Creative Audio of Tennessee is one of Nordost’s newest dealers and the passion project of Lee Stromatt, a true audiophile dedicated to delivering the best sound possible. Specializing in high-end hi-fi systems and immersive home theater audio, Lee carefully curates his product selection, choosing brands he genuinely believes in, rather than chasing industry trends. His discerning ear means gimmicks don’t fool him, which is why he didn’t hesitate to jump in headfirst with us, becoming a Supreme Reference dealer from day one.
Lee is also a bit of a road warrior, regularly making house calls to demonstrate products in his clients’ homes. I’ve had the privilege of joining him on a few visits, and I can confidently say his customers are just as discerning about audio as he is. They trust his expertise and genuinely appreciate the Nordost products we’ve showcased in their systems.
If you’re in the greater Nashville area and considering any of the brands in Lee’s portfolio, give him a call at 615-435-3377. In one room, he can show you what’s possible in both stereo and immersive audio—and trust me, his systems are truly impressive.
The White Lightning 3 Power Cord is an essential, high-performance component for any audio system requiring a Figure-8 connection. Nordost’s new, introductory power cord delivers sturdy, reliable AC power while minimizing the harmful effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequencies (RF). This ensures a clean, stable current for optimal audio performance.
The White Lightning 3 Power Cord features Micro Mono-Filament construction, 18 AWG OFC conductors, and FEP insulation, all of which immediately enhance the clarity, depth, and dynamics of your music.
What sets the White Lighting 3 Power Cord apart is its sleek Figure-8 connector, specially designed by Nordost. This termination is the perfect match for systems that use Figure-8 connections, allowing music lovers to bring the “power” of Leif 3 to popular lifestyle brands.
Whether fine-tuning a casual setup or creating a more immersive listening experience, The White Lightning 3 Power Cord provides the essential foundation for superior sound quality. It allows your audio gear to perform at its best. The White Lightning 3 Power Cord is the first step in transforming the sound of your home system—bringing music to life like never before.
Nordost products are designed to allow you to enjoy your favorite performances as they were intended to be heard. All of us here are passionate about great music, and want to share our passion with you. Each one of us has our own style… We listen to a wide variety of artists and genres but, in a way, we appreciate them all. We thought that we would share a few of the songs on our own personal playlists with you each month. Some may be classics, some may be brand new, some may not even be to your tastes, but we hope that there is something here for everyone.
Here are some of the songs that we will have on rotation this March.
You can now listen to our monthly playlist here: TIDAL | SPOTIFY | QOBUZ
Green & Gold – Lianne La Havas – Blood
The Joke – Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You
This Is A Life – Son Lux, Mitski, David Byrne – Everything Everywhere All at Once (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Magic Bus – Live – The Who – Live At Leeds (Expanded Edition)
Vandalist – Noga Erez – The Vandalist
Bless the Telephone – Labi Siffre – The Singer & The Song
I Want You Yesterday – Wallice – The Jester
Flowers – Nathaniel Rateliff, Gregory Alan Isakov – Flowers
Mubo Sugar – Arc De Soleil – Libertalia
Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed) – Cameron Winter – Heavy Metal
Hotel Bonaventure 900 Rue de la Gauchetière O, Montréal
“An audio enthusiast’s paradise!“
“Celebrating its 36th edition this year, Montreal Audiofest remains the must-attend event for audiophiles. This long-standing tradition showcases the latest advances in high-fidelity audio equipment, featuring over 300 speaker brands, innovative music streamers and high-quality headphones.“
Friday · 11h to 20h Saturday · 10h to 18h Sunday · 10h to 17h
“Join audiophiles and music lovers from around the globe at the ultimate audio expo! Over three days, explore 200+ high-fidelity listening rooms, thousands of products in the Expo Hall and Ear Gear Experience, live performances, educational seminars, and cutting-edge audio demos.
Whether you’re a seasoned audiophile or a curious newcomer, AXPONA is the place to be. Secure your tickets today and immerse yourself in the world of high-fidelity sound and music!”
