Post by MartinT on Apr 16, 2016 21:28:44 GMT
I wrote a piece on NVA LS7 speaker cable some years ago on AoS, but that was deleted in the great cull of my posts by the owner when I tried to refer back to it. The salient point was that it compared well with TQ Ultra Black speaker cable, which I was using back then, at a considerably lower price. I found that the balance between them was somewhat different, in favour of midrange detail and a very extended and smooth treble quality.
The TSCS (The Speaker Cable Statement) is a design enhancement over its predecessor the LS7. NVA state that it includes "extra thicker uninsulated solid silver cores and an overall faraday cage". The 2m pair tested were very nicely finished, in separate positive and return runs, and finished with 4mm gold plated z-plugs. Price is £700 for this set. For comparison, my current speaker cables are Coherent 6D, costing £2300.
This review is going to read a little like my review of the TIS interconnects. Remarkably, they have very similar characteristics. I’ll cut to the chase and say right away that the TSCS is better than I remember the LS7 to be. It’s hard to be exact as my system has considerably more resolving power now than it did then, and is much more revealing of cable differences. However, there is no doubt that NVA have taken a step forward and made an already very good cable quite remarkable, for little or no increase in price.
What the TSCS does breaks down into four areas as follows:
1) midrange detail is superb, with vocal qualities brought to the fore and a plethora of heretofore unheard tiny cues coming to the surface
2) dynamics are some of the best I have heard, from explosive macro-dynamics to the tiny micro-dynamics often buried in the mix
3) soundstage is wide and deep with highly focussed spatial positioning
4) treble extension is superb, non-harsh and with filigree detail
What this does is make music sound more exciting, more vivid, more 'there'. The ebb and flow, the sense of swell followed by quiet sections down to a very low noise floor means that it’s sometimes hard to set the volume just right – a problem I don’t mind having at all because the TSCS (and TIS from pre- to power amp) allows my system to play hard without going harsh.
A few examples: the drums in Eyes on the Prize by Mavis Staples are extremely vibrant and alive, the whole song picking up an elevated vibe; the tinkly glass-like sounds in I’ll Find My Way Home by Vangelis and Jon Anderson have a new quality of metallic sound I’ve not noticed before; the huge and infectious beat in Bobby Reid by Lucette, not to mention her wonderfully pure and powerful voice; the large sense of space after the bass intro in Words by Low; the sheer beauty of a live recording done really well in Hallelujah By Leonard Cohen.
The overall balance differs between the TSCS and 6D, with the former having powerful tight bass (in fact, very tight which helps the impression of speed and dynamics) but the 6D excavating to subterranean levels of extension. In the midrange, I think the TSCS wins by a small margin in overall transparency, an extraordinary achievement. Their treble characteristics are the most closely aligned, both extended and neither showing any harshness. That I can make such a close comparison with the best cable I’ve ever owned is testament to how good the TSCS is.
So far, the ‘Statement’ range of NVA cables have impressed me very much. They are undoubtedly high end offerings, capable of being used in highly resolving systems, but they simply don’t have the elevated prices displayed by many competitive products. For that achievement alone, respect is due. Highly recommended.
The TSCS (The Speaker Cable Statement) is a design enhancement over its predecessor the LS7. NVA state that it includes "extra thicker uninsulated solid silver cores and an overall faraday cage". The 2m pair tested were very nicely finished, in separate positive and return runs, and finished with 4mm gold plated z-plugs. Price is £700 for this set. For comparison, my current speaker cables are Coherent 6D, costing £2300.
This review is going to read a little like my review of the TIS interconnects. Remarkably, they have very similar characteristics. I’ll cut to the chase and say right away that the TSCS is better than I remember the LS7 to be. It’s hard to be exact as my system has considerably more resolving power now than it did then, and is much more revealing of cable differences. However, there is no doubt that NVA have taken a step forward and made an already very good cable quite remarkable, for little or no increase in price.
What the TSCS does breaks down into four areas as follows:
1) midrange detail is superb, with vocal qualities brought to the fore and a plethora of heretofore unheard tiny cues coming to the surface
2) dynamics are some of the best I have heard, from explosive macro-dynamics to the tiny micro-dynamics often buried in the mix
3) soundstage is wide and deep with highly focussed spatial positioning
4) treble extension is superb, non-harsh and with filigree detail
What this does is make music sound more exciting, more vivid, more 'there'. The ebb and flow, the sense of swell followed by quiet sections down to a very low noise floor means that it’s sometimes hard to set the volume just right – a problem I don’t mind having at all because the TSCS (and TIS from pre- to power amp) allows my system to play hard without going harsh.
A few examples: the drums in Eyes on the Prize by Mavis Staples are extremely vibrant and alive, the whole song picking up an elevated vibe; the tinkly glass-like sounds in I’ll Find My Way Home by Vangelis and Jon Anderson have a new quality of metallic sound I’ve not noticed before; the huge and infectious beat in Bobby Reid by Lucette, not to mention her wonderfully pure and powerful voice; the large sense of space after the bass intro in Words by Low; the sheer beauty of a live recording done really well in Hallelujah By Leonard Cohen.
The overall balance differs between the TSCS and 6D, with the former having powerful tight bass (in fact, very tight which helps the impression of speed and dynamics) but the 6D excavating to subterranean levels of extension. In the midrange, I think the TSCS wins by a small margin in overall transparency, an extraordinary achievement. Their treble characteristics are the most closely aligned, both extended and neither showing any harshness. That I can make such a close comparison with the best cable I’ve ever owned is testament to how good the TSCS is.
So far, the ‘Statement’ range of NVA cables have impressed me very much. They are undoubtedly high end offerings, capable of being used in highly resolving systems, but they simply don’t have the elevated prices displayed by many competitive products. For that achievement alone, respect is due. Highly recommended.
WTF. NVA looks DIY.
