[hawk13]

I know that if he doesn't, he'll make one for you if you custom order it.

What @sahmen and @Guidostrunk said. I just ordered a Vykari from him for my HEKse. He was incredible, start to finish. And he offers returns, which is rare for custom cables.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

Hi, I have 4 silver and 2 fusion norne iem cables and was just thinking about a copper to expand the collection for cable rolling. So I just wanted your thoughts on copper cable before I bothered Trever

 

[StephenTiger]

Hey Fam, any good IEMs to recommend? Broke the 4 braided I'm using recently, heard pretty much good reviews about Norse's cable. I'm into more mids, and larger soundstage, what do y'all think?

 

[Stu Paddasso]

My best iem is Jomo Trinity Brass it has the most cohesive sound signature that I've heard. I am using Norne Hyverd silver cable with it but will switch to silvergaurge when it gets back from being reterminated

Hey Fam, any good IEMs to recommend? Broke the 4 braided I'm using recently, heard pretty much good reviews about Norse's cable. I'm into more mids, and larger soundstage, what do y'all think?

 

[ksorota]

@Stu Paddasso @StephenTiger

Not sure about Iem cables but i know that Trevor loves discussing cable matching! I would reach out and get the conversation rolling, who knows he might be working on some new offerings

 

[Pharmaboy]

Recently took delivery of my new 7' Norne Audio Drausk cable with clear cover--and thanks to Trevor for great communication & customer service!

I recently compared the Drausk (which had been burned in ~25 hours) to my 2M ForzaAudioWorks HCP Noir cable (pictures below...wish there had been some sunlight). Both cables are balanced, with 4-pin XLR on the amp side & mini-XLRs on the headphone side. The amp is the Violectric V281; headphone is a silkwood ZMF Verite Open; music a wide range of blues, R&B, jazz, and classical.

Punchline: These 2 cables sound extremely similar. I’m really hard pressed to call out any sonic differences, no matter how minor. I might hear a slightly wider channel separation on the Drausk, and might hear a touch more smoothness on it. If so (and I’m not even sure), the differences are tiny. I could never tell these apart in a blind listening test...no way.

What these 2 cables have in common are these characteristics:

• These are quite physically substantial (read “not thin”) multi-strand cables. They look thick and heavy (something I prize in cables, because I'm that kind of shallow)
• But neither one feels thick & heavy. Quite the contrary: both feel light & supple in the hand, bend very easily, and “drape” wherever/however I want them to
• Both cables have near-zero microphonics. I can slide them across my pants or shirt and hear nothing as a result
• They share a refined, luminous sound I associate with fine copper cable designs: clear and shimmery highs that don’t sound piercing or edgy; a rich, wide midrange, full of spacial & sonic detail; and a natural, foundational weight in the entire bass range. Overall it's a rich, refined, musical sound...nothing ever sounds "forced."

You can’t go wrong with either cable. As high end cables go, they’re not crazy expensive (both <$500). The FAW is about 30% cheaper by length--but the Drausk is a little prettier, so we'll call it even.

Purely on the basis of looks/appearance, the Drausk takes the ribbon. It’s a beautiful cable design. The transparent covering shows off all that glittering copper wire. The interweaving of wires is tight, uniform, and very well done.

The HCP Noir has a plain black covering, but it’s also a handsome cable IMO. The interweaving of wires is slightly looser, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It looks great to me, just not quite as movie-star-pretty as the Drausk.

The only criticism I can make of the Drausk is that when you specify no price-added splitter, you actually get no splitter; whereas with the HCP Noir, when you don’t specify a price-added splitter, you get the sturdy black stock splitter. To be honest, this criticism is trivial; I got exactly what I specified w/the Drausk, which was no splitter (can’t complain about that). And the interweaving of the copper wires is so tight & well done that I don’t fear that the L vs R lead will separate further.

Finally, both ForzaAudioWorks & Norne Audio are run by extremely hardworking, dedicated owner/designers. My experience with both was very positive. Wait times can be on the long side, but in the scheme of things, it’s trivial because the cables are so worth the wait.

I can’t recommend both cables highly enough!

 

[jurumal]

Recently took delivery of my new 7' Norne Audio Drausk cable with clear cover--and thanks to Trevor for great communication & customer service!

I recently compared the Drausk (which had been burned in ~25 hours) to my 2M ForzaAudioWorks HCP Noir cable (pictures below...wish there had been some sunlight). Both cables are balanced, with 4-pin XLR on the amp side & mini-XLRs on the headphone side. The amp is the Violectric V281; headphone is a silkwood ZMF Verite Open; music a wide range of blues, R&B, jazz, and classical.





Punchline: These 2 cables sound extremely similar. I’m really hard pressed to call out any sonic differences, no matter how minor. I might hear a slightly wider channel separation on the Drausk, and might hear a touch more smoothness on it. If so (and I’m not even sure), the differences are tiny. I could never tell these apart in a blind listening test...no way.