SHOW HOURS: Friday, April 11, 2025: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Saturday, April 12, 2025: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sunday, April 13, 2025: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
“The HIGH END, the internationally renowned audio exhibition, is the undisputed leader when it comes to impressively setting the tone for top-class music reproduction. It has been providing ideas and impetus for producers, sellers and consumers of high-quality audio technology for more than four decades. On the four days of the event, the entire world of audio experts and professionals gather in Munich to visit hundreds of exhibitors from more than 40 different countries as they showcase their latest innovations in the halls and atriums of the MOC event centre.
Every year in May, the HIGH END sets the trend for the international audio industry with technical innovations, current trends and numerous world firsts. “Diversity in Audio” stands for the variety of high-quality sound reproduction, underlining the unique range that is presented at the leading audio show year after year.
We look forward to seeing you at the HIGH END!”
OPENING HOURS
Thursday: 10:00am to 6:00pm Friday: 10:00am to 6:00pm Saturday: 10:00am to 6:00pm Sunday: 10:00am to 4:00pm
If you’ve already integrated a Nordost QKORE Ground Unit into your audio system, you’ve most likely experienced the remarkable improvements in pacing, soundstage, and dynamics that the QKORE system brings to your audio setup. With that comes a more detailed and lifelike listening experience, which I’m sure you’ve come to enjoy. But, what if we told you that with just two simple upgrades, you could unlock even more benefits from your previous QRT investment?
Nordost offers two upgrades to the QKORE—the Premium QKORE Wire and Sort Kones—that can elevate your setup and help you get the most out of your investment.
Premium QKORE Wire:
The Premium QKORE Wire is a performance upgrade over the standard QKORE wire. With Micro Mono-Filament technology and a 14 AWG, silver-plated OFC solid core conductor, it significantly reduces resistance and enhances signal transfer.
The result: A quieter background, more vivid soundstage, and greater detail in your music. If you want to hear every nuance, this wire is a must.
Sort Kones:
Vibrations from your audio components can distort sound. Sort Kones help manage this by isolating and reducing unwanted mechanical energy bringing a more focused, lifelike listening experience, with clearer, more dynamic sound.
Ready to Upgrade?
By upgrading your QKORE system with these two products, you’re not just adding gear to your setup—you’re unlocking the full potential of your system and ensuring that every listening session is as rich, dynamic, and immersive as possible. Why settle for good when you can have great?
Both the Premium QKORE Wire and Sort Kones are available now and ready for demonstration at your local Nordost retailer! If you’re looking to take your system to the next level, schedule a session so that you can experience these upgrades firsthand, in the comfort of your own listening environment.
Nordost products are designed to allow you to enjoy your favorite performances as they were intended to be heard. All of us here are passionate about great music, and want to share our passion with you. Each one of us has our own style… We listen to a wide variety of artists and genres but, in a way, we appreciate them all. We thought that we would share a few of the songs on our own personal playlists with you each month. Some may be classics, some may be brand new, some may not even be to your tastes, but we hope that there is something here for everyone.
Here are some of the songs that we will have on rotation this February.
You can now listen to our monthly playlist here: TIDAL | SPOTIFY | QOBUZ
Work – Charlotte Day Wilson – CDW
Messy – Lola Young – Messy
Sailing Ships – 2009 Remaster – Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (20th Anniversary Edition)
Endless Highway – Allan Taylor, Ian Melrose, Barnaby Taylor, Lea Morris, Hans-Joerg Maucksch – All Is One
SUNRISE – MICHELLE – SUNRISE
I Can’t Make You Love Me – SOAK – I Can’t Make You Love Me / Immigrant Song
Canopée – Polo & Pan – Caravelle
Sylvia – Julien Baker, TORRES – Sylvia
A Song For While I’m Away – Thin Lizzy – Vagabonds Of The Western World
Overture (Bus) – Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
In downtown Los Angeles, a unique 2-channel store awaits, promising to revolutionize your audio experience. Staffed by passionate music enthusiasts, Common Wave is a modern twist on the traditional stereo and record store, offering a one-of-a-kind journey into the world of audio.
