June 2018 - Nordost Blog

Pictures from Nordost Nation! June 2018

Nordost is lucky to have such incredibly loyal and enthusiastic customers! One great way that our fans let us know that they are happy with the work that we do is by sending us pictures of their Nordost products in action. Here are a few photos that have been shared with us recently. Feel free to send us pictures of Nordost in your system, via Facebook, info@nordost.com, or #nordostcables on Instagram, so that we can continue to share them with the whole Nordost family!

“Let’s see how these sound 😊” – @bjarne.johnsen1

“Some detail and closeup shots of the Heimdal 2 cables. My favorite as of this week.” – @musiconaquietevening

“Captured in the Wild, a rare Nagra PSA sunbathing on a Modulum stand.” – @arizonahifi
We also spot Odin 2 and a few QKORE Ground Units!

“嘿嘿！特別訂的#nordost #喇叭線給中置喇叭用!” – @mk_s150
(Oh! Specially-ordered #nordost #speakercable to the center speaker!)

“No words… KEF Reference 203/2… #kef #reference #ayre #krell #nordost #curiouscable #furutech #WHFsystems #hifi #hiend #music #passion #sound #beautiful #Audiopheeling #audiophile #valhalla #tyr” – @felipe.rolim92

Mat Weisfeld from VPI, showing off his Odin 2 Speaker Cable

“Today recording saxophonist @ChrisSpeed with polish manufacturer @HumAudioDevices’ amazing ribbon RS-2 microphone and @MicEhrlund EHR-M triangular diaphragm condenser (also used for @TimBerne’s sax along with a vintage RCA KU-3A ribbon) – all with @nordostcables” – @marcurselli

What Hi-Fi (India) has there system outfitted with Frey 2, Sort Lifts, and a QKORE6!

“My beautiful @nordostcables Black Knight flatline.” – @vinilefiorentino

@cultoffonza’s vinyl must sound amazing with Heimdall 2 and QRT.

Newvelle Records is using Ax Angel to record their new set of albums!
“Blowing your mind.⠀#inthestudio photograph: @jordankleinman” – @newvelle_records

“Rewired Linn Ekos tonearm. Nordost reference internal, Nordost Heimdall 2, Lyra Kleos. #lyracartridge #nordostcables” – @stylusaudio

“HEGEL – NORDOST- AVM – Quadraspire – SPENDOR .” – @soundquest_

“Paradigm Persona 5F, Nordost Heimdall & Red Dawn, and Anthem STR. Sweet sound.” – @westcoast_av_gallery

“Sitting on a Sunday afternoon with a little BBQ and music” – @r1ver_rat

“Wilson Audio Alexx Speakers, Dan D’Agostino | Master Audio Systems, Nordost Cables Odins 2 Cables Linn Katalyst, Moon by Sim Transport, Grand Prix Audio Rack, Room Treatment by PMI Acoustical Design & Engineering — at Audio Video Integration.”

“Good quality sound wires are helping you release your sound system at a lower level of strength. With different levels of equipment matching with suitable wires, the sound will be significantly enhanced!
Our customers chose Nordost Cables red dawn power line with RCA signal line to give him the source and expansion machine! Hope he has fun!” – PinCha Audio
(Translated from Chinese)

Great photo of some QKOREs by @huge_sound

Industry Advocate: Barry Diament

For more than a quarter of a century, Nordost has been renowned for the quality of our products, and the effect that they have on music reproduction. Using Nordost allows listeners to experience music the way it was intended – unrestrained, unfiltered, true. So it should be no surprise that when high fidelity is the goal, Nordost is who you come to for your cabling needs. For professionals in the audio industry, this is no different. Over the years, Nordost has worked with innovative manufacturers, talented artists, and celebrated recording engineers who all trust Nordost to bring their finished products to the next level.

One of Nordost’s original Industry Advocates is Barry Diament. Barry has been a professional recording engineer since in 1975, and joined Atlantic Records in 1978. Throughout his time at Atlantic, Barry used every medium, having cut tracks, recorded overdubs, mixed tracks, edited tracks, and mastered for vinyl. In 1983 Barry even became one of the first engineers to master for CD. Today, in addition to his work as a consultant designing systems and studios for recording, mixing mastering, and playback, Barry spends the majority of his time producing, recording, and mastering all of the projects at Soundkeeper Recordings. His recordings are made with all the musicians playing live, in real time, in order to capture the feel, excitement, and emotion of every performance. Some of Barry’s mastering credits include: AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, the entire Bob Marley & the Wailers catalog, Otis Redding, Pete Townshend, and Warren Zevon.