What these 2 cables have in common are these characteristics:

• These are quite physically substantial (read “not thin”) multi-strand cables. They look thick and heavy (something I prize in cables, because I'm that kind of shallow)
• But neither one feels thick & heavy. Quite the contrary: both feel light & supple in the hand, bend very easily, and “drape” wherever/however I want them to
• Both cables have near-zero microphonics. I can slide them across my pants or shirt and hear nothing as a result
• They share a refined, luminous sound I associate with fine copper cable designs: clear and shimmery highs that don’t sound piercing or edgy; a rich, wide midrange, full of spacial & sonic detail; and a natural, foundational weight in the entire bass range. Overall it's a rich, refined, musical sound...nothing ever sounds "forced."

You can’t go wrong with either cable. As high end cables go, they’re not crazy expensive (both <$500). The FAW is about 30% cheaper by length--but the Drausk is a little prettier, so we'll call it even.

Purely on the basis of looks/appearance, the Drausk takes the ribbon. It’s a beautiful cable design. The transparent covering shows off all that glittering copper wire. The interweaving of wires is tight, uniform, and very well done.

The HCP Noir has a plain black covering, but it’s also a handsome cable IMO. The interweaving of wires is slightly looser, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It looks great to me, just not quite as movie-star-pretty as the Drausk.

The only criticism I can make of the Drausk is that when you specify no price-added splitter, you actually get no splitter; whereas with the HCP Noir, when you don’t specify a price-added splitter, you get the sturdy black stock splitter. To be honest, this criticism is trivial; I got exactly what I specified w/the Drausk, which was no splitter (can’t complain about that). And the interweaving of the copper wires is so tight & well done that I don’t fear that the L vs R lead will separate further.

Finally, both ForzaAudioWorks & Norne Audio are run by extremely hardworking, dedicated owner/designers. My experience with both was very positive. Wait times can be on the long side, but in the scheme of things, it’s trivial because the cables are so worth the wait.

I can’t recommend both cables highly enough!

Would you mind comparing sonic differences between these upgrade cables and the stock cable?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Would you mind comparing sonic differences between these upgrade cables and the stock cable?

ZMF recently upgraded its stock cable, at least for the VO, from the old ribbon/flat design to a woven/cloth covered copper cable. This new stock cable is what I used for the first 2 or 3 months with the VO. The sound was so outstanding, even magical to my ears, that I had no urge to try my excellent Forza HCP Noir cable with it.

Then 1-2 months ago I got the urge & switched cables. I was immediately rewarded with subtly better sound. I didn't do cable vs cable listening, switching back & forth, so pardon my lack of precision here. Here are the basics of what I heard:

• The sound overall seemed "bigger," with a little more of everything that matters (bass punch/impact; soundstage space; midrange density; and dynamics). I didn't have to strain to hear these things...
• I might have also heard a little more space around notes compared to stock (pretty subtle)
• The already superb tone & timbre of the VO -- its voicing -- didn't change. It's still the best HP I've ever heard for conveying nuances of instrumental/vocal timbre. Still, the overall sound got a bit larger and more dynamic
• Similarly, the unusually good speed & resolution of the VO didn't really change: still noteworthy, yet ear-friendly

In my experience bigger/better copper cables like the FAW HCP Noir & Norne Drausk open up the extremes of the frequency range in subtle but appreciable ways, with bass having a bit more depth & drama and the highs sounding a little smoother w/no loss of detail. I keep using the lame adjective "rich" for this sound because it's challenging to characterize sonic changes that are small but meaningful...

Overall sonic improvement w/a better cable maybe in the 5% range...? Purely subjective guess--but with a headphone of this quality, any positive changes/improvements in the sound are very welcome & satisfying.

 

[sahmen]

What @sahmen and @Guidostrunk said. I just ordered a Vykari from him for my HEKse. He was incredible, start to finish. And he offers returns, which is rare for custom cables.

If you ever get to compare the Vykari and the more standard Copper based cables, such as the Drausk, I would like to know your impressions about the sonic differences. I have found the differences between the S4 8-wire and the standard S4 to be quite interesting, and would like to know how things work on the Vykari side, beginning with how it compares with the Copper wires.

A comparison of the Vykari and standard Silver wires such as the S4 or the S3 too would be welcome. I am not saying I expect you to have all these cables at your disposal, so please do not feel too put upon to address these questions if they're not practical. I just thought I should ask just in case you or someone else. could help. Thanks.

 

[bigbeans]

A favorite of mine, Vykari and ZMF Verite Closed Purple Stablized.

 

[jurumal]

A favorite of mine, Vykari and ZMF Verite Closed Purple Stablized.

What a beaut! What kind of improvements did you notice over whichever cable you previously used with your VC?

 

[bigbeans]

What a beaut! What kind of improvements did you notice over whichever cable you previously used with your VC?

I have only used Vykari with VC. I do not possess ears gifted enough to hear the differences between cables unfortunately , I purchase cables for their craftsmanship and beauty (which is evident with Vykari ).

 

[jurumal]

No worries man. Let me just point out once again how gorgeous that thing is

 

[iPaintCode]

I’m curious how long is the wait from ordering to door from others over the last 3-6 months? I’m around a month and a half so far and no email response.

 

[jurumal]

I’m curious how long is the wait from ordering to door from others over the last 3-6 months? I’m around a month and a half so far and no email response.

I too am curious. I just placed an order for a Drausk last night. What cable did you order? When I was able to catch Trevor last, he mentioned there was a global shortage on silver. Depending on what you ordered, you may be impacted by this issue.