the Vygarde meshes well with the Auteur- too much of a good thing, I’d have thought. And the organic, more “live pub” sound of the Drausk works really well with Eikon, too. Music works in mysterious ways…

 

[Pharmaboy]

Impressions from some listening so far are below. Photos to come soon!

I am already the proud owner of a Norne Audio Drausk, the Norne top-of-the-line pure copper cable, which I love. I currently use the Drausk with a ZMF Auteur, which is a phenomenal combination.

It was an easy choice to return to Trevor and Norne Audio for my next high-end cable purchase, this time to complement my ZMF Eikon- though of course I can use either cable with either headphone.

This time Trevor was allowing discounted pre-orders of the Vygarde, his mid-range silver/copper fusion cable. I put in my order, and as communicated up front, he built my cable once materials arrived in early June.

As before, the Norne cable arrived meticulously pacakaged in a branded box, inside which was a nice zipper pouch with the Norne logo, inside which was a branded anti-static bag with the Vygarde.

The cable is immaculately made, with gorgeous sleeving, the customary (and cool) Norne splitter and top-notch Eidolic connectors. I ordered my Vygarde with black sleeves with a copper tracer, with a copper/black splitter and gunmetal connectors. I can’t imagine a sleeved cable looking or handling/feeling any better, frankly. The braiding is precise and excellent, and the cable is completely non-microphonic.

The sound has a distinct clarity and phenomenal range- the deepest bass and extended treble is very evident. The first image that comes to mind is clear, flowing water.

While the Drausk’s calling card is an exceptional sense of organic presence, the Vygarde seems to be defined by incredible clarity and exceptional micro-details. Acoustic guitars have simply a lifelike body, with the texture of the strings and their vibrations resonates as if they were feet away (I am currently listening to The Mountain Goats’ “Tallahassee” album).

Yet the “organic” sound is not missing, either- listening to Tori Amos’ “The Beekeeper”, voices singing in harmony are easily placed in space and separated with air between them. Drums and bass guitar have substantial drive and PRaT, as well as nice punch.

It is frankly going to be hard to crown a favorite between the Drausk and the Vygarde, as they both bring substantial virtues to any musical party. The Vygarde leads the contest in clarity and definition, and skews towards absolute neutral. The Drausk casts a slightly warmer glow on the stage, more like hearing a performer at your favorite pub, as opposed to the fave concert hall the Vygarde depicts.

Fortunately, I now own and love both cables, so I can match the “venue” as needed. Thanks Trevor!

(For the record, the amp I’m using is a Woo Audio WA2 OTL tube amp, fed by a Schiit Audio Gungnir multi-bit DAC as the source.)

Great comments!

People sometimes forget how hard it is to put into words, what you hear from audio gear...

 

[AudioDuck]

Great comments!

People sometimes forget how hard it is to put into words, what you hear from audio gear...

Thanks very much! I guess the Nornes inspired me…

In other news, I was the recipient of a very generous gift that has allowed me to purchase a pre-owned Norne… an Einvaldi. This will become my Stellia cable. It will take a couple of weeks to reach me, but it will be well worth the wait, I’m sure.

I’ll try to be patient… thank goodness for the other Nornes that can tide me over. Heh.

 

[jurumal]

Thanks very much! I guess the Nornes inspired me…

In other news, I was the recipient of a very generous gift that has allowed me to purchase a pre-owned Norne… an Einvaldi. This will become my Stellia cable. It will take a couple of weeks to reach me, but it will be well worth the wait, I’m sure.

I’ll try to be patient… thank goodness for the other Nornes that can tide me over. Heh.

OCC gold conductors?

 

[AudioDuck]

OCC gold conductors?

Actually, OCC silver/OCC copper hybrid. The lighting in the photo is just on the warm side.

Trevor @ Norne had this as his second-highest hybrid cable option in his lineup a year or two ago… but the pandemic drove silver prices up beyond what the market would accept.

Hence Einvaldi cables (as well as Vykari, the top-of-the-line hybrid silver/copper design) are only in the second-hand market at this point. I was very, very lucky to find one.

 

[jurumal]

Wow. Congrats! I definitely haven't seen this model before, which to mind makes it especially rare. The Vykari was the last TOTL model that generated a ton of buzz. Hope to hear one someday.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Thanks very much! I guess the Nornes inspired me…

In other news, I was the recipient of a very generous gift that has allowed me to purchase a pre-owned Norne… an Einvaldi. This will become my Stellia cable. It will take a couple of weeks to reach me, but it will be well worth the wait, I’m sure.

I’ll try to be patient… thank goodness for the other Nornes that can tide me over. Heh.

Welcome to the club!

 

[Levanter]

Just got the newer version of the Vygarde for my 800s few days ago and it looks great. Though there is no L/R label on the plugs so wanted to make sure, is the red color the indicator for the right cup?