What does Barry have to say about Nordost?

“When I first built my own studio/listening room, I auditioned a wide variety of candidates for cabling and kept returning to Nordost cables. They always allowed me to feel like I was hearing past them, into the recording itself—which is exactly what I sought from the monitoring system in the studio.

With the system now outfitted with Nordost for all power, analog, digital, and computer connections (and a QBASE for power distribution), the listening experience is sublime. And the balanced interconnects, used as my microphone cables at recording sessions, have shown me that my microphones are even better than I previously thought they were. Thank you Nordost for bringing my work to a higher level!”

Barry is a proud user of several Nordost products including Tyr 2, Heimdall 2, Blue Heaven, Purple Flare, Ax Angel, and QRT.

Next week Barry is working on an exciting new Soundkeeper Recordings project with an amazing Haitian jazz quartet featuring Markus Schwartz and Lakou Brooklyn. And as he says himself, “I’m so glad that Nordost products will be key ingredients in the recording and in the subsequent mastering.”

For more information on this, and other projects at Soundkeeper Recordings visit www.soundkeeperrecordings.com

Optimize Your Subwoofer with These 3 Simple Upgrades

By Bjorn Bengtsson

Subwoofers usually get overlooked. During the development of our latest Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable, we realized just how little TLC is typically given to the subwoofers in sound systems. Often the complaint we hear is that subwoofers don’t integrate well enough, when listening to two-channel music. At Nordost we understand the tremendous value of high-quality audio cables, power products and resonance control, and once people hear our demonstrations at industry shows, or in retail showrooms, they understand the importance of these upgrades as well. However, whenever people begin to consider upgrades to help improve their subwoofer, we hear a lot of “buts”:

“…But what’s the point? The amplifier inside my subwoofer isn’t as good as the amplifier in my dedicated main speaker.”

“…But the interconnect would have to be so long—my subwoofer is too far away from my preamp. “

“…But why change the footers? My subwoofer already came with its own set of feet.”

I’m sure that all of these arguments sound familiar. I do have one more “but” for you however:

“…But these arguments are exactly why you need to consider making upgrades to your subwoofer!”

Let me explain:

1) Power Cord Upgrade

If the amplifier in your subwoofer isn’t as good as the amplifiers in your primary loudspeakers, it’s imperative to optimize its situation, in order to allow your subwoofer to succeed. This can easily be done by upgrading the power cord feeding the subwoofer. A really good power cord is essential to ensure that the built-in amplifier performs at its absolute best. With quality AC feeding your subwoofer, you will finally be able to enjoy those powerful, low frequency notes in your music, and not be stuck experiencing them as just a rumble.

2) Dedicated Subwoofer Interconnect

The price of long-length interconnects may be daunting. However, at longer lengths, having a high-quality cable is of the utmost importance. The longer a signal is trapped in its conduit, the more damage and signal-loss will be experienced, especially if that signal is being transported in a substandard cable. When dealing with subwoofers, which are typically placed far away from the rest of the system, you are introduced to a series of real challenges that a good, purpose-built subwoofer cable will have to overcome. If these challenges aren’t addressed properly, the signal will arrive “tired”, very distorted, and riddled with phase problems.

3) Resonance Control

In terms of mechanical optimization, low frequencies create a hostile situation. Unfortunately, the footers and spikes that come with subwoofers were not designed to efficiently drain the cabinet of detrimental vibrations generated by those frequencies. When trapped within the cabinet, these vibrations will negatively affect the driver(s) in your subwoofer, making the sound have an undesirable, muddled and boomy quality. Upgrading your footers and spikes with a product that addresses resonance, like the Nordost Sort Füt, will help minimize these harmful effects and maximize the performance of your subwoofer.

Subwoofers are worth paying attention to, and just like any other component in your system, the attention that you give them will make a huge difference! If you make these changes, you will be able to impress both yourself and your audiophile buddies with seamless low frequency integration, without any rumble. When done right, a properly optimized subwoofer will allow you to enjoy low frequency sound that will make the legs of your trousers flap, your eyes blink involuntary, and your chest cavity resonate with your favorite music…

Soundstage! Australia reviews the QKORE

This month yet another fabulous review of the QKORE was released. In his article, Peter Katsoolis of SoundSage! Australia, describes contaminated AC power as tainted blood, which can spread from component to component, wreaking havoc on the performance and sound of your system. The cure, as Peter found, was QKORE.