Wesley and his team have poured their hearts into creating this space. Every detail, from the systems on display to the aesthetics of the environment, has been meticulously considered. The result is a visual and auditory feast that I had never experienced before visiting Common Wave. They are dedicated to crafting the best system for you, taking into account your needs, wants, and constraints.
At Common Wave, you’re in the hands of experts. The team, with their extensive experience in all aspects of the business, is dedicated to providing a level of service that’s hard to find elsewhere. Their Nordost Dealer Certification is a testament to their commitment to excellence, ensuring that they can meet all your cable needs.
Go see the team over at Common Wave; you will be glad you did!
At Nordost, we have embraced our slogan “Making The Connection” for decades. We do this first and foremost by offering high-end audio cables. But over the years, we’ve also become known for providing well-thought-out and expertly executed power distribution solutions. Our QBASE range of power distribution products offers a high-end foundation for virtually any setup.
From the versatile QBASE Reference, complete with its 10 outlets and various built-in, passive, sound-enhancing options, to the simpler, more streamlined QBASE Mark III, we offer a range of solutions to address all power needs. The QBASE Mark III is available as an eight outlet ‘QB8’, or a four outlet ‘QB4’. But don’t be fooled by the QB4’s minimalistic design—it’s more powerful than it looks!
At Nordost we work closely and share worldwide distribution with some of the most renowned, high-end audio manufacturers. Through those partnerships we are seeing a trend: more and more of today’s high-end components are being equipped with essential built-in options, creating the opportunity for minimalistic, yet sophisticated audio systems.
For example, beautifully crafted integrated amplifiers that offer a variety of built-in functionalities are on the rise. Take the Dan D’Agostino Momentum MxV, which can be equipped with a DAC, streamer, and phono stage, or the Gryphon Diablo 333, which offers an optional DAC and phono stage. Now, with just a turntable and speakers, you can create an incredible hi-fi system that only requires two or three power cords. Another great example is the dCS Rossini Player, a DAC, streamer, and preamp all in one, paired with something like VTL’s S200 stereo amp. The result is an extremely potent, yet streamlined system that still only requires a few power cords.
This is where we come in. Since the introduction of the QBASE Mark III, the four outlet QB4 version has been available in a high-current configuration (20A for 110V areas and 16A for 220V areas) to provide the perfect power foundation for these super high-end “all-in-one” components. These components don’t require a large power distribution block, but they do benefit immensely from a high-current, no-filtering, no-loss-of-power solution. And that’s exactly what the QB4 specializes in—compact in size but powerful in performance.
And despite its compact nature, with its four outlets, the QB4 Mark III often still has room for our complementary QRT Plug-ins, like the QSINE and/or QWAVE!
Our QBASE Reference has grabbed the attention of the press again! The most recent QB10 review comes from Jacob Heilbrunn of The Absolute Sound. After years of enjoying our QB8, Jacob was blown away by the QBASE Reference, particularly how the QB10 could achieve so much while remaining “invisible” in his system.
He noted, “With the insertion of the new QBase Reference, I heard an audible and immediate improvement in clarity, scale, bass extension, and detail.”
Beyond that, Jacob was also shocked by the extension in soundstage the QBASE Reference delivered–something that, in his opintion, no other device had come close to achieving.
You can now read Jacob’s review of the QBASE Reference in its entirety here:
We are happy to share another great review from The Absolute Sound, this time of our QSINE and QWAVE. After reviewing the QBASE Mark III, Neil Gader was introduced to our newer generation of QRT Plug-Ins and included them in an in-depth Equipment Report. From the start, he was impressed with how the QSINE and QWAVE worked together, citing “greater image stability and an increase in the clarity, detail, and pacing of musical instruments.” Neil also praised how these products enhanced the performance of the QBASE, further elevating overall listening experiences.