“What the QKORE1 then does by giving a musical blood transfusion to each and every audio component, and to so clearly and audibly ‘AC lift’ the performance of my entire system, is genuinely astounding.”

You can now read Peter’s QKORE review in its entirety here: Nordost QKORE1 Ground Unit

You can find this review and more great Nordost reviews on our Reviews Page.

Special Event at JS Audio

Come and join us for a night of demonstrations, comparisons and great music! JS Audio, in Bethesda, MD, is hosting an event Saturday, June 16th, from 4-9 PM. Special guests from Wilson Audio, dCS, D’Agostino, and, of course, Nordost will be there to present some amazing products! We hope that everyone in the DC area will be there to join in for this fantastic opportunity to hear these products at their best!

June 16th
4PM-9PM
JS Audio
4919 St. Elmo Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 656-7020
js@jsaudio.com
www.jsaudio.com

Dealer Spotlight: Liquid HiFi

By Steve Greene

As audio enthusiasts, we have all probably had a favorite audio store during our youth that had a marked, or even profound, influence on our future endeavors, whether personal or business related. For Ron Buffington of Liquid HiFi that store was Progressive Audio in Columbus, Ohio. Progressive Audio treated potential clients with unbridled enthusiasm and respect, regardless of whether that person was a well-heeled audiophile, or an aspiring young student. Ron Buffington loved visiting that store frequently and he never forgot the passion that they had for audio and music. Today, Ron is the proud owner of Liquid HiFi in Charlotte, NC, where he emulates the spirit of Progressive Audio—helping client’s to get more out of their music systems by adding his own expertise.

A unique mix of experience allows Liquid HiFi to offer systems that make the toes tap and communicate the emotion of the music. Before owning a high-end audio salon, Ron delved into many arenas of the hifi industry, including speaker building, measurement and acoustics. He even won a world championship in the International Auto Sound Challenge Association’s world finals in 1996. The combination of these vast and unique audio endeavors allows Liquid HiFi to deliver a truly special experience to their valued clients!

In 2008, Ron’s passion for high-end home audio led to the formation of Liquid HiFi in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ron imparts a personal approach with his clients, conducting in-home demonstrations of Nordost products, including Sort Kones, QKORE Ground Units and Nordost cable comparisons. When you work with Ron, he designs a system that maximizes the quality of sound, so that your favorite music is reproduced both accurately and musically. He also utilizes a Real Time Analyzer, to ensure that your listening room becomes a big part of the design equation. This approach has allowed Ron to develop long term relationships with his customers, who appreciate his dedication to their unique audio needs and budget.

Ron proudly and vehemently states that he only sells products that he would listen to in his own home. Products must pass that listening test before he will even consider offering them for sale to his valued clients. Some products that have met that criteria for Ron include Dynaudio, Focal, Moon by SimAudio, Jeff Rowland Design Group, Marten Design, Esoteric Grandioso and, of course, Nordost!

Liquid HiFi is authorized for, and can demonstrate, all Nordost product categories including Reference (Valhalla 2) and Supreme Reference (Odin 2)! We are very proud to have Liquid HiFi as an esteemed member of our family of superior authorized retailers. To schedule a visit with Ron, simply visit his website (www.liquidhifi.com) and give him a call. You won’t regret it! He has a dynamic, state of the art showroom with multiple systems set up for your listening pleasure. Plus, he will even come to visit you in your own listening room so that he can fully analyze and formulate his recommendations to make your system even more enjoyable and musical!

Radar Audio Hosts Exclusive Audio Show in Macau

We are very lucky to have the support of wonderful dealers and distributors from around the world. In order to spread the word, and the advantages, of using Nordost in a sound system, our dealers host specialized events for their customers to hear, first hand, the improvements that optimizing the cables and power products used in a hifi system can really make. Last month, Radar Audio, our standout distributor in Hong Kong, held one such event in Macau. This exclusive audio event, featured top-tier brands including PS Audio, dCS, Magico, Constellation Audio, Hifi Stay, roon, and, of course, Nordost. Thank you to Radar for putting on a great show, and for always representing Nordost so well!